Daily Report - July 17 - The Final Push - But the Wind Goddess Will Have Her Say
by Race Committee, July 17th, 2014
It Race Day 14 and it is smoking hot in Lahaina. But the surf is up and the winds are good, making it the perfect place to be. And we have 14 boats approaching fast (and one crew who retired from the race arriving by airplane).
We will have the first finisher in tonight. At the 5:00 pm HST report, Peter Salusbury’s Riptide 25 was 46 miles from the Finish and should finish sometime before midnight – depending on the strength of the winds in Pailolo Channel after the sun drops below the horizon with the hoped for “green flash”. New Haven has been valiantly trying to match Longboard wave for wave, but has fallen a bit behind as Longboard has been able to surf in the strong trades winds of the past 24 hours. New Haven still has 156 miles to go and should finish sometime Friday mid-day. But depending on the final sprint to the line, New Haven can still catch Longboard on corrected time, after handicaps are applied.
As mentioned yesterday, the race for the Overall Winner based on handicaps is still up in the air. In addition to New Haven, Class 2 leader String Theory, skippered by John Mortimer, is 453 miles away but very much in the hunt. As is Kahuna, John Leitzinger’s Aerodyne 38 at 436 miles away. And Family Affair and Alegria still have an outside chance.
All depends on the capriciousness of Pele (the Hawaiian goddess of wind, in addition to stirring up volcanoes). Some boats have the winds blowing across their stern quarter at over 20 kts and get a big boost from occasional squalls. Other boats have winds in the mid-teens and are missing out on the squalls. Kahuna reported that they were loving sailing in the trades; Passepartout reported another shredded spinnaker and a broken steering cable. The Roll of a Dice will determine who moves ahead of who – welcome to sailboat racing.
While the first boats will arrive in the next 24 hours, most of the fleet will likely arrive in a pack on Sunday and Monday.
An interesting tidbit: Kinetic reported seeing and communicating with Pyewacket, Roy Disney's famous ocean racing yacht and former heralded Vic-Maui participant, one of the Pac Cup participants.
Brad Baker, multiple winning Vic-Maui navigator gives his final assessment of the run to the finish for Northwest Yachting magazine.
http://www.nwyachting.com/2014/07/vic-maui-update-longboard-closing-on-finish/
Thanks to Kurt Hoehne at Northwest Yachting for making these available.
Pioneer Inn, Lahaina |
Built in 1901 and substantially remodeled to meet Best Western standards, the Pioneer Inn in Lahaina, Maui, captures the ambiance of the whaling days and the plantation era, with architecture that evokes the tranquil lifestyle of turn of the century Lahaina while offering all the comforts and convenience of a modern hotel. Phone: (808) 661-3636 Website: http://www.pioneerinnmaui.com/ |
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Featured Yacht Profile
Annie M (2022)
Type: Amel Mango 52Skipper: John McCarthy
Port: Santa Fe, NM
Blog: 1 articles posted
The Annie M crew has a wealth of experience to contribute to the Vic-Maui 2022 race. John McCarthy, the captain of Annie M, is a lifelong sailor with experience racing Snipes and J24s, as well as cruising on a Swan 47 and, of course, an Amel 52, the Annie M. His boat has been beautifully restored and named after his beloved wife of 60 years.
Steve McCarthy brings years of racing and cruising experiences from sailing many seas. He’s also a sailmaker and, since 2004, owner of Hogin Sails located in Alameda, CA. In addition to working with sail lofts from Seattle to Santa Cruz, he has raced on Moore 24s and J24s and cruised on a Swan 47 across Europe. Our sails are in good hands with Steve as a sailor since he was a wee one.
Steve Summers is an instructor at Seattle Sailing Club, an Outward Bound teacher, and a National Outdoor Leadership teacher with experience sailing long voyages requiring an excellent ability to handle a variety of conditions and personalities. He’s also a Wilderness First Responder and a well-respected navigator in the Pacific Northwest. A calm soul called to the wild, Steve seeks adventure, and Vic-Maui is one of the adventures he’s ready to tackle.
Callum Hally is focused on sailing when the opportunity arises. In the past five years, he’s sailed more than 500 hours on a variety of boats such as a Catalina 22, J35c and an Andrew 53 to name a few. Through his previous job with Seattle Sailing Club supporting the customer’s experience, he became passionate about being on the water. He’s an excellent crew member with an insatiable thirst for reading, which makes him a fascinating conversationalist, wise beyond his years.
Bill Busch participated as “old goat’ status for Mackinaw races. He’s had a 1st place PHRf overall, 1st place in j105 class, 1st place j120 class. He’s looking forward to sailing a long ocean passage. He recently completed his International Offshore Safety program at St. Petersburg Florida Yacht Club. Bill is known for his kindness and patience.
Sarah Mackay, a lifelong sailor who learned at a young age the art of not getting seasick and never getting bored. She’s a crew member, communicator and, on occasion, cracker of jokes at which she’s the only one laughing. She has raced on J24s and J30s, crossed the North Sea and cruised throughout Europe on a Swan 47, and explored the Pacific Northwest on an Amel 52 named Annie M.
We are busy preparing the boat (and ourselves) for this epic journey. This year, Annie M will be entered in the Pacific NW Offshore Yacht Race and the Swiftsure Yacht Race leading up to our start date of the Vic-Maui International Yacht Race in early July.
