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Makena - Meet Todd



November 24, 2014
Onboard Makena, Lagoon 620 crossing the Atlantic

Noon Position
17° 06.6' N
40° 23.6' W

In the wee hours of the morning, while I was still asleep, the wind came up and the crew dropped the main and opened the genoa to port and the staysail to starboard. From the sound of the water rushing by the hull I knew we were going fast, there weren't the usual slams and bangs that are usually associated with that speed. Winds varied between 23 and 28 knots and we glided easily over the waves, occasionally taking off on a surf. This "no-main" sail configuration is easy on the boat and crew and we were making good time.

The contrast was stark. The proverbial wild horses, wave tops breaking and crashing alongside us, whipped by the strong winds versus the easy rhythm of the Lagoon with just headsails. Having spent many a day in these conditions, I felt for some of our colleagues in the smaller boats. I felt so strongly for them, I decided to raise a glass of wine in their honor.

Our decision to exchange the staysail for the gennaker didn't go so well. We managed to get the big sail all of the way up. Unfortunately, the gennaker began to unfurl and wrapped several times around the headstay. Down she came. The entire crew pitched in, with the gennaker stretched from port bow to the starboard side of the cockpit (with wind in the high 20s), we managed to get her loosely furled correctly. It was quite the workout getting her back in her bag. We are expecting some excitement the next time she is raised.

We held this wind throughout the day. Late afternoon brought a whale sighting. We are not sure about the species, as the whale followed in the surf behind us, darted ahead of us and rolled exposing her light colored belly and white pectoral fins. The whale, or whales stayed with us for 15-20 minutes. We only saw the head a couple of times as it surfaced for air. We were only able to catch glimpses in and out of the roaring waves.

Dinner:

Crew of the day: Todd Gayley
Todd, aged 53, hails from a few miles west of Chicago in the town of Naperville. Todd and his wife are the proud parents of 17 year old twins. About a year and a half ago, Todd was with Luc and Sarah at a conference and when the conversation turned to Luc and Sarah's thoughts of crossing the Atlantic, Todd was quick to raise his hand and replied "Count me in." In the meantime, Todd sailed with Luc and Sarah aboard their Jeanneau 45.2, Remora, in San Francisco and took in the excitement of the America's Cup. His first time onboard Makena was at the start in Las Palmas. When asked if his swim off the back of the Lagoon in the Atlantic Ocean with the Cape Verde Islands in the background was better than his swim off Remora, he just laughed.

As a kid, Todd sailed with a friend on one occasion. That sparked an ember that was fanned through the years, until about 8 years ago, Todd took the wife and kids to Lake Erie and the sailing lessons began. From those first days on the Sunfish, through ASA courses in Lake Michigan, Todd has found a position on a very active race boat in Lake Michigan. He can't wait for the annual Chicago-Mack Race.

Todd is the go to guy, who really knows what is going on with the boat and is able to jump in to any situation with a strong sailing background. Much of the video that is shot onboard Makena will come from Todd's GoPro.

Todd loves to travel and has spent time in such exotic places as Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Europe, Mexico and the Caribbean. The trip that really stands out is his trip from Denmark, up the coast of Norway, past Sptizbergen to 81 degrees north. Side trip to Iceland on that one. He really love the Cape Verde Islands because it was so different from anywhere else he had been.

Most people don't know that Todd is an avid Alto Sax player, favorite musician is Phil Woods and his favorite dish of the trip has been the Mousaka. Over the years he has worked with Luc and Sarah and gets his best work done from 10 pm until 3 am. He was glad to get, in his words, "the coveted 2 am to 4 am watch."


112414 Todd on watch

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