| Hobie Forums http://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/ |
|
| 2017 r2ak Proving Grounds http://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/viewtopic.php?f=70&t=59925 |
Page 1 of 1 |
| Author: | sharrissmith [ Sat Feb 11, 2017 9:31 pm ] |
| Post subject: | 2017 r2ak Proving Grounds |
Signed up for and am accepted to compete in this years Race to Alaska. Well the first leg at least. And that in itself will be quite an accomplishment. Anyone else signed up in full or in part for this years race? |
|
| Author: | tonystott [ Sat Feb 11, 2017 11:17 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 2017 r2ak Proving Grounds |
Way to go! Looking forward to your stories |
|
| Author: | dpstivers [ Sun Feb 12, 2017 9:51 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 2017 r2ak Proving Grounds |
I thought of going but it's just too far a drive from So Cal. I would love to know, are you planning to take a direct route and how do you plan to get back? Good luck, should be an awesome experience. |
|
| Author: | chadbach [ Sun Feb 12, 2017 11:24 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 2017 r2ak Proving Grounds |
Very awesome! I'll be cheering for you and will be looking forward to your stories as well. I've watched the many YouTube videos about the race over and over many times. It's looks like such an amazing adventure! |
|
| Author: | Chekika [ Sun Feb 12, 2017 1:28 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 2017 r2ak Proving Grounds |
Yes, we will all be following you. Be safe. Good winds. Keith |
|
| Author: | sharrissmith [ Mon Apr 24, 2017 9:38 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 2017 r2ak Proving Grounds |
Payed final fees and signed on the dotted line. https://www.facebook.com/TeamTwinTurbos/ |
|
| Author: | dpstivers [ Fri Jun 09, 2017 8:32 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 2017 r2ak Proving Grounds |
I followed your tracker. I would love to hear how your race went. Looks like it was really tough out there. |
|
| Author: | tonystott [ Sat Jun 10, 2017 11:06 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 2017 r2ak Proving Grounds |
sharrissmith wrote: Payed final fees and signed on the dotted line. https://www.facebook.com/TeamTwinTurbos/ Hoping to also find out more about your adventure.. Also, I am a bit puzzled by your "2 for 1" drive linking mechanism.. Surely the determining factor is how much power you can input from your legs, which I would have thought would remain constant whether driving two Mragedrives or just one. Love to hear of your observations |
|
| Author: | sharrissmith [ Tue Jul 24, 2018 11:13 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 2017 r2ak Proving Grounds |
dpstivers wrote: I followed your tracker. I would love to hear how your race went. Looks like it was really tough out there. Over a year later and am ready to report. This was the hardest thing I have ever done, on so many levels. Trained hard for the months leading up but was not prepared for the events as they unfolded. The first hour and a half started with light winds that filled in nicely. Then they stopped. The following six hours was a slog through a windless soul-sucking patch of ocean. Nothing but leg power to get across a grey sea rimmed with fog. Leg power and the occasional loud angry curse. I went into survival mode not trying for speed but focusing on endurance. Literally head down only looking up to check my course. My fitness tracker showed me burning four thousand calories. I don’t doubt it. The last hour plus and the wind filled in from the west and did not stop filling in. Things got crazy fast. I had lost faith in my Navionics on my phone mid doldrums and had aimed for the nearest land once I saw it through the low clouds. This put me well east of Victoria and I was getting cold, wet (inside my drysuit), and tired. At this point I was done and started trying to find somewhere to land the Tandem Island. I found a boat ramp on the map and then got a visual and steered towards it. Between me and the shore I saw what I thought was reflected wave meeting wind blown wave from the west. When I got closer I saw they were patches of exposed rock blasting the waves into plumes of spray. Between the map and eyeballing the situation I wound my way between and through and in one case (with the fortune of good timing) over the crashing waves, and rocks, and spray. Once clear of the rocks and in the lee of land I short tacked to the boat ramp, dragged the boat clear of the water and got on the phone to race control to tell them I had bailed and to contact my land transportation. I spent a while waiting for my support team to track me down and pick me. I was happy to be on dry land and alive. What went wrong was the six hours of no wind. Almost all of my training involved wind and mostly brisk wind. The weather forecast two weeks before the start showed a dead zone in the middle of the Strait and that did not change all the way up to race day. I saw it, feared it, and did not want to believe it. Now all the things meant to make me go faster, sails, amas, and such were there to slow me down. Lesson learned. That is why next year I am entering the Seventy48 with all the extra weight and associated reliance on wind removed. Main hull, combined and upgraded Mirage drives only. My goal is to average six knots (on flat-ish water) for the distance. I aim to be first solo competitor across the line. Although I did not officially finish I am proud of what I have done and have a better idea of what I can do. And that is so much more than I ever thought. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk |
|
| Author: | fusioneng [ Tue Jul 24, 2018 2:17 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 2017 r2ak Proving Grounds |
I ran dual mirage drives for a while, rigged together via a pulley system. The pedaling force was too great to maintain any distance. Even pedaling at a slower pace to maintain an equal speed to hard pedaling a single mirage drive burnt up too much energy. I even tried running the rear drive with my arms for a while, which actually worked a little better, but not continuous for very long, (again too much energy consumed), I used the arm drive mostly when giving my legs a rest. Paddling while pedaling is probably more efficient if your a strong paddler, ( I’m not a strong paddler anymore because of my bad back). If you can maintain solo a fully rigged TI at 6 mph further than a mile or so your way stronger than me, (or anyone else I know). I can go about ten hrs with a few breaks, but that’s at 3mph, (not 6mph). And that’s with our widened TI with the AMA’s 4” higher and not ever touching the water, and all openings in the hull removed and a slick coating on the hull. A stock boat is way slower. However, two guys with just the hull, (no sails or AMA's), might be able to do that with a modified hull, The TI hull glides and tracks really well. Look at Roadrunner's 'SPEED' post...... Solo, I just don't know, ( I know for sure I could never maintain that speed solo, (lol, well maybe for a half mile or so). We will all be rooting for you. Good luck FE |
|
| Author: | Chekika [ Tue Jul 24, 2018 2:21 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: 2017 r2ak Proving Grounds |
Thanks for the report SS. Scary and impressive! Keith |
|
| Page 1 of 1 | All times are UTC - 8 hours [ DST ] |
| Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group http://www.phpbb.com/ |
|