Late Pac's - Getting Qualified

[DaveH]

With the Long Pac for 2025 "finishing" with no one completing the course, the question(s) turn to:
1. How does one get qualified, and how should it be documented?
2. How can the SSS best support these efforts?

 

[DaveH]

Qualifier requirements?

First things first - per the NOR
5.8 Qualifying Cruise - the qualifying cruise can be documented in a variety of formats, including logs, GPS tracks & completed races. A pdf form will be available on Jibeset (https://www.jibeset.net/).

a. Except as provided below, within 24 months of the Race’s starting date, the entrant shall have completed a Qualifying Cruise in the entered yacht. The Qualifying Cruise shall not be less than 400
nautical miles and shall be made entirely under sail, non-stop and singlehanded. The Qualifying Cruise may be between two ports or may start and finish at the same port, provided that one turning
point is at least 100 nautical miles offshore.

b. At least one half of the qualifying cruise for a multi-hulled yacht shall be downwind

c. No Qualifying Cruise is required for entrants who completed the 2022 or 2024 SSS Pacific Longitude Race (LongPac) Singlehanded, or who completed the 2021 or 2023 Singlehanded Trans Pacific
Yacht Race in the entered yacht

FAQ's -
- does all of it need to be offshore? - not necessarily, it is permissible to set sail from a point inside the bay and count those miles; that said, don't expect the RC to accept more than about 5% inshore milage
- nautical miles vs statute miles? - it's Nautical miles, full stop; this mistake has been made on more than one occasion, don't muck it up
- how should I document it? - as mentioned, a qualifying form is available as part of the race documents on Jibeset. Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to submit a digital record (GPS or tracker link)
- Do I need all of the required equipment/liferaft/etc? - short answer is not necessarily, we are not inspecting your boat beforehand; with that said, the purpose is to test systems and come home safely. It is HIGHLY recommended that you test offshore coms, and have a shoreside contact that knows what to do/who to call if you are in need of support

 

[jamottep]

Note for anyone interested: I'm always up for going offshore ... In case you'd rather know that someone else is nearby for your qualifying cruise in the vicinity of SF/Monterey.

 

[DaveH]

Note for anyone interested: I'm always up for going offshore ... In case you'd rather know that someone else is nearby for your qualifying cruise in the vicinity of SF/Monterey.

we'll talk...

 

[Daydreamer]

After Thanksgiving dinner I took a glance at windy.
Turns out the weather was going to be nice for a possible Late Pac.
Talked with Titia, arranged for a raft, re-arranged some work I had scheduled and loaded up some food and water.

Beautiful sail out and back.

Barely made the mileage though.
The wind started easing as I passed the Farallones the evening of my return and shut down completely at the Bar.
I drifted around for a couple hours hoping something would fill in.
Nope.
Called it at midnight and dug out the outboard.
Mileage under sail worked out to 400.3nm

 

[AZ Sailor]

Fantastic! Good job, Greg.

 

[Daydreamer]

 

[Critter]

Well done, Greg!

I see your windows are mounted as simply as mine. Do they leak at all? If not, what's your secret?

I've tried two or three different sealants and finally butyl tape, but I have chronic leaks. I discarded my soggy, salty sleeping bag when I got home from the last SHTP.

 

[Daydreamer]

Hey Max
Windows are thru-bolted and sealed with copious amount of clear silicon.
A slight countersink at the outer skin helps hold some sealant around the threads.
I don't expect it to last forever but it's good for now.

Originally they were only fastened with sheet metal screws to the outer skin and leaked horribly.

 

[Intermission]

I've tried two or three different sealants and finally butyl tape, but I have chronic leaks.

Have you tried this one? I have friends who swear by this stuff.

 

[sierrawhiskeygo]

The windows of our Olson 30 are made the same way. We remade the windows a few years ago and used Sika 291 on them. The screwed-on design isn't the greatest IMO but the new windows don't leak.

 

[Critter]

Have you tried this one? I have friends who swear by this stuff.

I've used Capt. Tolley's to try to seal cracks. The viscosity is so low, it's hard to imagine it filling much of a gap. Do your friends screw the windows down, then apply?

Sorry everyone for the thread hijack. Maybe I should have asked in another part of the forum.

 

[Intermission]

Do your friends screw the windows down, then apply?

I think they use it between the bedding dying out, and before it gets bad enough to reinstall.

 

[Baltic Fury]

Qualifier requirements?

First things first - per the NOR
5.8 Qualifying Cruise - the qualifying cruise can be documented in a variety of formats, including logs, GPS tracks & completed races. A pdf form will be available on Jibeset (https://www.jibeset.net/).

a. Except as provided below, within 24 months of the Race’s starting date, the entrant shall have completed a Qualifying Cruise in the entered yacht. The Qualifying Cruise shall not be less than 400
nautical miles and shall be made entirely under sail, non-stop and singlehanded. The Qualifying Cruise may be between two ports or may start and finish at the same port, provided that one turning
point is at least 100 nautical miles offshore.

b. At least one half of the qualifying cruise for a multi-hulled yacht shall be downwind

c. No Qualifying Cruise is required for entrants who completed the 2022 or 2024 SSS Pacific Longitude Race (LongPac) Singlehanded, or who completed the 2021 or 2023 Singlehanded Trans Pacific
Yacht Race in the entered yacht

FAQ's -
- does all of it need to be offshore? - not necessarily, it is permissible to set sail from a point inside the bay and count those miles; that said, don't expect the RC to accept more than about 5% inshore milage
- nautical miles vs statute miles? - it's Nautical miles, full stop; this mistake has been made on more than one occasion, don't muck it up
- how should I document it? - as mentioned, a qualifying form is available as part of the race documents on Jibeset. Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to submit a digital record (GPS or tracker link)
- Do I need all of the required equipment/liferaft/etc? - short answer is not necessarily, we are not inspecting your boat beforehand; with that said, the purpose is to test systems and come home safely. It is HIGHLY recommended that you test offshore coms, and have a shoreside contact that knows what to do/who to call if you are in need of support

Dave, I replied to a different post titled quakifier (qualifier), and then saw this one later. I probably should have posted the following question here. Sorry for the redundancy!

I'm planning my qualifier for the 2027 SHTP. Fury is currently in San Diego and I intend to use the passage to San Francisco as my qualifier next spring, 2026. Do I need to be 100 nm west of SF before making the turn for this passage to count? Or can I head west out of SD 100 nm and then start beating north to SF. As you know, the coast bends eastward so the further north I sail the closer I'll be to land. Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

[Critter]

Fury is currently in San Diego and I intend to use the passage to San Francisco as my qualifier next spring, 2026. Do I need to be 100 nm west of SF before making the turn for this passage to count? Or can I head west out of SD 100 nm and then start beating north to SF.

You just have to get 100 nm offshore at some point in the passage. So doing it at the start is fine. What I don't know is whether it's acceptable if you're 100 nm off the mainland but within 100 of (let's say) San Clemente Island. When I did my qualifier 3 years ago I made sure I was 100+ from *any* land.