3 minutes between Aloha and Mountain!
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New Boat 4 Sled
- Thread starter sleddog
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3 minutes between Aloha and Mountain!
While contemplating finish dates, we are reminded it ain't over till it's over by the recent win of SHTP vet Shad Lemke and crew aboard his O-30 DARK HORSE in the recent Race2Alaska substitute WA 360. The WA360 is a floating bike race punctuated by spinnaker runs around the lake of Puget Sound and its extensions, open to anyone under manual power: sail, row, paddle, pedal, portage, fly (wingsurf).
If you, like me, don't do Facebook, and didn't see the 8 minute, summary video, or if you did and want to be sure of what you think you saw, here it is in full color: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NmQSnVaHSs
DARK HORSE (Team High Seas Drifters), very much a dark horse until a few hours from the finish, pulled off a most improbable win for the giant belt buckle. Here's Jake's description of what happened: Thanks to Jackie for the link.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday morning, 0500.
Against our better judgment, we’re going to lead with the conclusion: humans are dumb, especially us, and probably you too.
Don’t get mad. Trust us, it’s a lot to take in after a lifetime of not knowing how dumb you are. Relax. Take a deep breath and a beta blocker. This isn’t personal, count to 10. Think of puppies and breathe into your flaws. We were all wrong.
Before the last 30 seconds when your huffed up and wounded insecurities decided to fax us your SAT scores/MENSA membership/photo grab of that Yahtzee scorecard from '05 when you broke 300 and decided you earned the “Johnny Bigtime” nickname you’ve always wanted—go back to that time before rage, hit pause, and hear us out: Whatever you were thinking whenever you went to sleep on Wednesday night, you were wrong. No shame, we were wrong too.
There are so many versions of how wrong we all were:
Did you think the cyborg overlord paddlers of Team BendRacing couldn’t possibly break camp and accelerate for two days through sleep deprivation and hold the lead? WRONG.
Did you think that Team Big Broderna would build on the hard-earned and comfortable lead they grunted out over the first three days and coast in for a victory? WRONG.
Did you think that the wind would hold and then build in the Strait in the afternoon (like it ALWAYS does)? WRONG.
Did you tell your whole media team that they needed to get up at 4am because the closing speed of the presumptive first place finishers would put them in Port Townsend at Oh-My-God O’clock in the morning? Us either.
The past 24 hours have been riveting and humbling, at least for us, probably for you too, and definitely for six or so teams that finished way closer than they should have after 360 miles.
When we went to bed on Wednesday, we were sure. We’ve seen a race or two—and by that we’re talking the Race to Alaska. R2-mother-loving-K, Johnny Bigtime, not this WA360 lap around the lake we have here. We know how these things play out. We’re important.
When R2AK-hardened Team Big Broderna took the lead from the sleep-proof paddle mutants on Team BendRacing, we checked weather and tide predictions, pre-wrote this update, set the alarm and went to bed, cozy in a blanket woven from our own arrogance. Broderna for the win, as god intended.
Team Big Broderna did exactly what we predicted, and exactly what we would have done. By Wednesday night they had a commanding lead and a trimaran—a far faster boat than any of the sailboats who trailed them by over 15 miles, and light years faster than anyone shoveling water. The Bros were an Anacortes team with mad race skills, street cred from 1st and 2nd place finishes in Swiftsure and R2AK, respectively. They were about to sail through their backyard, on the fastest boat, with a 15-mile lead. This. Was in. The bag.
They made the choice anyone with all of those hole cards would: rather than take the straight-line option and thread the needle through the variable winds of the San Juan Islands, they chose the longer route with predictably better current and cleaner wind—plenty of chance for them to stretch their legs and fly a hull to make the finish line in time for their reservation at any number of Port Townsend’s legendary bruncheries.
Yep, if there was wind to be had, it would be in the wide expanses of Boundary Pass and Haro Strait. How sure were we? Knowing nods from sailors around the world strained necks and caused a momentary bubble in the market for Chiropractic Futures. (Yes, a lie…but it feels true.) This was the only way.
In sailing, there is a catch phrase: “Local knowledge.” It’s the recognition that in any sailing race, there’s a home field advantage for knowing the particular wind and current patterns in that area. Local knowledge sailors from the portion of the course NOAA weather radio calls “Northern Inland Waters Including the San Juan Islands” know that sometimes the race isn’t about finding the route with the shortest total distance, but the sum total of likely wind conditions and currents, and at least in this race the currents play such a huge role.
Neil deGrasse Tyson we ain’t, but it works like this: the moon and sun have gravity, and that gravity pulls a bulge of water around the earth as it rotates. That water bulge sloshes in and out of the rock strainer of San Juan Islands more or less two times a day, causing itinerant rivers and whirlpools that build, then fade, then change direction every six hours or so. It’s complicated, confusing, and PNW AF.
For boats, currents are the conveyor belts of the San Juans. Get on the right one and you’re on the moving sidewalk towards your destination. The wrong one and you’re that kid in the airport that thinks it’s hilarious that they are walking forward and going nowhere. True fact: it’s not hilarious, especially if you are rowing or pedaling, more so if your competition is catching up on the down escalator while you are fighting to climb it.
