Day 6 - Window of Opportunity
by Race Committee, July 6th, 2018
Day 6 Roll Call finds the fleet well offshore and now about 750 miles off Cape Mendocino and still sailing west of the direct route to Maui. As the photo shows, there is a window of opportunity to get the course to Maui right. But this morning’s Weather Eye lays out the myriad of issues facing the fleet as all boats look to pick the right weather route, with choosing the wrong window likely to be costly.
In the Line Honours race (first boat to get to Maui) Firefly leads the fleet with about 1450 miles to go, Joy Ride is 28 miles behind, followed by Turnagain (+75), Sailent (+82), Kraken (+90), Oxomoxo (+154) and Anjo (+189).
Boats are reporting sailing in lighter conditions that yesterday. That is a good thing on Firefly who reported that yesterday they went from a missing gooseneck pin to a broken carbon fibre spin pole to a blown out jib top in quick succession. But the Tuna Challenge issued yesterday by Oxomoxo was answered on Joy Ride within minutes of putting out the lure – no word on how bloody the decks got. Also reporting tuna on board are Turnagain and Kraken again. And to show they are not left out of the damage from pushing too hard, Serenite reports a crack on their oven door from overuse delivering good food.
In terms of corrected time, the 28-mile lead held by Firefly is not that much when potential boat speeds and handicaps are considered and the most recent ETA puts Joy Ride only 30 minutes behind. With more than half the race left, it is still a dead heat.
Look Out, Kraken is Coming Through
In Racing 2, the conditions allowed Kraken to launch their drone again with spectacular footage. Too bad none of their competitors are nearby to share in the media spotlight. While Turnagain is slightly closer to Maui, Turnagain, Salient and Kraken are all very close. And Oxomoxo is still hanging in based on time corrections. It all depends on who gets the wind at what time.
In Crusing Class Serenite is now in full race mode and trying to catch Anjo who is only 18 miles ahead, while Gemini’s Dream is still in the heavier winds playing a bit of catch-up.
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Amun-Ra (2022)
Type: Beneteau Oceanis 45Skipper: Ben Homsy
Port: Vancouver, BC Canada
Blog: 1 articles posted
Ben Homsy; Owner / Skipper - Ben is ultimately responsible for bringing together this motley crew. Australian-born, UK and Canadian citizen with an impeccable taste in both teak decking and lasagna. Ben has skippered charter boats over the past 20 years. As a recent entrant into the Pacific North West sailing circuit, this will be Ben's first year participating in the Vic-Maui and other local inshore racing.
Rob Bergman; Watch Captain / 2nd In Charge - Rob is a fellow Australian who recently moved to Vancouver with his family. An avid sailor and nature-lover who grew up around sailboats. This will be Rob's first Vic- Maui and major ocean crossing, after participating in the 2021 Cascadian Convoy and the 2022 Southern Straits on SV Amun-Ra.
Brenden O'Reilly; Trimmer / Fishing - Brenden joins the crew of Amun-Ra with a sound knowledge of boats powered by noisy engines - but we have decided not to hold this against him as apparently he is a master fisherman. This is Brenden's first season sailing and racing in the Pacific North West.
Olivier Corbeil; Trimmer / Bowman - Despite being the youngest crew member (and the only one who can touch his toes), Olivier has over 3000 nautical miles sailing offshore and has raced international level dinghies for 10 years. Olivier has been navigator on a number of boats and crew on a J/22 during the J/22 Worlds in 2016.
Donald Scott; Trimmer / Engineer - Don has literally thousands of miles of cruising. His racing experience includes the Van Isle 360, Southern Straits, Swiftsure, SOAR, Anvil Island, Round Bowen, and Bird Island (Australia). He is also very handy with white electrical tape.
David Verlee; Trimmer - Hailing from Bowen Island, David joins the team at Amun-Ra with extensive sailing experience. He is a 25-year member of RVYC, having raced in the club's Wednesday nights on Virago.
