Thoughts from Captain Steve Hill from Coyote about the 2014 Pac Cup Race

Thanks Gary...

The PacCup races are so interesting, especially at night, every night is so different from all the others for me.

But the 2014 Pacific Cup race was so special, I will never forget.  TIki Blue, Tiki Blue, where are you.

The Tiki Blue vs Coyote Battle Royal was just terrific.....It must have been 5 days long, all I know is every time I came on watch, the crew would point in the direction where Tiki Blue was.  Some times this was in front of us and over the horizon (drat) and others it was on our port, or later on our starboard, oops then on our port side again!

I thought for sure, when we reached the "secret" jibe point, jibing for the finish, we would split up, and not see each other for the remainder....but was I wrong - EVERYONE jibed at nearly the same exact spot, and there we were neck and neck for the climax of the battle.

Then the last night was frigging crazy windy,,,,, Isn't it bizarre the winds we will fly spinnakers in out in the ocean on the way to Hawaii? I would not even think of putting up the kite in those conditions in SF Bay!  

Back and forth we went, you took off that last night, I thought you were gone for sure..... then crashed, put up your small kite, and we were able to keep up....The morning was light, so we were able to pull away, way away, way way away, and then you finished just 48 minutes behind us!!!???#$%##  

It was great fun, and most amazing.  Both of us from the same YC, and hell both from the same "C" fairway!

A race, and a fun time I will never forget.

Great memories,

Steve

Tiki Blue return completed in record 16 days

Tiki Blue return crew Captain Dennis Ronk (Pacific Cup Warlord) Joe, Andy, Michelle did a terrific job sailing her back and safely into RYC home port. Yes the Warlord and Andy bonded evidenced by the departing hug and kiss.. Funny!! Wives and husbands were there to great them. I enjoyed tracking and reading their blog posts. Yes I was NOT on the return trip but fooled a lot of people. Now lets get ready for 2016 Pacific Cup race to Hawaii. Cheers Gary

final entry

This is the final entry for Dennis and the Pac Back crew. We're less than 5 miles outside the Golden Gate. Seeing the lights of the city and all of the vessels around us makes it seem like Christmas. We've already opened our shared present - our adventure together. It has been a great trip - We've created memories that will last a lifetime.

Thank you to our spouses, family, and friends who helped make it all possible. Truly, we couldn't have done this without your support.

We're close to home and looking forward to seeing all of you.

This is the sailing vessel Tiki Blue - signing out.

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#3

We found a stowaway today among the lines on the cabin top. It was a little gecko that somehow came aboard while we were in Hawaii. Poor thing looked starved (don't ask - but we all agree he looked starved). He didn't scurry when we took a closer look - in fact, he moved toward us. We caught him up in a class, put in a couple drops of water and a few small pieces of cabbage and then set him in a safe place. Joe checked on him later and he had a piece of cabbage in his (her?) mouth! We saved him!

Sighting #3. About 10 dolphins, which were a different type of dolphin than earlier, playing off the port beam. This one I get to keep all to myself. Everyone else is taking their afternoon naps in preparation for that last sprint to the Golden Gate.

A little more than 70 miles to go. But hey, who's counting?

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Very cool

We have had our second dolphin spotting of the day! The firsts time was 10 or 12, including a mother and babe, swimming along side the cockpit and zooming toward the bow. The second was a pod of about 30 playing in the currents off the bow. They were leaping across bow, swimming underneath, playing in pairs and threes. Andy & Michele ran to the bow to watch them play (I mean, slowly and carefully with PFD's and three-point tethers clipped in at all times they made their way safely to the bow.). They were so close that you could hear them take in air when they surfaced. They stayed with us for about 20 minutes.

90 miles to go....

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Home stretch

We're in sustained 18-20 knots, 8-9 knots boat speed, double reefed, and 30% furled jib. One hundred miles to go and coming home as fast as we can!

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almost less than a day

We've decided to take a little side trip to Monterey before we come home...

There we we're, cruising happily along at 8 knots until mid-morning. Winds shifted and began to vacillate. The winds came up to 20+ with gusts up to 25. Rather than beat up the boat and ourselves, we reefed the main, furled the jib in a bit and turned down, pointing toward Monterey. It was still pretty rocky but manageable plus we were still traveling at 8+ knots. Around 15:00 things began changing back to where we want - slowly. The winds have been in the 16-18 range and we've been able to come up and point again toward home. All in all, this was a 160 mile day - too bad it wasn't all in the right direction. We're hoping this little foray won't change our arrival time too much and that we stay in the running for shortest return trip.

The interesting note of the day is the jellyfish - millions of them. We sailed for several hours today with jellyfish as far as the eye can see on both sides of the boat! The have little fins that stick up out of the water and act like sails. A couple were washed onto the boat during the higher waves and we got a chance to look at them up close. Under the sail, they were the same color of blue as the ocean. Pretty cool.

After several nights of cloudy skies, the stars are out in force tonight. We are again able to see the Milky Way in all its glory. We're hoping to catch some of the meteor showers but the moon is big and bright and overpowering the weaker stars.

Everyone is settling in for sleep, except the person on watch. We are under 200 miles from home. We're counting the time by "last times" - tonight was the last time that I had galley duty or tonight is the last time I will have to get up for the 02:00 watch. I will write one more blog tomorrow.

