We sail our live-aboard race boat in the Richmond Yacht Club Wednesday Night Beercan on a cloudy April Wednesday, competing closely with Wildcard (a Santa Cruz 37) and Saoirse (a Tripp 41). This quick beercan race features: 💨 Cloudy, foreboding skies ⛵️ Close quarters action between raceboats 🌁 City views of San Francisco's Skyline 🛠️Our gear: – B&G Vulcan 12 MFD – Raymarine Autopilot – Garmin GNX130 jumbo displays – Insta 360 Camera 🎥 Shot spring of 2025 aboard our lady Defiant ➕ Subscribe for more racing, cruising, and performance sailing. #ourladydefiant #yachtracing #RaymarineAutopilot #BGSailing #GarminMarine #SailingCalifornia #LiveaboardLife #MarineElectronics #NMEA2000 #SailingAdventure

Ever wondered what kind of data racing sailors rely on to optimize speed and strategy? In this video, we take you onboard our sailboat and break down the real-time performance data we use to make decisions on the water. 📺 Gear: B&G instrumentation system with a Vulcan 12 MFD as the brain Airmar DST810 Depth, speed, heel/yaw sensor B&G WS310 Wind Sensor Garmin GNX 130 Jumbos 🧭 What You'll Learn: How we monitor boat speed, true wind angle (TWA), true wind speed (TWS), VMG, and other data points. The role of apparent wind angle (AWA) and polar performance targets Using data to call jibes, choose sail configurations, and trim efficiently 🔔 Subscribe for more content on performance sailing, race tactics, and life aboard a racing cruiser: www.youtube.com/@UCBcacEpiUMe3iVvVRUyapGQ 🧠 Keywords: sailboat racing data, sailing performance metrics, VMG sailing, true wind angle, boat speed sailing, sailing polar targets, racing sailboat instruments, sailing technology, sail trim data, downwind performance, racing tactics, liveaboard sailboat racing 📌 Chapters: 00:00 - Intro 00:12 - Starting and Upwind Metrics 01:11 - True Wind Speed Graph 02:35 - Down Wind Metrics 03:40 - Velocity Made Good (VMG) and True Wind Angle (TWA) 04:24 - Layline Reading by Magnetic Compass Course 05:15 - Docking and Motoring 05:43 - True Wind Direction (TWD) for seeing shifts 06:20 - Conclusion 💬 Comment Below: What kind of sailing data do you rely on most during races? 👍 Like this video if you geek out on sailboat tech and performance analytics. #SailingData #SailboatRacing #PerformanceSailing #VMG #TrueWindAngle #SailingTech #SailingInstruments #RaceTactics #LiveaboardRacing #PolarPerformance #SailingAnalytics

In this video I try to demonstrate the geometry of folding sails. This can be the source of some serious argumentation, so I figured I'd try to make a video that explains it visually and in simple terms. Hope it helps! #ourladydefiant #sailboat #yachtracing #sailing #sail

If you've ever wanted a quick overview of the world of Yacht Clubs, here's my take on that subject. I think if you're on the water frequently, or want to be on the water frequently, there's likely a club out there for you. Once you do join a club, the benefits can be really rewarding both socially and for the sake of boating in general. If you have additional questions about yacht clubs, leave them as comments below the video.

I’m producing a set of videos called Technically Defiant. It’ll be a discussion of topics that are useful to know about if your relatively new to sailing or just want to learn more about some of the details of owning a boat and being in this community. Click here to go to the full Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRG_CoMXN9CdfEtjeqpLq7jeP_KtGAy5e&si=1Wu-AbXd6ecEv59V

