Glenn's adventure across the big blue from Kauai
to San Francisco
OPPORTUNITY
Delivering a transpacific race boat back to the mainland.
When opportunity knocks, unbatten the hatches! I received a phone call in January from my longtime friend Jim who regularly competes in ocean races, including the Pacific Cup and Trans-Pacific Yacht Races from mainland California to Hawaii. These biennial offshore yacht races draw participants from all over the world. The westward course to HI is being raced with big spinnakers and full crew with lots of on-edge harrowing moments. In contrast, my journey will be the return trip back to CA which will be by a smaller crew comprising individuals who enjoy less stress and don’t mind the beating they’ll get because of less favorable winds and waves as it’s more of a personal adventure. For several years, I had expressed interest in making the return voyage from the Islands, and this year, there was room aboard, and Jim asked me to join them. My response? “Hell yeah, I’ll go.”
The TransPac Yacht Race began June 27 with single-handed racers like Jim starting in San Francisco and finishing in Kauai around July 8. At the finish, all boats will have covered over 2,200 nautical miles.
Who’s going with you?
Our crew of four will include Jim Quanci, Mary Lovely, Jeff Duvall, and me. Jim and Mary own the Green Buffalo, a Cal 40 that has crossed the Pacific more than six times. We plan to depart from Hanalei Bay Kauai on July 16th, arriving around August 2nd in San Francisco.
The Voyage
Our passage has essentially 3 phases. We will begin with a 6-day starboard tack out of Hawaii heading Northeast, then several days of motor and sailing through the doldrums where the wind and waves are disturbed, and finally, a 7- to 8-day port tack Northeast to San Francisco. The trade winds around the equator blow from the East while the North Pacific High (pressure) generates wind blows from the Northwest.
With three hours on / three hours off watch, everyone will have the opportunity to establish their own routines around exercise, sleep, mental stimulation like reading and podcasts, and general thinking. With only 80 square feet of shared living space, these routines will help with everyone’s tolerance levels and allow us to be more of a good neighbor than a cranky one.
Rigor and routine - I plan to use bands and my body weight to practice daily exercise. According to statistics, limited movement over three weeks can lead to significant muscle loss. I don’t want that to happen because I’ve spent months building my muscle mass to the level I like.
Mental reading listening - I plan to bring a combination of paperback and audiobooks to learn new things. Audiobooks might be the way to go depending on the amount of jostling from side to side in a monohull vessel. I’ll let you know!
Eating routine - While the route from the mainland requires Jim to rely on dehydrated and easy-to-grab foods, the journey back promises to be a little more luxurious. Boat weight is not as important on the return trip. We intend to pack foods that will allow for a fresher, more balanced meal. We’ll stock boiled bags, a modicum of dehydrated food, noodles, rice, vegetables, and fruits to function as sides for the fresh fish we plan to catch. Our optimism is high for regularly catching edible fish like mahi mahi, tuna, and other edible fish that take a stab at our hooks; otherwise, ours will primarily be a vegetarian voyage.
Gettin’ ready!
Green Buffalo on the way back into the Bay. ©2011 Erik Simonson/www.h2oshot
Green Buffalo Crew 2023
Glenn Hackemer Returns!
Conclusion:
Uncertainty around our arrival to the mainland will depend on the size and location of the North Pacific High (pressure) with its impact on wind direction and speed. In addition to the daily routine I’ve outlined, I will spend time pondering the meaning of life while peering across an endless ocean and enjoying evenings under a galaxy sprinkled with millions of stars. This is a big adventure that I feel privileged to be healthy and fit enough to do. Like my time racing the Pacific Cup to HI on the Perestroika so many years ago, I look forward to discovering which types of marine life (whales, dolphins, turtles, seals) will find, interact with, and follow us along the way. There will be plenty of quality time with old and new friends.
I’ve been retired for two years. With all the time we will have, I hope to develop more clarity around this relatively new stage of life and how to go forward with consulting services, volunteerism, and doing the general good for the world.
Stay tuned:
We will follow up with Glenn when he returns! Safe Travels!