Tomorrow, we get to take showers! Ah, the little things that make us happy after 2+ weeks on a boat! We're looking forward to seeing our greeting party on the dock.

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(no subject)

Today we covered about 140 miles. The day started with dying winds at 01:00 where we ghosted along at 5.5 knots for a couple of hours. Then, when we couldn't take it anymore, we performed an early morning refueling. Luckily, we are still on Hawaii time so we had plenty of light. We motored - again - through the morning but then the wind found us. We've been sailing along with the wind off our beam at 8 and 9 knots for most of the day. The winds are now up 16 knots and we hope to hold that at least through the night. Today was simply a day on the water, surfing small waves and enjoying a little different wind angle.

Now that we are so close to home - everyone is anxious to finish the trip and rejoin their family and friends. We're hoping for a big band at Richmond Yacht Club when we arrive. But, if not, we understand. We'll just be happy to be home with our spouses and children (both the four and two legged kind).

See you all soon.

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(no subject)

After another great breakfast - this time is was Andy's homefries. Michele, Joe and Andy spent the morning napping. It really is amazing how many naps a person can take in a day. We changed places with Dennis and he went down for his turn. The winds held and we cruised along at 8 knots. Andy and Joe spent a couple of hours yeehawing and woohooing as we rode over the crests of waves and drove down the backside. Then, naptime came again. Joe took up residence on the starboard (low side) lazarette and Andy settled into the crook of the starboard hip stanchions. Michele simply watched from her high side perch, enjoying the antics of her companions and the personality of the sea.

We're starting to talk about the end of the trip and transitioning back to our regular lives. It's been an easy trip overall (aside from that whole fishing net and rope around the prop incident)and we plan on enjoying our last three days together.

It's 20:00 and the winds have lightened a bit although we are still able to maintain 6+ knots. We were able to average 8+ knots during the day and saw as high as 9. The winds were 12 - 14 but we saw as high as 17. As of 18:00 this evening, we had traveling 150 miles today. We're hoping to see the higher winds again tomorrow but perhaps not until the afternoon.

We're all excited that we have under 500 miles to go!

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BTW

Forgot to add - 4 to 6 foot swells just off port bow. Nose up, nose down. Just like being in a rocking chair.

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FYI

Cruising along. 8 knots of boat speed in steady 13 knot of breeze. Just lovely!

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sailing at last

After motoring for 4.5 days, we began sailing at 15:00! We spent the first half of our Sunday (after that great breakfast) being quite lazy. Naps were taken, books were read, a little main tweak here, a little traveler down there. The seas were gentle rolling swells. We started getting ready to go for a swim when lo and behold the wind began to freshen. We're now happy to be sailing 7 knots in about 10 knots of breeze, heading straight for home. Now we have to get used to moving around on a heeling boat again! 600 miles to go. We'll be seeing you all soon.

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Happy Sunday

A good omen. The shift change from Joe to Michele came at 06:00 and for some reason, everyone roused for the day. Joe whipped up delicious French Toast with applewood bacon and we spent a few hours in great camaraderie. Our winds have shifted to a consistent NNW and though still too light to sail - give us hope for this afternoon. It portents to be another good day on Tiki Blue.

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another day

We're finishing another day on Tiki Blue, motoring in warm breeze, on calm seas, under a nearly full moon. We've all developed favorite constellations (There's an app for that!). Each of us will always know where to find Scorpio and where Saturn and Mars appear in relation to the moon as well as the name of that little star just to the right of Mars (Spica). It's somehow comforting to see them each evening.

Yes, we are still motoring. Based on reports from other Pac Cup return boats, we hope to find wind tomorrow. Today has been a banner day for spotting things. It was our busiest day for the garbage report. We successfully avoided a number of things (netting, rope) that would again debilitate the boat. Among the other usual debris, we saw several barnacle encrusted egg crates (likely from the Tsunami), and an intact plastic deck chair followed closely by a fully inflated exercise ball (perhaps a frustrated cruise ship exerciser?). However, on the plus side of spotting things, Dennis and Andy saw an early morning pod of whales. They thought it was perhaps a group of 10 or more spouting their way off our port beam. And, best of all, for the second time, eagle-eyes Michele spotted a Japanese glass ball! Two glass balls - yeah! The first one went to Michele and this one goes to Andy. We're keeping our eyes out for more.

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addendum

Thoughts from Joe: After days of relatively clean seas it is disheartening to now, 1000 miles from anywhere, to see the ocean weeping garbage. We are in an area like the outskirts of a dump, where pieces of human crap float by nearly continuously. Seeing this affirms that we are indeed fouling our nest.

We also wanted to let you know that we are not able to see your responses to our blog posts. We look forward to reading all of it when we return.

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today's adventure

So, if you recall from the last blog entry, all was idyllic on the lovely Tiki Blue. And it was - momentarily...

