Q7 Falcon : Blog
Check out the latest news and updates on the original 'Falcon'
1/5/25
Still Back to Basics
A series of Santa Ana weather patterns have made sailing with no auxiliary power tricky. While we don't need much wind to get off the dock it's a bit nerve wracking when you hit a lull as we did in the channel .. 10 minutes of standing still against a 1 knot current as the tide went out was thankfully followed by over an hour of 8-10 gusting 12-14 which made for a fun sail.
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After a few tacks 'jousting' with a beautiful Saffier 37 (not sure if the skipper knew we were trying but we like to think he was as well!) we headed back to dock under sail before our luck changed again.
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Breaking News! After months of rejections we finally found an insurer to write a policy with an electric motor. The Elco EP-20 weighs in at only 72 lbs with a 10 KwH Solid State Lithium battery adding another 100 lbs - still less than the diesel it replaced. Stand by for news on range and cruising speed.
12/15/24
Still Back to Basics
The weather cooperated again on Sunday so Q7 was out on the water, able to sail off and back on to the dock in Americas Cup Harbor, San Diego.
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The search for a new engine has been interesting, or maybe 'shocking' would be more accurate. How can a tiny 25Hp Diesel possibly cost $13,000 (!) My real goal is to get an Elco electric motor so we can avoid the noise, vibration and smell but finding an insurer to provide cover continues to be a challenge.
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On a brighter note, the table shows a very typical sail for Falcon in winds around 6-8 gusting 10. While hull speed is not the ultimate measure it pretty much plays out for Falcon and is a great illustration of why her designers created the iconic overhangs under the 'Universal Rules' . Hull Speed on the level is just over 7 knots based on a 30' water line length. However, when powered up on a close reach her water line length increases to over 40' (!) resulting in a hull speed over 8.5 knots, almost exactly our max. speeds on a typical trip!
12/20/24
Maintenance 101 :
Restoring The Head
Maybe not the most glamorous holiday season topic but working out what to do with the old head has been an adventure so I thought I'd share the results.
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'Falcon' had a period appropriate Wilcox Crittenden Type 51 head but the pump was leaking and it was looking pretty corroded so something needed to be done. An initial search revealed a repair kit that had all the consumable parts - fantastic! Only to find that it's no longer available, anywhere! and there's a very active community trying to find the same parts!
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Long story short - many hours of googling found most of the leather cups, packing washers etc and a trip to the local metal finishers fixed the corrosion. Happy to share links to anyone interested - just use the web form below.
12/11/24
No Engine = Back to Basics
My initial reaction when the engine failed a few weeks back was to think "no more sailing for a while" but then I was brought to my senses by a good friend who reminded me that Falcon sailed for about 30 years before she had auxiliary power!
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Wednesday provided a great opportunity with a full crew and a forecast that cooperated so we walked Falcon around to the end-tie and got ready to sail off the dock.
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Long story short, we left the dock with just the Jib to keep things simple, had a great sail (was it me or did she feel faster and quieter?) and then returned to the dock on a close haul, luffing the main to keep the speed down before turning in to the wind.
I was always told "slow is pro" and so it was - 2 knots was just about bare steerage and we glided to a stop with no drama. Very satisfying!
11/04/24
Bon Voyage!
Mario and I waved off the 2024 Baja Ha-Ha fleet on Monday for what should have been an uneventful sail... that is until thick smoke started rising from the Salon. After shutting down the engine it wasn't obvious what the cause was so we sailed back early, starting the engine again just to lower the main and dock.
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Turns out it's 'terminal' (exhaust manifold corrosion) and cheaper to replace the engine than repair the one that's there! Standby for some sail-in-sail-out adventures while I wait for a new power plant...
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The Baja Ha-Ha is an annual rally that sails from San Diego to Cabo or La Paz each year. While I've sailed the route I haven't joined the rally which looked like a lot of fun. Bon Voyage to all and all the best preparing for the trip back which can be quite the adventure and isn't known as the 'Baja Bash' for nothing!
10/30/24
There she blows!
After a few weeks of uncharacteristic light winds in San Diego we were back with a vengeance on Wednesday. Winds were a steady 10 gusting 12-16 which ensured hull speed on a reach and a need to de-power in to the wind. The modern boats caught us up (and overtook) on the final upwind leg but we had a ton of fun and managed to get Falcon back in 1 piece with nothing broken.
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As the photo shows, with no kicker/'vang, de-powering the main results in a huge amount of twist as the majority of Falcon's power comes from the huge main.
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Many thanks to Bob and the 'Sante' team for the picture (as they sailed past us!)
10/23/24
Flying the Kite
Despite a good forecast winds were light and variable again in San Diego Bay. After disqualifying ourselves by rowing while we were drifting (to avoid a jetty) we decided to get some practice with the asymetric. Falcon has a 'traditional' spinnaker so fairly straightforward to hoist but at least 3 crew + helm to douse: 1 on the helm, 1 at the bow, 1 at the mast to drop the halyard and 1 in the cockpit entrance to pull the lazy sheet and stow in the salon. Other than getting the Tack in the water it all went reasonably well.
