Solo Tahiti 2013?

[BobJ]

Any interest in a solo Tahiti race?

Follow the LA-Tahiti Race setup to some extent (see 2008 at TPYC) except start somewhere near here (low profile), reduce the minimum LOA from 33' to 30', maybe only SHTP vets initially but not many other rules.

2013?


E-mail if interested.

 

[Phil MacFarlane]

Reduce minimum length to 21.5 feet and I'm interested.

 

[BobJ]

TPYC also has a maximum rating of 114. Maybe do that instead of a minimum length and WAFI would be in. It's still a shorter race than the TransAt, right?

 

[Phil MacFarlane]

Sounds good to me Bob. Can't wait.

 

[koh samia]

It's a big longer than the second leg of the transat (3700 vs 3100 miles), but I think that could be lots of fun... if we manage to find a place to store all the water!

What's wrong with a LA start? ;-)

SHTP in 2012 and Tahiti in 2013? I'd love to be there!

 

[BobJ]

That's a good start - two Mini protos and a kick-ass J Boat. How about the arch enemies?

Haulback will be retired by then and if I remember right, he missed seeing Tahiti on his circumnavigation.

re LA start - It's kinda been done, ya know?

re water, stacking might be permitted.

 

[Critter]

CrossPac redux

Remember Alan tried to set up something like this about 10 years ago. I think he got one entry before he pulled the plug. I'd like to hear his take.

 

[BobJ]

CrossPac was SF to O'ahu, then on to Australia with the thought of tying into the Melbourne-Osaka Race. It was 2003 and they got three entries (all DH I think).

If a Tahiti race started early enough (early June?) with a rating limit and say, a 30-day finish deadline, and don't dally too long in Tahiti - boats could be back up to O'ahu before cyclone season starts. Then ship or sail home.


P.S. I know Haulback rates a bit higher than 114. I just figure that when Jim finishes the bendy triple-spreader rig, big roach main, sprit and 120 s/m a-sail setup, he'll be down around there. It is a reach, after all.

 

[AlanH]

Bob has it right. CrossPac was to be SF to Hawaii, then Hawaii to Fiji or Samoa, then to Australia. Near the end I dropped the Fiji/Samoa thing. It was to be three, 2,000 mile legs, roughly. It got you in Australia a couple of months before the Melbourne-Osaka so you could do that race as well. Nobody was much interested. I had three boats "interested" one of which was an absolute asshat of an Aussie who turned out to be all money and talk but no action. The other two entries were very competent, but obviously....

Matson serves Tahiti, so shipping boats back from there is quite possible.

Don't bother looking outside the West Coast of the USA and Canada for participants, there won't be any. Nobody outside this fringe community of bug-liters will give a rip so it will have to be an SSS event, or "Bob's Yacht Club". However, if 8-10 people sign up to to it, you might have something. I mean, in the end what you need for a race is boats that will sail from point A to Point B, right? Everything else is extra...the hotels, the belt buckles, the trophies, the big dinner, etc. etc. You don't HAVE TO HAVE any of that, especially the first time out of the blocks. Of course there will be people who think that if there's not a massive web site and radio tracking and naked dancing girls (or boys, if Synthia does it) at the other end, then well. *huff*...why would anybody want to do THAT? Also, of course, there will be dozens of people who are "interested" but who will do nothing, as well as a certain contingent of sailors with small boats who mostly talk a lot but never apparently DO anything, (Phil will be an exception) who will be all over the event telling you how it must be done if it's going to be a success.

I'm sure y'all can figure it out, though.

The question in my mind is whether or not it would pull participation away from the SHTP. I think you should seriously think over that point. Seriously.

 

[Phil MacFarlane]

The question in my mind is whether or not it would pull participation away from the SHTP. I think you should seriously think over that point. Seriously.[/QUOTE]

Well I plan on doing next years long pac as my qualifier for the single handed trans pac. Then doing the trans pac in 2012. So Tahiti in 2013 sounds perfect to me and wouldn’t take away my participation of the SSS races.

This of course is all dependant on me being able to sail that boat I’m buying which is a pretty big if?
I started sailing by buying a wind surfer, but this past weekend was the first time in my life I sailed a dingy (Laser) so we’ll see.
I figure what the hell I’m not getting any younger!

 

[koh samia]

Koh Samia is a proto in spirit but a 'series' (fiberglass) in construction...

My current plan (after the current repair process) is to sail down to Cabo around thanksgiving (solo and nonstop). That should count as qualifier for 2012 SHTP.

If everything goes well and I manage to get enough time off, I'm planning in sailing her back around Christmas.

After that I hope I can join PSSA races (Bishop rock is definitely in my todo list) and keep sailing/racing to be in shape for 2012 SHTP. I also plan to go back to my Finn starting next season...