If I were brand new to sailing or boating or I just got a boat and it didn't come with an organized core set of tools, I would have loved for someone to tell me what those core tools are to have onboard. With sailboats the answer isn't always big tools or more tools. Sometimes it's small ones, and ones that can do multiple jobs while storing away small, but it's always ones that you can get a good amount of force on as most things you interact with will be corroded. These are the tools that, after about 6 years of sailboat ownership and number of coastal cruises, I wouldn't leave the dock without, and which are sufficient to do most jobs on the boat that could need immediate attention. The goal is to cary as few tools as possible while still getting the job done. Fewer tools means less weight, less stuff to keep organized, and less searching for specialty sizes or types of tools, and tools that work well in small spaces. I've got all the tools listed below with links for easy purchase. I've added some tool sets and a couple additional pieces you may find useful. If I was putting together a core tool set from scratch, here's what I'd get (these are better examples than what I own now): Ratcheting Screw Driver: https://amzn.to/46wiXDe Large Screw Drivers: https://amzn.to/4kom9nP Miniature Screw Drivers: https://amzn.to/44lkj2s WD-40: https://amzn.to/4lHSIyb Tef-Gel: https://amzn.to/4eFGYdk Allen Keys/Wrenches: https://amzn.to/4lCP34E Stuby Wrench Set (SAE/Imperial): https://amzn.to/3Tutw23 Stuby Wrench Set (Metric): https://amzn.to/3GBnR7p Crescent/Monkey Wrench: https://amzn.to/44TDel2 Lineman Pliers: https://amzn.to/3U3jzJ6 Needle Nose Pliers: https://amzn.to/408sLQ9 Standard Pliers: https://amzn.to/44Sf4Ya Locking Pliers: https://amzn.to/44j6jGm Hammer: https://amzn.to/4nzNwhH Mallet: https://amzn.to/3IkgD8s Blowtorch: https://amzn.to/4lg2HuB Oscillating Tool: https://amzn.to/460GoEK Hacksaw: https://amzn.to/4lu6CUI

We sail our live-aboard race boat from San Francisco to Santa Barbara, stopping in Monterey and San Simeon, and rounding the infamous Point Conception after an overnight offshore leg, and being greeted by a breaching whale along the way. 🗺️ Route Summary: – San Francisco – Monterey Harbor and dense fog when leaving – San Simeon (anchored) – Point Conception (overnight offshore) – Santa Barbara This 300+ nautical mile journey features: 💨 Heavy fog and navigation challenges leaving Monterey 🌊 Rounding Point Sur in big swell with following seas 🌅 Sunrise rounding of Point Conception in calm morning light ⚓ Stunning anchorages at San Simeon and a smooth landfall in Santa Barbara 🛠️Our gear: – B&G Vulcan 12 MFD – Raymarine Autopilot – Garmin GNX130 jumbo displays – Insta 360 Camera – Viking 6 person liferaft 🎥 Shot Fall of 2024 aboard our lady Defiant ➕ Subscribe for real-world sailing performance, offshore passage prep, and gear breakdowns. #SailingOffshore #RaymarineAutopilot #BGSailing #GarminMarine #SailingCalifornia #LiveaboardLife #OffshoreCruising #PointConception #MarineElectronics #NMEA2000 #SailingAdventure

Sailing to Monterey at 18 Knots | Offshore Racing Our Liveaboard Sailboat in 30+ Knot Winds Join us for an unforgettable offshore sailing adventure as we race our liveaboard sailboat from San Francisco Bay to Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club in the summer of 2025. This video captures the raw beauty and adrenaline of California coastal racing in a wide range of conditions—from calm seas to intense 30+ knot downwind runs. Shot on an Insta360 X4 in 4K resolution. 🌊 What You'll See in this Video: Surfing downwind swells at consistent speeds of 14+ knots A thrilling top boat speed of 18 knots Strategic sail handling in changing wind conditions Life aboard a performance-oriented cruising sailboat during a coastal race This isn’t just another sailing vlog. It's a high-speed, high-wind real-world test of seamanship, gear, and guts along one of the most stunning coastlines in the U.S. 🔔 Subscribe for more offshore racing, liveaboard sailing, and performance cruising content 🧭 Keywords: offshore sailing, sailing San Francisco to Monterey, liveaboard sailboat, sailboat racing, 30 knot wind sailing, California coastal racing, top speed sailboat, 18 knots sailboat, downwind sailing, sailing vlog, sail trim, high wind sailing, sailing Monterey Bay, SF Bay sailing 📌 Chapters: 0:00 - Start of the Race from San Francisco Bay 9:20 - Passing Mile Rock and Almost Leading the Pack 13:34 - Starting the Spinnaker Run Down Wind 19:29 - Guy Line Breaks, and Wind Starts to Pick Up 25:48 - Handling 30+ Knots With Our A2.5 Spinnaker 38:08 - Arrival at the Finish, Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club 💬 Comment Below: What's your fastest speed under sail? Would you do this passage? 👍 Like this video if you love big wind, fast boats, and epic coastal passages. #SailingAdventure #OffshoreRacing #LiveaboardLife #DownwindSailing #SFBayToMonterey #SailingCalifornia #SailingVlog #PerformanceCruising #18Knots #BigWindSailing #insta360

#ourladydefiant #yachtracing #jboat #J133

This was the final beercan sailing race at Richmond Yacht Club for the 2024 season. We raced in the spinnaker class over 30 ft. and after getting a late start, we quickly caught up with the fleet. We had a bit of drama at the windward mark rounding, but worked it all out and finally set a kite to the finish line.