If you’re like us, you were today years old when you learned that WA360 isn’t a sailing race. At least this year for the leaders, it was a floating bike race punctuated by spinnaker runs that lasted as long as 5 hours but as little as 200 yards. Team Broderna made the right call for a sailing race: go for wind. The Strait (of Juan De Fuca) has predictable, bankable winds that tend to rise west to east as the day progresses. Always, except when it doesn’t, like yesterday when you find yourself in a warp speed sailboat without wind, on the wrong conveyor belt, and you spend hours in light air getting pushed farther and farther to the west and away from the finish line. You’re the kid in the airport going the wrong way from the final boarding call. Dammit.
In the critical moments of Thursday morning, the currents flexed hard. The same current conveyor belt that was sweeping Big Broderna towards Japan was sweeping the chase pack down the west side of Whidbey Island and closer to the turn for the home stretch. By 10am, wind and tide had transformed the race from having a presumptive winner to a six-way race for first place.
In eight hours the tide had carried the race from ‘Game over’ to ‘Game on,’ and after an overnight of hard sailing, all of a sudden five teams were vying for sailing’s first heavyweight championship belt. The run for the bling quickly became a cause of internet speculation. Port Townsend locals held prayer circles (unconfirmed), sailors worldwide whistled on deck and scratched the backstays hoping for wind (unconfirmed), at least one new agey alter was created and shared via social media, there was incense (confirmed), and the chase pack hailed each other in the dawn’s early light. It was the stuff of legend.
Farther back there were dismastings and mayhem (see team Gulls On Buoys’ Facebook feed), but the finale of the bike race that was the inaugural WA360 favored the uncomplicated straight line on the down escalator. The chase pack of Teams Trickster, First Fed’s Sail Like a Girl, Lake Pend Oreille Yacht Club, Fressure, and High Seas Drifters worked the near-shore current off of Whidbey Island and lined themselves up for working the last miles with the winds that built out of the south, not the west—which local knowledge will tell you never happens, except when it does. Team High Seas Drifters crossed the line a minute shy of 1300. An Olsen 30, S/V Dark Horse lived up to its name with a hardly probable, come-from-behind win. A day before, they were out of the running. Thursday, they were the unlikely victorious crew of Montanans who bested all comers—including trimarans, hopped up monohulls with teams of seasoned sailors, the Seattle sailing mafia, and the robo-mutant kayakers—who at time of posting were making steady, zombie-march progress towards the finish line.
Despite all of the certainty, boat speed, and local knowledge; elite athletes, R2AK darlings, and the Seattle sailing in-crowd were treated to the transom view of the Montanans at the finish line. Right behind was Olympia’s Team Fessure who crossed the line seven minutes later. Seven minutes! Over 360 miles that’s like a photo finish in the Kentucky Derby, if the second place horse crossed the finish line smoking a cigarette with an open bottle of tequila. Lake Pend Oreille Yacht Club claimed third a scant 12 minutes later and were as amazed by their bronze medal finish as they were of the currents. “We’re lake sailors...that was crazy!” All three teams rose from, “Who are they?” to household names in a matter of hours, and 1-2-3 finished all within 19 minutes of each other in the most competitive race we could have ever imagined.
All told 12 teams came in rapid-fire in the hours since first place. All hit the dock in the adrenaline state between elated and exhausted. They hit the dock, rang the bell, hugged the earth and/or their loved ones, and accepted the ceremonial six-pack with appreciation and chagrin. One team put it best: “That’s 60 miles a beer.”
The race may have been won, the championship belts already raised skyward in celebration, but the race isn’t over. As we type, the machine of Team BendRacing is gaining steady ground on the Point Hudson finish line, Canal Rats aren’t too far behind, and the rest of the fleet is lining up like Rockettes, high kicking towards the big finale. This race is just getting started.
R2AK—out.
If you, like me, don't do Facebook, and didn't see the 8 minute, summary video, or if you did and want to be sure of what you think you saw, here it is in full color: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NmQSnVaHSs
DARK HORSE (Team High Seas Drifters), very much a dark horse until a few hours from the finish, pulled off a most improbable win for the giant belt buckle. Here's Jake's description of what happened: Thanks to Jackie for the link.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday morning, 0500.
Against our better judgment, we’re going to lead with the conclusion: humans are dumb, especially us, and probably you too.
Don’t get mad. Trust us, it’s a lot to take in after a lifetime of not knowing how dumb you are. Relax. Take a deep breath and a beta blocker. This isn’t personal, count to 10. Think of puppies and breathe into your flaws. We were all wrong.
Before the last 30 seconds when your huffed up and wounded insecurities decided to fax us your SAT scores/MENSA membership/photo grab of that Yahtzee scorecard from '05 when you broke 300 and decided you earned the “Johnny Bigtime” nickname you’ve always wanted—go back to that time before rage, hit pause, and hear us out: Whatever you were thinking whenever you went to sleep on Wednesday night, you were wrong. No shame, we were wrong too.
There are so many versions of how wrong we all were:
Did you think the cyborg overlord paddlers of Team BendRacing couldn’t possibly break camp and accelerate for two days through sleep deprivation and hold the lead? WRONG.
