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More Light Air for Solo TransPac’ers

By LaDonna | June 28, 2010 | Middle of the Pacific |
Adrian Johnson of the Olson 30 Idefix and Ronnie Simpson on the Jutson 30 Warriors Wish are duking it out for monohull line honors.

latitude/LaDonna
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC

For a few days there, it seemed as if most of the 14 remaining members of the Solo TransPac fleet had reached the Trades and were finally on their way to Hanalei. But just as they were settling in for the fun half of the race course, the winds lightened up again, causing more frustration.

"Sigh. I have sailed a lot of miles in this ocean looking for reliable wind, and I thought now that I am in the trade wind zone I would have it to the finish, but no!" Jeff Lebesch on the Hammerhead 54 trimaran Hecla wrote yesterday. "Today is a drifter, squeezing what I can out of a five-knot, barely perceptible breeze."

Most of the fleet is halfway between San Francisco and Kauai — smack in the middle of a no-wind zone. By Wednesday, winds should pick up all the way to Hawaii.

© 2010 Passage Weather

But Passage Weather is predicting better winds coming in the next 24-48 hours, so it’s just a waiting game . . . which is decidedly more pleasant for some than for others.

Race co-chair and one-time race vet Rob Tryon (left) and three-time racer and unoffical ‘Hanalei Harbormaster’ Jim Kellam are patiently waiting at Race HQ on Kauai for the fleet to arrive. It looks as if they’ll have to ‘suffer’ through another four or five days before their work begins.

latitude/LaDonna
©2010 Latitude 38 Media, LLC

Racing Editor Rob Grant will give a rundown of the mainland’s inshore racing in Wednesday’s ‘Lectronic Latitude.

Sailing

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