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Shtp 2020!

T

talonf4u

Sun Fast 3200 "Barcanova"
In 2014, I sold my Moore 24 and migrated to the other coast. I never made it to Hawaii in the Moore--I think I sailed about five shorthanded races, total--but the idea was firmly planted.

Later this year I should complete an un-migration and return. I can't claim to be coming back a local, as I'll be stuck in northern NV, but the boat will live in SF Bay and I'm already plotting for 2020! I have a new weapon, a Jeanneau Sun Fast 3200, and she is thirsty for some Mai Tais.

I have a couple of questions I'd like to pitch to the audience.

I am not rightly sure what my employer thinks of these plans, but I am concerned I won't be able to be take enough time off to sail the boat home. I'd be obliged if anyone could give me a ballpark figure on what it would take to send her home on a ship. I would imagine it's a trip of close to three weeks on her own keel.

The boat's equipped with a twin rudder/twin tiller setup. When I did the Bermuda 1-2 in 2017, I met the emergency tiller requirement with the combination of having two of both-and showing I could keep the weather one in the water if the leeward one was gone- as well as having a backup plan of doing the old spin pole off the transom number. Would any of the kind folks who know about such things weigh in on whether or not that would meet the requirements of the SHTP?

Am I getting ahead of myself? When I can't sail, I like to plan for sailing!

Steve
 
Well, I can't comment to the erud question but your post makes it perfectly clear that we need to start up the SHTP 2020 thread. We are only 16 months out.

The Mai Tais were pretty good too, what I can remember of them anyway.
 
You'll have to check with the race committee once it's formed but I do recall a dual rudder (& tiller) boat will already meet the emergency rudder rules.

As to shipping it won't be cheap. They charge for the "box" size and your boat is wide. My Azzura 310 (10ft x 31ft) I was quoted $8800 last year. Then you have to add in for the haul out, strapping, cradle since your not a trailer sailor, truck haul to the Matson yard, etc. $12-15k would be my guess.
 
solosailor said:
You'll have to check with the race committee once it's formed but I do recall a dual rudder (& tiller) boat will already meet the emergency rudder rules.

As to shipping it won't be cheap. They charge for the "box" size and your boat is wide. My Azzura 310 (10ft x 31ft) I was quoted $8800 last year. Then you have to add in for the haul out, strapping, cradle since your not a trailer sailor, truck haul to the Matson yard, etc. $12-15k would be my guess.
Click to expand...

Solo is correct regarding the e-rudder, at least under the 2018 rule set. Subject to change (as noted) when the new set is published. Here's the specific text of SER 3.29.1 from 2018:
A boat shall have an alternative method of steering the yacht in any sea condition in the event of rudder failure. The skipper shall have practiced one method of steering the boat with the rudder disabled and be prepared to demonstrate said method of steering both upwind and downwind. The Race Committee may require a demonstration. It is recommended that a cassette plus rudder be employed as they have been found to be the easiest system to install in a seaway.

FWIW... I would read that as twin rudders likely can fulfill the requirement provided you can demonstrate that the linkage can be undone so the disabled one can be isolated from the working one, and that you have a plan for a wholesale backup, as you mentioned.
Again, subject to revision and interpretation by the committee, when it's constituted.

He's also correct re the shipping costs; a couple things to add there... there are some tweaks between the 2 rates, depending on where you ship from... PacCup has a "deal" with Pasha from Honolulu that you may be able to horn in on, but you will have to sail to Honolulu first and deal with the noted haul out and other logistics there. I think that was where Solo's quote came from. They charge by the square of the boat (Length X width).
I was going to suggest that you could haul the boat with Larry Conklin's crane in Kauai, and then ship with Matson; with a light displacement of 7500lbs and 6'2" draft, that likely is not going to be an option however.
Or at least will be in the "iffy" range.
Matson charges cube weight (eg Length (sans mast) x Height x width) but at a lower per foot rate... it basically it all evens out, mostly.
I think that whichever way you look at it Solo's numbers are pretty sound.

Regardless, something else to consider is the overall height of the boat on the trailer with the rig stacked on top.
I know for a fact if that is over 13' Matson won't take it. Don't know about Pasha.

DH
 
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Awesome, thanks guys. That's more or less what I was thinking. I may, actually, have a trailer for it (depends on how I get it out there to begin with!) and I am mostly confident I can get under 13' vertically or else I'm going to have some problems getting it out there to begin with!

I think I'd really rather just get three weeks off and sail it back, but, ach! Tough sell right after taking three weeks off to sail the race! What's the latest in the year that doing the return under sail doesn't get super dicey?

Dave, great points about the linkage. It's super easy to get to in my boat but I'd never thought about going back there with anything less than a pair of bolt cutters. I should probably have a better plan as I would imagine with a bit of prep I could probably go down to one rudder with a few turns with the right wrench.
 
For reference, I had my boat hauled out in Kauai by Larry at a nominal weight of 7200 lbs. Seemed like it was not that much of a struggle for him.

Tom
 
talonf4u said:
I think I'd really rather just get three weeks off and sail it back, but, ach! Tough sell right after taking three weeks off to sail the race! What's the latest in the year that doing the return under sail doesn't get super dicey?
Click to expand...

