Q7 Falcon : Blog
Check out the latest news and updates on the original 'Falcon'
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!
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.
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.
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.
Wind 6-8 Knots
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!
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.
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!).
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!)
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
5/8/2024
The Gentleman's Race
The OFRA Wednesday 'gentleman's race' has been a great learning ground for the Q7 team. I tend to be pretty conservative when it comes to pushing 'Falcon' after all, she's nearly 100 years old but this week tested my comfort zone as we had white caps in the bay for the start of the race resulting in some exciting tacks and a wet crew.
As we watched 'Brushfire' and 'Super Gnat' duel it out down the channel we were reminded that 'gentleman's race' doesn't mean people aren't trying! Both crews know the Bay inside out (and top to bottom) so it was fun to watch the slow motion cat-and-mouse game even if we were watching from behind.
5/7/2024
Just out for a nice sail
Kyle and I had the opportunity to take his parents out on Falcon in what turned out to be real 'champagne sailing' conditions in San Diego Bay. Winds were 8-10 knots with minimal gusting and unusually for this time of year, out of the South West which meant a single tack from Coronado Bridge all the way back to America's Cup harbor. Gina and Ron had previously been on Victoria, the Beneteau 54 so I had to smile when Gina said "you know, I enjoyed sailing on Falcon even more than your last boat ... I felt more connection to the water, it was more exciting" - Thanks Gina! Great to have you on board.
Thanks to Mario for the video ... you were missed on Falcon but we still enjoyed sailing past you :)