Sometime around 03:30, Dennis noticed our speed had reduced from 6 to 3 knots, in investigating why, he played with the engine throttle and discovered that we had something wrapped around the prop. The crew came up and we saw fishing net floating behind the swim step. We knew we'd have to wait until sunrise to do anything so we stabilized her as best we could and talked about a plan. At 06:30, Andy tethered up, put on the motorcycle goggles he just happened to have and, knife in hand, went into the water to check things out. He discovered that we had a serious problem - he spent 45 minutes in the water cutting away what was around the prop. What floated up was a wad of fishing net that if you spread it out would be twice the footprint of the boat. We kept it attached to the boat because it acted as a drogue to minimize boat movement. When you see the pictures, the mass is actually longer than Andy is tall. He also found about 12 foot of 1 inch rope entangle in both the net and the prop shaft. What ensued was 4 hours of Andy and Joe taking turns diving to the prop and cutting away at what they found. Dennis and Michele ran things topside. What they cut away was an incredible amount of rope, plastic, and netting. As we bobbed, we were all appalled at the amount of garbage and debris we saw float by. We had clearly entered a large debris field. Ironically, as we mentioned in an earlier blog, we are recording the garbage we see for a survey - we had lots to enter in the log today. But, back to the boys - they did an outstanding job. It wasn't an easy task. At 10:30, the final rope was cleared and we started clearing the the lines and tethers in the water. A silver lining to the morning - as we cleaned up, we spotted a large (16 in?) Japanese glass fishing ball. We fired up the motor and went after it. Another irony, if we hadn't gotten tangled in the debris field, we probably wouldn't have found this treasure.

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half way

We are celebrated our halfway mark today! Hula girls, fire dancers (this is a gender equality boat), and beach volleyball. Don't worry, Gary, we'll sweep up the sand. A dinner of Joe's delicious chicken teriyaki and Michele's tasty but port heeled cheesecake (as goes the boat, so goes the cheesecake). We toasted Tiki Blue for her wonderful sailing, Gary for sharing her with us, Skipper Dennis for imparting his wisdom and years of knowledge, First Mate Michele for organizing and managing the trip, and Joe and Andy for their enthusiasm for learning. Good food, good wine, and good spirits abounded (thus the delayed blog entry!)

We have been motoring through the high since 02:30 yesterday but it's been sunny and cool and we can go the direction we want to go. We slowed up a bit this afternoon to refuel and thought perhaps we could sail but no go. Andy gave it a valiant effort and gets those extra points from Tom for carving his initials in the Pacific Ocean. We're motoring again.

Unfortunately, we are also seeing more garbage - mostly in the shape of buoys but a tire floated by early this morning as Dennis and Michele traded watches. We are participating in a marine debris survey and are collecting information everyday that we'll send in once we return. So we at least feel like our garbage sightings are helpful.

Well, it's 02:30, the boys are snug in their bunks, Dennis is top side, the seas are calm, and my bunk is calling my name.

All is well on Tiki Blue.

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1/2 WAY?

We believe we are half way home (actual calculations would take a bit more motivation than is actually present on the boat) so we are celebrating with chicken teriyaki and cheesecake tomorrow night. It has been an sunny, consistent day. We started out with a long line of squalls deftly driven by Andy. He handled the helm through the wind for about an hour and a half with 18 to 20 knot winds and gusts to 24. He has now been renamed Squall Tamer! We have maintained an average boat speed of 7 knots and some of that in as little at 10 knots of breeze (Thank you, Tiki Blue!). We saw a pod of 20+ dolphins cross our bow heading somewhere as they jumped and played. And the sunset this evening started with a pale pink and ended with a beautiful scarlet red. Even though the boat looks as though it's in the 5 knot wind barbs, we have another series of squalls that will keep us moving (and Andy is again on the helm!)

Joe wanted to add: "Home is where the heart is and we are half way there. Love and thanks to everyone for the safe passage and good thoughts. Looking forward to sharing this great experience with you soon. As someone once said, live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.

Andy says we should get parrots, sail away and become pirates. We are considering it.

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a struggle

Yesterday was spent motoring which meant lots of napping but today has been a bit of a struggle. We've had high seas for most of the day which made Michele green around the gills and high winds (18 to 20kn). Unfortunately, early on, those winds wanted to take us to San Diego. We tacked over but still couldn't stay on the course we wanted so we're heading NNE in hopes of getting high enough to tack for home. The seas have eased and Andy of the cast iron stomach (who sends greetings to his folks in Fort Lauderdale) whipped up Beef Stroganoff. We'll keep trying to make headway and hope for more cooperative winds to come.

Dennis and the PacBack crew

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Hard to complain

We've just finished another day and night of clear weather sailing. Beautiful blue sky with puffy marshmallow clouds during the day and clear sky with just enough clouds to give us breeze at night. We were able to make 7 kn of speed in 11/12 kn breeze. We owe it to a great boat and perfect trim (Yes, Jack, we have perfect trim!). Everyone's favorite watch seems to be the night and early morning hours. We're sailing along the Milky Way, following it's path. We watch the constellations move across the star ladened night sky and watch the florescent algae as it looks like hundreds of Tinkerbells flying in our wake. Flying fish have jumped into the cockpit for a visit on a couple of occasions. Joe gallantly tossed his visitor back into the water while Michele screamed like a girl when she tried to pick up her visitor. Who knows what will happen if squid come visiting! We began motoring at 9:30 this morning to skirt through the bottom of the high and are hoping to catch bigger breeze on the other side. Everyone sends greetings.

Until tomorrow,
Dennis and the PacBack crew

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Day ?

