Voyage of Traveler / Blog

Traveler’s Transpac Position Report for July 17 - Day 14 - at 1325 hrs PDT
24-32 N, 151-52 W, 384 miles to go, 32 nm north of the rhumb line and running parallel to rhumb line, COG 230, SOG 8.7

We are in fifth place in our class, well ahead of the sixth place boat (Second Chance), which is also well ahead of the seventh place boat (Hassle), and the eighth place boat retired. We are 15 hours or so behind the fourth place boat (Between The Sheets) on corrected time, with just 384 miles to go. Over the past 24 hours, we closed the gap on BTS from 21 hours behind them to just 15 hours behind them, on corrected time, but it looks now like the standings in the Aloha Class will not change. The Aloha Class standings are, as of 0600 this morning, on corrected time:
1. Gracie
2. Wind Dancer
3. Sauvage
4. Between the Sheets
5. Traveler
6. Second Chance
7. Hassle
8. Peregrine (retired)

Yesterday was not a good day for Traveler’s two spinnakers. First we blew up the 4 year old asymetrial Ullman 3/4 oz. Then we launched the much older 3/4 oz backup Ulmer asymetrical spinnaker. We had three round-ups during squalls, and then blew it up while gybing, shreading it beyond repair. You might say that the Traveler crew put up the kites, and God took ‘em down. We have two more spinnakers in reserve, both older 1.5 oz symetricals, and are considering launching one of them. But they are borrowed from another boat with a 10 ft. shorter mast, so they are relatively small spinnakers for this boat (often referred to as a “chicken chute” because they are usually reserved for 20+ knots of wind when a full size chute would be overpowered.) Our wind speed is only 12 to 14 true.

In the meantime, our sail configuration is working well. We are running deep, nearly dead down wind running wing and wing, with the main on the starboard side and the genoa poled out to port. We also have the storm staysail up, tacked to the bow on a tack line so the tack is about six feet above the deck. The sheet for the staysail is rigged outboard through an “out grabber” snatch block on the end of the boom to help keep it full. Our speed over ground is good, just as good as with the 3/4 oz spinnakers up yesterday. But we are able to sail deeper, right toward the finish line, and at the same speed with this sail configuration. So our velocity made good (speed toward the finish line, compared to speed through the water) is good enough that we will probably keep things the way they are for the day, maybe the rest of the race.

Fish Report (and dinner menu): We caught three nice sized mahi mahis, one a day, over the past three days. The first night we had BBQ’d mahi added to our tri tip which was already on the grill (turf and surf). The second night we had a mahi sashimi appetizer with pickled ginger, wasabi and soy, then more mahi pan fried with wild rice. The third night we had mahi fish tacos. Just as took my seat at the cockpit dining table, we took a deep roll to port and my plate of fully dressed tacos dumped upside down in my lap! As I was cleaning up the mess, we took another deep roll and the half-full wine bottle (a really nice Cabernet) also tumbled off the table and into my lap, spilling all over me and anything within a two foot radius. It took the better part of a half hour to clean it all up. One of my favorite white souvenir t-shirts from the Caribbean was so badly stained with red wine I just threw it overboard.

Living the Dream,
Michael and Barbara
and Team Traveler