Did you think that Team Big Broderna would build on the hard-earned and comfortable lead they grunted out over the first three days and coast in for a victory? WRONG.
Did you think that the wind would hold and then build in the Strait in the afternoon (like it ALWAYS does)? WRONG.
Did you tell your whole media team that they needed to get up at 4am because the closing speed of the presumptive first place finishers would put them in Port Townsend at Oh-My-God O’clock in the morning? Us either.
The past 24 hours have been riveting and humbling, at least for us, probably for you too, and definitely for six or so teams that finished way closer than they should have after 360 miles.
When we went to bed on Wednesday, we were sure. We’ve seen a race or two—and by that we’re talking the Race to Alaska. R2-mother-loving-K, Johnny Bigtime, not this WA360 lap around the lake we have here. We know how these things play out. We’re important.
When R2AK-hardened Team Big Broderna took the lead from the sleep-proof paddle mutants on Team BendRacing, we checked weather and tide predictions, pre-wrote this update, set the alarm and went to bed, cozy in a blanket woven from our own arrogance. Broderna for the win, as god intended.
Team Big Broderna did exactly what we predicted, and exactly what we would have done. By Wednesday night they had a commanding lead and a trimaran—a far faster boat than any of the sailboats who trailed them by over 15 miles, and light years faster than anyone shoveling water. The Bros were an Anacortes team with mad race skills, street cred from 1st and 2nd place finishes in Swiftsure and R2AK, respectively. They were about to sail through their backyard, on the fastest boat, with a 15-mile lead. This. Was in. The bag.
They made the choice anyone with all of those hole cards would: rather than take the straight-line option and thread the needle through the variable winds of the San Juan Islands, they chose the longer route with predictably better current and cleaner wind—plenty of chance for them to stretch their legs and fly a hull to make the finish line in time for their reservation at any number of Port Townsend’s legendary bruncheries.
Yep, if there was wind to be had, it would be in the wide expanses of Boundary Pass and Haro Strait. How sure were we? Knowing nods from sailors around the world strained necks and caused a momentary bubble in the market for Chiropractic Futures. (Yes, a lie…but it feels true.) This was the only way.
In sailing, there is a catch phrase: “Local knowledge.” It’s the recognition that in any sailing race, there’s a home field advantage for knowing the particular wind and current patterns in that area. Local knowledge sailors from the portion of the course NOAA weather radio calls “Northern Inland Waters Including the San Juan Islands” know that sometimes the race isn’t about finding the route with the shortest total distance, but the sum total of likely wind conditions and currents, and at least in this race the currents play such a huge role.
Neil deGrasse Tyson we ain’t, but it works like this: the moon and sun have gravity, and that gravity pulls a bulge of water around the earth as it rotates. That water bulge sloshes in and out of the rock strainer of San Juan Islands more or less two times a day, causing itinerant rivers and whirlpools that build, then fade, then change direction every six hours or so. It’s complicated, confusing, and PNW AF.
For boats, currents are the conveyor belts of the San Juans. Get on the right one and you’re on the moving sidewalk towards your destination. The wrong one and you’re that kid in the airport that thinks it’s hilarious that they are walking forward and going nowhere. True fact: it’s not hilarious, especially if you are rowing or pedaling, more so if your competition is catching up on the down escalator while you are fighting to climb it.
If you’re like us, you were today years old when you learned that WA360 isn’t a sailing race. At least this year for the leaders, it was a floating bike race punctuated by spinnaker runs that lasted as long as 5 hours but as little as 200 yards. Team Broderna made the right call for a sailing race: go for wind. The Strait (of Juan De Fuca) has predictable, bankable winds that tend to rise west to east as the day progresses. Always, except when it doesn’t, like yesterday when you find yourself in a warp speed sailboat without wind, on the wrong conveyor belt, and you spend hours in light air getting pushed farther and farther to the west and away from the finish line. You’re the kid in the airport going the wrong way from the final boarding call. Dammit.
In the critical moments of Thursday morning, the currents flexed hard. The same current conveyor belt that was sweeping Big Broderna towards Japan was sweeping the chase pack down the west side of Whidbey Island and closer to the turn for the home stretch. By 10am, wind and tide had transformed the race from having a presumptive winner to a six-way race for first place.
In eight hours the tide had carried the race from ‘Game over’ to ‘Game on,’ and after an overnight of hard sailing, all of a sudden five teams were vying for sailing’s first heavyweight championship belt. The run for the bling quickly became a cause of internet speculation. Port Townsend locals held prayer circles (unconfirmed), sailors worldwide whistled on deck and scratched the backstays hoping for wind (unconfirmed), at least one new agey alter was created and shared via social media, there was incense (confirmed), and the chase pack hailed each other in the dawn’s early light. It was the stuff of legend.
