There are two races that take turns sending racers from California to Hawaii, with even years having the fleet depart from San Francisco to Kaneohe. Three staggered starts narrow the arrival times of the fleet, with the first gun to go off on July 15. Here’s a report from the Pacific Cup race office:
It’s a La Nina year, meaning a heavier than usual hurricane year in the Atlantic, and less than usual in the Pacific. The latter point is welcome, but our hearts go out to those suffering the ravages of Beryl in the Caribbean.
Turning to our own race, we are glad we did not decide to start the Pacific Cup this week! A huge low pressure zone wandered down and has smothered the entire course. The forecast for this week is “you are not going to Hawaii.”
Take a look at the surface condition chart. As of this writing, you can see that there is one giant isobar around the mid-Pacific. This lack of air pressure differential (which would be indicated by multiple isobars close to each other) means a lack of significant breeze.
What wind there is, is light. Five to ten knots in a sort of loose vortex around 30 by 135 degrees. You can move a boat in that, but not fast.
Is there any hope for us? Of course. The start is two weeks out. One thing that is constant in weather is change. Over the next week, we’ll be looking for signs in the 500 millibar and surface charts that the big sloppy low, like a Saint Bernard dog on the good sofa, will get pushed aside, allowing a normal pressure gradient (and favorable winds) to step in.
Failing that, pack plenty of water and sunscreen!
As we approach the start, boats have been feverishly preparing. We’ve been hearing comments about everything from emergency drills to provisioning. A few boats on our original entry list have run into issues that caused them to put off their race till 2026. Today, we are at 64.
Start date:
July 15: Doublehanded 1 & 2, and PHRF 1 & 2 divisions
July 17: Multihull boats, PHRF 3 and 4, and ORR 1
July 18: ORR 2
Event information – Scratch sheet – Facebook
Source: scuttlebutt – https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2024/07/03/countdown-to-2024-pacific-cup/
