Drag race to Honolulu

Date 07/07/01
Lat 26 23 North
Lon 148 20West
Course over ground: 264 Degrees
Speed over ground: 18 knots
Wind speed: 27 knots
Wind direction: 062 degrees

Drag racing in the trades

Drag racing in the trades

The position report this morning showed Pegasus ahead of Chance and Pyewacket. Chance is farther north and behind us probably betting on a very large and sudden right hand wind shift. Pegasus is in-between Pyewacket and Honolulu two miles ahead.

Our goal now is to work on stretching our lead. This is easier said than done as the Pyewacket group is very experienced and has been sailing their boat much longer than we have been sailing the new Pegasus.

On board, life has truly taken the rhythm of the Ocean, the sun, the wind, the waves and the stars. We now find ourselves asking whether its Saturday or Sunday. With trade winds between 22 and 29 around the clock, and seas from 8 to 18 feet, sailing the boat fast is demanding and there are constantly 5 to 6 of us on watch. For jibes, it’s all hands on deck. From a personal hygiene perspective, it’s now like we never had a working toilet, we all comment that it’s “yet another optimization”. We are all now used to taking salt water showers to clean ourselves.

Shark is now an integral part of the racing team. He takes bearings on Pyewacket, grinds the spinnaker, helps trim the main and with all the galley chores. He loves to listen to the sailing stories as told by the boys, and is becoming quite a story teller himself.

As the night falls, we know that this will be a defining night in the way that we manage squalls. Pyewacket is now about 4 miles behind and Chance more than 15. This is a small lead that could evaporate if we get caught on the wrong side of a squall.

John Hayes, Mike Mottl and Philippe in the blazing sun

John Hayes, Mike Mottl and Philippe in the blazing sun