Singlehanders Cast Off for Kauai

Right on schedule, with the first warning signal at high noon on July 2, the 20th fleet of solo racers set sail for Hanalei in the Singlehanded TransPac. Conditions on the Bay were boisterous and choppy — the usual stuff of San Francisco summers. Once out the Gate, the sailors reported 10 knots from the southwest, flat seas, and plenty of whale sightings.

While the majority of the 23 boats made it out to the synoptic ocean winds to escape the coast before nightfall, a small group of slower boats, including the only ‘one-design’ division of four Westsail 32s, got bogged down in the Gulf of the Farallones, and some even drifted backward for a time on Sunday.

Despite appearances to the contrary, all boats are still racing — a tracker malfunction shows the Mini Transat Minibar stuck near the coast. "In fact she is blasting across the Pacific enjoying breezes from 17 to 40," said race chair Brian Boschma yesterday. Margie Woods on the Catalina 34 Haunani reported experiencing her first light wind of the race this morning.

Leading the way and also topping the corrected-time leaderboard as we write this is Jirí Šenkyík’s Olson 30 Kato. But, farther north, Robert Macdonald’s Olson 29 Nina is less than a mile behind.

To follow the race, see www.sfbaysss.org/shtp2016. We’ll have a feature report in the August issue of Latitude 38.

Overlapping with the SHTP, the Pacific Cup will depart from San Francisco in multiple starts beginning on Monday. Last night’s Pasha Hawaii Kickoff Party at the newly remodeled (and not-quite-done-yet) Richmond YC featured an indispensable seminar by record-setting navigator Stan Honey, who explained weather considerations for race strategy. Events and concierge services continue at RYC’s ‘Pacific Cup Village’ through the weekend.