Strongest Storm Ever Measured ?!
It’s been said for a long time the Puerto Vallarta is a natural ‘hurricane hole,’ a harbor offering mariners protection from the severe storms that are generated in summer months over the warm Pacific waters. Â The old town PV is nestled in the south-eastern corner of Banderas Bay, just at the base of tail end of the Sierra Madres mountain range. Â That range extends some 20 miles seaward along the southern shore of the Bay, so when tropical storms generate down south and work their way northward, that range presents a natural barrier.
I have to say that when the strongest hurricane ever recorded was spinning our way a couple days ago, all my knowledge of the unique characteristics of PV were of little comfort.  Just look at the size of the thing in the photo above.  So the town braced, as a storm packing 200 mph winds zeroed in on the coastline.  CFE, the power company, was staging trucks and crews waiting for the chaos.  The federal and local police had convoys on standby.  Shopping centers and stores were all closed and boarded.  The resorts were evacuated, the airports closed.  And in the marinas, docklines were doubled, and then tripled.
But if anyone had any question as to the security of Puerto Vallarta as a top notch haven, well, let’s just get rid of those.  By 10 pm, well after the storm center had made landfall some 50 miles south of us, the most we had seen was maybe – maybe – 15 knots.  And I’m probably exaggerating.  Most of the evening was calm, really calm.  True, we had a steady diet of moderate rain, but that was about it.  Seriously.  The strongest hurricane ever recorded was 50 miles away, and we didn’t have enough breeze to go windsurfing?
Our sympathies go out to our friends to the south in Barra de Navidad and other areas that had some property damages reported… Â but amazingly no casualties have been reported as of the time of this writing. Â So yea to that.
The one good thing is that Patricia seems to have broken the summer heat. Â Temperatures in PV are moderating, and as hurricane season comes to a (roaring) close, the sailing season is ready to kick in! Â Our J/80s are in the water (I know, I know, bad timing!) and ready to roll…. Â let’s go sailing!
Wayne Zittel and the J/World  Team
J/70 North Americans
This is going to be a short report as well. Â There are some excellent summaries of the regatta already circulating. Â As for J/World, we had three boats entered in 2015 J/70 North American Championships in San Diego, and three coaches involved with various teams. Â As you might expect in a hotly contested one-design fleet with some 50 boats on the line, ALL the racing was tight. Â Seriously, this was way too much fun. Â The boats are mostly straightforward, so the big gains and losses are from tactical decisions, strategic plays, and – of course – just sailing the boat to it’s potential! Â The three F’s of doing well (no, THAT’s not one of them…): Â Focus, Focus, and Focus…
We have been sailing a lot of J/70s lately and are excited about the class. Â We have two boats available in San Francisco, and two more in San Diego. Â Qualified teams can charter the boats for West Coast events, and J/World is conducting occasional J/70 clinics (visit here for more info). Â Of course, we also offer private coaching services, so if you are really looking to get up to speed in this highly competitive fleet, we can assist in jump starting your program.
Wayne Zittel and the J/World Team
Big Boat Series
Hey all, I know it’s a bit late, but the past month has been completely hectic. So now I’m going to catch up.
First off, let’s cover the St. Francis Big Boat Series.  I was fortunate enough to sail with a great group aboard a pretty new J/88.  This is a new and quickly growing fleet, and it was pretty cool to see four boats tied up along the same dock in Sausalito!  As most of the programs are new and still developing out full teams (a couple of the guys are doing a lot of shorthanded events), two of the owners joined forces to do this first Big Boat Series as a learning program.  And a third new owner who just took delivery of his own boat (too late to get ready for BBS) joined us for Friday.  So we had 2-3 J/88 owners aboard and shuffled crew around a bit.  I think the gang learned a ton and I was really impressed with the improvement.  It’s also fun to be a part of such an enthusiastic and cooperative fleet, and I expect great things.  Stay on the lookout for a J/88 clinic in SF  this winter or next Spring!
