2024 Pacific Cup Day 1

by Pacific Cup 23 Jul 10:41 NZST July 22, 2024

Day one of the 2024 Pacific Cup was off to a slow start due to a lull in the coastal winds, leaving first competitors to start with virtually no wind for the first 24 hours. Overall, four divisions and 32 boats started on Day 1.

The lineup on Day 1 consisted of the double-handers and the slower PHRF divisions: Mahina Double Handed 1 (7 boats), Pasha Double Handed 2 (9 boats), Weems & Plath PHRF 1 (9 boats) and Goslings PHRF 2 (7 boats).

Competitors shared their experiences in daily position reports to the race committee. SV Chance described their night as a "driftathon" and expressed hope for better wind. Sea life sightings, such as humpback whales, provided entertainment, with SV Fiasco reporting multiple whale sightings. SV Keaka added a touch of humor, noting, "Crew spirits higher than wind velocity."

Wednesday, July 17th was the second day of starts - 26 more boats crossed the start line on their way to Hawaii. These were the faster PHRF divisions: Svendsen's Bay Marine PHRF 3 (10 boats), NAOS Yachts PHRF 4 (9 boats), as well as the Ocean Navigator ORR 1 (5 boats), and the Hoku Pa'a Multihull division (2 boats). Overall, it was another day of smooth starts and the media boat reported clear skies with 10-15 knots of wind from the usual westerly direction - right through the gate.

The wind showed up in its usual San Francisco fashion on Thursday, July 18th, in the high teens to low 20 knot range, just in time for the third and final day of starts. The only class to start this day would be the Ocean Navigator ORR 2 division, consisting of six boats. By this point in the week, the usual coastal flow of northwesterly wind filled back in, giving this last round of starts a quick exit out the gate and offshore.

As with any long distance race, there are always some boats that must drop out. So far, five boats have retired in the first five days of the race, slightly above Pac Cup's typical rate. The boats retired are:

• SV Rum Tum Tugger: Rum Tum Tugger, Mahina Double Handed Division 1, started with the first cohort on Monday. They decided to retire shortly after departing on July 15th, and had safely returned to their homeport of Richmond Yacht Club by Wednesday.

• SV Keaka: On July 17th, Keaka crew reported, "We are experiencing rudder issues and out of an abundance of caution, will be retiring. No other health or safety concerns at this time. Our current intentions are to head to Southern California for repairs." They have tied up safely in Ventura.

• SV Imagine: Late on the night of July 17th, Imagine reported mechanical issues. They wrote, "Imagine lost steering due to a failure in the pedestal." Using their autopilot and emergency rudder to steer, they tied up safely in Santa Cruz to effect repairs.

• SV Pendragon: In the early hours of the morning on July 18th, Pendragon started their turn back to port, reporting steering issues, as well as issues with their Starlink. They made it safely into port in Monterey late in the afternoon on July 18th and are now on the way back to San Francisco

• After starting on July 18th with the final group of starts, Rapid Transit retired after a collision with a shark, damaging the port rudder mounting on the transom. They were able to safely make it back to San Francisco.

Our hearts go out to those boats who had to withdraw from the race. We know how emotionally challenging it can be to retire from the race after having committed so much time to planning and preparation, as well as financial investment into the effort. And we must respect the dashed anticipation of many of the crew who we're sure were excited to achieve the goal of sailing 2,070 nautical miles to Hawaii this year.

Sailing over two thousand miles also entails breakdowns and necessary repairs en route. Several boats have demonstrated skillful problem-solving: Möve's tiller came off and was lashed back on, and Translated 9 after regularly checking their rigging, successfully reran a new spinnaker halyard using a tagline. Team Chinook reported that on July 21st it was an all-hands-on-deck project day. They discovered "mysterious and wet corners of [their] floating home and worked on making it less wet. [The crew] hacksawed a piece of aluminum, drilled many holes, employed five different types of tape, rewired, and monitored water levels in various locations."

Overall the fleet is steadily making their way to Kaneohe in now near-classic wind conditions. All three cohorts of competitors have caught up to one another for the most part, and remain fairly tightly grouped. Boats frequently reported sightings of one another, and as 'The Fugitive' put it, boats are often "within burrito-throwing distance."

That said, with what appears to be fairly even wind appearing now across most of the race course, the competitors may have the ability to pick from a wider variety of courses: go to the rhumb line, or strategically pick some other position and heading for the time being.

The volunteers at Kaneohe Yacht Club are preparing for the finishes, handcrafting boat leis from beautiful Hawaiian foliage. These leis will adorn the arriving boats and will bear a cheery message written by the giver. The boat lei has been a tradition in our races for several years and is a welcome greeting to the weary sailors who make it across the pond.

For more information, visit pacificcup.org.