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.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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,

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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!

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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)

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

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.