07/14/2023
Skipper’s final update (from 2 days ago).
Family, Friends, and Fans,
When I was growing up in Minnesota many moons ago, I had a friend whose older brother got a new Pontiac GTO. It was a muscle car of the early 70’s and the envy of many young gear heads of the day. It had great classic muscle car lines, with a 440 six pack engine, and fat beefy tires. Compared to the sportscars of the current era, the GTO wouldn’t hold any ground in speed or performance, but being the classic that it was, it still turns heads. If you ever owned a GTO, you’d wished you would have kept it, and at classic car auctions they still draw lots of interest and strong bidding when one happens across the auction block. Classic cars like the GTO are iconic muscle cars that are still fun to drive.
TRADER was in the final stretch today of the Trans-Pacific Yacht Race of 2023. Albeit not fast, it took us just over 11 days to cross the Pacific, logging 2,492 miles on a 2,225 course from the Point Fermin Buoy in Long Beach, California to the Diamond Head Buoy off Waikiki, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Many of you have been diligently watching the tracker, and you know that TRADER wasn’t the fastest SLED out of the ole muscle car barn, but we can tell you as a crew – she’s still fun to drive.
Today was our best downhill run. The wind, wave, swell and sun were all working in our favor, and at sunrise we set our little 2800 square foot asymmetrical kite for the prevailing conditions, and ran for more than 180NM before we gybed and sprinted like a muscle car across the finish line in the dark. Fortunately, most of us can call this home and we were racing back to our families; regardless of our standing this is a treat that few sailors in this race enjoy. Unfortunately, due to our timing and arrival in the night, we may never see the classic Diamond Head picture from our finish, but regardless – it was a great race, and just like the muscle cars cruising on “State” street, TRADER is still fun to drive.
Over the vast expanse of ocean we traveled, I saw this team grow in capabilities that can only be achieved with the hardship and challenges posed to sailors at sea. We were fortunate with the weather, but still battled an elusive high-pressure pattern and round the clock schedules that challenged many a crew to be their best when they were not always feeling their best. I slept calmly during my off watch with complete confidence knowing that my crew had our back while battling the wind and waves up on deck. That’s a comfort that is impossible to fully describe.
I saw our primary helmsman - Andrew and Pawel, take the con of this 70-foot sailing vessel, managing all of the power, sometimes with just their finger tips on the edge of the wheel, and confidently maneuver using the power of the wind and waves to navigate the most colorful of squall alleys, and propel them to exhilarating speed. Pawel’s is a cool, calm driver with a polar efficiency on the helm over 110%. And I saw Andrew drive a start in TP23 that will live forever in the annals of Pacific Yacht Club sailing lore - as we passed by as the closest racer to the committee boat during the Division 1, ,2, and 3 start, crossing the start line with ten other performance SLEDs.
I saw Sherry and Sarah manage the pit, which is where the lines cross on six different winches, and command our grinders into action as they furled, unfurled, and hoisted and dropped sails. I saw Sherry and Sarah also take the helm of the monstrous steed, not intimidated in the least by the power they had at the wheel, and got into rhythm with the motion of the ocean that gleaned smiles across their faces, and a memory that will last forever.
I saw our mainsail trimmers Fred and Greg master the main, and refine their understanding of performance boat sailing. I saw Tyler, an unknown sailor from Chicago, take charge of our navigation suite – keeping everything running through our crossing and race return, and take the helm during repeated night time shifts, steering TRADER under kite with comfort and ease.
I saw Evan thrive in the challenge of running our rig, prepping sails, rigging lines, commanding the main, and steering a wicked 17 knot reaching run. I saw Jen scamper around on the foredeck, rigging spins for the hoist, and undaunted by the task that had her poking out on to the pitching and rolling prow of the bow to spike the tack, sometimes in the dark of night.
And last, I saw Ken rebuild lines, climb, and swing from the mast, and command a watchful eye on every evolution, knowing when and what to do and stepping in when needed. He knows this boat like the back of his hand, he knows the crew, and he understands our mission—to bring veterans and sailors together to share in the spirit and camaraderie of adventure - like no other.
That brings us to the close of our TRANSPAC 2023 adventure. I hope you were inspired. We were. TRADER is still fun to drive, and we all enjoyed the ride.
S/F, Doug
Skipper - TRADER