Farther back there were dismastings and mayhem (see team Gulls On Buoys’ Facebook feed), but the finale of the bike race that was the inaugural WA360 favored the uncomplicated straight line on the down escalator. The chase pack of Teams Trickster, First Fed’s Sail Like a Girl, Lake Pend Oreille Yacht Club, Fressure, and High Seas Drifters worked the near-shore current off of Whidbey Island and lined themselves up for working the last miles with the winds that built out of the south, not the west—which local knowledge will tell you never happens, except when it does. Team High Seas Drifters crossed the line a minute shy of 1300. An Olsen 30, S/V Dark Horse lived up to its name with a hardly probable, come-from-behind win. A day before, they were out of the running. Thursday, they were the unlikely victorious crew of Montanans who bested all comers—including trimarans, hopped up monohulls with teams of seasoned sailors, the Seattle sailing mafia, and the robo-mutant kayakers—who at time of posting were making steady, zombie-march progress towards the finish line.
Despite all of the certainty, boat speed, and local knowledge; elite athletes, R2AK darlings, and the Seattle sailing in-crowd were treated to the transom view of the Montanans at the finish line. Right behind was Olympia’s Team Fessure who crossed the line seven minutes later. Seven minutes! Over 360 miles that’s like a photo finish in the Kentucky Derby, if the second place horse crossed the finish line smoking a cigarette with an open bottle of tequila. Lake Pend Oreille Yacht Club claimed third a scant 12 minutes later and were as amazed by their bronze medal finish as they were of the currents. “We’re lake sailors...that was crazy!” All three teams rose from, “Who are they?” to household names in a matter of hours, and 1-2-3 finished all within 19 minutes of each other in the most competitive race we could have ever imagined.
All told 12 teams came in rapid-fire in the hours since first place. All hit the dock in the adrenaline state between elated and exhausted. They hit the dock, rang the bell, hugged the earth and/or their loved ones, and accepted the ceremonial six-pack with appreciation and chagrin. One team put it best: “That’s 60 miles a beer.”
The race may have been won, the championship belts already raised skyward in celebration, but the race isn’t over. As we type, the machine of Team BendRacing is gaining steady ground on the Point Hudson finish line, Canal Rats aren’t too far behind, and the rest of the fleet is lining up like Rockettes, high kicking towards the big finale. This race is just getting started.
R2AK—out.
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I was more thinking of autopilot failures or energy systems going South. Have other single-handers broken their boom on an run to Hawaii? I'd be somewhat delighted that I'm not alone then.
Congrats to Kyle on ALOHA for passing the halfway barge late yesterday. MOUNTAIN, then NOZOMI should be next to open their long anticipated halfway presents.
The weather for the second half of the Race should improve dramatically as a weak, trapped low pressure slowly dissipates. This low has been forcing the Pacific High into a prolonged and unusual N/S elongation that blocked the fleet, sailing near rhumbline, from progress.
As the Pacific High intensifies to 1032 Mb and reassumes its more normal position of July up around 40x140, the tradewinds south of 29 and west of 142 will build into the moderate range, 10-20 knots, by Tuesday. This should make the second half of the SHTP as fast as the first half was slow. See 96 hour prog chart below:
Some have asked, "Why the screwy weather with light and shifty winds that plagued the fleet since outside the Golden Gate? There are many explanations. The most easily understandable is given by Stan Honey and other professional meteorologists, and I paraphrase: "The Eastern North Pacific and its usual, centered High Pressure does not become stable until the first week of July. Before that is out-of-season and can feature out-of-season anomalies"
This is why the Honolulu Race (LA Transpac) always started on the 4th of July or after. Even then, things can go pear shaped, as in 1979 when MERLIN and other race leaders (WINDWARD PASSAGE, RAGTIME, and CHRISTINE) sailed into and sat in the High for 2 days while sailing the traditional "S" course. Stan, navigating DRIFTER, and 50 miles behind MERLIN, could see what was coming, and convinced their afterguard to gybe DRIFTER to sail due south for 24 hours, a famous move that won DRIFTER the Barn Door Trophy, and launched Stan Honey's reputation as a world class navigator.
The weather for the second half of the Race should improve dramatically as a weak, trapped low pressure slowly dissipates. This low has been forcing the Pacific High into a prolonged and unusual N/S elongation that blocked the fleet, sailing near rhumbline, from progress.
As the Pacific High intensifies to 1032 Mb and reassumes its more normal position of July up around 40x140, the tradewinds south of 29 and west of 142 will build into the moderate range, 10-20 knots, by Tuesday. This should make the second half of the SHTP as fast as the first half was slow. See 96 hour prog chart below:
Some have asked, "Why the screwy weather with light and shifty winds that plagued the fleet since outside the Golden Gate? There are many explanations. The most easily understandable is given by Stan Honey and other professional meteorologists, and I paraphrase: "The Eastern North Pacific and its usual, centered High Pressure does not become stable until the first week of July. Before that is out-of-season and can feature out-of-season anomalies"
This is why the Honolulu Race (LA Transpac) always started on the 4th of July or after. Even then, things can go pear shaped, as in 1979 when MERLIN and other race leaders (WINDWARD PASSAGE, RAGTIME, and CHRISTINE) sailed into and sat in the High for 2 days while sailing the traditional "S" course. Stan, navigating DRIFTER, and 50 miles behind MERLIN, could see what was coming, and convinced their afterguard to gybe DRIFTER to sail due south for 24 hours, a famous move that won DRIFTER the Barn Door Trophy, and launched Stan Honey's reputation as a world class navigator.