Last night was amazingly star filled. Dennis and Michele were able to identify Mars, Saturn, the Scorpion and a few other minor constellations. In the early morning, Joe thought he spotted an aircraft carrier on the horizon, only to realize it was the bright and beautiful Venus. There is an app for that and we all used the Ipad app Star Guide to find all sorts of fun stuff in the night sky. Our daytime held a solid 36 hours of steady consistent winds (we were able to reach 8.5 to 9 knots in 12 knots apparent breeze)but alas, the wind gods have retreated. We began motoring at 6:00 this evening. At least we were able to escape a number of big, nasty looking squalls because Tiki Blue handles sooooo nicely. The boys have renamed us; we are no longer squall chaser but now wind chasers. We haven't decided if we'll go above or below the high as of yet.
The crew wanted to pass on some personal greetings:
From Andy: Thank you to my whole family for this once in a lifetime trip. Only once? Boppa Loves you. Happy Birthday to Little Addisyn,just a little late. Sorry, but Boppa went wandering again..
From Dennis: Happy Birthday, Becky.
From Joe: I hope Haven and Terry are having a terrific couple of days. And a huge welcome home to Dana.
From Michele: Habibi, give Oliver and Matilda extra loving. Miss you much.

Until tomorrow,
The Pac Back crew

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another fine day

we are finishing another fine day on Tiki Blue. We've successfully avoided 2 or 3 large squalls thanks to how well Tiki Blue handles even under auto helm. Everyone on board wants to give a shout out to Gary Truxel for allowing us to use such a well-tuned vessel. She holds a true course and simply glides through the waves. We are loving being her crew.
It is a day for shout outs - Joe was able to reach his birthday girl daughter and send special greeting from far away. The crew is settling in for the night watch schedule as we enjoy another fantastic sunset. All of us greetings to friends and family.

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Day 2

the Tiki Blue Pac Back crew have completed another day. We just watched a lovely sunset off the port beam. It's been a day of steady 15 to 17 knots with 3 or 4 squalls. The boys have begun calling us Squall Chasers. You can tell where the squalls were by looking at our track. It's a little squirrelly as we sailed to avoid the harsher ones. Michele cooked the first diner on the rocking stove!

Everyone sends greetings to their families.

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One day down

We're just finishing our first 24 hours on Tiki Blue and been a fairly uneventful trip so far. We had 10 to 15 knots for most of the day and 16-20 knots last night. We've passed through a few squalls with no incidence. All of us, except Dennis, are still getting our sea legs (if you know what I mean!)We did manage to find the Tiki Blue binoculars - Dennis very excited. It's still adventure,

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Ready to leave

Tiki Blue is filled with gas, water, food, and good spirits. We have enjoyed our time at Kaneohe Yacht Club but are anxious to get underway. We leave tomorrow morning - our weather looks good and we don't want to miss it. Our thanks to our spouses and everyone who has helped us get to where we are now and where we'll be in the following days!

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2014 Pacific Cup Awards Ceremony

Tiki Blue receives 3rd Place trophy in B division and wins team trophy with RYC team Encore, Green Buffalo and Tiki Blue. Yeeeeehaaaa!

2000 mile ocean match race. Tiki Blue and Coyote 2014

This picture says it all for 2014 Pac Cup Race! We pushed our well prepared boats everyday and every night to their maximum capacity. Skippers and crews never gave up! My full respect goes to Steve Hill and his crew. A HUGE thanks to my fantastic crew. It is a race and adventure forever etched in my mind!

Now on land with Kelly my sweetie and starting land based activities and helping the return crew prepare Tiki Blue for the journey home to its safe harbor at RYC. Oh...and a few Hawaiian parties at the beautiful Kaneohe Yacht Club!

44 to go- what a long haul its been!

Yes the wind lightened up again with just 45 miles to go. Just a reminder how this race started. Last night was tough. We had 36 knot winds and at the helm hit 17.2 knots. Second best to the Judge. We also broke a spinnaker shackle that stop our progress for 52 min while we repaired it around midnight under sail. Coyote got past us and we worked hard the rest of the night to get back side my side in the AM. In fact so close that Stuart crew from Coyote deployed is drone and took aerial vidios of both Tiki Blue and Coyote racing side my side just 100 miles from the finish. Looking for the last patches of wind to get us across he finish line and the KYC. See you soon! We hope :)

Cheers Capt'n Gary, Stubble Beard (Chris), Warlord (Dennis), Honorable Judge (Murray), Navigator Extrapolator (Tom, Chef Wrench men (Larry)

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240 mles to go with a Coyote barking at our door

This has been one hell of a race with Coyote as I'm sure you can see by the tracker. They are right on our Okole and it has been a real dog fight. In light air they are faster in stronger breeze we have an edge but ever so slight. One minor change on sail trim and things can change quickly. It is exciting to have a RYC buddy boat and friend to race to the very end. While the race on paper is pretty much over on the rating issue, the first to line is still compelling enough for us to carry on with conviction.

We all had fresh water showers tody and used the last bit of water in the forward tank. We still have about 20 gallons left in the aft tank and some bottled water. It should be plenty to get us thru. The crew has been joking that the dinner meals are so scrumptious and massive that soon after, the crew has the pulse rate of a lizard on a cold slab. Shortly thereafter a food coma sets in and everyone wants to sleep and when they do the snoring is a collective crescendo that rattles the rigging and keeps the whales at bay.

