Pacific Cup committee reports a boisterous Friday night on the sea Lucky few anticipated to cross finish line today

Kathleen Helsper
July 26, 2008 - San Francisco - As the boats approach Kaneohe Bay, the firm pressure of the tradewinds drives them ever faster, with some best-to-date runs posted by several entrants. Of course, these winds come with a price: squalls.

Squalls are moving weather systems that often include rain and always include a zone of doubled wind speed and a zone of virtually no wind. Pacific Cup racers like to get just enough squall to move faster than otherwise and then jump out of the way of the system to avoid that languorous lull.

On the north side of the course, boats are reporting a gentlemanly one or two squalls per night. That's enough to make it fun, once you pry your hands off the wheel. On the south side of the course, there are many more squalls. These supercharge the times of the boats able to handle them, but do pose some chance of damage. The boatyard bills from last night were the highest yet, though still vary light compared to previous years.

The Contessa (San Francisco), owned by Shawn Throwe and Neil Weinberg, who also own The Boatyard at Grand Marina, lost both its main and spinnaker halyards in a single incident, leading to a rather exciting recovery. A few boats have broken bits of rigging, such as Mirage, which will be slowed down by the inability to fly spinnakers. Likewise Summer Moon (Richmond, Calif.), with a broken bowsprit, will be hampered in her speed quest. None of these elements of damage should have any impact at all on safety.

Dart (San Francisco), a Peterson 34, has shown a great spirit "just tell folks we got a late start and we have a bulimic masthead: it keeps eating and spitting out our spinnaker halyards, so we are going to be late ... no problem." Dart is in contention for the "extra value award" which, if it existed, would be awarded to the boat that gets the most days on the water per dollar spent.

The Pacific Cup fleet is closing in on Hawaii. Except for one multihull safely home, every single starter is scheduled to arrive safe, happy, and tired at Oahu's Kaneohe Bay and the welcoming embrace of Kaneohe Yacht Club within the week, if not sooner.

Based on today’s standings, the following boats are anticipated to cross the finish line today.

• Raindrop (Portland, Ore.) Double-Handed 1
  
• Sapphire (Richmond, Calif.) Division D
  
• Hula Girl (San Francisco) Division E
  

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The Pacific Cup: Started in 1980, the Pacific Cup race has attracted sailors of all stripes, from the hard-core ocean racer to the family ready and prepared for a true adventure. Roy Disney, Stan Honey, Philippe Kahn, and other luminaries in the sport have taken home Pacific Cup trophies, as have many family enterprises. The 2008 race will be one of the most heavily-attended in recent years, with 61 entries from 24 to 73 feet competing for a range of trophies including the Pacific Cup itself for best corrected time over the 2070-mile course.

Pacific Cup Yacht Club (PCYC) was established in 1979 to run the biennial Pacific Cup. PCYC's mission is to realize the dreams of 70 or more yachts full of sailors, in a competitive, safe, and fun race from San Francisco to Hawaii. As such, its pre-race seminars are not only qualifying events for Pacific Cup participation but a way to introduce and encourage participation in offshore sailing. Visit the official site at www.PacificCup.org

About the Storm Trysail Club - The Storm Trysail Club (STC), reflecting in its name the sail which must be shortened when facing adverse conditions, is one of the world's most respected sailing clubs, with its membership comprised strictly of skilled blue water and ocean racing sailors. In addition to holding various prestigious offshore racing events (including the Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race, Block Island Race Week presented by Rolex and Block Island Race), STC also hosts the Intercollegiate Offshore Regatta and annual junior safety-at-sea seminars. It also has developed, in cooperation with the Transpacific Yacht Club, the Storm Trysail Transpac 65 and the Box Rule that will govern its design. Additional information is available at www.stormtrysail.org.