Singlehanded TransPac Starts Tomorrow

Tomorrow morning noon, 23 intrepid solo sailors will set out on the 18th Singlehanded TransPac, a 2,120-mile biennial slide from San Francisco Bay to idyllic Hanalei Bay on Kauai. Recent weather forecasts, if they’re to be believed (which is never), indicate that the fleet has the whisper of a hope for a rhumbline course straight to Hanalei. Then again, anything can happen over a race this long.

For the first time, Solo TransPac boats will be fitted with Yellowbrick trackers, and folks at home can watch their progress on the race’s site. You can also download the free ‘Yellowbrick Race Viewer’ app for your phone or iPad, and "buy" the race for £1.99 to watch their progress wherever you go.

The fleet — with the exception of the Open 50, due to depth concerns — can be viewed this afternoon at Corinthian YC in Tiburon after 3 p.m. The public is welcome to come down the to docks, meet the skippers and check out their rides. Sailors are also encouraged to escort the fleet out the Gate tomorrow morning, and as an added bonus, you’ll also get the spectacular site of the Great San Francisco Schooner Race fleet doing their thing at the same time.