Today’s Graphic of the Day is of the weather
chart for the waters between San Francisco and Hawaii, which
are now being sailed by the eight boats in the 13th running of
the Singlehanded Sailing Society singlehanded race to Kauai.
Ten days into the race, you can see that there’s light to moderate
wind – which has pretty much been the case since the start.
In a typical race from San Francisco to
Hawaii, a sailor can expect the first two days to feature strong
northwesterly winds and mean seas, followed by less boisterous
conditions but endless days of dull overcast. Not this time.
The fleet reported getting away on June
15 in 18 to 22 knots of wind and moderate seas. On the second
day, Mark Deppe of the San Francisco-based J/120 Alchera
reported “10 to 15 knots of wind, blue skies, warm breezes
– almost like we’re in the tropics already.” If any singlehander
reported warm breezes two days out of San Francisco, we’d have
thought he’d flipped, but others in the fleet were concurring.
On the third day out, Steve Wilson of the Alameda-based Westerly
reported yet another day of “very pleasant sailing conditions.”
You know those kind of conditions couldn’t last, and they didn’t,
as on the fourth day Lou Freeman of the San Diego based Swan
51 Seabird was reporting not just pleasant conditions,
but “great” conditions. At the time, Jim Kellam on
the Port Roberts-based Spencer 35 Haulback reported having
had runs of 151, 163, and 164 miles – very respectable for such
an older design. But where was the normally reliable overcast?
Deppe on Alchera reported that the Milky Way was “ablaze
with light. I take 10 minutes just staring up at the sky.”
On July 19, the fleet finally reported stronger winds – 20 to
25 knots – for a brief time. Deppe on Alchera reported
speeds up to 13 knots before the wind dropped to less than 10
knots as he was skirting the Pacific High.
The sixth day out was 10 to 15 knots with light rain, with a
little more breeze in the afternoon. A few boats were carrying
chutes – or had tried to carry them – while many were resorting
to twin headsails to deal with the mostly DDW conditions. What
all singlehanders were learning is that is takes forever for
one person to do everything. Complete sailing changes – even
in these ideal conditions – took two or three hours. And given
the fact that many were sleeping for no more than 20 minutes
at a time, some skippers were getting bushed.
Photos Latitude/JR
On July 21, Deppe reported very little
wind, but that he was at last halfway across. With 1040 miles
to go, he had a 105-mile lead over Freeman on Seabird,
a 111-mile lead on Erik Schartz on the San Francisco-based Santa
Cruz 40 Rusalka, and a 115-mile lead on Tony Carr and
the Alameda-based Hobie 33 Tease.
On July 22, it was more light breezes and
flat water – although there was, as normal, a little more wind
for the southerly boats. As is also normal, some of the singlehanders
were experiencing various forms of disorientation. Deppe reported
that “I’ve started to have flashbacks from when I did this
trip back in ’96. It happened just as I wake up and realize that
I’m on a boat, laying in the quarterberth, sailing to Hawaii,
but something’s wrong, everything is switched around, what’s
happening to me? That’s because the quarterberth on Alchera
is on the opposite side from that of my last boat. But my mind
goes through this momentary state of panic when it realizes that
reality doesn’t conform to its model of the world. I’ve also
started hearing the little voices that the boat makes. Little
noises that sound like someone talking just out of the range
of hearing, or like a party going on where you can make out several
different conversations but not well enough to understand anything.
And the ghosts in your peripheral vision, like someone standing
just out of your sight.”
June 23 was more light air with Kauai DDW.
Boats were having to gibe downwind, and skippers were hoping
for any kind of wind shift that would allow them to sail more
effectively toward the finish.
Yesterday’s report was of more light wind.
Deppe, the leader, was frustrated to the point of saying that
it “sucked”, as they’d all entered the event to do
some surfing, but there was neither the wind nor waves necessary.
Equally as frustrating was the fact he kept hearing voices that
said, “Got milk? Got Milk”? At last report, Deppe had
built his lead and was 478 miles out of Hanalei Bay.
Here’s a photo of the skippers, left to right, starting at the
top: Erik Schwartz, John Guzzwell, Steve Wilson, Tony Carr, Jim
Kellam, and in the front row, Mark Deppe, Jim Tallet, and Lou
Freeman.
Just a Reminder
June 26 – SF Bay
Just because you’re under sail doesn’t
mean you always have the right of way.
Photo Latitude/JR
Foto Fun
June 26 – Monte Carlo
If you were a member of the Monte Carlo YC and were looking out
the front window of your club right now, this is what you’d see.
Photo Latitude/Richard
Moonlight Marathon
June 26 – San Francisco
If you hurry, you can still sign up for one of the Bay’s great
– and most unusual – races, the San Francisco YC’s Midnight Moonlight
Maritime Marathon. It’s a rabbit start race that begins from
Raccoon Strait between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday, takes the
fleet up to the Carquinez Bridge, and back to the San Francisco
YC – hopefully before 2 a.m. It’s great fun – although the full
moon has passed. Contact the San Francisco YC immediately for
entry info.
YOTREPS
June 26 – The Pacific Ocean and Cyberspace
Who is out making passages in the Pacific
and what kind of weather are they having? Check out YOTREPS –
‘yacht reports’ – at http://www.bitwrangler.com/yotreps/
Looking for current as well as recent wind
and sea readings from 17 buoys and stations between Pt. Arena
and the Mexican border? Here’s the place – which has further
links to weather buoys and stations all over the U.S.: www.ndbc.noaa.gov/stuff/southwest/swstmap.shtml.
Pacific Winds and Pressure
The University of Hawaii Dept. of Meteorology
page posts a daily
map of the NE Pacific Ocean barometric pressure and winds.