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I'm sure it isn't lost on observers that next to ALOHA at 139 miles/24 hours, the next two best 24 hours runs were posted yesterday by the back markers RAINBOW at 138 miles and HULA at 127 miles.
ALOHA's listed displacement (DSPL) is 4,694, and HULA's designed DSPL is 19,500 (though Bill is probably carrying sufficient supplies and equipment for his and Darlene's return passage.)
In the SHTP, ya run what ya got, and let the chips fall where they may. HULA could podium finish on corrected time...Westsail owners up and down the Pacific Coast would be nodding in agreement.
Hi Dave King!
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"It's a drag race to the finish," reports GREEN BUFFALO, "jibing down the rhumb line."
Though ALOHA appears to have an insurmountable lead for both First-To-Finish and Overall, and could finish early Saturday if everything holds together, HULA is very much in the hunt for the Overall win also, should ALOHA drop the ball. HULA could finish as early as mid-day, Tuesday, July 6, and ALOHA owes HULA almost 3 days. No pressure Kyle, eh?
NOZOMI and SHARK ON BLUEGRASS also have an outside chance to win the Hanalei Yacht Club Trophy for First-Overall. But they need a couple of favorable squalls to push them into contention.
For those who wonder, my optimistic guess as to average daily run between now and Hanalei finish line for ALOHA is 185 nm and for HULA is 160 nm given that trades are forecast to slowly build over the next 3-5 days. The boats, unless under twin or poled out jib, can't sail DDW and so will sail about 5% further than the calculated distance to go. But they do have a favorable surface current of ~ .75 knots carrying them along.
Good news from Lee aboard MORNING STAR, who arrived yesterday at Hanalei and has taken up station at anchor as the Welcome Boat.
Though ALOHA appears to have an insurmountable lead for both First-To-Finish and Overall, and could finish early Saturday if everything holds together, HULA is very much in the hunt for the Overall win also, should ALOHA drop the ball. HULA could finish as early as mid-day, Tuesday, July 6, and ALOHA owes HULA almost 3 days. No pressure Kyle, eh?
NOZOMI and SHARK ON BLUEGRASS also have an outside chance to win the Hanalei Yacht Club Trophy for First-Overall. But they need a couple of favorable squalls to push them into contention.
For those who wonder, my optimistic guess as to average daily run between now and Hanalei finish line for ALOHA is 185 nm and for HULA is 160 nm given that trades are forecast to slowly build over the next 3-5 days. The boats, unless under twin or poled out jib, can't sail DDW and so will sail about 5% further than the calculated distance to go. But they do have a favorable surface current of ~ .75 knots carrying them along.
Good news from Lee aboard MORNING STAR, who arrived yesterday at Hanalei and has taken up station at anchor as the Welcome Boat.
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Hopefully the 2021 SHTP Race Committee arrived safely yesterday afternoon at Lihue airport on Kauai and were able to find a rent-a-car to get to their digs at Princeville. Here in CA, we are 3 hours different from Hawaiian Time: 9am here is 6 am in Hanalei and 4pm UTC
Here is the prog chart for this afternoon, Wed. 6/30, showing a favorable map for riding the tradewinds downwind to Hanalei. The finish is almost directly downwind, so most of the fleet will be gybing, trying to sail the closest, shortest course to the finish, which is about 240 degrees magnetic. Without wind or weather reports from the fleet, my guess is their current wind is NE at 15-8 knots, which may feel like less, as the wind is "soft" in the tropics compared to a chill 15-18 knots on San Francisco Bay.
With 592 miles to go, and factoring in gybing, the wind going lightish within 10 miles of Kauai, and an average speed over the bottom (SOG) of 8 knots, ALOHA figures to arrive sometime Saturday morning in Hanalei, 14 days, plus or minus, from the start. You can bet Kyle is figuring how to lighten ship, taking fresh water showers to leave himself about 5 gallons (40 pounds) to get in. Not advisable is dumping all the water overboard and relying on making water as needed. That has been attempted, with dire consequences when the watermaker fails.
Here is the prog chart for this afternoon, Wed. 6/30, showing a favorable map for riding the tradewinds downwind to Hanalei. The finish is almost directly downwind, so most of the fleet will be gybing, trying to sail the closest, shortest course to the finish, which is about 240 degrees magnetic. Without wind or weather reports from the fleet, my guess is their current wind is NE at 15-8 knots, which may feel like less, as the wind is "soft" in the tropics compared to a chill 15-18 knots on San Francisco Bay.
With 592 miles to go, and factoring in gybing, the wind going lightish within 10 miles of Kauai, and an average speed over the bottom (SOG) of 8 knots, ALOHA figures to arrive sometime Saturday morning in Hanalei, 14 days, plus or minus, from the start. You can bet Kyle is figuring how to lighten ship, taking fresh water showers to leave himself about 5 gallons (40 pounds) to get in. Not advisable is dumping all the water overboard and relying on making water as needed. That has been attempted, with dire consequences when the watermaker fails.
