This year the party will take place in the iconic luxury waterfront hotel INTERCONTINENTAL TOKYO BAY, just in front of Takeshiba St.Dress up (or not), drink and eat all you can, enjoy the spectacular view across the Sumida River which includes the skyscrapers across the river in the area known as Little Manhattan and the view of Tokyo Bay that includes the nearby Rainbow Bridge and the Odaiba area.
We are also going to have our new traditional Annual Award, praising achievements and failures of our fellow sailors . Last year it was great fun, be sure not to miss it this year!!
The summer heat is not going away anytime soon, so let`s have some refreshment with beer and a stunning view at our annual traditional BBQ at Yumenoshima!
Nag about the heat, boast about your summer trips in Caribbean and European seas, find new friends and crew members for your autumn/winter sailing season.
Here where you can find us!
Place: Yumenoshima Marina & Grill (https://www.marinaandgrill.com/) Date : Saturday October 7 Time: from 13:00 till 16:00 Food : bbq set Drink: free beer, wine, cocktails, soft drinks Entertainment: live band
Payment deadline: Sep 30 (Sat) 12pm Payment: Online credit-card payments exclusively: no in-cash or day-of payments.
PAY HERE↓
Yumenoshima Marina BBQ 2023 Oct 7
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TSPS Members: Adults (12 years and older): ¥6,000 Child (12 and younger): ¥free
NON-TSPS Members: Adults (12 years and older): ¥8,000 Child (12 and younger): ¥4,000
by Timothy Langley, May 15, 2023 Tokyo(revised on June 6th)
Overview:
Vessel: Yamaha ‘26C sailing yacht (1983) Santana.
Crew: Timothy Langley & Evan Burkosky.
Journey: traverse Region One (Santana’s registered area) over 7~8 days. Ultimately, sailed 7 days, traversed 270 nautical miles, hit islands Oshima, Niijima, Miyakejima; returned to touch Shimoda (Shizuoka Prefecture), then home-port sprint to Awa-Katsuyama. One nighttime sailing leg of 16 hours (Port Ako Miyakejima to Shimoda).
Details:
Leg One: 4/29 Saturday, depart 4:30 am from Home Port Awa-Katsuyama (Chiba Peninsula) for Habu Harbor, Oshima Island. Head-on wind required extreme tack into Sagami Bay for ~5 hours, tack back, then hug the shadow of Oshima Island to shelter somewhat from tremendous building winds and seas. Mainsail set throughout at 3rd reefed position. Storm approaching from the south, hitting in several hours. 14 hour sail.
Leg Two: 4/29 Saturday, depart 4:30 am from Home Port Awa-Katsuyama (Chiba Peninsula) for Habu Harbor, Oshima Island. Head-on wind required extreme tack into Sagami Bay for ~5 hours, tack back, then hug the shadow of Oshima Island to shelter somewhat from tremendous building winds and seas. Mainsail set throughout at 3rd reefed position. Storm approaching from the south, hitting in several hours. 14 hour sail.
Leg Three: 5/01 Monday depart Habu Harbor at 4:00 am for Niijima Island. Very brisk crossing and almost entirely over/through the Kuroshio current; very choppy & confused waters, lots of leaping tuna. 9 hour sail. Sail almost exclusively on Spinnaker, consistently maintaining 6 knots/hour! Trouble: when bagging spinnaker from the bow, sheet inadvertently fell into the water (unnoticed) and got immediately caught-up in prop; Captain Evan’s dive under the boat to untangle quickly achieved success… no damage but close-call.
Leg Four: 5/02 Monday arrive Niijima Port at 1:40 pm. Tie-up, walk to sea-water hot springs “Yunohama Ryoten Onsen”. Drive around island care of new friend (JET Teacher assigned to Niijima Education System) Freddie Snoxall. Forced-feast at Chinese restaurant. Early next-day departure.
Leg Five: 5/03 Tuesday depart Niijima Port at 4:00 am heading for Miyakejima Island. 21 nautical miles, with new crew member Freddie. Very swift crossing over rough waters but made excellent time, arriving after only 6 hour sail.