And a big shout-out to Gary Panariello on the other J/88 in the regatta: Â backed by a J/World team from our Annapolis office, they had the boat pretty dialed and tied for second in class (lost the tie breaker to end up in third).
As you might guess from the above photos, it was a pretty mild BBS. Â A couple of days had racing postponed waiting for the breeze to fill. Â But the nice weather and fun racing made up for that, and the San Francisco wind machine did it’s thing enough to let us light up the J/88 a couple times. Â Good stuff!
Ok, that’s the short version of the Big Boat Series…. Â next up: Â the J/70 North Americans!
Wayne Zittel & the J/World Team
2015 Transpac Gallery
So while we still haven’t compiled all the onboard photos and video from the 2015 Transpac, we were treated to some great shots from photographer Lauren Easley, so check these out (and then you can check out her whole gallery at www.leialohacreative.com.
J World’s Hula Girl reaching towards the finish line…
That’s the finish mark ahead of us, 2225 miles from California!
The Hula Girl team, looking good.  We have had a bit of practice by this point.
Our finish off iconic Diamond Head.
The sense of accomplishment at the finish of a passage like this is like nothing else…
High-five’s all around. Â This team was truly great!
Hula Girl team looking forward to a Mai Tai (or two) and greeting family and friends in Honolulu.
Thanks again to the all the Hulagains for a job well done!
2015 Transpac Finish Line Report
After some 2225 miles of ocean racing, we just about have the finish line in sight! Well, here aboard Hula Girl we certainly had our trials and tribulations on this one. The light and difficult conditions for the first days of the race made for some really tough going. Then I got us stuck in a lane too far south where we simply didn’t have the wind that our competitors to the north had.
But, as strange as it may sound, as we sail for the finish line now, coming around the eastern end of Oahu into the Molokai Channel with preparations beginning for the final gybe towards Diamond Head, I don’t think I would risk changing much about this race. You see, despite all the challenges, we had a great time because we had a great crew. It was absolutely a privilege to sail with each and every one of these sailors. If the going is easy, I don’t think you really get to know people. But when you have adversity and challenges, and despite those everyone is still this great to be around, well, you know you are in quality company.
Not that it was all tough going… don’t get me wrong. After we took our lumps, we had some absolutely fantastic sailing. Nice steady breezes ushering us across the Pacific. We did a great job reeling in much of our fleet, and passed another boat yesterday. And right now, off our port bow we can see the northern shoreline of Molokai, and of to starboard the island of Oahu. The translucent blue water that we have gotten to know so well still sets the stage, and the puffy white tradewinds clouds, our accompanying sailors in the sky, scoot past our finish line and continue on their way. But here our voyage ends. Diamond Head buoy, the finish mark of the 2015 Transpac, and of many Transpacs before. This 48th running of one of the top offshore races in the world is wrapping up for our crew.
So I want to thank out team of Bruce, Brian, Bjug, David, Steve, and Sean, and of course coaches Chris and Patrick, for making this such an enjoyable and memorable crossing. And thanks to the mighty Hula Girl for a safe, fun, and fast passage. Man, she is a delight to sail. Thanks to all our friends and family and supporters from home and around the world. Now, if you’ll excuse me, we have one last gybe to set up for, then the oh so gratifying afternoon sail down the Oahu coast, past the finish at the iconic Diamond Head, past the famous Waikiki Beach, and into the Ala Wai Harbor. Then I think there just might be a well earned Mai Tai or two awaiting our crew. Just a hunch.
Aloha!
Wayne Zittel and the J/World’s Hula Girl Team
Midnight Ramblers…
Hey all friends and family, just a bit overdue in getting out a report from onboard Hula Girl in the 2015 Transpac, but here we go.
