Though most are familiar with the beer & pizza free-for-all Keelhaul falling on the first Wednesday of every month, few realize that the hard-working & dedicated Administrators of TSPS reserve the second Wednesday every month to meet for steering the organization. A lot goes on there.

Since this has been going on for years solidly with a quorum satisfied and business being conducted almost without fail every month, I thought Members might benefit from an update; if there is interest, this could become a monthly feature.

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The Bridge is made-up of 10 Committees, overseen by The Commander. Two Committees could do with additional Member support: Membership and On-the-Water Activities. Why don’t you volunteer?

TSPS ’24 Bridge: Commander William Van Alstine, Brandan Morris Executive Officer, Svetlana Ilyushechkina Social Activities & Administrative Officer, Claude Strobbe Educational Officer, Jeff Canaday Assistant Educational Officer, Timothy Langley Secretary & Legal Officer, Maria Tenold Treasurer, (vacant) Membership Chair, Ashley Smart Squadron Webmaster & IT Head, (vacant) Boating Activities Chair.

Here is a condensed synopsis of the Meeting last week:

7:00 Commander Bill Van Alstine opens the Meeting: quorum acknowledged, Minutes from June are accepted, today’s Agenda re-confirmed.

7:02 Treasury Report by Maria Tenold: cash-flow is stable and in the black; insurance for boating activities is being changed to a new provider without interruption; discussion of Member-value and how to enhance it includes general recognition that Education needs to be broader with more on-the-water training, Skipper Training, celestial-navigation, Boat Handling, First Aid, Diesel Maintenance, and the like. There was also discussion on compensating Instructors for their efforts, which received wide agreement. Classes for passing-the-JRMA-tests virtually vs in-person was also discussed: Classes are geared to coincide with the JRMA tests offered seasonally, so increasing the number of students is a priority. To attract more students, TSPS needs to be more appealing to sailors, and Membership needs to include lots of opportunities to actually sail. Maximizing the use of the Hayama boats means increasing the number of available Skippers… which means TSPS needs to have a clear path from budding sailors going from accomplished sailor to Skipper.

7:32 Membership by Bill Van Alstine & Maria Tenold: current membership stands at 108 individuals. There appears to be some discrepancy on the Mailing List: registered, paid-up Members are not 100% accounted for. Maria is compiling the data and confirming accuracy for a full-report next month. There are lots of potential Members who want access to the lovely Hayama Marina sailboats: Alex D. is in charge of this and managing the WhatsApp Group “Hayama Sail & Crew Finder”. This is a tremendous resource for TSPS and should receive more attention. Finally, there seems to be a discrepancy of listed TSPS boat-owners … checking for accuracy.

7:46 Education  Claude Strobbe is in the midst of preparing a current roster of students to take the August Class II JRMA licensing-test (8/10); expects ~100% pass-rate. The next Class will start in September with the test in October. Currently Zoom-call scheduled for July 29, in-person on August 4, JRMA test August 10. A discussion on uploading teaching materials for limited-access on the TSPS webpage. Claude also proposes more on-the-water training for those who pass the test and receive their Class II licenses: currently there is no ‘process’ so these individuals are left to fend for themselves. TSPS should do more to engage them and weave them into the sport. A good discussion followed about the USPS Boating Course and how essential it is for Skippers. It is roundly felt that every Skipper for the Hayama boats, and individuals taking-out the dinghy, must first pass this course. In fact, it is deemed so essential that probably the original basic course should be included in the Membership Fee and all required to take the course. In any event, it is already in-process that all Bridge Members pass the course. More on this in the next Meeting.

8:00 Cruising & On the Water Activities Maria is maintaining for the time-being her position as Chair to take over Treasury; Vlad is temporarily stepping-in but a dedicated individual is sought. Maria acknowledges the attraction of sailboat racing and recommends TSPS focus on developing these opportunities. Currently there are two yacht Owners who are actively engaged (Claude & Darren)… and a dozen or so Members for crewing. Some thought perhaps training and developing racers on the Hayama boats was a good option. Also a discussion on cruising, ie, organizing several boats to head-out together for distant destinations or jointly to overnight jaunts. Some incentives should be offered to Captains and slots for Members to join as crew. This used to be a big component of TSPS activities in the distant (way before Covid) past. A wide discussion over liabilities and accommodating the standards of USPS (where Instructors are purely on a volunteer-basis); also, paying-for Skippers might violate the insurance parameters we enjoy as an NPO. We are looking into this but essentially TSPS must develop other incentives rather than cash-payments, it now seems. Stand by for more on this.