Leg Six: 5/03 Tuesday arrive in Ako Port on the south-western side of Miyakejima at 10:00 am. Walk to nearby “Furosato-no-yu onsen”; a hearty lunch at Kairaku Hotel; puffed on pcigars on the massive breakwater; walk around unsuccessfully searching for dinner (town completely rolls-up at 7:00 o’clock); brief visit to Snackbar Azabu for drinks. Next day scooter riding through winding roads, lava fields, the highest accessible points on the island (much of the island is a no-go due to volcanic activity), etc.. Lunch at yucky, almost unbearable, Chinese shack.
Leg Seven: 5/05 Wednesday depart 5:30 pm for night sail (while the sun is still up): destination Yaizu City in Shizuoka Prefecture, Oi River (the western boundary of Santana’s registered sailing area). Trouble: once in open water, bowlight shorted-out (still in daylight but nightfall approaching). Captain Evan springing again into action with trouble-shooting, finding spares within Santana, repaired in the dark while underway in rough seas. Pretty tense as seas rough; head downwind at slow clip (see sailing diagram, below), Evan dangling on the Bowspirit to reattach the entire housing, with success finally. 16 hour sail (only slightly due to the bowlight issue). Navigating by the stars and treated to constant meteor shower!
Leg Eight: 5/06 Thursday arrive Iritahama Beach in Shimoda at 9:30 am, due to unfavorable winds forbidding the full Suruga Bay traverse; 16 hour overnight sail. Brief 3 hour anchor off the beach, then 1.5 hour sail into Shimoda Cove, Admiral Perry Visitor’s Pier arriving 12:30 noon. Overnight layover: lunch in-town; glorious bath at Thousand-People Kayaya Ryokan Onsen at Rentaiji Station; bbq ribs dinner; hit Tosaya Soul Bar on the warf until 1:00 o’clock.
Leg Nine: 5/04 Friday depart Shimoda Cove 4:30 am for Home Port Katsuyama (expected to be ~14 hour sail in rough seas in following 25+kt winds). Only sail 40% of jib-sail, no main-sail throughout. Turns-out to be the best day of sailing in strong winds for first 2/3rds, then extremely strong winds in last 1/3 but arriving earlier than expected at 4:30… a 12 hour sail! Averaging 6 knots the entire day on the sliver of a foresail!
Leg Ten: 5/05 Friday, hit Home Port Katsuyama on the Chiba Peninsula at 4:30 pm after a 12 hour sail.
Interior of Santana, prepared for journey (Leg 1).Captain Burkosky and 1st Mate Langley strapped-in (Leg 1).Evan in full rain gear, safety harness, before departing (Leg 1).Hunkered-down in Habu Harbor, driving rain while stuck in-port (Leg 2).Circular Habu Port (a collapsed caldera that opens to the sea) (Leg 2).Sometimes treated with scrumptious food (Leg 2).Tied-up in Niijima Port (Leg 3).Tied-up in the extremely well-protected Miyakejima Port, the best on the Izu Islands (Leg 4).Exploring the volcanic island of Miyakejima (Leg 4).Chillin’ while attending to the many issues that naturally come-up while underway: sail repair, re-organizing quarters, drying things out. Note the rope-ladder for when the tide drops and we need to clamber onto the quay (Leg 4).Magical Miyakejima with other Izu islands in the distance (Leg 4).Still very active volcano in the center of the island: no-go zone encircling the center, smoke-spewing caldera (Leg 4).Spinnaker repair while in-port (Leg 4).Must-do bowlight repair while underway, heading into night-sail, rough seas (Leg 5).Always strapped-in while on-deck. Evan Burkosky (Leg 5).Centennial outcropping off Miyakejima. Strapped-in (Leg 5).Shimoda’s Iritahama Beach, where we anchored briefly after overnight sail of 16 hours (Leg 5).Santana tied-up at visitor’s berth in Admiral Perry Cove, Shimoda (Leg 5).Well-appreciated dinner & hydration after long soak in nearby onsen (Leg 5).Fortitude for next day’s 4:00 a.m. jaunt across both Sagami and Tokyo Bays, Soul Bar Tosaya… until 1:00 am (i.e., three-hour shut-eye)(Leg 5).Brisk sail under a sliver of a foresail, heading home after 7 days of sailing; 25~30 kh winds at our backs: hitting 6 knots for 12 hours (Leg 6)!Home Port Awa-Katsuyama on Chiba Peninsula! Whew (Leg 6)!