So after our slow start and getting pinned in the funk- wind plagued southern lane on the way to Hawaii, we finally managed to get out and into the Trades. And man, is it nice. We have had beautiful days of great sailing in winds mostly 18-22 knots. The squall activity has been mostly light, with the busiest night having been Friday night. But even then, the mid to high 20s what the breeziest we saw. A reasonable number of boats finished today, with a lot more arriving tomorrow. The Monday starters (smaller boats) and Saturday starters (biggest, fastest boats) did not get the brutal, drifting conditions that our Thursday starters had, so our gang is coming into Hawaii a bit behind the masses. They usually try to time things so that we all get there about the same time, but that didn’t happen this year.
We here on Hula Girl are buried well behind our fleet leaders, but we are determined to catch our closest competitor, Adrenalin. At one point, they were 33 miles in front of us, but we have been reeling them in. At roll call this morning, they were just over 8 miles ahead. So we’ll keep pushing to see if we can take them before our finish on Tuesday. So our majority Canadian contingent on board presented some fuzzy math this morning, converting the nautical miles and times and lat/lon positions to Canadian equivalent. They attempted to declare Hula Girl the winner of the 2015 Transpac, but I think we’ll have to take a closer look. They definitely need to show their work on this one.
Regardless, it’s been a hoot. We are all having a blast, but it has also been a long one and I know we are all looking forward to getting to the Islands! Tonight is just perfect. It’s about midnight out here, mid-Pacific. The moon is up over a shimmering sea. The clouds are sparse, and the weather warm. It’s the first night I have noticed that everyone is in shorts and short sleeves in the cockpit. In the darkness, there have been a couple birds circling Hula Girl as she rushes towards Hawaii. Maybe they are picking off the fish as she spooks them and they dart out of her path. The water itself is full of phosphorescence. It’s a bit tough to see with the bright moon shining down, but later, after the moon-set, you can see the brightness in the water, especially where Hula Girl hurls the ocean out of her path and in the smooth sizzling wake she leaves behind. Down here at the nav table it is quiet with all everyone below decks sleeping. Although ‘quiet’ is a relative term: the water tears by the hull in a rush with a rolling hissing noise. It sounds like a windy night with heavy rain. Occasionally, the boat grunts or groans when a loaded sheet is eased or trimmed, but then the water noise takes over again.
So we have less than 400 miles to go. Tomorrow should be our last full day out here, arriving in Honolulu on Tuesday, so I’ll have time to get one final report off to you all. Thanks for all the positive thoughts and well-wishes that we have been getting from our friends out there! Have a great slumber tonight, and maybe dream a bit of this life at sea. It’s pretty sweet.
Wayne Zittel and the Hulagains
Parking Lot in Paradise…
Man, it’s nice out here. A couple gorgeous days and nights of sailing. The blue skies had some pretty spectacular cloud formations, a full 360 degrees around us. The water has the shade of aqua that you only seem to get when you are out in the deep blue. And it’s some three miles deep around here, according to the charts. The only unfortunate thing is that this tranquil scene is in the middle of our racecourse!
Yep, another frustratingly slow day for our team out here in the 2015 Transpac. We are stuck to the south of most of our fleet, with no real opportunity to get north. We have been in a completely different wind pattern, with breeze much farther west and lighter than the boats above us. We managed to hang in there ok on Monday, gaining on four boats while losing against three. But last night was a different story. We parked the boat for three hours in a dead calm sea. Not a breath of wind anywhere. And then barely moved for the rest of the night. So it’s not looking pretty for Team Hula Girl at the moment. The good news is that we have not even reached the halfway point (so there is a lot of time to catch up). The bad news is that we have not even reached the halfway point (the first half of the race is taking a whopping 7 days!!!).
Despite the challenges and the emails to friends and family pushing back hotel dates and travel plans, everyone aboard is doing great. Honestly, I am truly impressed at the positive attitudes with which everyone is greeting the unfortunate aspects of the race which are out of our control. The laughter from the cockpit last night as we drifter was deafening out here in the middle of the ocean. Bjug said his stomach was hurting this morning from laughing so hard… so we might be slow, and we might be off the pace of our fleet a bit, but is still pretty sweet. This sailing thing is ok….
