Well it’s about 4am California Time.  I’m not sure what time it is out here since we are traversing a number of time zones (with nothing in them) , but we are getting close to Hawaii time.  So I guess it it’s a little after midnight locally.  The graveyard shift might be in the cockpit sailing the boat, but is’s far from a grim affair out there.  The big moon and wild clouds play across the course of the 2016 Pacific Cup in a spectacular way.

The full moon on the 2016 SD-PV race made night wonderfully bright

So here we are, about five and a half days into the race from San Francisco to Hawaii and things are great out here.  We have had good breeze the entire year, and of the more than a dozen Hawaii races I have done, this is probably one of the most ‘typical’ in that there were no terribly large weather anomalies that we had to contend with.  This is pretty close to the textbook thing.  Plus, it’s fast.  If things persist as forecast, we should be finishing early Friday.  That’s less than 8 days to Hawaii.  That’s really quick for a 50 footer.

Everyone on Hula Girl has been doing a great job.  We’ve had a small amount of boat-work, but nothing rushed or unplanned.  You know, the typical staysail up and down thing, a couple of spinnaker peels, one douse for a small preventative repair, and so on.  The driving aboard has been getting better and better, despite the challenging conditions:  first off, it gets breezy, solidly in the 20s, up over 30 at times.  Secondly, the wave pattern is really very erratic.  A couple of tropical disturbances to the south have kicked up some swell energy coming from the wrong direction, so it is a bit of a washing machine.  Makes surfing and driving tougher than usual.  And finally, the breeze, while present, is not terribly consistent.  There are some pretty big shifts and variations in velocity around the persistent (but mild) squall activity out here.  So all in all, a challenging environment in which to hone one’s skills at ocean driving, but like I said, everyone is doing fantastically.

In fact, we have been doing well enough to maintain our lead and continue to be winning our division.  We are on the long port tack gybe towards the islands some 600 miles away right now, and we like our position relative to our competition, so now we just need to work extra hard and not have any major problems!

Ok, enough of this typing.  I came down here to pull the latest weather reports, but then got to feeling guilty about not sending in an update earlier in the day.  But now I really want to go sit in the cockpit and enjoy the evening,.  The moon plays across the water out in front of the boat and it feels like you are speeding into a sea of a million silvery fish.  Hula Girl, our trusty steed, has been performing flawlessly and just loves this stuff.  Brendan is driving, Paul is the on deck watch captain.  Steven is trimming.  Michael is grinding.  And I’m just going to go out there and soak it all in.

See you all tomorrow…

Wayne Zittel and Team Hula Girl

Time to get you all report number one from J World’s Hula Girl in the 2016 Pacific Cup! We just started day three of our 2016 Pacific Cup, and things are starting to settle in. The world is leveling off, and (dare we even think it?) drying off.

We started in the typical freshening SF breeze last Thursday. With a #4 jib and a reefed main, we had a nice start and were in top pack as we sailed out under the Golden Gate. Once clear of the ‘wind machine’ funnel which is the mouth of SF Bay, the breeze started to lighten and we shook our reef and eventually changed to our #3 jib. Then land faded into overcast distance and our small sleet of racers were all there was. We watched the outlines of our competitors into the early evening, then lost them too and we were alone.

The breeze and waves were, however, our constant companions. I’m not sure it has dipped under 20 knots yet this race. So for the first 36 hours, it was hard on tight reaching. That means a loud boat as she launches off waves. That means a wet boat, as she lands back in the sea hurling wall of water in the wind, which in turn hurls it at the crew.

On day two we reefed the main again, and went up with the blast reacher. Perfect combo, and proved to be fast and controllable. And while the entire crew was wet, and cold, and uncomfortable, our soggy spirits were lifted to see that we were in second place! So suddenly it is all worth it… and the good stuff should be coming any time now…

The good stuff happens when you cross ridge and into the SE corner of the semi-permanent Pacific High pressure system which lives in the northern Pacific. This shift the breeze (and the swells) around behind the boat, and, well, away we go. It’s what makes this race so famous and popular. Well, I’m happy to say that this morning, just after roll call, we shook the reef and set our 4A spinnaker (heavy runner) in some 26 knots of breeze. We are instantly surfing in the 15 knot range and it is trial by fire for the fresh crew aboard Hula Girl!

