All Systems Go!

From a high point of 90 boats plus a waiting list, natural attrition, plus a few pandemic-driven issues, have pared our entry list to 63. "It's around what we expected," says PCYC Commodore Jim Quanci. "Things happen in life and on the water. Low 60s makes for a nice comfortable crowd at both ends of the race."

"Nice and comfortable" likely does not describe many of our participants' preparations, as a flurry of last minute supplying and installations are taking place around the bay. Food and water (minimum ten gallons plus an emergency eleventh gallon), communicatons and navigation gear, and the all-important safety items must be aboard and in many cases inspected before the start.

Going Green. The 2022 Pac Cup is once again a "Clean Regatta" in the Sailors for the Sea program. We're proud of our record in environmental respect, emphasizing responsible practices for decades. Besides going entirely paperless in our race entry process, we've added a number of other steps, including promoting and distributing reef-safe sunscreen and using ecologically friendly seals on emergency water, allowing the use of reusable containers rather than disposable..

Weather. Everybody talks about it. The first week underway looks to include some interesting challenges. Areas of low wind to the north and south of the path to Hawaii may encourage our entrants to thread a rather narrow path, hoping to avoid the "I wish we had gone the other way" phase of drifting and waiting for wind.  After about the 11th of July, however, it's forecast to fill in, and even get a bit interesting as the remnants of a tropical depression rounding Baja California make themselves felt across the Pacific.  Current charts suggest what ace sailor (and 2022 Newport Bermuda winning co-skipper) Sally Honey calls a "fairly benign crossing."

Be Mine. Ten boats have declared for our "Fastest Family Afloat" trophy, which requires a degree of familial relationships on board. Generally this makes for a rich bonding experience.  Other times, it just makes for an experience.  Our brave family boats are Alternate Reality, Circe, City Lights, CruzSea Baby, Free Bowl of Soup, Rägeboge, Raku, Rufless, Sacagawea, and  Vera Cruz. 

We expect one or two more family and team entries before we're fully started.

Fun comment from Free Bowl of Soup: "19yr old Sam Hopper on the crew for his first Hawaii race. We had to make sure he wasn't stowed away in 2014 when we last did Pacific Cup." [Note: Soup in 2014 came to the aid of Tiburon who had lost a rudder and stood by till released by Cayenne who took over the support.)