Transpac: Halfway closer to Hawaii

Crossing the halfway line is milestone for the teams competing in the biennial Transpac Race. Among the 57 entrants is Greg Dorn who started the 2023 edition on June 27, racing his Dehler 46 Favonius on the 2225 nm course from Los Angeles to Honolulu. Here is his report on July 3, 2023:

Conditions have lightened up with the entire fleet now racing in winds ranging between 10 to 16 knots. We have set our large A2 spinnaker and squared back on the pole allowing us to sail efficiently at 155 apparent wind angle. We anticipate exploiting this sail plan for the majority of the remainder of the race.

The next big decision will be when to jibe back towards Hawaii. Being the leeward and forward boat, we have an advantage, and how much we capitalize on that will be up to us.

We have stabilized the mainsail top batten car situation, which had separated from the sail and created risk of further damage to the sail or the carbon mast. We have averted a major near-term issue, with the lighter conditions taking pressure off the top of the sail. We will implement a fix later today.

If you are following on the tracker, you have likely noticed the match race we are engaging in with our sistership Wings. Our team is working very hard to gain every advantage, but Wings is a formidable competitor with extensive offshore experience. We are grateful they are here and for the challenge they bring to the race. We have had cordial radio traffic and exchanged email messages with Wings.

We crossed the distance halfway mark yesterday evening (1225 NM) and will cross the projected time elapsed halfway mark around mid-day.

The foredeck department has filed a labor relations grievance related to the number of sail changes requested by the Navigation and Strategy department. Senior management has stepped in to mediate. The Navigation and Strategy department has requested that due to linguistic challenges with English, to negotiate only in French. So Senior management has agreed to translate.

The Foredeck department requests a work rule of no more than one sail change per hour and no more than 7 in any given 24-hour period. Navigation and Strategy agrees to be more considerate. The Foredeck department is threatening to form a union – the Foredeck Union (FU). Senior management is deeply concerned about the possible unionization of the areas forward of the mast. At present discussions are at an impasse. More to come on the labor dispute tomorrow.

Everyone is healthy, eating, and sleeping well.

Event details – Entry list – Tracker – Facebook

From the inaugural race in 1906, the biennial Transpac Race in 2023 is the 52nd edition with 57 entrants to take on the 2225 nm course from Los Angeles to Honolulu.

Staggered Starts
June 27 – Division 7, 8
June 29 – Division 4, 5, 6
July 1 – Division 1, 2, 3, 9