Hurricane Calvin Downgraded to Tropical Storm Calvin

Thankfully, Hurricane Calvin has been downgraded to Tropical Storm Calvin as it closes in on Hawaii. That’s good news for islanders, and for boats that recently arrived from the Transpac and the Singlehanded Transpacific Race.

Many of the boats in the race will be sailed home on their own bottoms, while others will be loaded onto a ship from sponsor Pasha Hawaii, with their race crews flying home. The trip home is tougher — it’s now an uphill ride as boats head north to get away from the easterly trade winds and look for westerlies circulating around the Pacific High.

While not a hurricane, Calvin could still cause some damage with heavy rainfall, strong winds, and big swells for boats and surfers. Hurricanes in Hawaii are rare, since it’s a small target and it’s on the edge of the Pacific High, which keeps the water just a bit cooler, thereby dampening the ability for the powerful storms to grow. There have been only 30 hurricanes that have come within 200 miles of Hawaii. The last one was Category 4 Hurricane Douglas, which caused damage in July 2020.

Safe passage to those sailing home and safe harbor for those riding it out in port.