News
July 25, 2021
It's Sunday afternoon and we are on a layline for the Molokai Channel. That's where we'll gybe over to a starboard pole, heading West along the southern shore of Oahu making for Diamond Head and the finish line of the 2021 Transpac Race.
The last couple of days have gifted us with some really nice sailing. Breezes mostly hovering right around 20 knots, blue blue ocean swells, and just a bit of squall activity to keep us on our toes (but nothing too crazy). Our sweet ride Hula Girl is in her element: offshore, downwind, headed for Hawaii. How many times has she already made this trek? A dozen times since she has been in the J/World stables alone!
I have to say, I've done a good number of Transpacs, and sometimes we do well in the standings. This year, well, let's just say it's not our best finish in the competition. But as far as not-best finishes go, this one might just be our best: we had ideal conditions, a fun boat, and a fantastic crew!
For a bunch of guys who had never sailed together before we met in LA a couple of weeks ago, I have to say that I am extremely pleased at how well everyone got along and contributed to a safe and fun passage. I will also say that it has been quite gratifying to see how much everyone has improved in their sailing and driving skills since the day when crossed the starting line. So my hat is off to coaches Geoff and Randall and the full Hula Girl crew for a job well done. It truly was a pleasure to sail with each and every one of you, and hopefully we can do it again!
And well done to our team mates aboard Cazan who will be pulling into Honolulu not long after us! We are excited to swap sea stories and share tales of heroism and bravery all around. And of course nothing about our mishaps!
Anyhow, I'd best get going. There is always a lot to do on the final stretch, and we are looking at a late night finish. But no worries, I'm pretty sure there will be Mai Tais on arrival, and they taste pretty good anytime of day. And something about successfully completing a 2225 mile adventure makes them exceptional... there is just an extra bit of flavor, maybe a bit of accomplishment, that you just can't get from stepping off an airplane. So what might just go down as our best not-best race is sure to end on another gratifying note.
Thanks to all our friends, family, and supporters shoreside!
July 22, 2021
Hello from the crew of Hula Girl, mid Pacific in the 2021 Transpac Race. Spirits are high as we roll into the new day given the spectacular 24 hours that preceded. Yesterday the cloud cover broke, and it started looking more like the trade wind sailing we have been waiting for. The water is that shocking shade of blue that only revels itself far from civilization, and I really don't think any paint card or pantone color could ever do it justice. We crossed the halfway point yesterday, more than 1100 miles from any dry land. It is said that this is farther away from land than you can get anywhere on the planet.
Yes, it's a big ocean out here... but also this year it's been a pretty narrow racetrack. Most boats have maintained pretty similar lines as they headed West, and we have seen a number of boats relatively close by. At one point three of us were sailing within sight of each other. Big ocean, but not alone.
After a fantastic day and a brief happy-hour halfway celebration, we slipped into an equally (if not more) beautiful night. With only patchy tradewind clouds, the large moon finally got to show off her luminosity making it markedly easier to sail through the night. The moonlight reflecting off the backs of waves as you surf down them shimmers like a huge school of silver fish giving chase. Just an ideal night, and with all the hours of practice the team has been getting, I have to say they really did an excellent job.
Today we start looking for our opportunity to jibe south. Some of our pack has already taken little bites that direction, but given that we are trying to work back from an early speed deficit, we have opted to take a bit of leverage to see what we can make happen. The Pacific High is supposed to split over the next 48 hours, with the eastern portion moving east and causing a right shift in the wind as we close in on Hawaii, and with a bit of luck we are positioning ourselves to eventually capitalize on that.
Everyone onboard is doing a fantastic job. We really have a fun bunch and we are all excited for the next portion of the race: days of ocean surfing on our wind powered sled! Bring it on, and let's go catch some of the boats that got away from us when we were getting to know Hula Girl!
July 20, 2021
Ah, it's good to be back. The water hissing by the hull, the rhythmic rolling and surfing on the Pacific swells, the groaning of deck hardware as the sails are trimmed. We are off, heading West and South, Hula Girl has a bone in her teeth and couldn't be happier.
Friday afternoon, our fleet left California in the 2021 Transpac Race to Honolulu. One of the world's most renowned and revered offshore yacht races, it also happens to be one of our favorites. The course has exactly what a great event should: a healthy mix of challenges and rewards. The early upwind days in the colder coastal winds are soon forgotten once you cross the ridge and begin the many miles of surfing blue swells to tropical islands.
This year, the what the post-pandemic fleet lacks in numbers, it definitely makes up for in sheer competitiveness. The scratch sheet reads a list of some of the hottest racing sailboats on the planet. And the crew lists are virtual who's who of offshore racing. This year, our 14th year of offering racing programs to Hawaii, J/World is fielding two boats in the event, each comprised of three coaches and six clients. It's a crash course in a whole host of fields: yes, sailing mechanics, sail trim, helming, and boat systems of course, but also in team building, cooperation, communication, and and just plain ol' simple courtesy. After a couple of days 'rehearsal' in LA where coaches covered everything form how to 'peel' a spinnaker to where you should hang your foulies, we were excited to get sailing.
This year has, from our perspective, been remarkable in the fact that it hasn't (yet) been terribly remarkable. If that makes any sense. I mean, the departure from the LA coastal waters was easy and relatively mild. We got into the offshore winds smoothly before the first night. The winds have been idyllic, averaging maybe 18 knots, rarely below 14, and similarly rarely above 22. We spent the initial push away from the coast with our #1 genoa up, reached for a while with our Jib Top, and with the wind shifting around behind us are now sailing with the A3 Spinnaker. Really, conditions have been just superb.
While the sailing has been smooth, we have been taking some lumps on Hula Girl. Our 'young' team has been paying some speed dues to the seasoned teams out here while our crew learns how to sail this boat. We were a little off the pace the first couple of days, but I have to say I think everyone is getting the hang of things and I expect to start reeling in some of our fleet. Unfortunately, it's a pretty 'narrow' course this year, so there aren't s lot of passing lanes, so we'll have to see what we can do!
Hula Girl has been fantastic, as always. One exciting mishap: as we neared Catalina Island, the new steering cables must have seated/stretched under the high loads allowing one of them to slip off the steering quadrant in our first tack. So that made an exciting couple of moments, but we were able to quickly get the cable back into place, then tighten them both, and we were back in action.
Ok, it's a little after 1am out here mid Pacific, so I should sign off. Hah, quick side note, I almost titled this post "Hula Girl - Back in the Saddle" but my sleep deprived mind couldn't shake the image of a hula girl on a horse, so I had to scrap that one.
Anyhow, we have a super fun group on board this year, and with the spinnakers out and the weather warming, spirits are high!
Mare (pun intended) soon...
Wayne Zittel & the Hula Girl Team