J World’s Hula Girl cruising past Diamond Head the end of the Transpac, July 2015. Photo Credit: Lauren Easley http://www.leialohacreative.com

So more positive news: after the kite went up we got the morning position reports and were gratified to learn that we had taken over first place! It’s really early in a very, very long race, but feels good to be in the hunt. The breeze is still blowing strong, and it is forecast to be a windy trip over. It’s already been a fast one… we covered 500 miles in the first 48 hours. So now to just keep the wheels on the wagon, so to speak!

Life onboard is good… crew is happy that the slamming of the upwind leg is gone. The boat is level, and much more comfortable. It’s still cloudy, but we hope to punch out into some sweet Pacific sunshine before too long.
Ok, that’s it for now… more soon…

Team Hula Girl

Click HERE for a link to a great photo of the ol’ Girl and her crew at the start!

Wow, what a great Memorial Day weekend we had here at J/World.  The holiday gave us the perfect three day window in which to run the latest of our J/70 Racing Clinics, this one in San Francisco.  The weather was absolutely ideal.  Clear skies made an excellent backdrop for the sailing, and the breezes started off light each day and did the typical build to 20-ish across our South Bay sailing venue.

Many thanks to all the sailors for coming out to join us for the clinic!  It was absolutely great meeting and sailing with you.

The next clinic will be in early July, so contact us now if you are interested!

• Wayne Zittel and the J/World Team

Ok, we just wrapped up our 2016 SCYA Midwinter Clinic and Regatta…  and it was an absolute hoot!   Sailors from all around North America joined J/World aboard four of our J/80s in beautiful San Diego for three days of coached practice sessions and classroom time, followed by two days out on the racecourse with the Midwinter Regatta.

Each morning began with classroom sessions covering everything from upwind mainsail trim to heavy air gybing.  Lectures revolved around strategy, tactics, and rules.  Then we raced!  Not to shabby for February, eh?

Thanks tons to all the sailors who came out and joined us!  I think the only compliant we heard all week was that some of the participants living in ‘less accommodating’ climes would have to wait three more months before getting to sail their boats!   Sorry to hear that, but glad you were able to sneak in a winter training session.  Now go back home and show your local fleet how it’s done come springtime!

All the best,

Wayne, Patrick, Sean, Robert, Andrew, and the rest of the J/World Team….

We here at J/World love getting tales of adventure from our alumni!  Another of these just popped up in our inbox, and we thought we would share it.  This comes from our friend Gary who took classes with us a couple years ago then set off to do it on his own:

I’ve had a really busy couple years since I took classes at J/World.  I think the last time I wrote you, I had purchased my boat and was having it refurbished.  Well, I finished the major project last May in St. Petersburg.  A friend joined me and we sailed my boat from St. Pete to Cape Canaveral, around the Keys.  After he left, I single handed up to Brunswick, Georgia.

I traveled off the boat for about 6 weeks, then came back and sailed from Brunswick to Washington, DC.  We did a combination of Inter-coastal Waterway and coastal sailing in the Atlantic.  We managed to get caught in a thunderstorm that fortunately only lasted about 75 minutes.  Winds were sustained at 45 and gusted to 57 knots!   We managed just fine.  After DC, I sailed back to Brunswick, and then a month later sailed from Brunswick to West Palm Beach.

Last week, with friends and crew, I sailed to the Bahamas.  Twelve miles from West End, my engine quit and I couldn’t get her restarted.  Without being able to motor into port, no tow service, no protected place to anchor and a big storm on the way, we turned around. So, we sailed back to West Palm Beach, wing on wing throughout the night and arrived at dawn.  I got towed into the marina.  The mechanic said it was crud (technical term) in the diesel, so, I had the fuel polished and we left again on Monday.  This time we made it to West End just fine!  So, now I’m a veteran of crossing the Gulf Stream three times (in less than a week).  Gary H., who took all of the courses with me at J/World, flew in and sailed with me.  We had a great time together.

I’m stuck in West End for a few days waiting for good weather to sail across the Little Bahama Banks on to Great Sale Cay and then to Green Turtle Cay.  My plan is to get all the way to the southern Exumas, and perhaps beyond.

In the time I’ve owned my boat, just 13 months now, I logged almost 4000 nautical miles and I’m starting to feel competent as a sailor.  I live aboard full time and love it.

Thanks again for having a great school and teaching me the fundamentals so I could do what I’m doing.  I’m loving my life!

Thanks for sharing, Gary!  Keep us posted on your next adventures!

 –  Fair winds and following seas from your friends at J/World!