Checking in on the Transbac
It’s delivery time for boats that competed in the Singlehanded TransPacific Yacht Race. If you’re not lucky enough to own a small boat that can be shipped back to the Mainland or you want to experience some more ocean miles, this is the only way to get your boat back to the West Coast.
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Eight boats are now skirting the Pacific High and are about halfway to the Mainland. Most are still singlehanded; some have crew. After leaving Hanalei or Nawiliwili on Kauai, the boats headed north for a few days before making a hard right east.
Reports from the fleet are being relayed via SSB and posted on the SSS site. Most of the sailing has been fine, and everyone seems happy but some have had boat problems.
“Kynntana had adventures up the mast today when the sail track started to peel away from the mast." Kyntanna is Carliane Johnson’s Freedom 38, returning to the Bay Area with crew. "Seems the rivets weren’t holding any longer. The area was maybe 5 to 8 feet up the rig where the problem was; she went up and down repeatedly and has installed ratchet straps to secure the track to the mast.
“Rainbow is plugging along, but seeing lighter winds." Rainbow is Cliff Shaw’s Crowther 10M catamaran, the only multihull in the 2018 edition of the race. "Both Cliff on Rainbow and Carliane on Kyntanna are essentially on a due-north course, which has been that way for the past couple of days. Greg on Nightmare’s email report was not received, but David Herrigel’s SHTP Summary Report email received today at 18:44 UTC says that Greg is listening in and sends his greetings." Greg Ashby had originally thought about selling his Wilderness 30 in Hawaii, but then decided to sail her home to the Bay Area instead.
This morning’s report noted “4.3-knot wind; <10-ft gentle seas. Upbeat conversation after position reports were taken. Lengthy discussion about the High, where it is forecast to be over the next four days (exactly where it is now), how to deal with getting east (go north until the High moves).” To see the log entries and get a closer look at the tracker head to www.sfbaysss.org/shtp2018.