8:13 Website and IT Report Ash Smart reports that Google Analytics has been successfully embedded into the website so we can, going forward, calibrate the impact of stories posted on Skuttlebutt, visits to the Calendar, independent searches for “sailing in Japan” for Bridge analysis.

8:15 Any Other Business Commander Bill proposes the Fall BBQ to be held at Lake Inawashiro on September 7; 3 hours from Tokyo. This will be a two-day event that offers wind-surfing, wakeboarding, canoes, sunfish dinghy, BBQ on Saturday night. Target is for 30+ people. Lodging is scarce (30-40 minute drive) so camping is a recommended option. TSPS not providing alcohol. Requires volunteers for Lifeguarding, cooks, set-up/break-down, ski-boat skippers (probably fee-free for volunteers). A discussion on timing due to racing on that weekend in Sagami Bay; also, proposed that this event fall on a three-day weekend instead. To be discussed and decided after polling the Membership. Also, given the August date, the August Bridge Meeting is proposed to be cancelled; the week-earlier Keelhaul, however, is solidly endorsed.

8:30 Closure of the Meeting  Commander Willian Van Alstine closes the meeting with appreciation to the Bridge, and again reminds those who can to join the August 7th Keelhaul at Pizzakaya: Bridge host is Ash.

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By: Remi Wyszynski

July 13~15, 2024

Sail Plan: Hota (Chiba Peninsula), Misaki (Miura Peninsula), Enoshima Island, Isshiki Beach (Hayama), back to home-port Hota.

Photos: Timothy Langley

After a hot beginning to July, surrounded by the reflective glass and heat retaining
concrete of central Tokyo, it seemed appropriate to spend the long weekend on the
water. I inquired among TSPS members, eventually successfully becoming indentured
once again on the good ship Garuda as first mate under Captain Evan. The overall plan
was to jointly sail alongside 26′ sailing vessel Santa, captained by Timothy Langley, over
the three-day holiday weekend (Marine Day, July 15 th ). The excitement of such a
journey was palpable as we prepared to leave port, knowing we would be navigating
through the beautiful yet challenging waters of Tokyo Bay, through the tiny port of Misaki
(at the tip of the Yokohama peninsula) and into the massive expanse of Sugaru Bay.
The companionship of Santa provided a sense of camaraderie and mutual support,
setting a positive tone for the three-day adventure ahead.

We departed on a Saturday from Hota, a small local fishing port

that somehow over the years allowed 4 or 5 sailing yachts to tie onto the quay there.

We set our sights on Misaki, the wind cutting directly across our port-bow. The journey
was motivated by the promise of an evening indulging in mezcal and tacos at the
renowned restaurant Mezcal Love.

As we crossed the shipping lane of Tokyo Bay, the anticipation of the destination added an extra thrill to the voyage. The idea of a night filled with culinary delights and vibrant conversation kept our spirits high despite the challenges we were likely to face at sea.

The weather conditions were gustier than we had anticipated; wind speeds hit a thrilling 18 knots per hour from the south. Garuda, however, demonstrated her pedigree as a racer cruiser, maintaining a consistent speed of 7.5 knots under these sporty conditions. The thrill of navigating through such robust winds was exhilarating (to mention nothing about dodging and weaving through no less than 4 massive tankers going out. Thus, Garuda showcased her true capabilities. In just three short hours, we arrived at Misaki, our journey marked by both the challenges of the sea and the prowess of our ship.

Upon docking, almost as delightful as the promise of Mexican spirits was the refreshing hose shower on the dock. After being exposed to the elements, the cool water was a welcome reprieve, rejuvenating us for the evening ahead.

The anticipation of the culinary experience at Mezcal Love kept our spirits high as we gave Garuda her own freshwater shower and prepared to indulge in the flavors of mezcal and tacos, a reward for the journey we had just undertaken.

Following the delicious mezcal, we continued our revelry on the boats. The night was filled with the magical sight of bioluminescence in the water, while a gentle pattering of rain disturbed the surface just enough to make it look like a starry night in the water. Enthralled by the beauty around us, we took a midnight swim, each stroke and kick in the water creating a burst of green incandescence.