To be on safe side, recommend not leaving Kauai to sail to Mainland after third week in September. Before then, you might be delayed in departure by tropicals curving north of the Islands
 
From deep in the Archives:

"Why I want to do the Singlehanded Transpac

Reading through another bunch of notes elsewhere on the forum I started thinking that this may be a suitable time for us all to dredge up some of the reasons (real or imagined) on why we are putting ourselves through the excitement and anticipation - along with associated pain and suffering - of getting to the start line for this year's race.

Although I am certain there will be many who are more eloquent than myself, I will start off with a few submissions

1) I really like offshore sailing and this is a perfect excuse to go again, even if it is only for a couple of months.

2) Sailing from the mainland to Hawaii is truly one of the great passages of all. Following winds, following seas and every day is a bit better than the one before as the miles roll under the keel.

3) The experience of making landfall after a couple weeks at sea is one of life's special moments. And one that is reserved only for sailors.

4) I have seldom worked so hard, or been rewarded as much, as I have from sailing this race. You will be amazed at what you CAN do.

5) You will never again have to say 'I was thinking of doing it'.

6) I like the people I meet doing the race - although I have no idea what they are like in any other context apart from sailing - and count them as good friends.

7) Although everybody sails as well and as hard as they can, and each covets the thought of a 'win' at the finish, the level of pure sportsmanship displayed during the race is second to none. I think this becomes part of the rather special feeling of fellowship amongst the competitors that they go on about.


To all those first-timers considering whether or not to participate this year - There is the rest of your life to be spent doing the 'sensible thing' and only one chance to cross the start line in July.......Your life will be the richer for doing so."

Jim/Haulback
Last edited by haulback; 01-28-2008 at 11:36 AM.
 
I am particularly terrible at talking about, or really even figuring out, why I'm so into this ridiculous, expensive, somewhat dangerous venture of singlehanding offshore.

I'm the kind of guy that likes things to go smoothly, and likes simple chains of causation when things do not go smoothly. When I'm singlehanding, I know just who to be proud of when things work, and exactly who to blame when things go sideways. That is crazy comforting to me.

Dolphins playing in your bow wave is magical. Dolphins playing in your bow wave at night, visible by the plankton they're activating, is life changing.

Setting your own schedule in all things is excellent.

A perfectly trimmed and balanced boat that doesn't really need you at all to make best speed is a source of satisfaction.

An anxiety, confronted and conquered alone, is better than any other kind.

Weirdly, the other soloists you encounter are easy to socialize with. Perhaps it's because you, a fellow soloist, are one of the few people that doesn't need to question their strange affection for the sport.
 
Some things just defy reason for spending unholy amounts of time and money to pursue them. It's best not to think of the SHTP in rational terms. You'll just know it's right for you.
 
talonf4u said:
Perhaps it's because you, a fellow soloist, are one of the few people that doesn't need to question their strange affection for the sport.
Click to expand...

So true. All of us "weirdos" may not fully understand why we spend so much time and money (and risk) for this race - we just know that we have to do it because it's there.
 
There is a world that exists outside of human kinds control and manipulation.
For a short time we get to experience and exist in harmony with it.

People tell me I'm crazy, I just smile.

So many good comments, takes me right there.
 
nrdmao said:
Has anyone ever sailed back via Alaska and the Aleutian Islands?
Click to expand...

I think Michael Jefferson (Mouton Noir) did it one year. I don't recall how far north he went though remember him saying that things shut down there around September. If Mike doesn't pipe up here directly, I'll send him a note.
 
Steve, I hope I'm not hijacking your thread, but since the title is generic SHTP2020, I thought I'd post the following quote from Istvan Kopar who recently finished the GGR after a ton of difficulties. Latitude 38 reported that he said, "I think I’m done with sailing now and will take up gardening instead." Is anyone taking bets as to how long before he goes to sea again?

Curious who else is planning to go again on the SHTP? How does the Bermuda 1-2 compare? What if we were to create a SHTP 1-2? How crazy is that idea? Who's ready for the LongPac? Inquiring minds wanna know ;)

Oh, I forgot that I was going to ask Michael about his AK trip from Kauai. Will send him a text now...
 
Thread hijacking? That's usually where the fun stuff starts.

Istvan, like many of us, probably suffers from extreme memory loss when it comes to offshore sailing. Funny how we remember the big air reaches and forget about the day and a half upwind into the teeth of it. I took a GoPro with me for my Bermuda race, and it was really interesting to review it a while after the event. At one point I had some jib issues and wasn't making my layline, and I get a little seasick when the boat is pounding upwind until I get used to it, and I just wasn't doing well at all... and I'd have totally forgotten how I felt in that moment if I hadn't videotaped myself whining about it. Or that time when I was so happy I got the kite down in the squall without breaking anything that I completely forgot to set any kind of balanced or efficient sail combination afterwards... my amnesia is publicly documented on my race video mashup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5-ybx70KJA

Unfortunately the most entertaining parts of that video had to be edited out due to the combination of fatigue and my inherently foul mouth.

I'm interested in the SHTP 1-2 but I fear the inherent limitation is on how much time it would take. Coming back takes a while, especially if you don't get to use your engine.... but I think we could probably organize an informal return race, just for grins, and maybe have some funny rules like, "Each competitor gets 100hrs of motoring at 5kts...."

I wonder if folks here would be interested in doing a "Solotaire du California" on the off years? Like, a Longpac, then a race to Santa Barbra, then back a few days later? Or something to that effect. Informed by someone that actually knows something about West Coast weather, which isn't me.
 
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