Sailing the boat home after the SHTP can be a great experience. Of course, bad things can happen on an ocean crossing, even to good sailors in well-prepared boats, and the post-race sail back to mainland is no exception. But we still yearn to sail small boats across big oceans, and most of us are only going to get so many chances to do that. Even if you have a boat that can be shipped home, there are reasons to think about sailing home instead.
Paul Kamen, veteran of the 1986 SHTP (and some other races and stuff) sailed back in TWILIGHT ZONE, a Merit 25, and calls the return sail “Twice the Fun for Half the Price.” And he’s got some good tips for making a successful trip back.
Michael Jefferson (SHTP 1992, 1996, 2000, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018) provides a very thorough treatment of the main issues of concern on a boat with an inboard diesel engine: fuel, drive train, cooling, and electrical.
Jim Quanci (with finishes and return sails in SHTP 2012, 2021, and several other Hawaii races) did a great webinar on the sail back for the Pac Cup in 2020. No, there wasn’t a Pac Cup race in 2020, but Jim’s presentation lives on. Find links to the video and slides here:
https://pacificcup.org/knowledgebase
He includes a nice discussion of things to consider if you are inviting crew to sail back with you.
The boats doing the return sail typically all leave Kauai within a few days of the awards ceremony, and the RC will run an informal daily check in with the returning racers via email. That was the drill in 2018 when I did the race. In addition to the daily email, 5 or so of the returning boats that year had SSB and we had a roll call and conversation over the radio each evening.
Come back here with suggestions and questions related to the return sail.
Paul Kamen, veteran of the 1986 SHTP (and some other races and stuff) sailed back in TWILIGHT ZONE, a Merit 25, and calls the return sail “Twice the Fun for Half the Price.” And he’s got some good tips for making a successful trip back.
Michael Jefferson (SHTP 1992, 1996, 2000, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018) provides a very thorough treatment of the main issues of concern on a boat with an inboard diesel engine: fuel, drive train, cooling, and electrical.
Jim Quanci (with finishes and return sails in SHTP 2012, 2021, and several other Hawaii races) did a great webinar on the sail back for the Pac Cup in 2020. No, there wasn’t a Pac Cup race in 2020, but Jim’s presentation lives on. Find links to the video and slides here:
https://pacificcup.org/knowledgebase
He includes a nice discussion of things to consider if you are inviting crew to sail back with you.
The boats doing the return sail typically all leave Kauai within a few days of the awards ceremony, and the RC will run an informal daily check in with the returning racers via email. That was the drill in 2018 when I did the race. In addition to the daily email, 5 or so of the returning boats that year had SSB and we had a roll call and conversation over the radio each evening.
Come back here with suggestions and questions related to the return sail.
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