After another refreshing freshwater shower on the dock to rinse off the salt, we exchanged stories of defying death on the high seas late into the night, the shared experiences and natural wonders creating an unforgettable atmosphere of camaraderie and adventure.

The next morning, we woke up and explored the town of Misaki, venturing to Jogasaki. Just as popular as Mescal Love is Misaki Donuts which pair deliciously with the coffee from the second floor of the Urarai Seafood market which focuses on selling produce from local farmers. In season are watermelons, cantaloupe and honeydew.  Some of the sweetest fruits I have ever tasted.

Our next destination lay across Sagami Bay: Enoshima, the site of the 2020 sailing Olympics, where we planned to drop off some passengers at the marina before backtracking to Isshiki Beach. In contrast to the previous day, the weather was sunny with light winds, providing the perfect opportunity to practice with the spinnaker… a kind of kite-like sail. Until then, I had never done any foredeck work and had always watched from the cockpit as the spinnaker was prepared to be flown. This time, under the guidance of Captain Evan from the helm, I set the pole, ran the lines back to the cockpit, and prepared to raise this large, bulbous sail.

Unfortunately, I made an error and ran the sheet through the pole backward, causing the sail to not fully deploy, with some of it even falling into the water. Thankfully, the forgiving weather allowed us to re-rig it without much trouble, and soon enough, the spinnaker was flying beautifully (and importantly, drying out). What followed was a wonderful run, making good time to Enoshima. Lunch underway consisted of delicious curry-flavored cup noodles, which tasted all the better as we watched the beautiful Japanese coast sail past us.

After dropping off our passengers, we beat back into the wind to anchor just off Isshiki Beach, which has good sandy bottom into which we sank Garuda’s anchor.

Just over a year ago, I had visited this same beach with a group of friends. That day, I saw a yacht come and anchor off the beach, reminding me of my childhood when my family would sail to islands and anchor off pristine beaches, close enough to swim to land. It was then that my passion for sailing and determination to get back on the water were reignited.

I made it my goal to find a sailing community and eventually join a trip to Isshiki Beach to swim to shore. At the time, I thought that was a far-off goal and that it would take years and owning my own boat to make it a reality.

But thanks to TSPS and the friends I have been able to make, in less than a year, I found myself reliving my childhood, swimming to the beach to enjoy the rest of the day among friends.

As I swam to shore, I couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of fulfillment and gratitude. The journey had not only brought me back to a cherished place but also connected me with a community that shared my love for the sea. We spent the rest of the day on the beach, reminiscing about our adventures and looking forward to the ones yet to come.

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This post was written by Remi Wyszynski. It is about the July 13~15 three-day weekend that included the Japanese National Holiday ‘Marine Day’. Please post a comment or reaction so others might likewise embellish the TSPS blog “Skuttlebutt” with their stories, too!

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The Hayama Marina Sailing and Crew Finder is a WhatsApp Group where sailors match-up with available sailing yachts and with competent Skippers. It is a very active group, with a healthy roster of Skippers and a bevy of 30’ Yamaha sailboats to rent-out in Hayama and Velassis Marinas.

The group was established by Claude Strobbe and actively administered by Former Commander Mike Snyder, Svetlana, & Dave Edwards.

Here is how it works:

WhatsApp Group: simply search for and ask-to-join the social media group; an Administrator will check and admit. Remember, limited to TSPS Members. Then, once in, post your inquiry or comment and see who follows-up. Sign-in early because the earlier traffic and chatter is invisible to you until you register, and even then, only going forward: you cannot view history.

Skippers: captains interested in training & coaching recently licensed TSPS Members, provide experience in handling the sails, taking the helm, tacking, tying knots, learning-the-ropes of sailing, can be “Skippers”. Skippers must be vetted by TSPS and authorized to rent-out yachts on behalf of TSPS. Currently, there are approximately 6 Skippers. They generally accept or decline inclusion.

Skippers-in-Training: once you have passed your Class II license, you can also register as a Skipper once you have completed the required courses and qualified according to TSPS standards. Please see the Comments Section for more details. There are currently 5 Skippers-in-training.

TSPS Sailors: finding opportunities to hone sailing skills is one of the most difficult challenges for a freshly-licensed sailor: this is why this Group first began. Skippers want to become better-Skippers, wannabe-Skippers want to qualify to take boats out on their own, green Sailors want to become competent and skillful in a pastime seeped in history and tradition. It takes a long time and is only gained by doing.