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Guilty! I dropped a lot of the water I had onboard when I found myself behind and not gaining, then I put out the #2, which was a better idea
Catching rain water while at sea never quite works as planned. WILDFLOWER had a simple system with barbed drains in the folds between reefs to attach a hose to, as well as rail drains that caught water and sent it below into jugs. Often by the time the passing squall had cleaned the salt off the sail and deck, the rain ended. Better to just enjoy the fresh water shower from the heavens.
Once at Hanalei, with the boom length awning funneling water into jugs, the regular nightly squalls kept WILDFLOWER's water supply topped up, and I never had to ferry water from the beachpark tap for my 5 return passages to the Mainland.
Once at Hanalei, with the boom length awning funneling water into jugs, the regular nightly squalls kept WILDFLOWER's water supply topped up, and I never had to ferry water from the beachpark tap for my 5 return passages to the Mainland.
As this missive hasn't been posted elsewhere, here is the latest from ALOHA as forwarded by Margie Woods. Kyle's fortunate his wrap wasn't more serious!
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Aloha Day 11 Update
Well, it’s day eleven underway now and I just passed the 700 nautical miles to go marker a few minutes ago. For those whom are somewhat mathematically challenged, that puts Aloha at just over 2/3 of the way through from San Francisco to Hanalei Bay.
I have begun to slowly try to actually adjust my sleep schedule/internal clock to Hawaii time however the introduction of the trade winds light (as I have been calling them because they are lighter than normal in my experience) makes it difficult. The reason is the trades generally around noon local time or a little later begin to fill in, then as the sun goes down they maintain a steady pressure with the afternoon, but you get the addition of night time squalls. Through the night and into the early morning the squalls tend to build in strength and will have a greater effect on the boat. Then, not long after sunrise, winds die down to a moderate 8 knots or so typically (less the last few days), until about noon when the cycle beings to repeat itself.
The rub being that with this schedule the ideal time to get some rest becomes the hours between about 7am and noon Hawaii time. Tie that all in with other important things onboard such as navigating, keeping a relatively decent watch out, meal prep and eating - so meaningful rest can and will likely be put on the back burner for the remaining few days should the winds continue to build as they are forecasted to.
Today we saw a slight windshift which had been predicted in the gribs. It came in at around 4pm west coast time and led to a gybe back to starboard allowing to gain some mileage back to the west for a better angle to the eventual finish on port tack in a few days time.
Last night for dinner I enjoyed a full serving of lasagna from backpacker pantry, this one I must say is right up there with the beef stroganoff as far as dinner quality goes. Obviously it lacks the form of a proper pan baked lasaga, but all the great flavors are there from the delicious ground beef to the noodles and spicy marinara sauce, what a treat, certainly better than I could ever make from scratch back at home.
Last night I had a minor issue with the autopilot as it decided to veer about 30 degrees downwind of the course which I had set it for. In the span of about a minute before I rolled over in my bunk and noticed it, the spinnaker had taken itself and gotten wrapped around the furrled up staysail at least 8 times. This meant I had to throw on my life jacket and head lamp, tether in and run up to the bow, pull both sails about halfway down and unwrap them. Fortunately at the time, the winds were a fairly moderate 11 knots. After unwrapping the two, the spinnaker was still very much wrapped on its own, so I doused it all the way into the cockpit so that I could run the tapes on it and get out any twists before heading back up to the bow to hook it back up and reset it.
A process that took maybe 15 minutes and shouldn't have cost me more than a half a mile, but which should be easily avoided had the autopilot done its job and been able to steer a straight course. As I type out this email, the autopilot again has been choosing to vary wildly in heading with a range of about 30 degrees which it is willing to steer. Imagine a blind driver on the I-5 freeway who is taking up all 6 lanes of traffic and only veers one way or the other when he hits the rumble strips on the shoulder, that's about what I’m dealing with for an autopilot from time to time.
Breakfast this morning was a standard affair of Mountain House granola with blueberries and milk, a very simple one that doesn't even require heating but still very much hits the spot for breakfast with a bit of sweet along with the grains. For lunch I had a PB&J as per usual and an apple, and while i have two apples left, i fear they may have met their demise as the one i had with lunch had passed by ripe and was no longer at its peak of freshness, a sad moment. After lunch i had a very nice sea shower to wash away the stink of the last few days and a great fresh water rinse from the Waterport. From my observations and experience, simply washing with sea water will never quite do the trick as the salt residue left over always seems to leave me itchy and feeling very dirty, for that I am very grateful for my ability to properly rinse off with pressurized fresh water whenever i feel like it.
With that, I suppose I should begin to rummage around and see what I should have for dinner before calling it an early night to hopefully get some rest should I need to hand steer or make any major corrections this evening. Keep on hopping for wind! Aloha!
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Keep on "hopping," Kyle, you are doing great!
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Aloha Day 11 Update
Well, it’s day eleven underway now and I just passed the 700 nautical miles to go marker a few minutes ago. For those whom are somewhat mathematically challenged, that puts Aloha at just over 2/3 of the way through from San Francisco to Hanalei Bay.