Still seeing gobs of flying fish and the nights have been clouded over and dark with some rain. Last night wasn't as difficult as the night before. We also have entered the military Rim Pac war exercise zone with the US, Japan, China and other countries involved. We have a list of assets from destroyers, aircraft carriers, submarines from participating countries and it is in the hundreds. I'm sure we will see some activity tonight. We have had four container ships come by pretty close at night. AIS is great for identification and I hail them on VHF to make sure they see us. Then we have a quick chat and everyone knows where we are headed. Safety first. We are changing our watch schedule until the finish with essentially two alternating teams of 3 on deck for 4 hours and reverting back and forth until the finish.

We are all very excited to see our loved ones, family and friends. We are craving a cold iced down umbrella drink and/or COLD draft beers.

Cheers Capt'n Gary

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430 miles to go aboard good ship Tiki Blue

We had a challenging night last night with some really torrential squalls with enough rain to reverse the California drought. They come in pockets and when they creep up on you from astern it gets quit and then all hell breaks loose. We had to drop the spinnaker after one particular nasty one and go to white sails because of wind direction change. It slowed us down a bit but now we are in good position with 15 knots and building as we close in on the Hawaiian Islands. We can smell the coconuts, pineapple and roast pig.

We heard another boat lost full use of its rudder and has dropped out. Also a tropical storm in heading to the islands which is very unusual for this time of year. We are checking weather charts and hoping that it will not impact us however heard that torrential rain for the next three days are Island predictions. Nothing but fun on this voyage ha ha. As the boats are lining up for the slot car race to the finish line we have been in sight of Coyote for two days and expect it will be a real horse race to the barn. Tonight we are having chicken enchilada's that I'm making from scratch.... NOT.. Kelly's prepared meals make it real easy. Kelly also put a lot of salad stuff on the boat which has not been used and so we had to toss stuff as I expected. It too difficult to dice, slice and mix salad stuff when the boat is being tossed about. The Honorable J Murray did make cannibal style sandwiches with lunch meat so not a total waste. Yes and Chef Larry did make a great salad last night and we were amazed that the romaine lettuce lasted for 10 days.

Just heard on SSB net that one boat lost all power and is going dark and another boat on the course dropped out due to no wind zone and now motoring to KYC. Knock on teak... Tiki all systems working.

Cheers Capt'n Gary

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Led Zeppellin

Currently the crew is listening to some Led Zeppelin as we just slogged our way through another light air zone which required constant attention to sail trim to keep her moving to her destination at KYC. This has been one hella long race as the youth would say. I got 2 hours of sleep yesterday others were challenged as well as we extended watch hours to keep sail trim on during the light and fluky conditions. We currently have 605 miles to go and wind has just recently improved at a rate with expected arrival in the wee hours on Tuesday morning. I have to say this crew has done everything possible to maximize the boat speed 24/7. We are a bunch of old dogs doing our best to run like puppies. We move slower, more carefully and with purpose. As you can imagine being on a 42 foot boat with six guys for 14 days creates a bonding experience that can be good, bad or ugly and thankfully I can say that we are on the good side of compatibility, consideration, advice, humor and life experiences. While the crew has interesting and varied backgrounds the common passion for sailing and the ocean is in all our blood. The Warlord has it running the deepest and enjoys every moment surfing down the face of ocean waves with a moonlight wave train and a smile on his face.

We can't wait to share stories live when we arrive in beautiful Kaneohe YC.

Cheers Capt'n Gary

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Tiki Blue another 205 miles

Sailed another 205 miles in the last 24 hours and now on our last leg of the race. We heard today that another boat lost its rudder and is underway on compromised condition. Last night we had our halfway celebration which was a milestone that we all were grateful for considering how this race started. John and Lucy thanks for the party gifts all are in good use. Kelly we will have our glasses on and be styling when we arrive. We are all very excited to finish this race out in a very competitive fleet with great sailors doing everything possible to maximize boat speed day and night. Last night was probably the toughest night sailing so far. It was very dark, gusts to 31 with 30 degree wind shifts. Not easy believe meeeee... The current speed record is held by the Honorable Judge Murray at 17.4 knots. Larry, Chris and Gary all tied for second place with 15.8 knots. I have to say that the IPAD I received from current RYC Commodore, Sue Hubbard has been a terrific tool keeping us informed of very important sailing stats throughout the night! Thanks Sue.

A couple of days before the race a sailing buddy on C dock (Port Captain) asked if we could do a favor for a friend who recently lost her husband and spread his ashes in the middle of the Pacific. I said we would be honored to. Dorbin Dobrev was a very accomplished sailor, Naval Architect, designer and ship builder. His Captain's license covered all the world oceans and he sailed the Pacific, Atlantic, Mediterranean and other seas. He was planning to sail his sailboat Avanti around the world but his life ended too soon. He id have a very accomplished life but this last dream seem to escape this life. He is sailing the celestial heavens in a much grander ocean. Prayers are with his lovely wife who I met just two days before we left for the race. As she told me a bit about her husband tears welled in her eyes and I let her know we would provide a ceremony with distinction and understanding of the love they shared for their entire adult lives. He is bring us good luck and a keen sense that everyday we have to continue to make our dreams a reality and not get too caught up in the diminutive small stuff that filters and mute the vivid colors of life.