So, I think Tahiti 2013 would be a perfect fit.

 

[BobJ]

I took a close look at Tahiti/Moorea last night on Google Earth - it's pretty cool. I also discovered that a visit in late June, 2013 might tie in with the Pacific Puddle Jumpers and their activities, possible bond waivers, etc.

But Alan is probably right so I'll leave it here for now. Those finding this thread in the months ahead can send me an e-mail or PM and let me know of your interest. I certainly don't want to dilute interest in the SHTP.

 

[AlanH]

Maybe it could be every three years?

That would mean that people could do what Phil is aiming for....2011 LongPac, 2012 SHTP, 2013 SHTT..

Hmm....maybe SHTT isn't the best acronym? HA! Single Handed Trans-Tahiti.
Single Handed Tahiti Race? SHTR. Hmmm. I see an "issue" here!

Bob, are you proposing that the SSS integrate a Tahiti race into the Society's schedule, such that the SHTP would become every three years, rather than every other year? Or are you thinking along the lines of "Hey guys, anybody wanna race to Tahiti?" and see what happens?

 

[BobJ]

Or are you thinking along the lines of "Hey guys, anybody wanna race to Tahiti?" and see what happens?

More like that, and I was thinking about every four years.

Also, I sometimes wonder about the long-term sailing plans of some of the SHTP vets. I would want it to be very much a race (vs. a Pacific Rally for Cruisers), but perhaps it could be double-handed* (or SH and DH divisions), for those who want to keep going. The Puddle Jump does that but it's totally cruisers, plus I have no desire to hang out in Mexico for a year.

*Does that help with the acronym?

Further edit - Nah, that doesn't really work. The boats carrying grand pianos and billiard tables (so they can "keep going") wouldn't make for a good race.

How about the Solo Tahiti Race - STR? "In the SHTP you race to another time zone, in the STR you race to another hemisphere." It does have a certain ring to it . . .

 

[haulback]

Hey Bob.....why not just go sailing

if you wait for a crowd to go with, you may 'miss the bus'

solo around, in a year, is a J-92.....what could possibly go wrong??

Doubt I would hang around after '12 SHTP for race to Tahiti the following year - by then I should be whiling away my time someplace in the Indian Ocean.

Jim/Haulback

 

[ronnie simpson]

I like your idea Bob, and in fact a couple of SHTP vets, myself included, were (and possibly still are) planning a race from Berkeley to Japan at some point. Tahiti is wayyyy high on my list of places to sail to, so if this Tahiti thing becomes a reality, who knows, I might be game. I think it would be fun. I agree with making it a "race" and not a cruise, but if you start adding minimum LOA requirements and rating requirements, it will pull from participation in my opinion.

Some of you are talking about SHTP qualifying cruises next year to qualify for 2012 SHTP. I am tentatively planning on a SHTP qualifier next year from San Francisco to Kauai. (Original, huh?) Anyone interested?

 

[AlanH]

Gaaah. I need a boat. sheesh.

 

[koh samia]

My $0.02 (and I know I'm not a member...):

Having the SHTP every three years seems too far apart for somebody (like me) who missed it. And also for somebody who does not feel like going to Tahiti but likes racing to Hawaii...

Every four years, and on a LongPac year, seems to provide more oportunities to join the game (more LongPacs), and there are 2 SHTP for skippers to qualify for the next STR.

Something like:

2011 LongPac, 2012-SHTP, 2013 LongPac/STR, 2014 SHTP, 2015 LongPac, 2016 SHTP, 2017 LongPac/STR,...

In any case I've never prepared a race myself, and I have zero clue on how to make it successful... sometimes is just too hard to post a random thought without getting yourself into the class below:

as well as a certain contingent of sailors with small boats who mostly talk a lot but never apparently DO anything, (Phil will be an exception) who will be all over the event telling you how it must be done if it's going to be a success.

Hope I can actually do something one day... ;-)

 

[BobJ]

No worries Santi - I think I know who Alan is talking about.

Just to clarify, all this STR stuff is not official SSS business. It's just me kicking some ideas around with the rest of you. Maybe it will happen someday - the key is having enough interested skippers and then we'll get together and figure out the details. Or maybe a couple of skippers will just sail down there like Jim suggests.

Ronnie, the main reason for minimum LOA and rating is so all the boats get there in a reasonable amount of time. I don't envision stationing a race committee down there (skippers would certify their finish times) but we'd still want everyone to arrive within a week or two.

 

[AlanH]

I wasn't taking a shot at you, Koh....it's just that there's a cerrtain "history" here.

Here's hoping that the new crop of owners will change all that!