I have begun to slowly try to actually adjust my sleep schedule/internal clock to Hawaii time however the introduction of the trade winds light (as I have been calling them because they are lighter than normal in my experience) makes it difficult. The reason is the trades generally around noon local time or a little later begin to fill in, then as the sun goes down they maintain a steady pressure with the afternoon, but you get the addition of night time squalls. Through the night and into the early morning the squalls tend to build in strength and will have a greater effect on the boat. Then, not long after sunrise, winds die down to a moderate 8 knots or so typically (less the last few days), until about noon when the cycle beings to repeat itself.
The rub being that with this schedule the ideal time to get some rest becomes the hours between about 7am and noon Hawaii time. Tie that all in with other important things onboard such as navigating, keeping a relatively decent watch out, meal prep and eating - so meaningful rest can and will likely be put on the back burner for the remaining few days should the winds continue to build as they are forecasted to.
Today we saw a slight windshift which had been predicted in the gribs. It came in at around 4pm west coast time and led to a gybe back to starboard allowing to gain some mileage back to the west for a better angle to the eventual finish on port tack in a few days time.
Last night for dinner I enjoyed a full serving of lasagna from backpacker pantry, this one I must say is right up there with the beef stroganoff as far as dinner quality goes. Obviously it lacks the form of a proper pan baked lasaga, but all the great flavors are there from the delicious ground beef to the noodles and spicy marinara sauce, what a treat, certainly better than I could ever make from scratch back at home.
Last night I had a minor issue with the autopilot as it decided to veer about 30 degrees downwind of the course which I had set it for. In the span of about a minute before I rolled over in my bunk and noticed it, the spinnaker had taken itself and gotten wrapped around the furrled up staysail at least 8 times. This meant I had to throw on my life jacket and head lamp, tether in and run up to the bow, pull both sails about halfway down and unwrap them. Fortunately at the time, the winds were a fairly moderate 11 knots. After unwrapping the two, the spinnaker was still very much wrapped on its own, so I doused it all the way into the cockpit so that I could run the tapes on it and get out any twists before heading back up to the bow to hook it back up and reset it.
A process that took maybe 15 minutes and shouldn't have cost me more than a half a mile, but which should be easily avoided had the autopilot done its job and been able to steer a straight course. As I type out this email, the autopilot again has been choosing to vary wildly in heading with a range of about 30 degrees which it is willing to steer. Imagine a blind driver on the I-5 freeway who is taking up all 6 lanes of traffic and only veers one way or the other when he hits the rumble strips on the shoulder, that's about what I’m dealing with for an autopilot from time to time.
Breakfast this morning was a standard affair of Mountain House granola with blueberries and milk, a very simple one that doesn't even require heating but still very much hits the spot for breakfast with a bit of sweet along with the grains. For lunch I had a PB&J as per usual and an apple, and while i have two apples left, i fear they may have met their demise as the one i had with lunch had passed by ripe and was no longer at its peak of freshness, a sad moment. After lunch i had a very nice sea shower to wash away the stink of the last few days and a great fresh water rinse from the Waterport. From my observations and experience, simply washing with sea water will never quite do the trick as the salt residue left over always seems to leave me itchy and feeling very dirty, for that I am very grateful for my ability to properly rinse off with pressurized fresh water whenever i feel like it.
With that, I suppose I should begin to rummage around and see what I should have for dinner before calling it an early night to hopefully get some rest should I need to hand steer or make any major corrections this evening. Keep on hopping for wind! Aloha!
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Keep on "hopping," Kyle, you are doing great!
Assuming Kyle on ALOHA holds it together, he should be finishing about noon, PDST, or 9 a.m. HST tomorrow morning, Sat. July 3. Good timing Kyle!
Tradewinds are picking up, 18-22, with night squalls veering the wind and increasing to 25-27 knots at times. Most of the fleet is now under poled jibs at night, hand steering, or both. That is except for GREEN BUFFALO, who has the auto-pilot equipment to carry on under spinnaker, even read a book, hihi.
KYLE is running his AIS and you should be able to "see" him on his approach (https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-155.7/centery:21.8/zoom:7 and estimate his finish time close enough to watch on the Hanalei webcam, which looks pretty much right down the finish line.https://www.hanaleibayresort.com/live-web-camera/
Once ALOHA is finished, the clock starts on the thundering herd. NOZOMI and MOUNTAIN should be breathing down each other's transoms, as well GREEN BUFFALO, SIREN, and PERPLEXITY in a triple boat for boat duel.
And then, whats that noise in the background, the one that sounds like a cross between a train and a waterfall? Why, it's HULA, bulldozing through building swells, flattening whitecaps, scaring flying fish, smelling like a french bakery, and going for the overall win. Not that Bill Stange is a novice at this. He won overall in 1988.
Forward, gentlesailors.
Tradewinds are picking up, 18-22, with night squalls veering the wind and increasing to 25-27 knots at times. Most of the fleet is now under poled jibs at night, hand steering, or both. That is except for GREEN BUFFALO, who has the auto-pilot equipment to carry on under spinnaker, even read a book, hihi.