Yacht Availability: generally-speaking, TSPS Skippers have good access to sailing yachts. Hayama Marina has 6 identical 30’ Yamaha sailing yachts for rent on a daily-basis (no overnight). The cost is a reasonable ¥20,000/day, so split among 4 people, this is not expensive. On the other side of the Yokohama peninsula (facing Tokyo Bay) is the Velassis Marina where, similarly, TSPS Skippers can rent proper sailing yachts but, again, only on a day-to-day basis. Some Skippers have their own boats and avail themselves to crewing-opportunities. They are also on this WhatsApp group and respond when they like… costs & fees are determined by them: TSPS does not generate revenue from this.

The WhatsApp Group is designed to attract Skippers to make themselves available because Sailors are asking (via the Group) for deck time. It is all self-managed and maintained. If you schedule a day for sailing and don’t show-up, or show-up late, or forget your money, you could find that thereafter getting a Skipper to host you difficult. Skippers are TSPS volunteers.

If you are interested in getting-out on Sagami or Tokyo Bays, sign into this enthusiastic WhatsApp group.

by Timothy Langley

June 13, 2024

TSPS Members sponsor various activities related to sailing or being out-on-the-water; this is one of them.

A WhatasApp Group, “Marine Diesel Maintenance & Repair Group” was established by former Commander Dave Edwards last month. It is picking-up steam.

If you seek competency to take care of mechanical issues that might pop-up, or are interested in finding out how the diesel-engine actually works on a boat, you should join this WhatsApp Group. Recommended for boat owners but also to hopeful Owners as well. Learn what to look-out for, and what sounds to attune your ears to, how to fix any issue that might arise. Very useful.

The first session (June 1, 2024), originally intended as a refresher-course, was a full-blown seminar on fuel repair and maintenance. Evan Burkowsky, Captain/Owner/Rebirther of a 33’ Peterson sailing yacht (45 years old), christened “Garuda”, held a 4 hour-seminar on his boat in Hayama Port  … on the Chiba peninsula, between Kizarazu (Costco) and Tateyama (tip of the peninsula).

A follow-up seminar is planned so sign-into the Group to register your interest.

In the next session, we will be looking into the cooling system: wave ‘goodbye’ to overheating engines and ‘hello’ to cool cruising! Maximum ~10 individuals. Exclusive to TSPS Members.

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By Timothy Langley, June 3, 2024

Trouble-shooting and maintaining a diesel engine on a sailboat is as important as tying the right kind of knot in a given situation.

A group of TSPS sailors gathered at the well-known sailing port of Hota on Chiba Peninsula to examine a diesel engine in a 45 year old yacht this weekend. Originally intended to be a refresher-course, it turned into a hands-on workshop examining and trouble-shooting the most likely terminal-troubles a sailor might confront while at sea… the most unfortunate time for these issues to arise. So yes: kinda life-or-death.

Captain Evan Burkowsky, one of the most accomplished sailors within TSPS, held court with a collection of sailors, some captains in their own rights, to examine the fuel-system, electricals, and handy-hacks to address a sudden issue quickly. This was hands-on with participants getting their hands dirty and feeling for themselves the difficulties in access, the tools required, the sounds emitted that signal a problem arising or the echos of success after adjustments. All captains know that the boat talks to you, if you just know how to listen.

In typical TSPS fashion, the workshop went long and by the time we tidied-up, the fabulous Banya restaurant had closed, the bath was closed, and only nearby Odoya grocery saved the day.

Everyone ended up munching their own selection of favorite foods, a veritable mishmash, shared beers and red-wine, and called it a night around 10:30.

All retired to their own respective boats under a sky sprinkled with stars, the echos of paddy-frogs croaking, waves lightly lapping, and in the distance, the reverberating snore of some waterbuffalo.

Sunrise in a morning ignited by riotous squawking of thousands of sea-hawks (at the Fisherman’s Association processing incoming catches) found the port full of activity. David Lechevalier, grinding fresh coffee from within Bluewind II, was popular on the floating dock. Captain Evan, readying his boat for departure, still providing advice on a vast range of questions that just never stopped: sailing is such a deep and broad pastime, requiring mastery of hundreds of skills. Having a sounding board with such deep experience is so very important and valuable. Having this kind of opportunity and the luxury of time is rare, in fact.

