33.33%

That’s about how far thru the 2012 Pacific Cup from San Francisco to Hawaii we are at the moment. We had a beautiful day, sailing in 15-18 knots, small waves, deep blue water. It’s looking a bit more like the brochure. Onboard Hula Girl we have a mix-and-match crew from various corners of North America, and even though this is the first time the group has sailed together, I have to say they are doing an impressive job…. even the Canadians… (whoa now, easy guys, it’s just a joke…)

Ok, that was close, but I’m back….

So our fleet is mixing it up a bit. Double Trouble, the J/125, has punched out nicely on a southern line, and is currently sitting in first in class, first overall. California Condor was down there too, but thru the night they reached up and are now north of us, near the smoking SC52 Medusa. Meanwhile, we have maintained a bit of leverage to the south. The breeze we are seeing out here for the past two days does not at all match the forecast models, so we have been paying increased attention to the NWS weatherfaxes and, even though they don’t match the reality out here, they are closer. If we had to guess (and we do), we’ll roll the dice that it will be a bit lighter and lifted to the north, so for now, we like our position relative to the competition. But there’s a lot of racecourse left… and plenty of time to keep us humble!

Life onboard has slipped into a fine downwind routine. Sleep, trim, drive, grind. Rinse and repeat. As everyone gets more time in the various roles, our sailing just gets better and better. Driving is smoother. Trimmers are more active. Boat is faster. All good. And a special tip of the hat to Martha, who currently holds the speed record of a blistering 17.4 knots! Nicely done!!

We just wrapped up dinner. John is driving, Tom is trimming. There are random crew sleeping about in bunks with Island dreams, no doubt. The breeze has backed down to a mild 14-16 knots, and it’s looking like a mellow evening. More soon…

Wayne ZIttel and the Hula Girl Team

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