KYLE is running his AIS and you should be able to "see" him on his approach (https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-155.7/centery:21.8/zoom:7 and estimate his finish time close enough to watch on the Hanalei webcam, which looks pretty much right down the finish line.https://www.hanaleibayresort.com/live-web-camera/
Once ALOHA is finished, the clock starts on the thundering herd. NOZOMI and MOUNTAIN should be breathing down each other's transoms, as well GREEN BUFFALO, SIREN, and PERPLEXITY in a triple boat for boat duel.
And then, whats that noise in the background, the one that sounds like a cross between a train and a waterfall? Why, it's HULA, bulldozing through building swells, flattening whitecaps, scaring flying fish, smelling like a french bakery, and going for the overall win. Not that Bill Stange is a novice at this. He won overall in 1988.
Forward, gentlesailors.
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I am very sure Kyle is much enjoying his last afternoon at sea, hauling the mail in 18-22 knots of warm tradewinds, sailing starboard pole, hand steering and surfing waves at 10-14 knots under popcorn clouds and flying fish. ALOHA is currently 80 miles north of the nearest dirt, Molokai, and still has about 120 miles to go to his final jibe layline.
Those 120 miles should take him ~13 hours and we can expect to see him gybe to port in the early morning, Pacific Coast time, middle of the night, ship's time, for his last 50 miles. The wind will slowly lighten as he approaches the Island and perhaps glimpses the 24 mile loom of famed Kilauea Lighthouse just before dawn begins to break over ALOHA's transom.
Averaging 8 knots on his final approach, the RC at Princeville should get a call and be in VHF radio or cell phone contact with ALOHA tomorrow, Saturday morning, about 8 a.m HST as they are brewing their morning coffee and looking out at the blue ocean off their balcony. And Synthia, bunking aboard Lee's MORNING STAR, we be making sure SEA SQUIRREL's engine starts and the Aloha welcome gifts await Kyle's arrival.
Go Team!! sleddog out.
Those 120 miles should take him ~13 hours and we can expect to see him gybe to port in the early morning, Pacific Coast time, middle of the night, ship's time, for his last 50 miles. The wind will slowly lighten as he approaches the Island and perhaps glimpses the 24 mile loom of famed Kilauea Lighthouse just before dawn begins to break over ALOHA's transom.
Averaging 8 knots on his final approach, the RC at Princeville should get a call and be in VHF radio or cell phone contact with ALOHA tomorrow, Saturday morning, about 8 a.m HST as they are brewing their morning coffee and looking out at the blue ocean off their balcony. And Synthia, bunking aboard Lee's MORNING STAR, we be making sure SEA SQUIRREL's engine starts and the Aloha welcome gifts await Kyle's arrival.
Go Team!! sleddog out.
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+1. Congrats, Kyle! Well done indeed. I am exceedingly happy for you and hope to shake your hand someday. Fingers crossed for your overall. skip allan, S/V WILDFLOWER SHTP 1978 & 2008.
Back of my hand calcs show Kyle on ALOHA has barely beaten Robb on NOZUMI on corrected (handicap) time by approximately 40 minutes....This is unofficial, as I'm currently camping in the Central CA redwoods, off the grid, and working by flashlight. But if so, this is one of the closest finishes in SHTP history. Can anyone confirm?
Now we get to wait to see if SHARK or HULA can knock off the leaders. This is fun!
Now we get to wait to see if SHARK or HULA can knock off the leaders. This is fun!
Thanks to HEDGEHOG, here are the unofficial corrected time, (handicap)standings as of 10 pm,, Saturday, 4th of July, for the 2021 Singlehanded Transpac These will likely change as more of the fleet finishes. These times do include the 5 minute differences in start times.
1st ALOHA 11:22:57:36
2nd NOZOMI 11:23:37:50
3rd BUFFALO 12:05:14:45
4th MOUNTAIN 13:00:40:08
Best to all from David and myself who both wish we could be there with you at Hanalei to celebrate. At least several distant parties I have spoken have watched these first four boats finish on the conveniently located Hanalei webcam, referenced above.
A reminder to any who are considering doing the SSS Singlehanded Transpac in the future: If you think your boat is not competitive, think again. The first three boats in the current 2021 handicap standings were designed an average of 52 years ago.
And if you want a turn key boat to race in 2023, Jim Kellam's HAULBACK, a Spencer 35, and previous winner of the 2002 SHTP, is for sale in the Pac.NW.
It's all in the prep and efficient sailing, and not so much in having a fast boat.....
1st ALOHA 11:22:57:36
2nd NOZOMI 11:23:37:50
3rd BUFFALO 12:05:14:45
4th MOUNTAIN 13:00:40:08
Best to all from David and myself who both wish we could be there with you at Hanalei to celebrate. At least several distant parties I have spoken have watched these first four boats finish on the conveniently located Hanalei webcam, referenced above.
A reminder to any who are considering doing the SSS Singlehanded Transpac in the future: If you think your boat is not competitive, think again. The first three boats in the current 2021 handicap standings were designed an average of 52 years ago.
And if you want a turn key boat to race in 2023, Jim Kellam's HAULBACK, a Spencer 35, and previous winner of the 2002 SHTP, is for sale in the Pac.NW.
It's all in the prep and efficient sailing, and not so much in having a fast boat.....
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