Bob
Cranmer-Brown
|
You've
gotta give Bob credit. Although he's never won the SSS TransPac, he surely
ought to get a prize for determination. In his three previous attempts
aboard Etosha ('88, '90 and '92) he's been hamstrung by a
variety of equipment failures and stalled by headwinds. "Ever since the
steering wheel broke off on Merlin 500 miles from the finish of the 1986
Pacific Cup, and the tiller broke 300 miles later, I've had my fair share
of adventure on the way to Kauai. This year I'm hoping for an uneventful
sail with a little less excitement than in other years!"
Although
Bob and his crew set a Pacific Cup record with Merlin in '86, the closest
he's come in his singlehanded attempts was in '88. He was 100 miles ahead
of the eventual winner, Bob Stange, when his self-steering gear broke down.
Stange went on to set a new record aboard his Olson 30 Intense, improving
on the old mark --which had stood for 10 years -- by a day and a half.
Rather than setting his sights on winning this time, however, Bob simply
hopes to better his past performances.
Etosha
is the only chartered boat in this year's event. Her new owner, Steve Gale
has given generous support to the project, not only by letting Bob use
her, but by rebuilding her bow section and helping her gear up for open-ocean
sailing. Etosha sat unused in San Diego for six years, and
during that time much of her gear was stolen. (Gale will sail her back
after the race.) "I have only sailed on two occasions since 1992," says
Bob, "having retired to take up scuba and abalone diving, skiing and dirt-bike
riding with my sons Robert and Edward. It will be interesting to see if
I can still remember how to put up a spinnaker!"
Navigation:
two GPSs, sextant.
| - latitude38/aet
June
issue
Andy Turpin, Associate Editor Latitude 38 Magazine 15 Locust Ave., Mill Valley, CA 94941 Phone: 415-383-8200, ext. 112 Fax: 415-383-5816 E-mail: andy@latitude38.com |
or Full Text, printable version (no frames) |
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