Singlehanded TransPac Update

The Singlehanded TransPac is again moving into high(er) gear, as much-welcomed wind pressure has developed, giving the 14 skippers an emotional boost. Now into the last third of the race, the fleet is compressing.

Only 55 miles separate the top four boats vying for line honors, with Peter Heiberg’s P/J 49 Scaramouche V leading the pack. Close behind are Al Germain’s Wyliecat 30 Bandicoot, Joe Balderrama’s Express 27 Archimedes, and Steve Hodges’ Islander 36 Frolic. Having taken a flyer to the north a few days ago, previous fleet leader Rick Elkin’s Custom Wylie 39 Lightspeed is making her move.

Yesterday Nathalie Criou on the Express 27 Elise noted that the swell is confused. She was approximately 850 miles from Hanalei Bay at the time. Nonetheless, she’s now making excellent headway, sometimes being "able to surf to 14 knots under spinnaker and 12 knots under the double headsail." Unfortunately there are also waves coming from other directions, so she’s been forced to hand steer the boat as her Autohelm can’t always handle the conditions.

The only recent damage reported is from Przemyslaw Karwasiecki on the Mini 6.5 meter Libra. "In Monday’s pre-dawn squall I broke a guy supporting my bowsprit," he notes. "I will try to fix it somehow, but I won’t be able to do it while carrying the spinnaker, so I will have to slow down."

Bandicoot, only 540 miles from Hanalei, leads the race on corrected time, with Frolic and Archimedes not far behind. Follow the latest developments here.