As usual, the second Wednesday of every month is reserved for our monthly Keelhaul. April saw us experimenting with a new venue, the fabulous Midtown BBQ in Suidobashi, close to the Tokyo Dome (https://www.midtown-bbq.com/tokyo).
This new venue is off our normal TSPS beaten-track (DevilCraft or Pizzakaya). And probably because this was just 11 days after our wildly successful Boat Show SuperKeelhaul, participation was somewhat down, but the energy was extremely high; the food was excellent and the craft beer flowing.
Newly inducted TSPS Commander, Bill Van Alstine, was joined by Bridge Members John Kratochvil (Membership) and Timothy Langley (Secretary & Legal Officer) together with 4 guests, 2 new Members, and 11 diehard Keelhaulers!
To kick things off, Commander Van Alstine donated several plates of wings and pizzas! Ordering thereafter was clunky at first but everyone could order on their own and pay individually. This worked-out due to astute John organizing a sign-in sheet and issuing Name-tags! This not only helped the waite-staff but also generated better comradery all around. It was a great event.
The Keelhaul is TSPS’s most regularly-scheduled social event, falling almost always on the first Wednesday of every month. If you are not securely on the Mailing List (to receive Announcements directly), the venue & time notices are posted on our elegant TSPS webpage (https://tspsjapandev.wpengine.com).
If you have ideas for Keelhaul venue (or input regarding this venue), please don’t hesitate as we are always looking for great locations to comfortably accommodate our usual ~25+ attendees.
Finally, since the first Wednesday of May falls within Golden Week, the Bridge will determine the most appropriate date for our NEXT Keelhaul. If you have a preference on date or venue, please post to langleytimothy@yahoo.com.
The SuperKeelhaul is an annual event always held in conjunction with the International Boat Show in Yokohama.
Going on two-years strong, the event was again held at Wolfgang Puck’s pizzeria. This was such a resounding success, with an open-bar and free-flowing, delicious food, that TSPS not only took-over the entire shop from the 6:00 o’clock start, but extended an hour to accommodate the tremendous fun, joviality and comradery that flourished. Approximately 12 guests / potential new-members joined the assembly of 60 or so TSPS Members!
A great shout-out not only to Svetlana for organizing the Super Keelhaul, but also to the valiant Booth Committee’s Claude Strobbe, Jeff Canady, Bill Van Alstine and a slew of diligent volunteers, as well! The Booth attracted a huge amount of attention and we received, as a result, many visitors interested in learning more about TSPS.
Please reach-out to future volunteer-opportunities in TSPS-sponsored events: you can always expect to be involved in something fun and engaging.
DevilCraft in Gotanda was the venue for our February Keelhaul. More than 25 Members joined this event: four Bridge Officers, two prospective new Members, and four Guests. Keelhaul is our most regular social feature, followed by annual BBQs, on-the-water cruises, and Yokohama Boat Show (coming up at the end of March!). TSPS is an NPO that is dedicated to learning & gaining experience in sailing & boating inJapanese waters, to getting licensed, and to meeting likeminded people in this, the world’s largest megatropolis. The Keelhaul supplements the work of the webpage by spreading information on cruising availabilities and Class schedules, bringing-in new Members, and allowing everyone to meet with and talk (brag) about sailing with the leadership and Instructors. Here are some of the Keelhaul Participants: Timothy Langley, Secretary & Legal Officer Vllad Legeza, Boating Activities Chair Claude Strobbe, Education Officer Will Wade, Membership Chair Yves Simon, John Kratochvil, Lowell Sheppard, Nemanja Komatinovic, Ashley Smart, Alexan, Andrei Enshin, Wolfgang Bierers, Raymond Leung
Paolo Montesel, New Member Ben Knuth, New Member Tomiko Ishizuka, Guest Anthony Hardie, Guest Maya Matsuoka, Guest Kristina Stojchevska, Guest Patrick McEvelly, Guest
Please connect with everyone via Linked-in or FaceBook so we can continue to grow thiscommunity…
DevilCraft in Hamamatsucho was the venue for our first TSPS Keelhaul-of-the-Year.