With the Banya hotsprings 70 meters away opening 7:30am, everyone got freshened-up, some necessarily so after diving into the waters to scrape the bottom of the boat… another essential maintenance issue. It turns out that yes, Punk: between 5:00am and 7:30, you can get a lot done!

This first workshop was a great success. Follow-up plans to focus on cooling-systems, electricals and trouble-shooting is already in the works. If you are interested, please provide a Comment or voice your preferences at the upcoming Keelhaul.

Finally, in addition to a thank-you to Captain Evan for the instruction (and for the hospitality of his roomy 33’ Peterson sailing yacht), a hearty shout-out to John Kratochvil for originally initiating the Workshop-in-Hota idea in the first place. Thank you to the others who sailed from distant locations to have what turned-out to be a very insightful, instructive workshop, a slapped-together dinner, a lovely sunrise coffee, bookended with two exhilarating days of sailing to and back on Tokyo Bay.

What a great weekend! Let’s do it again.

By Chris Eve

May 20, 2024

I was so enthused by my first visit to Hota that I persuaded my Chief Navigator, Kaoru, to join me for a second visit. In order to keep the journey as short as possible to allay Kaoru’s concerns about getting seasick, I decided we would motor all the way. We set out from Yokohama Bayside at nine and set course for Kannnonsaki. Eothen is fitted with a 30hp Yanmar 3YM30 engine which is more than enough for a vessel of her size, but it does mean that she can cruise comfortably at a steady 5.5 knots, so the trip to Hota would only take around 3 hours.

Motoring out of Yokohama Bayside Marina

We had pleasant passage down Tokyo Bay in bright sunshine and calm seas. On the way we passed two cruise ships headed towards Tokyo, the three-masted clipper Stad Amsterdam and the Costa Serena. Both were too far away to photograph, pictures here from the internet:

Passing Kannonsaki lighthouse

Coming into Hota harbour I was a bit dismayed to see that all the berths were full, with some boats moored double-up. I wasn’t sure of the protocol for berthing alongside another boat. I could see Ishii-san’s yacht was still in the harbour, but he wasn’t on board. Would it be OK to moor alongside without permission? I decided to give him a call, and he said go ahead no problem. So with that I took Eothen alongside his boat and tied up at 12:30. The passage from YBM had taken 3.5 hours.

As I was securing Eothen, two very noisy power boats came into the harbour. They looked like offshore racing powerboats and their engines, even while idling, were absolutely deafening. Oh dear, I though, this wasn’t like the last time I was in Hota when it was idyllic. It almost felt like we were in a busy Golden Week highway service area! Luckily the two powerboats gave up trying to find a berth and went away, and tranquility returned to Hota.

I was eager to introduce my Chief Navigator to the delicious Sakaemaru restaurant, so we immediately went for lunch. When we got to the restaurant there was a long queue, but I had noticed there were also a lot of people waiting outside the Banya restaurant, so we decided to stick it out and wait. It was a very long wait, but worth it in the end as the food was again fantastic. We can recommend the aji namero – goes well with beer! After our late lunch we went to have a bath (which was also very crowded) and then back to the boat to relax. Soon it was evening and time to open a bottle of something special to celebrate Golden Week. We were treated to an absolutely gorgeous sunset and a stunning view of Mount Fuji. Wow, this is the life!

Sunset champagne

Beautiful end to the day

It doesn’t get much better than this!

It was forecast to get windy the next day, so in order to avoid discomfort for my Chief Navigator, we decided to have an early night and set off back to YBM early in the morning. It had been another very enjoyable visit to Hota and we look forward to going again one day.

Sunrise over the Boso Peninsular

About the author:

I have always loved the sea, boats and ships, even though I grew up in Warwick, about as far as you can get from the sea in England. As soon as I could, I joined Cunard as a deck officer cadet and gained my Second Mates ticket while sailing  on the company’s cargo ships, tankers and the Queen Elizabeth 2. I started sailing dinghies in my teens while at nautical school. Fast forward to coming to live in Japan in 1990, I sailed dinghies and Hobbie Cats off Zushi beach for many years until I bought Eothen, a second-hand Cornish Crabber 24, at the end of 2021 and joined TSPS. Eothen is berthed at Yokohama Bayside Marina. Professionally, I run an exhibition organising company, and it is no secret that of all the exhibitions I do my favourites are Sea Japan and Bari-Ship which serve the maritime industry.

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