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While I'm looking to all the 'help' of a modern rig on the new Q7 (no running back stays, self tailing winches etc.) the original remains a joy to sail - tactile, analogue and a great reminder of the basics.
10/16/24
We're going backwards!
Not much to report from the Wednesday series other than for a brief period, we were actually going backwards! While there was enough of a breeze to face in the right direction Falcon (and the small fleet around us) were overcome by a 1 Kn current of the ebbing tide ... while the others persevered wing-on-wing down the channel the Q7 team called it a day. Turns out that even for Falcon, there is such a thing as 'too light'.
10/21/24
Another Perfect Day
The weather in San Diego has been fantastic (even more so than usual!). Following a sunny day of 16-20 Knots we had a mellow day of 6-10 with no swell and blue skies. A reminder of how lucky we are to live in this area of 365 day sailing.
10/9/24
Course No.1
A light day in the bay but having missed a bunch of Wednesday races it was just nice to get back out. Winds should have suited Falcon perfectly at 6-8 knots and it certainly looked that way until the last leg ...
We've always known Falcon doesn't point well with the Genoa (110%) but on the last leg, that requires a close-haul when the wind is from the West or South West, 'Rum Squall' and 'Super Gnat' were able to point about 15 degrees higher and came past us before the final mark.
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Stats were great despite the light air : We averaged 5 Knots over the 12 mile course, Nest KM was 7 Knots, Average 5 best speeds over 10 seconds 7.9 Knots.
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Great afternoon sailing with Mike, Rob and Ellie.
9/30/24
The Insta360
Back from another UK trip having missed some Wednesday race's so it was just nice to get out for a relaxing sail with Mario and Kyle. Mario brought his Insta360 Camera and took some amazing shots of Falcon in almost perfect conditions
9/13/2024
There and back ... 1 Tack!
It's not often you get to sail in the Bay without tacking but that was what we did yesterday. Perfect conditions, in both directions giving Mario time to get creative...
9/02/2024
Labor Day In The Bay
Another mellow afternoon in the Bay but a perfect way to enjoy Labor Day. Mike and I were joined by his daughter Michaela who turned out to be another natural on the helm!
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Despite light winds and the Jib to keep things simple we managed a steady 6 knots accelerating to 8 knots in the puffs. The Dolphins were out past Point Loma and there were lots of sailors enjoying a mellow afternoon in sunny San Diego.
Top marks to Mike for the dramatic pose despite not enough wind to keep the flag flying!
8/29/2024
A Sporty Ride!
After another UK trip it was fantastic to get back out on the water and San Diego certainly delivered.
Winds were 10-12 gusting 14+ providing a sporty ride on Falcon. I lost my cap raising the main and as we headed downwind to try and find it we struggled to keep boat speed below 6.5 knots.
With the small 'blade' (Jib) we covered over 12 NM in less than 2 hours seeing 7.5-8 knots on a Close Haul - Close Reach and 9 knots by bearing off a few degrees. Downwind on a Broad Reach was consistently above 7 knots.
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I try to remain sympathetic to a 99 year old boat but it was hard to keep the rails out of the water and the grins off our faces. Good Times!
8/14/2024
Still Chillin'
The Q7 team was forced to take a sabbatical over the last two weeks as family duty called resulting in an extended trip to the UK.
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The first opportunity we had to sail was for the Wednesday series with light winds and smooth waters in the Bay. With a full crew we should probably have flown the kite but in the end we just relaxed and made the most of time on the water with friends.
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Wind 6-8 Knots
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Q7 Crew : Kyle, Rob, Mario & Mike
(All veterans of the 2023 'Baja Bash')
7/27/2024
Just Chillin'
Vicky (my wife) was keen to sail this weekend but it was pretty breezy in San Diego Bay. Vicky loves sailing but she's not a 'sailor'. This presented a bit of a dilemma ... turn down the chance of a sail or risk a sporty 30 degree heel and an unhappy wife!
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Falcon has a huge mainsail but no reefs. Great when the winds are light, even better at 8-12 knots but when the gusts get above 15 she's overpowered, even with the main eased. The solution? Leave the mainsail down, runners on and just use the Jib.
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I was expecting the balance to be horrible if not uncontrollable but in fact, other than consistent Lee-helm she was fine. We glided along at 3.5-4.5 knots, very little heel and simple single-handed tacks as the runners were fixed. Everyone was happy!
7/24/2024
A Sporty OFRA Wednesday
Fantastic day sailing with some sporty conditions pushing Falcon and the Q7 team to hull speed (and beyond!).
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Great dual with a lovely Alerion 38 being single-handed around the Bay Course (as always). Falcon finished behind but had a ton of fun along the way with the rails in the water and some spray in our faces.
7/17/2024
Oh No, Not Again!
Back from a visit to Spirit Yachts (see Falcon Study Update). More importantly, back out on the water with Mike, Mario and Ellie for the Wednesday series.
