Author: Paul Rogé

Racing in 2024

Cat Links Racing, Sailing Posted on Paul Rogé

Unlike past years of coastal cruising, I pivoted to mostly regatta racing with the San Francisco Singlehanded Sailing Society in 2024. The Singlehanded Society is dedicated to racing shorthanded, with one or two people on each vessel. It turned out to be a social year, meeting and sailing with experienced sailors. In addition to building more connections with sailors, racing has helped me better understand how to deal with the variable conditions in the San Francisco Bay, including strong tides and different wind conditions. … Continue readingRacing in 2024

M&R Log 2024

Cat Links Maintenance and Repair, Sailing Posted on Paul Rogé

In 2024, I participated in most races organized by the San Francisco Single-handed Sailing Society. This included two coastal races that required vessels to comply with the NorCal YRA Offshore equipment list, including an AIS transponder. Most of the improvements to Grace in 2024 were to comply with these rules. I also continued the basic maintenance schedule, such as replacing small parts, annual outboard service, and regular bottom and topside cleaning. Notable small repairs included replacing the burnt-out Plastimo LED compass light, the Dyneema backstay that snapped in a race, and the Davis Instruments WindTrak 15 Wind Indicator that was knocked off while docked, most likely by a seagull. … Continue readingM&R Log 2024

Knowledge Democratization Approaches for Food Systems Transformation

Cat Links Peer-reviewed articles, Publications Posted on Paul Rogé

Current narrow views of what constitutes evidence have left blind spots in food system decision-making. Yet, alternative ways of facilitating the production and exchange of transdisciplinary knowledge enable key lessons for more equitable and informed policy processes. … Continue readingKnowledge Democratization Approaches for Food Systems Transformation

M&R Log 2023

Cat Links Maintenance and Repair, Sailing Posted on Paul Rogé

On one of my recent trips between Santa Cruz and Año Nuevo, my mast-mounted tri-color navigation lights failed due to saltwater intrusion that corroded the above-deck junction. The bow bi-color light signal cable connection was also damaged twice by minor rubbing against dock boxes. It was time to protect Grace’s electrical system from various vulnerabilities to saltwater and collision. … Continue readingM&R Log 2023

Bottom-up Attempts at Agroecological Transitions in China

Cat Links Peer-reviewed articles, Publications Posted on Paul Rogé

The study explores bottom-up agroecological transitions in two Chinese villages, Sanliwan and Sanggang. Sanliwan faces environmental degradation, lack of markets, need for agroecological technical extension, and farmer atomization. In contrast, Sanggang successfully navigates these through farmer organization, efficient resource utilization, improved technology, and market development. The study calls for further research on top-down responses to these challenges. … Continue readingBottom-up Attempts at Agroecological Transitions in China

Berkeley – October 2023

Cat Links Cruising, Sailing Posted on Paul Rogé

I sublet my slip in Santa Cruz to do winter sailing in the San Francisco Bay. This needed to be a two-day trip over the weekend as I did not take time off from work. Starting out around 10 am from Santa Cruz, I immediately encountered favorable northwesterly winds for several hours. A small craft advisory was in effect, but the conditions were manageable. The waves and swell were intense, but the wind only required me to put in one reef. … Continue readingBerkeley – October 2023

Santa Cruz – April 2023

Cat Links Cruising, Sailing Posted on Paul Rogé

Between storms and strong winds, my father and I found a window of mild weather to sail from Berkeley to Santa Cruz. We motored from Berkeley to just past Alcatraz, at which point the winds quickly picked up. I had chosen the genoa due to the light wind conditions, but we were quickly overpowered. As we headed to a more sheltered position near the San Francisco shoreline, I swapped out the genoa for the class jib. With just two tacks, we had cleared Lands End and were sailing comfortably along the coast on an upwind tack. We stayed on the same tack until Half Moon Bay. Around Montara, the already mild winds died down even further. I put back the genoa, which we probably could have been using for most of the day after clearing Lands End. As we got closer to Half Moon Bay, the winds shifted and we were sailing downwind between the buoys marking the approach to the harbor. After clearing the last of the marker buoys, we found ourselves sailing upwind to a nice breeze leading up to the sea wall. We sailed in the lagoon behind the sea wall and dropped anchor for the night. … Continue readingSanta Cruz – April 2023

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