Cheers Capt'n Gary

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Tiki Blue PR OF 201 MILES in last 24 hours

Day 9
A personal record for Tiki Blue with a 201 mile day toward our destination. No major mishaps last night and everything working nicely. Crew work is really coming together. We hope we are far enough north to get around a developing light spot. Also we are starting to conserve fuel required to recharge our house batteries that run all electronics and refrigeration. The fuel gage is not very precise and shows half a tank. We did have a robust roundup last night the poured seawater in an open hatch in the aft cabin and re soaked my gear. Hatch is now closed for duration of trip. Ocean is deep blue, skies are ever changing and spirits are high! Capt'n Gary

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Half Way sort of

Day 8
After last nights reality check and realizing that preparation for anomalous weather conditions is a good idea at sea,we regrouped today with sunshine and moderate winds, some of the crew experimented with salt water washes on the transom, tethered in of course, while others thought that staying in the cockpit during a rain shower was sufficient. The crew member from NZ continued to entertain with stories of high seas adventures,dark tales from Yorkshire and the black adder. More on this latter. Tonight we had a small celebration to mark the half way in time with Mai Tais all around minutes before a squall with 30 knots of wind hit, luckily we had downsized the spinnaker just in time, tomorrow will be half way in distance party. Our navigator is keeping us in the wind zone, we have learnt to do letter box drops and meanwhile talk about how luxurious life is on Tiki Blue. Some of the crew are experiencing the on set of bed sores from so much sleeping, all are eating more than usual, the meals are outstanding thank you Kelly!
Once in a while I am reminded about how important it is to keep looking forward to the big adventure or challenge ahead of us. Life is precious and being able with the understanding and tolerance from family and work associates especially when in your 60's is really cool. This is a shout out to all those who never give in and especially to a good friend, Dave from Fairfax. No
matter what life has in store for you we need to keep chasing the dream.
Reporting to you from the middle of the Pacific Ocean on board SV Tiki Blue.
Stubble Beard, Partially Able Body Seaman, Blade Runner among others.

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closing in on 200 mile day

We almost hit a 200 mile day but thwarted that objective with a 1 am roundup that required all hands on deck, knives to cut lines and then redeploy a smaller spinny. it was a long night however we had the second best run on distance over 24 hours and second best course made good. Boat is a bit trashed now after eight days of full out racing. Our division is a very competitive group and you can see on the tracker that it is still a race to the end. Our fastest speed reading to date is over 14 knots last night just prior to the crash at 1 am. I know you NASCAR fans will think that is pretty slow but driving a 25,000 lb furniture store across the pacific parting the sea requires a lot of horse power!

One major equipment issue--Toilet seat broke clean off the port head...we will work on that tody... fun at sea.
Captn Gary

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Making some miles

A good day and finally getting some decent miles behind us. About 1300 miles to go. Cooking some salmon in cajun rub sauce with other side dishes. Thanks Kelly the crew is loving it. Anticipating another beautiful sunset with full moon night sailing tonight. Tactically our next hurdle is the north moving split high and getting thru a sliver of unstable wind zones. We do not want to get sucked into another hole! Keep the good vibes coming. We have released Stubble-beard from the leg sacrifice for extended food requirements. We have determined the having his keg legs hanging over the side is much more valuable. So he is permanently mounted on the weather rail.
cheers Tiki

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Holy Sherbet

The last two days have been an exciting match race with Coyote. We see each other and get rather close which is very unusual for an ocean race. It really keeps you pushing the boat when you can see the competition. We have a chat on VHF yesterday and probably again today.

conditions right now are good with 15 to 18 knots of breeze. When the sunsets in the evening the FULL moon rises from the east and a very spectacular environment. The moon is so bright it is like sailing in daylight.

Crew is do fine. We will transfer food from ice box to freezer tody. Water is good. Electrical systems all working however alternator gets very hot when charging so now we are charging for shorter periods twice per day. Three of us took a bath on stern deck with buckets of ocean water yesterday. Three are holding out until we get to warmer water. We may have a ruling on this with the Captain's vote worth 2 crew votes.

started seeing flying fish yesterday and I'm sure more to come. We have not started fishing because we are in this heated match race with Coyote. We still have a long way to go but sailing conditions are terrific compared to the first 3 days of slating hell. Slating is the continuous slapping of sails and rigging resulting from NO wind and confused sea state. The racket it produces gets amplified through the entire boat with no place to escape. I think it is much more effective than water-boarding. Another aspect is you find rigging parts all over the deck each day which you have to fix or replace.

We did listing to some music yesterday with various crew singing along. Spirits are good and speaking of spirits we have only had one evening with wine which leaves us with three more vintages left which we will space out over the second half of the race. Also we have the halfway party stash that Kelly stowed which I know has some rum.

Kelly, don't' forget to bring my shaving gear to Hawaii. Looking a bit scruffy.
Cheers from crew on Tiki

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MESSAGE TO COYOTE

THE THREAT OF EXCLUDING TIKI BLUE FROM THE DRONE VIDOE EVENT HAS STIFFENED THE BACKBONE OF THE TIKI BLUE CREW. A MESSAGE TO THE YOUNGISH VIDEOGRAPHER WITH THE BOYISH SMILE AND LOVELY HANDS- AS WE LINE UP ON THE NEXT 1500 MILES BEWARE OF THE GAPING WIND VORTEX THAT MAY PLUNGE "TOY DRONE" INTO THE DEEP BLUE ABYSS!