All are well onboard. David is driving at the moment, Steve trimming spinnaker, Bruce on the grinder. Chris is the watch captain on deck. We actually just hooked into a little squall and got a welcome boost of wind, with a little rain. It will do the boys good… they needed a shower! Besides, it actually feels pretty good to have a quick break from the sun. And it’s doing Hula Girl good, scooting along at 12 knots, at least for the moment. It’s a good sign that the mess we were stuck in is breaking down and we could possibly be in the tradewinds…. say it ain’t so!
More soon…
Wayne Zittel and the Hulagains
Highs and Lows…
Rolling along, beautiful day here in the deep Pacific Hula Girl in the 2015 Transpac Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu. We are currently on day 5 of our race, and have some 1500 miles to go. Yep, we have averaged somewhere around 140 miles a day up until this point. And for a boat like Hula Girl in a race like the Transpac, that’s not really very good at all.
It’s been an unusual race. We have been struggling with the remnants of the hurricane Dolores that have spun up our way from Mexico. And there are the remnants of another depression along our track, a bit farther west, that is messing up the usual Tradewinds that carry us seamlessly to the Islands. It’s an El Nino year, and the water in the Eastern Pacific is warmer than usual so these tropical disturbances that feed off warm water are working their way farther north than is typical. So even though we were able to set the spinnakers with the wind shifting behind us a couple days ago, we knew there was instability ahead. Early Sunday night, a bit after sunset, our breeze backed to the North, and then even to the West of North, so we dropped our trusty 2A spin and went back to the Code 0. Our breeze has stayed forward on us through the night, and through all of Monday, and now into midday Tuesday. We are tight reaching to Hawaii, and not even able to lay Oahu. And no way we are going back to the #1 jib… if it’s not actually against the rules in a Transpac, it’s certainly against the ethos of the race. And actually the sailing under the zero is really nice… we are able to consistently sail at double windspeed of faster. The only bummer being that windspeed is somewhere between 3 and 4 knots! We hit one big ‘glue pot,’ a patch of light and unstable wind behind a squall, yesterday and the breeze has been a little light, but other than that we have been pointed more or less at Hawaii and moving along ok. But is it enough?
We got away from the California Coast a bit slower than some of our fleet and are struggling to make back some of the distance. We don’t want to just follow them, so we have opted to get a bit of leverage to the south. And now we are in a different wind angle, and stuck down here. Our breeze is averaging NW (about 285 magnetic). The benefit: better wind angle in the light stuff, maybe a bit less distance to sail. The danger: less wind down here. At roll call this morning, is seemed a wash as to which was better. Three boats gained distance on us. We gained on four boats.
Either way, we have been having a brilliant sail. Yesterday evening we sailed out from under a ceiling of clouds and into a stunning sunset. It looked like the end of the sky, and sun dropped down into and through this sliver of space between cloud and water, then vanished into a fiery sea. Pretty spectacular, but no green flash, sorry Bjug!. Now we are into sunny weather with brilliant blue water… it is absolutely gorgeous. Sad to report that there is a lot of trash out here. We’ve only seen small stuff, although we caught a part of a fishing net on the keel this morning. We slowed down by rolling up the Code 0, and yours truly went for a quick swim to clear the debris. The water was great and I needed the shower…. and once I was smelling like roses the rest of the crew realized how much they stunk, and a round of morning showers commenced. Far too civilized. I don’t recognize most of the crew anymore.
The light breezes mean that everything is dry, and we are keeping pretty organized. We counted slices of bread today, making sure we have enough for this long, slow race. All good, but there might be a meal of Cup O Noodles somewhere along the line! The team is doing great… and we are ready for more wind! It should be shifting around to the North, then the Northeast later today and into the night. Forecast is for 10 knots by sunset. If you convert that to Canadian knots, we should be at something like 14 knots… at least that’s the calculation David made, and I’m buying it. Ok, Bruce is making lunch so I’m going to sign off. Then I’m going to go sit on the rail and soak in some beautiful Pacific sailing.
Wayne Zittel and the Hulagains
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