Erik Schwartz
Rusalka
Santa Cruz 40
www.rusalka.net
PHRF Rating:
Club:
Homeport:
Occupation:
Age:
51
SSS
San Francisco
Dad/software developer
39
A veteran of the '02 race, Erik is going more for speed and less for the experience this time (although the experience is still amazing). He at least wants to better his 14 day trip last time. To that end, he has a new kite, a new autopilot with a rate gyro, a dedicated weather fax, and some custom software he's written for analyzing and optimizing boat performance. He's spent a lot of time over the past two years learning more about weather and routing. "In 2002 I didn't pay enough attention to what the Pacific high was doing and I really got burned". Before the 2002 race he was promised there were these things called "tradewinds" out there in the Pacific, constant 20 knot winds from astern that you could surf the waves on. He didn't find any tradewinds in 2002 so he's going looking for them again.

After 6000 shorthanded miles on her, Erik feels he has Rusalka pretty well set up for singlehanded racing. The twin 120's jibs on twin poles worked really well last time. He got soaked on the first night out (and the first week on the way back), so Rusalka now sports a companionway dodger. "It takes a while to get Rusalka set up singlehanded, but once she's in the groove she sails herself."

rusalka2.jpg Erik will be sailing the boat home solo this time. "Last time a friend came with me. We had fun, but it was a bit weird having someone else aboard after so many solo miles". His goals coming back this time are to find a glass ball float and read the whole Patrick O'Brian series, and maybe catch a fish. "Last time I ran out of books after 16 days (of an 18 day return)... I ended up reading the Yanmar manual"

After spending 15 years in Silicon Valley working for technology companies, Erik and his family recently moved east to Bath, Maine (the city of ships). Erik now spends his time raising his two year old daughter (with another due in the fall), writing a little software, writing a novel (very slowly), and restoring a 155 year old shipbuilding magnate's mansion overlooking the Kennebec River.

Erik is also looking forward to the post-race festivities, with long afternoons at the tree in Hanalei and hanging out with competitors, family and friends.


Navigation: Garmin GPS, one fixed, one handheld, one USB GPS hooked up to the computer, "I'll probably bring my sextant along too".

Steering: Raymarine 8001 with rate gyro, Raymarine 4000+GP, AH2000. Lots of spare parts.

Food: Some canned, some freeze dried, pop tarts, fruit (while it lasts), peanut butter, power bars and tea.

Special thanks: My wife Kathleen, my daughter Ellie, everyone who did the '02 race, Kevin on Kokopelli for the dodger, the SSS Race Commitee, my Mom for teaching me to sail, Hatch for teaching me to sail faster.

1