Skip to content

Shaka Challenge One and Done

On July 1, four singlehanded sailors departed Marina del Rey bound for Honolulu in the Pacific Singlehanded Sailing Association’s inaugural Shaka Challenge. The race is the brainchild of PSSA’s commodore, Jerome Sammarcelli, a veteran of the SSS Singlehanded TransPacific Race. The main inspiration for the new race was to attract, and make it easier for, sailors from Southern California.

Larry with his halfway box from fellow PSSA member Margie Woods.

© 2018 Larry Robertson

Larry Robertson was first to finish in his SeaWind 1000 catamaran Island Time. He was followed by Patrice Bonnefoi in his Beneteau Oceanis 45 La Vigie and Bill Ziel in his J/33 Aloha. They all made landfall on July 17, followed by Matt Harwich on July 21 in his Pacific Seacraft 31 Pavlova. Matt Harwich blogged while still two days out: “Have you heard of a movie called Groundhog Day? That pretty much sums up the past few days.”

Stress on the rigging and equipment was a constant issue for the sailors, more than they had anticipated. There were many reports of chafed lines, torn sails, bent bowsprits, tweaked padeyes, and other mishaps.

Patrice Bonnefoi pulls into the dock on La Vigie.

© 2018 Shaka Challenge

Surfing downwind on huge swells, sometimes at speeds that blew their minds, seemed to be a common source of exhilaration. Each had his own method of making the best of the deep wind angle that they experienced for most of the trip, and none of those involved using their spinnakers. Bill wished he had a double headsail instead of his asymmetrical spinnaker.

Larry and Patrice were within a couple of miles of each other for quite some time, to the degree that Larry requested on the VHF that Patrice “Go away; this is too nerve-wracking.” They also both had a close encounter with a strange vessel moving at 2 knots appearing as if out of nowhere and setting off their AIS alarms. The vessel hailed them to avert any potential collisions, and it turns out they were within a mile of a two-man rowing team who were part of a race from California to Hawaii. Usually singlehanders are the enigma out there, but this may have taken the prize.

Patrice reported being haunted by freighters that seemingly only appeared at night and then within a mere mile of La Vigie. Larry had a close call near the finish when he saw what looked like two large fishing boats very close by. He was unable to maneuver due to a wrestling match with his spinnaker in unexpected 25-knot winds and was bearing down on them. After he asked one of the vessels to divert course by 90°, he realized they were tugboats towing barges. Once he got his spinnaker doused, he ended up having to wait under bare poles as they passed so he could make the finish line.

Bill Ziel, Matt Harwich, Patrice Bonnefoi and Larry Robertson in Honolulu.

© 2018 Shaka Challenge

When I asked the sailors if they would do it again, I got an emphatic yes from Patrice, but “maybe not right away.” Bill says it was a “truly proud” moment of his life, and that he would certainly do it again if given the opportunity. Larry says it is too soon to answer that question, and Matt made it clear that this was a one-time endeavor. After experiencing the solo crossing firsthand, Bill (PSSA’s vice commodore) is determined to promote the race and keep it growing. PSSA hopes that there will be more sailors entering the Shaka Challenge in 2020.

1 Comment

  1. Beverly Ann Nathan(Fries) 5 years ago

    Looking for Larry Robertson, I knew him when he was a life guard in Huntington Beach .Ca,

Leave a Comment




While we seek results we applaud progress. Even with our best intentions and awareness of things like the Texas-sized Pacific garbage patch it remains hard to eliminate our single-use plastic water bottle habit.
Women Sailing of Half Moon Bay Yacht Club offers their first-ever Take the Tiller Women Sailing Regatta this Saturday, July 28.