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Winds were light which always suits Falcon so by the time we rounded buoy 21 we were well in the lead (see photo to right). That's where the problems started ... the 'Gentleman's Rules' state that the first boat to buoy 21 decides whether to head back to the finish or head on to the next mark at boy 22. Full of excitement that we might actually win we decided to bolt for the finish line... only to find everyone else kept going. Apparently a faux pas on our part to cut the race short when there was enough wind to continue which is fair enough - apologies to all.
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At that point, Karma kicked in as the headsail halyard had jumped the sheave again so we had to 'furl' the sail around the headstay and limp back home followed by another ride up the mast for me. We still won though :)
7/3/2024
Double-Trouble
Mario and I were double handed on Wednesday and despite a catalogue of rookie errors we had a great afternoon making the most of the light air and summer breeze.
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As you can see from the pic - we had at least one boat in front of us but think we came in 3rd overall which was quite something given the list below!
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Rookie moves:
1. Got complacent and raised the main beyond a close haul - catching the sail on the runners (joint effort)
2. Forgot to untie the starboard runner and sent the tie up the shrouds (joint effort)
3. Thought we'd set up the Genoa only to hoist the Jib (all me!)
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6/26/2024
Back in Style!
After several weeks of absence on the Wednesday series the Q7 team were back on the water in idyllic sailing conditions (for Falcon).
Light air and minimal swell made for champagne sailing as we tackled the Ocean Course and managed to come home ahead of the fleet!
To be fair, Brushfire was noticeably absent this week however, we sailed as well as we've done for a long time with solid tactics and a just a little luck as we managed to time our crossing with the car carriers perfectly.
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Another great day on the water and lovely to be back!
6/24/2024
Going Dutch
Had a fantastic day out with some friends who were over from the UK. It was an international affair with 2x Dutch, 2x Brits and 2x Americans on board.
Joost and George were here as owner and builder of El Lobo Cycles www.ellobocycles.com shortlisted in the Top 6 for their latest Custom Chopper!
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San Diego rolled out the red carpet with F22 Jets in formation, Sea Lions, Helicopters and Submarines ... a normal day sailing in San Diego!
'Tech Update'
I'm often asked if birds are a problem... The short answer is 'yes' but since adding a simple line of silver-foil ribbons I've had zero issues. Not pretty, but VERY effective!
6/2/2024
A family affair
Lovely sail on Sunday with my wife Vicky, daughter Ellie and good friend Mario. Winds were light but consistent with the highlight being a single-tack return all the way from Chula Vista back to America's Cup Bay - wonderful.
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Thanks to Mario's friends who took this picture as we passed them on the way back
5/27/2024
Chula Vista and Back
Big smiles all afternoon on a single tack to Chula Vista. We covered almost 18 NM in less than 3 hours which isn't a bad average. Best NM was over 7.5 knots which is pretty consistent and a ton of fun, top speed was a hair under 9 knots on a close reach.
5/22/2024
Thank You 'OFRA'
I had the pleasure of sailing the 'Long Course' with my daughter who was taking a break from her final year studies at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. We were joined by Mario and were in the pack until we peeled off before the penultimate mark to make sure we could dock by 3pm.
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The Wednesday 'races' have provided a fantastic learning ground for me and the Q7 team who are still early in our racing careers. The competition is tight but relaxed and the fleet is typically raced under 'gentlemen's (or ladies) rules' - Thank you for welcoming Falcon to the series!
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Many thanks to Mario for joining us and making the trip possible despite a prior commitment.
5/18/2024
Ancient Mariners Yesteryear Regatta : The Race
Let's get right to the punch line ... we came in last. I'd love to blame it on the weather, 'Falcon' , our equipment or some other element we had no control over but it was in fact down to us. However, we had a ton of fun and the San Diego weather was spectacular for the 12 NM course around San Diego Bay. Winds were tricky to read but a consistent 8-10 gusting 12-14 at times and it was a fantastic sight to see the fleet of 16 classic boats converging on the finish line of the pursuit format race. Congratulations to the crew of 'Witchcraft' for the best corrected time and 'Brushfire' for the fastest overall time. Thanks to the Ancient Mariners and San Diego Yacht Club for hosting such a fantastic event.
5/17/2024
Ancient Mariners Yesteryear Regatta @ SDYC
We were lucky enough to be invited to the 50th Yesteryear Regatta this weekend. We arrived early to SDYC and lined up beside some great company including two beautiful 10M Class Sloops, 'Branta' and 'Sally'. 'Sally' was also designed by Starling Burgess in 1927, a year after 'Falcon' so it was great to be nearby on the dock, preparing to race the following day. Q7 was given a warm welcome and enjoyed a lovely evening with some passionate classic boat enthusiasts.
5/13/2024
Getting ready for
our first Regatta
There's a lot of jokes and truisms around old boat ownership but the reality for Q7 is that she was well maintained and recently restored so much of what we do is 'window dressing'. Case in point this week as we prepared for the Ancient Mariners 'Yesteryear Regatta' at San Diego Yacht Club this weekend. The deck looked a bit patchy from the single coat it had a few weeks back so we took the opportunity to add a coat and bring her back to tip-top condition.