More than 25 Members joined this monthly beerfest & deep-dish Chicago pizza, four prospective new Members, and two new Members. Keelhaul is the most regular social feature of TSPS, followed by our twice-annual BBQs, the on-the-water cruises, and the annual Yokohama Boat Show.
Otherwise and as you know, TSPS is primarily about learning and gaining experience in sailing & boating in Japanese waters, getting licensed, and for meeting other likeminded people in the world’s largest megatropolis.
The Keelhaul supplements the work of the webpage by spreading information on cruising availabilities and Class schedules, bringing-in new Members, and allowing everyone to meet with and talk (brag) about sailing with the leadership and Instructors (who are all drunkards in any event).
Please bookmark the webpage for the Calendar-of-Events and by all means reserve the First Wednesday of Every Month for our regularly scheduled Keelhauls (venue changes frequently).
The 2022 year-end blow-out party, the annual TSPS Bonenkai, was successfully held on December 7th at the Pullman Hotel in Tamachi. Approximately 30 Members showed-up with 7 guests. The buffet was luxuriant and food, plentiful; the libations flowing as one would expect. Please see attached photos.
In a distinct break from tradition, entertainment this year was an Awards Ceremony. Six highly-coveted trophies were commissioned by the Bridge. As the photos reveal (see below), no-expense was spared to produce the most glorious representation of achievement in the several distinct categories.
The six awards, and the winners this year, were:
1.The Blue Bucket Award: this handsome trophy is a framed fragment of a destroyed blue-plastic bucket. This represents the accomplishments of our TSPS Member (a duo this year!) who, in spite of a mere tiny challenge, devoted incredible energy & resources, at considerable risk, to achieve a very minor goal, causing great destruction in the process.
The 2022 Winners of this Award are Tony Whitman and Hunter Brumfield, presented in absencia to Bridge Commander Michael Snyder.
2.Most Dayson the Water Award: this trophy consists of a Gift Certificate from renowned local divorce-specialist law firm Dewey Cheatum & Howe for free-consultation in the inevitable event of divorce proceedings by a distraught and neglected wife. The Award goes to that special individual who has most-successfully avoided home-duties by spending all of his available free-time on his boat (or that of a friend’s). The elaborately framed-certificate includes helpful instructions to “Break Glass In Case Of Emergency” instructions.
The Award for 2022 goes to Timothy Langley.
3.Captain of the Year Award: this framed coveted-trophy is otherwise known as “The Captain Crunch Award”. It consists of a luxuriantly-framed cereal box with a copy of a wrecked yacht pasted on the bottom: obviously tremendous thought and no expense were spared creating this gem. The Award is self-explanatory.
The Award for 2022 goes to Claude Strobbe.
4.Greatest Feat of the Year Award: this artful, highly-desired trophy represents the ability to rescue some minor token of victory in the face of otherwise total destruction. Against incredible odds, the winner exemplifies the ability in some TSPS Members to preserve a modicum of decency even in the face of abject humiliation.
The Award for 2022 goes to Evan Burkowsky.
5.Bent-Stanchion Award: this gorgeous silvery Trophy epitomizes the plight of all who devote money, resources and energy to repairing and preserving some object of great affection, only to have it reduced to junk in a single instance of inattention or cruel fate.
The Award for 2022 goes to Commander Michael Snyder.
6.Colossal Coupler Award: this desirous art-deco Trophy will occupy the entire tabletop of the proud winner. Such is the glamorous construction that it would not look out-of-place either outside behind the garage atop a pile of trash or even occupying the entry to a Fortune 100 corporate headquarters. This Trophy represents the enormous weight of responsibility and the pride of ownership conveyed to a boat-owner who is forever destined to simply pour money into a bottomless pit and still end up with a chunk of mere metal.
The Award for 2022 goes to William Van Alstine.
The Bridge acknowledges the great skill and determination of Svetlana Ilyushechkina for working & negotiating with the Pullman Hotel to host this very successful 2023 year-end event. Similarly, the Bridge is indebted to Andrew Lawson for the tremendous wit and suaveness brought to bear as a dynamic & engaging Master of Ceremony for the Awards portion of the evening. Finally, the Bridge would like to acknowledge the tremendous effort, creativity, and dumpster-diving skill evidenced by this year’s production of trophies by Evan Burkowsky and Timothy Langley (the various intellectual-property lawsuits notwithstanding).
