News
July 22, 2021
Everything continues to go well on the good ship Rock 'n Roll. Conditions are excellent and fast--blasting along at 14-15 knots in 20 knots of breeze for the past day and trying to hunt down Bolt. The observant may have seen a tracker report that we were only going 6 knots at one point, but that never happened--just an oddity as the tracker took two positions before and after a gybe.
Our trusty A2.5 spinnaker which was painstakingly sewn back together a few days ago just finally gave up for good in a spectacular show of shredded cloth. So we are down to just two spinnakers and hopefully that will do.
The flurry of repairs the other day got everything working and we've been able to focus on sailing. A nice night last night with a mostly full moon and plenty of wind, along with a nice wind angle to keep us pointed towards Hawaii.
July 21, 2021
More Discovery Channel - Less ESPN
A well known pro-sailor told me he was advising his clients to focus their sailing to “More Discovery Channel and less ESPN.” Sage advice from a multi-World Champion.
This will be my ninth Transpac start and I find my focus has shifted. It’s good to be back on the water again. I’m thrilled to be sailing with my band of Brothers that went through our 2019 mishap. I told the boys before the race in 2019 my only jobs were. to make certain that they got home safely to their loved ones and at the end of the race we were better friends than when we started. Erik Berzins, Ryan Breymaier, Mat Bryant, Brendan Busch, Randy Smith, John Turpin and Greg Weeger are remarkable shipmates and friends. It’s good to be sailing with them again. Chuck Clay is sailing on board good energy and we are cheering and watch their progress on the tracker.
My long time friend and mentor Justin Smart has joined us in this adventure. Justin had more ocean racing miles before he was 18 than most will have in a lifetime. He was the youngest to do the round the world race at the age of 17 with Peter Blake. We met in 1982 when he was the first mate on board Kialoa IV. Justin generously taught me how to crew on a big boat and changed the trajectory of my life forever and I am most grateful.
My sons Peter and Jack are joining us this race. The boys recently graduated from high school and I am desperately trying to slow the sands in the hourglass and enjoy every moment with them. Our family became overnight Catholics for high school purposes. The Jesuits strive to build men for others, and Sarah and are really proud of these young men.
We took delivery of the boat six weeks ago. David Happ and his wife donated the boat to the California Maritime Academy. David was in process of a full refit. We aim to complete that task I look forward to David and his son Aiden’s return soon. There was no time to make changes to the configurations or even order sails. Covid left the boat with a fair amount of deferred maintenance.Each member of the team has worked tirelessly to prepare the boat for Transpac and I most grateful.
Saturday brought friends and family for the sendoff. We had a good start and led our group to the west end of Catalina. A few holes in our reaching sail inventory proved costly and G.I. and Pied Piper extended through us.
This morning’s rollcall had us third in class and 10th overall and fastest in our class making up ground. We crossed the halfway mark early this afternoon.
We had a special toast salute to our lost friend OEX when we sailed over the location of her sinking.
Tonight finds us playing shifts and catching squalls as we charge hard to Hawaii. Spirits are high. Everyone’s in agreement it’s a miracle we’re here competing.
Transpac is a special race. It welcomes Grand Prix sailors and family team members equally. I was fortunate to meet my wife because of the Transpac. The rhythm of the passage, the majesty of God’s handiwork and the lifelong friendships made at sea, set this race apart. If you’re so inclined I encourage you to sign up for next year’s race.
More Discovery Channel - less ESPN. Sound advice indeed.
Rock ‘n Roll the Pacific
July 20, 2021
Today we worked on the boat. Eric, Ryan and Matt repaired a blown spinnaker. Greg and Ryan dealt with a backing plate at one of the turning blocks. And John (Turpin,) Brendan and Erik became our heroes of the day because they fixed the head!
We celebrated Justin’s birthday with a small toast. Happy Birthday Justin!
July 19, 2021
Learning more every day about the new yacht. Most of it promising, most of what we expected. We are sailing fast slightly below rhumb line to Hawaii. We sailed for 12 hours with the wrong sails and paid the price. Now we are matching speed with GI and Holua which is promising as we have the oldest foil package in the sled fleet by a decade. Alan Andrews and Dennis Choate designed and built a lovely yacht. We are looking forward to completing the refit David Happ started and having a fun, comfortable and competitive yacht. Grateful to our family, friends and sponsors who helped make this happen.