2017 Transpac Crew - Derek D. (aka Easy-D)
I know that I had the chance to thank each of you personally while I was in Hawaii, but I wanted formally thank you as group for the amazing experience aboard Hula Girl on this year’s Transpac.
Although I definitely had the least offshore experience among the group on board, all three of you put me at ease before, during, and after the race. Other than the vertigo issue that I had on a couple of the cloudy/moonless nights when I was steering (thank you Patrick for bailing me out!), I felt relatively comfortable at the wheel (for fear of a wipe-out of epic proportions). I must say that Patrick’s demeanor as my Watch Captain helped me build that confidence over the duration of the 2225 nm.
Watching all three of you going about your business onboard was a treat and demonstrated that all three of you are real pros! Whether it was Patrick at the bow, Wayne at the wheel or nav station, or Paul at the wheel, all three of you made it look so easy! Knowing that the boat was well-prepared in advance of the start also showed a level of professionalism that I haven’t seen. I greatly enjoyed the consistent communication of expectations prior to the experience occurring which helped keep surprises to a minimum. In short, this was not your first rodeo (unlike me) which helped allay any fears.
Although the Team Philosophy wasn’t a “win at all costs” one, the fact that you were able to coalesce a disparate group with varying levels of sailing and offshore experience was truly remarkable. To me, one of the more satisfying things was that we earned a podium finish in an extremely competitive division of SC50s and SC52s. However, I’m still contemplating all the ways we could have done better to make up the 5 minutes of corrected time on Deception, or the several hours that Horizon finished ahead of us. Regardless, I know that my goals prior to the race were to sail safely, fast, and fun! Mission accomplished!
Again, I thank you for providing me with this tremendous opportunity of sailing in this year’s edition of Transpac! Don’t be surprised if I decide to do something else with J World again whether it’s around the buoys or another offshore opportunity. I’m still smiling about the overall experience that I had and it’s certainly among my top sailing highlights, let alone one of the overall highlights in my 52 years.
Take care for now! Please keep in touch.
