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Shorthanded Racing in San Francisco Bay

2002 TRANSPAC News and Position Reports

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Saturday June 22

0900 hours radio check in

from Rob listening in on SSB

The northern boats are seeing light breezes and flat water (10 knots or less), the southerly boats have better winds. Everyone seems to be doing fine. Zapped has not checked in lately and that is expected as he was experiencing radio problems earlier and was also aiming to be the southerly boat in the fleet. Earlier checkins were on VHF relay and he has moved beyond VHF range.

YachtLatitudeLongitudeDTFNotes
Rusalka28.37140.531079
Alchera27.04142.4895620 knots true wind
Tease27.33140.391073
Endangered Species28.23139.541125
Seabird27.09140.261080
Zapped   did not check in
Westerly27.59139.32113810 knots wind, nice breeze
Haulback26.52138.241184
DTF = distance to finish, nautical miles

2100 hours radio check in

from Steve Wilson on Westerly

Zapped called SeaBird on VHF 69 today. Lou reports that Jim seemed in good spirits with no report of any problem. Seabird had to stand by for some deck work and lost communication on return so was unable to get a position.

YachtLatitudeLongitudeDTFNotes
Rusalka27.52142.001010
Alchera26.24144.12874
Tease26.48142.01993
Endangered Species27.30140.521062
Seabird26.38141.461004
Zapped   did not check in
Westerly26.59140.281076
Haulback26.46139.511107
DTF = distance to finish, nautical miles

from Mark Deppe on Alchera

Alchera Log 6/22/02 1600 Hours
Position N26 34 W143 34

It's been a week now. I've totally lost track of the days of the week, I have to keep looking it up. Time is measured in terms of marching positions across a chart. I've started to have flashbacks from when I did this trip back in 96'. It happens just as I wake up, and I realize I'm in a boat, laying in the quarterberth, sailing to Hawaii, but something's wrong, everything is switched around, what's happening to me?

That's because the quarterberth on Alchera is on the opposite side from that of my last boat. But my mind goes through this momentary state of panic when it realizes that reality doesn't conform to it's model of the world. I've also started hearing the little voices that the boat makes. Little noises that sound like someone talking just out of the range of hearing, or like a party going on where you can make out several different conversations but not well enough to understand anything. And the ghosts in your peripheral vision, like someone standing just out of your sight and when you turn to look there's nothing there.

Just the cute little kinds of tricks that the mind plays after being deprived of quality sleep for too long, and from being isolated in this kind of environment.

Wilson the volleyball aboard Seabird is starting to give advice to Lou. Lou was contemplating whether to alter the gain on his autopilot to try and get it to work a little better, when this idea was resoundly vetoed by Wilson, on the theory that it's currently working, it's a complicated piece of electronics, so why screw around with it? Lou took Wilson's advice and left it alone.

All the boats of the fleet are being affected by the expanding high pressure area. The boats in the north like Westerly are being affected the most. It looks like it will continue to expand right through to the end of the race. Everyone was grumbling on the radio check-in last night and this morning about the lack of wind and progress, and those of us with weatherfax passed on the bad news like holy prophets of doom. Rusalka spent all day yesterday with the big kite up, with disappointing progress to show for all the work. There was a lively discussion on the use of the 'butterfly twin jibs' that many of the boats are now using, and how effective they are for singlehanders in this downwind deep reaching situation. Rusalka and Seabird were happy to report crossing the halfway point.

- Alchera

2100 radio check in notes from Mark Deppe

Alchera Log 6/22/02 2224 Hours
Position N26 26 W144 25

Seabird reported a very strange radio contact with Zapped today. Apparently Lou was in the cockpit just about to deal with an errant spinnaker pole when Zapped called on VHF 69. Lou said he seemed fine, that he sounded just like someone who wanted to chat. Since Lou needed to get his pole under control, he asked Zapped to stand by for a few minutes and Lou would call back. When Lou called back, there was no response. Lou said that the signal strength was very strong, so it would seem that Zapped must be close by Seabird Strange.

Audacious landed a 38 inch Mahi Mahi today! Apparently it was a bit of a struggle getting him on board. He's tried a small portion tonight to make sure he doesn't get a reaction and if no problems, then will finish off the rest in the coming days. Congratulations to Carl.

Endangered Species has a little stowaway, Sammy the Spider. John first noticed Sammy on the trip down the coast, where he had set up a home near one of the ballast tanks. Today John noticed a brand new web Sammy had spun. Nothing caught in it yet, though. No elaboration as to how Sammy got his name.

Westerly has learned the lesson the hard way, that when a squid comes on board, it's best to get it off right away. Otherwise they tend to bake onto the surface of the deck, making removal a much bigger chore.

- Alchera

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