Sparky
Pearson Electra
| PHRF: | 270 |
| Club: | Vallejo Yacht Club & SSS |
| Homeport: | Benicia, California |
| Occupation: | Benefits Broker |
| Age: | 42 |
Hanalei Bay, Kauai is my favorite place on earth (no joke), and to have an opportunity to arrive by sail via a sailboat race is too amazing! That said, the reality of wanting to participate in this event has been about the preparation, as just wanting to go is not enough. This process is proving to be an incredible life changing experience, and the race hasn’t even started yet…or has it?
Thankfully, I’m sailing a humble good old boat that keeps things simple. The boat was built for midget offshore racing back in 1962. Yes, the boat has been around longer than me, but she is strong, capable, beautiful, and an absolute joy to sail! I believe I may be the “slowest rated” boat in the fleet, but with new Pineapple sails and a sprayed racing bottom, I’ll sail Sparky as fast as I possibly can - watch out Chris Humann! In all seriousness, I am very much looking forward to having this sailing/life experience knowing that I am following my dreams, wherever they may take me.
I started getting serious about sailing a little over four years ago. In that time I have been fortunate to have raced on many different boats. This has not only given me valuable sailing experience, but has also led to many wonderful friendships.
Navigation: (2) Garmin GPSMap 76Csx handhelds, Garmin chartplotter, sextant Steering: Me, ( 3) Autohelm ST 1000 tiller pilots Communication: ICOM IC-M710 SSB, ICOM IC-M422 VHF Food: Ichiban noodles, rice, canned and dried fruit, canned chili beans, energy bars, lots of snacks. Special thanks: First and foremost, thank you Dee Snow! You are truly a special person, and I’m so lucky to have you in my office to take care of everything while I’m away. To Cree, Karl, and crew at Berkeley Marine Center. It has been so much fun working on my boat at the boatyard; the depth of resources you have available is incredible. George Biery, thank you for your friendship and support, and especially for building me the hard dodger and emergency rudder – you’ve got skills. Michael Whitfield, thank you for stepping up early in my campaign to supply me with miscellaneous sheets, blocks, etc. Larry Gibbs, thank you for the life raft, and for your encouragement – I hope to be able to communicate with you while you’re out there sailing in the Pacific Cup. Tim and Laurie Merrill, thank you for letting me race with you the last couple years, and for the EPIRB and watermaker. Bob Harford, thank you for exposing me to sailboat racing in the first place…all of this is your fault! Chris Humann, thank you for dropping by the boatyard to check up on me - your support means a lot. And to Synthia Petroka, thank you for the encouraging email correspondence, and for helping to keep all of us on track |
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