Division Splits and Start Dates Announced

The 2026 Pacific Cup will have three start dates, depending on fleet. Slowest boats will start on Monday, July 6. Next faster divisions will start Tuesday, July 7, and the fastest two divisions will start Friday, July 10. Assignments can now be found on the entry list.

All starts will be run from the race deck of the St. Francis Yacht Club. "St. Francis Yacht Club extends a warm welcome to spectators who are visiting our Club to watch the starts and cheer for your teams," declared Susan Ruhne, StFYC Commodore.

Expect the starts to be around 10 - 11 am on Monday and Tuesday, and closer to noon on Friday. Exact times are being determined by the Pacific Cup Technical Committee and will be selected to give starting boats a good opportunity to reach the steady offshore "synoptic" winds before the coastal winds die off in the evening.

Once started, we can expect our fleets to engage in a little bit of gamesmanship to see who reaches the Golden Gate Bridge first. It's irrelevant to the race, but offers a psychological advantage to the winner of that "race with a race." From there, it's a new race to get out to the offshore winds and be in position for a reach down the coast. Typically, conditions are most favorable along the Marin shoreline, but the weather has a way of playing tricks on us!

Next, we'll have to turn to the online trackers to see where our competitors have gone. Will they parallel the coast to get a better track to Hawaii a few days hence, or will they head straight for those warm waters and cold drinks -- the rhumb line for the rum line, as it were?

We'll be watching!