Ros de Vries and ‘Quiver’ Line Up for the 2026 Pacific Cup
As the boats line up for the start of this year’s Pacific Cup, we’re continuing our Pac Cup profile series highlighting some of the sailors and teams racing to Hawaii in this year’s event. Today we’re featuring Ros de Vries aboard Adam Eliot’s Santa Cruz 40 Quiver.
“I find sailing the Pacific Cup to be absolutely life-affirming,” Ros tell us. “It’s challenging and sometimes scary, but in return you get these moments that stick with you always. Yes, there are the sunrises and sunsets, but in between, you’re slaloming down waves for hours, you’re joking around with your team, and you’re eating like you’ve never tasted anything better than warmed-up enchiladas.”
Quiver will take to the start on July 7, racing in ORR 3 under the Richmond Yacht Club burgee. “I’ve been so lucky to be offered positions on hot Santa Cruz boats, and with crew that I enjoy sailing with — and have plenty to learn from.” This will be Ros’s second crossing on a Bill Lee yacht, though her third attempt. Ros explains. “2022 was a terrible year for slow boats. We practically drifted to Southern California and well, after making no progress west for three days, [we] had to abandon the race as we wouldn’t have enough water to finish the race. That said, the wind filled in on the trip back and, well, the trip home was fun, albeit a bit of a bash. What a crazy ride!”
Ros’s sailing life began in Sydney, Australia. As a teenager she was “pushed into racing” and paired with her sister, who really disliked sailing. Consequently, sailing fell by the wayside. But in 2017, after having spent a few years in San Francisco, Ros found renewed passion for the sport. “Magically, as I found my feet again on J/24s, I think I still had some small-boat sailing skills, and I graduated quickly to bigger boats. I’ve owned a Laser and Santa Cruz 27, but find that I enjoy crewing on other people’s boats — it gives me broader experiences and I don’t have to make sandwiches every Friday night.” Ros says she’s primarily foredeck, but also loves taking the helm.
On this race to Hawaii, Ros will sail with two other women and four men — Adam Eliot (owner/skipper/navigator), John Walsh, Bob Walden, Jess Brownlow, Matt Osborn and Rosanne Scholl. “We have a deep deck of experienced sailors,” she says, “and everyone does all the roles well. Following a third place in Coastal Cup this year, we all feel very prepared for Pac Cup.”
One of Ros’s favorite ocean racing memories occurred during the 2024 Pacific Cup. “[I] had a moment about three–four days out of Kaneohe, when I was at the helm and experiencing the best sailing of my life. The sky was stone-gray, the sea was stone-gray, and sliding down the front of these large, rolling waves felt like flying through Yosemite National Park … it felt both exhilarating and effortless.”
This year, what she is most looking forward to is boat camping with her friends. “We have a big sense of fun and eclectic music tastes.… Also, we’ve been told that we’re all getting these blowout halfway-party packages. I’ve been wondering what the heck is being planned, but it should be an awesome surprise :D.”
We wish Ros and the crew aboard Quiver fair winds and a safe race. Stay tuned for more Pac Cup profiles as we sail through this week’s start. And if you’d like to try predicting the race winners, take a look at Andy Schwenk’s picks in this month’s issue of Latitude 38, out now.