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The Race, July 2008

Sixty well-prepared sailboats and their 300 crew will start under the Golden Gate Bridge and race across 2,070 Pacific Ocean miles to beautiful Kaneohe Bay, Oahu.

For the participants - avid amateurs to seasoned professionals in boats from 24 to 80 feet - this is an extraordinary accomplishment, providing a lifetime of memories. For family, friends, and spectators, this is a fascinating spectacle, inspiring dreams. The race has run every even-year summer since 1980. The 2008 biennial race calendar includes a year of preparation seminars and social events, bon voyage parties, frequent newsletters and press releases, a week of staggered starts, two weeks of race reports with daily standings, and a week of finish celebrations in Hawaii.

Starting Line

As we have done for many years, we'll be starting off Saint Francis Yacht Club. Less than two miles from the Golden Gate Bridge, the St.FYC starting line anchors the very short, almost the only, upwind portion of the entire race. The starts are staggered, from Monday July 14 to Saturday July 19, based on each fleet's average handicap. The slower boats start earlier, and faster boats start later, with the general goal that everybody arrives around Monday, Julu 28, or earlier, if things go well!

How to Race to Hawaii

As it turns out, it's more than "point at Hawaii and go lickety-split." In San Francisco Bay, local currents can have a profound impact on a racer's strategy. On the ocean, it's the weather.

Weather over the Pacific Ocean, between California and Hawaii, is dominated by the size, location, and intensity of high and low pressure zones. In an ideal year, a high pressure zone is located north of the direct path. This zone has clear, sunny weather with very little wind. Wind is stronger as one moves away from the high. Racers are faced with the challenge of deciding how far south of the zone to go to find extra wind -- at the expense of extra distance.

Once a boat has made and executed its plan, and sails as far south as it deems clever, a consistent and (one hopes) predictable wind shift swings behind the boat and fills the spinnakers. The wind warms, the foul weather gear comes off. Now it's time to "point at Hawaii and go lickety-split!"

Finish

After 2070 miles (plus however many extra miles one went to find wind) we finish at Kaneohe Bay, on the lush, windward side of Oahu. This is the opposite side of the island from the flash of Waikiki, and the side where the warm, welcoming face of Hawaii can be seen. Kaneohe Yacht Club serves as the finish line host. Not only do its many volunteers man the finish line spotting post, they provide finish line escort boats, operate the radio room 24/7, and host numerous great parties. Most participants treasure the memory of the time spent at Kaneohe as a splendid grace note to a wonderful experience.

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