Below are a series of messages received from the Friction Loss crew. The oldest is at the top and proceeds chronlogically.
Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2010 08:29 AM Pacific Standard Time
Subject: Pac cup.
News from Friction Loss.
We are at the morning of the third day after starting on Monday, and frankly this has to have been the slowest start of any of the eight Hawaii races I have been in. We started in 12 to 15 knots of breeze off the St. Francis Yacht club and beat out of the bay in company with the Wyline cat 30, J-35 and Cal 40. shortly outside the bay the wind eased up and backed to the south. In the next two hours we went from the No. 3 jib to the No.1, to the Jib top, the 1/2oz spinnaker, then back to the Jib top. It was quickly becoming obvious that this was not to be a Fun race to Hawaii! A monster swell from the northwest with heights up to maybe seven or eight feet or more, combined with a southerly wind, made for very trying and uncomfortable sailing. However dinner helped us along, Nona joans baked pasta dish was well recieved and morning roll call put us boat for boat ahead of our division. Day two dished up light and shifyt breeze from the south to south west. We spent all day switching from the Jib top to the staysail, which we are also using as the finger licker (windseeker!). This is not a good sign for a Hawaii race. Is this a really a Hawaii race? A quick check of the operators manual, confirms that yes this is a race to Hawaii. At least the swell has been subsiding, but the water surface is getting ominously glassy, good for water skiing maybe, not so much for speedy yacht racing.
Downloading a few more grib files via Satphone tells us what we already pretty much know. We care being swallowed by light high pressure zone stretching out from the mainland. Which reminds me to thank Richard and Jan for lending us their Satphone, so that we can continue to download the bad weather news! And n turn share it with you.
Dinner last night was Carribean Chicken with pasta, courtesy of a young private chef James Cabidan. It was fantastic. He has put together a six day menu for us as that is about the extent of our dry ice. WE looked forward to five more tasty meals before tucking into the freeze dried. YUM!
Our last 24 hour run was 53 miles. A serious Ouch. I'll leave the maths to you.
That is all for now and remember a warm bed that stays still trumps a bed moving at two knots. Elisa, Shawn requests a message to Lucille. To please put in a good word for breeze in her prayers.
All the best to all.
Friction Loss.
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Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2010 3:20 PM
We are still slow going here. Up in the front of the pack, but some of the boats behind are to the right and bringing pressure, albeit not that much. Still have a light southerly flow and trying to stay left so that we can keep a shorter distance to the mark in our favour. We will lose a little in the next two days to those behind us, but once into better running conditions we should fare well. Our main competition is Nancy, the Wylie Cat 30. They reportedly do better in reaching conditions, but the future holds better running conditions.
Food is good. Last night was braised pork with ginger citrus lime and potato. Excellent. Having a chef prep our early on meals was an awesome call. worth every penny. It is going to suck when we move into the freeze dried. Oh well.
Shawn tried to break the Lavac toilet last night, but appears to have it mended now. Will follow up later.
All for now and be nice to your toilet, they really do deserve better treatment!
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Sent Saturday 19 July
To Hitchhikers, Family and Friends,
Hi guys, well we are finally in decent breeze. From 0800 on 7-9-10 to 0800 this am we covered 160 nm. Last night was 15 to 17 and sailing with a reaching kite and full main. No moon and patchy clouds but early this am the clouds went away and we had beautiful star filled skies as a backdrop to the kite. I reckon we are hanging with our main competition, but await roll call at 1000 to see how we did. We have two fresh dinners left and then it is into freeze dried! Potential to finish on the 19th but dependent on breeze.
Now, Hitchhiker will not be entered in Santa Barbara to King Harbour. Sorry, but with PHRF champs the following weekend, it is all a bit much. I need to know who can make the PHRF hamps. August 7 and 8 in MDR. It will likely be three races saturday and two sunday. We will have a brand new light no 1 genny, so should be in top form. Please let Minda know. I am certain that the commodore is in.
All the best guys and will keep you posted on our progress.
Cheers,
Doug.
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This race ought to be re-named from the fun race to Hawai to the weird race to Hawaii. We spent most of yesterday and the night before reaching in fresh conditions with a full main and the reaching kite. Fun sailing and everyone getting into the rythmn of both night sailing with a kite and day sailing in sunshine. I came up on watch at 1700 and took the helm which was very heavy and loaded up. Shawn mentioned he had been struggling and maybe we ought to go to the jib top. After five minutes driving I agreed and so we made the change. Helm was still heavily loaded, so I suggested we reef, only to remember that Shawn had yanked the reefing line from the main reef clew in light air frustration a couple of days earlier! Bugger. Of course Murphy's law immediately came into effect and the breeze promptly built accompanied by low scudding clouds and a darkening bank on the horizon to our right. Down comes the jib top, head the boat up and wrestle to get the reefing line in. Success and we have a reefed main. Put up the number three jib and bear off in 22 to 25 knots of wind, big seas and fog! Spent all of last night reaching with the reefed main and jib, two people on deck and one off below. Basically very little sleep had as we were two hours up and one hour off. Everything is very damp. However, we did rip off a 176 mile run, which for a 32 year old 30 footer has to be considered pretty bloody good! Weather prog is for more of the same today sans fog. Come on sunshine.
Notes on reefing. If you run the reef line, don't pull it out until the main comes off.
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Sent: Monday, July 12, 2010 5:36 AM
Subject: Pac cup update.
Day seven with 1224 NM to go. Last night was our last freshly prepared meal. We hired a private chef who put together an awesome menu for six nights, we figured that was about as long as we could make the food last with dry ice, and we were pretty much dead on. From here on in it is freeze dried and boil in the bag indian food. Peanut butter and honey sandwiches for lunch. I don't like peanut butter but just became a fan!
Yesterday's run was 189 and we took 1.81 miles from Green Buffalo. Fancy Nancy though is pretty much out of reach. Unfortunately fatigue got the better of us in the late hours and we had four hours of very slow going. Sleep management is essential. Currently sailing with the heavy runner up and making decent speeds in about 18 to 20 true.
All for now, off to bed.
P.S. I have never smelled this bad, my foulies are worn out and leaking after three transpacs ( plus two deliveries), five cabo races, to PV and Manzanillo races, plus goodness knows what else, and the inside of the boat more closely resembles a swamp than an interior. Yacht racing is the best!
Doug.
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Day 8 and we finally hit the halfway mark! Good god that was a long time. Had a small halfway celebration of Tuna Salad on crackers and peanut butter Sarnies (sammies for you seppos). We know how to party! Oddly enough we are in company with another J-boat, the J-120 Jamani. Always fun to see another boat out here.
Yesterday was a great day. Everything is coming together now and we had our first full day with a kite up. Last night was epic sailing in 20 to 24 knots of wind and regularly hitting 10's, 11's and 12's with a high of 14.7. Watch system works well allowing three hours on and driving in 30 minute stints with 1.5 hours off. In the daytime, we revert back to 4 on 4 off to get rest. The end result is that we took 13 miles out of Fancy Nancy yesterday and now look to do some more damage today. Boat and crew holding up well so far. More news tomorrow.
Cheers
Doug.