TIKI BLUE-CREW

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DAY 5 TIKI BLUE

LOG SHEET--CONSERVE RESOURCES ABOARD SHIP TIKI
WHAT'S LEFT AS OF 7/12/14
52 LITERS AND 4 GALLONS OF WATER PLASTIC BOTTLES
65 GALLON OF WATER IN TWO ON BOARD TANKS
30 GALLONS FUEL TO CHARGE HOUSE BATTERIES
7 ROLLS OF TP
3 ROLLS PAPER TOWEL
7 DAY BAGS OF FOOD LEFT
2 DAY OF FREEZE DRIED EMERGENCY FOOD
14 CLIF BARS
62 OLA LOA ENERGY PACKETS
6 AMAZING GRASS SUPER GREEN ENERGY BARS
51 STAR BUCKS COFFEE STICKS AND HOT CHOCOLATE
SSB COMMUNICATION VERY POOR AND CAN'T BE RELIED ON

WE EXPECT ONE MORE DAY OF LIGHT DRIFTING CONDITIONS AND THEN PLEASE WIND GODS BESTOW 10-15 KNOTS OF WIND TO GET US GOING!!
CAPT'N GARY

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Tiki Blue preparing for a long haul

Well the wind we encountered yesterday was taking us too far south so we dropped the spinnaker and put the head sail back up and now we are waiting for the next gib files to download to see if their will be any improvement. Right now we are still in very light wind and thinking that we need to start looking at water consumption. Also the one missing dinner has now put Stubble beard (Chris) in a predicament as we've decided he can let us know which leg we can consume when we start running out of food. We have fixed a lot of equipment that did not survive the days of slating so now all topside rigging and sails are in fine working order. Also learning some Kiwi terminology ie. "twitch it on" means to tighten something. The weather is getting warmer and still cloud cover so hoping to see sun in the next few days. Things are starting to dry out as well. It was foggy and wet the first few days. Sounds like a glorious time I'm sure to some of you preparing for grand vacations. We continue to see more marine life porpoises and Toyota tires and other stuff. Right now the Kiwis are really working the sail trim squeezing every ounce of wind we can find. We ghost long at 1.5 to 2.7 knots and they keep smiling. Every now and then I through them a snack. The navigator extrapolator (Tom) is feverishly checking the computer and grib files to find any hint of good news on the wind front. The warlord (Dennis) says everything is going just find. He loves being on the ocean so a few more weeks is a delight. The wrench-men (Larry) has tightened/twitched every piece of hardware on the boat to prevent any more gear trying to get off the boat. I almost forgot today is tooth brush day, nothing like a bunch of salty sailors with a fresh smile.
Keep the wind dance drums a ringing. We can hear them! Capt'n G and Crew (Warlord says hi to Becky!) and the rest of the gang to their loved ones as well.

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Tiki Blue finds wind

At midnight the we finally got to the wind after slating for 2 days. Could drive sailors crazy but we survived. Now we are moving along nicely with the spinnaker up. This good fortune has to be a present for the Honorable Murray Gilbert (justice of the peace NZ)who is celebrating his birthday today on Tiki Blue. We just finished up a lovely dinner (thanks Kelly from captn and crew). we are preparing for a full night of spinnaker sailing to make up for lost ground. Boat seemed bow heavy so we moved stuff aft to get her at a better pitch and speed her up a bit. It is still a long way to go and we have more weather wind issue to overcome with the high pressure not solidified. This could mean more days of light wind in the middle of the course.

Portuguese man-o-war are flourishing out here, like a bed of small light bulbs floating on the sea. I have 1 am shift tonight so getting some sleep soon and then up and ready to go. More to come tomorrow. Cheer Tiki Crew.

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Tiki Blue looking for wind

Well the first 24 hours have has been an effort just to keep the boat moving through light wind and pointed west. Even after getting to the synoptic wind it was gone. So just continuing to work our way west until we get some breeze. The Tiki Crew is suggesting that we have our halfway part when we get to the 70 mile mark with only 2000 miles to go. hmmm crew getting anxious. We have sailed into a pod of whales, saw dolphins, sunfish and Portuguese man-o-war. Food, water and electricity are all working great and nobody seasick. Just spoke to Coyote on VHF radio and had a nice chat.
Cheers from wind-seeking Tiki Blue Captain and Crew.

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TEAM TIKI OFF WITH ROARING START!!

Team Tiki Blue was off to a roaring start yesterday (Tuesday, July 8, 2014).  They crossed the start line at 11:40 am then proceeded on a port tack past the Golden Gate Bridge to the north shore along Marin Headlands.  With full main and jib, they saw boat speeds of 7-8 kts.  Wind was blowing through the slot (under the Golden Gate Bridge) at 18 kts, with gusts to 22 kts.  The excitement and speed tapered off as they sailed past Point Bonita and wind speeds dropped.  Crew energy level was very high, reviewing overall strategy (go north or south of rhumbline), watch schedules, and the Café Tiki menu (what's for dinner).

 

**Posted by Rune Storesund, Assistant to the Port Captain (Pac Cup 2014)

 

 

Light air start for Tiki today- Need to get to synoptic wind and beyond!

 

TEST

TEST EMAIL FOR BLOG TO FACEBOOK!