We sailed in the September 4th beercan race, and had a wonderful crew onboard, any one of which could have run the boat themselves. The result was a relaxing sail and a good result in the race! I think even on corrected time Wildcard would have beat us, but not by a lot: they did a great job of coming from behind and picking the right lanes of pressure on the course. And as always it's fun to see so many sailboats out together having a fun time all going in the same direction together (aka racing).

We were so close to the finish line you could spit at it! And then the wind shut down, the boat spun 180 degrees in the wrong direction, and so why not finish in reverse! The Richmond Yacht Club often times rewards creativity in their beercan races, so I figured I'd give it a shot. It went over well, and while we weren't awarded a prize bottle of wine, we received high accolades for our creativity. I've proposed a change to the racing rules, which is that motoring is not allowed... unless it's in reverse.

In this final episode of our trip north in 2023 to return home to San Francisco Bay, we stop off in Monterey for some fun before slogging our way back up the coast for the final stretch just ahead of the first winter storm.

Pac Cup is the race from San Francisco to Hawaii that happens in the even-numbered years, and is known generally as the "fun race to Hawaii". This year Ira is the official photographer and media person for Pac Cup, so we were able to get some awesome shots and footage of these race boats at the start of their sail to Hawaii! If you want to check out her photography, look at the Pac Cup Race insta, or her site (search "White Raven Media"). @translated9643 Translated9 @jworldperformancesailing9176 Hula Girl @bronmiller2755 looks like you might know Joy Ride!

Pac Cup is the race from San Francisco to Hawaii that happens in the even-numbered years, and is known generally as the "fun race to Hawaii". This year Ira is the official photographer and media person for Pac Cup, so we were able to get some awesome shots and footage of these race boats at the start of their sail to Hawaii! If you want to check out her photography, look at the Pac Cup Race insta, or her site (search "White Raven Media"). @glassslipper40

We had a leak in our forward two keel bolt holes, and it was time to fix it! The yard successfully got the mast pulled and the keel off. Neither wanted to come off the boat, but I'm thankful they were able to get both off without...unintended damage. Now time to put it back together even better than new.

Ira (ee-ra) had some more amazing luck fishing, and caught a Sargo fish that was a fairly decent size. It ended up being some very tasty fish tacos for dinner that night! Thanks to @PENNfishing for making an intuitive, easy to use reel, even for those moments strongest moments of arousal! #fishing #ourladydefiant #liveaboard #cruisinglife #yachtracing

In this video we pick up after having spent some time in Santa Barbara, and doing another trip to Santa Cruz Island. On our way back we made awesome time, doing the 21-mile trip in a little over 2.5 hours, and surrounded by excited dolphin for large chunks of time. After spending some time in SB, we found a weather window to go up to start harbor-hopping up the coast, back home to San Francisco Bay. In advance of that weather window opening up, we staged ourselves at Cojo anchorage just inside of Pt. Conception. From there, we rounded the point and next spent a couple days at Sansimion - our favorite anchorage so far on the California coast. That's where I end this video. Our final two legs to Monterey and then San Francisco will come later. We hope you enjoy!

We've had a bad experience with our Lewmar windlass. I love the low-profile of the gypsy and that the chain/rhode has contact with the gypsy 3/4 of the way around, but the motor, and in particular where they put the overheating cutout wire, is not well thought out. I found in the previous motor we had that it would let water in through that wire opening, and the motor rusted from the inside out. Also, the external-facing components of the motor (screws primarily) are not up to the challenge of the marine environment or living in an anchor locker. We had the pleasure of using the windlass about 10 or so times before it died... not from use though... from sitting in the anchor locker. As an attempted fix for our the windlass motor that Lewmar sent us under warranty (after some contentious discussion), I cut the overheating cutoff wire that we don't use anyway, painted the entire motor other than the connectors, with Rustoleum, and sealed the overheat cutoff-wire opening with two layers of flex-seal tape. This second motor has lasted longer then their first... next to die (I can see it) will be the relay. Hopefully this works to lengthen the life of the motor... but we'll see...next to die (I can see it) will be the relay. Fun times with our favorite game of "apply salty brine and see what happens!"