 

Rune Storesund – Assistant To The Shore Captain: Tiki Blue Pac Cup 2014

Tiki Blue Crew at Pacific Cup Village Bon Voyage Party 2014

Tom Morstein Marx- Navigator Extrapolator

Dennis Ronk- Pac Cup Warlord

Murray Gilbert- Kiwi Spinnaker Wrestler

Gary Troxel- Capt'n G

Chris Gilbert- Kiwi Stubble Beard

Larry Nelson- Wrenchmen

Had a great time at the first ever Pacific Cup Village at RYC thanks to visionary Steve Chamberlin, PCYC Commodore, Board and great RYC volunteer's!

 

Halfway Point on Pacific Cup

The Tiki Capt'n and Crew are getting very excited now that the task list is less then 10 items. Soon the only focus will be sailing fast, safe and getting to the infamous halfway point 1035 miles in the middle of the great Pacific Ocean. Here is a picture from 2012! I think I remember this intersection off the grid. Chasing changing horizons is part of the adventure.

Great Tiki Crew-- working to the very end!

Just two weekends left before the start. My crew is always willing to work on the boat and make sure we are ready to go when the gun goes off on July 8th at 11:30am off St Francis Yacht Club. We got a lot done today. When you are 1500 miles in the middle of the pacific you can't say "I think we forgot the....." Everything we need for 12 days has to be on the boat. From water to carbon hacksaw blades in case the rig comes down and you have to cut it free of the boat so it doesn't pound a gaping hole in the hull! Thanks Tiki Crew!

Test Sail out the SF Gate on 6/21/14

Had a good test sail out the SF gate with fresh 8 foot waves, wind 22-27 knots. Tested SSB thanks Michael D. Moradzadeh! It was pretty lumpy and the hint of seasickness did waft about the crew. Nobody was hungry until we got back in the Bay. The Pac Cup Warlord, Dennis Ronk relished the conditions and hopes we have this at the start on July 8th.

Food provisioning in process- 200 plus meals

Coconut Curry Ginger Chicken with Jasmine Rice and Asian Veggies one of the dishes Kelly is preparing for 6 crew over 11 days. Cooked, frozen and then loaded on the boat the morning of July 8th. Yes one luck skipper to have such a supportive first mate!

Inspection Completed. Thanks inspector Gordie Nash.

 Tiki Blue passes inspection with a few minor tasks left prior to July 8th start date. Gordie Nash was our inspector and also will be racing on Encore in a different division and starting on the same day. Tiki Blue RYC team is Encore and Green Buffalo and I'm very pleased to be part of this C-Dock team. Yes we are all on the same dock at RYC.. Pictures--emergency water stowage, second anchor chain and line stored low under floor boards of Tiki Blue. Weight distribution is very important

Emergency Rudder Deployment-Tiki Blue

Emergency rudder deployment is critical training should you lose your rudder. The sequence of deployment is very critical especially in heavy seas when it will be very challenging. Training completed as well as man overboard drills!

 

TLC at Bay Marine Boatworks for Tiki Blue

 

 Today we finished up with light wet sanding (600 grit) at Bay Marine Boatworks. Bay Marine has done a fantastic job with the boat over the last 7 days. Tiki Blue Crew Larry, Dennis, Tom and Chris finished up with a silky smooth finish on the bottom and folding prop. She goes back in the water on Tuesday. Yeah Capt'n G

Tiki on the hard getting ready for some Botox

Tiki Blue is getting ready for a bottom job to smooth out the lumps and bumps that slow her down. 8 weeks to go before we head out for coastal winds, synoptic wind, trade winds and then sand between our toes in Kaneohe, Hawaii.

New Batteries arrived

New AGM batteries arrived. So now time to install and adjust regulator so we don't fry them. So replacing these four golf cart type batteries below with the new AGM style.

Tiki Blue Pac Cuppers working hard and then enjoying a refreshment!

Flying 15's National Champions - New Zealand

Tiki Blue Pac Cup crew Murray Gilbert (on left) wins National Championship in Fly 15's in New Zealand. Eight bullets in 8 races and led every mark in every race! He is a big boat racer too. Looking forward to have him on Tiki Blue for our Pac Cup Race to Hawaii!

Clean bottom is important!

Important to have Matt/diver clean the bottom of Tiki Blue before a race. Look what he found. Sheets of herring eggs! Not fast!

RYC Pacific Cup Village NEW for 2014

Richmond Yacht club of which I'm a member, will be hosting the RYC Pac Cup Village to support out of town boats for preparation, fun festivities and support through individual start dates. For the first time in the history of the Pacific Cup Race, prepping and leaving for the Pac Cup will be exciting, fun and VERY supportive via the various activities of the RYC Pac Cup Village! Be there!

Boat work from Top to bottom

Weigh in for Tiki Blue



Top of the mast working on tri color lights

Lifting on load cell to check real weight

Up the mast for 1.5 hours



Crew cleaned up engine compartment

Thinking about getting to the starting line.

Can't wait to hit the start line in July 2014 and head out the Golden Gate for 2070 miles of open ocean. Getting off the land based grid will be a nice change! Ocean life is always challenging, exciting and relaxing in many different ways. Its a complex mosaic of power, rolling swells, winds, sea life, squalls, sunsets, sunrises and mind refreshing endless horizons.