Focus on Double-Handers

With 17 double-handed boats starting, Pac Cup continues its strong tradition of this kind of racing. While sailing with only two on board can be a tremendous, and exhausting, task, the weight saved on the boat (figure 500 lb per person with food and gear) can be significant.

This year, we divided the double-handers into two groups, generally seeking to bunch the heavier boats in one group and the lighter surfing and planing boats in the other. Moonshine, David Rogers' Dogpatch 26 with a history of winning, has led the Pasha Doublehanded 2 division for a number of days. She'll have to maintain her one hour lead over Wolfpack, Andrew Hamilton's Donovan 30 already finished, to maintain that lead.

All the doublehanders started Monday with barely any wind to propel them past the Farallon islands. The light weather proved terribly frustrating to all racers, with the slatting of the sails proving both maddening and potentially causing damage to the sails and rigs. Once the fleets worked their way to reasonable winds, however, the race was on, into heavier winds that proved challenging in their own right!

In the Mahina Doublehanded 1 division. Accelerando (Moore 24 Erica Mattson Siegel) has held the lead since near the start. Or, at least, the re-start after the wind filled in. This is Erica's second Pac Cup on Accelerando. Her first run left her seeking a winning strategy, but for 2024, we're seeing pretty firm resolve and a steady course paying off handsomely. Close on her heels is WILDER (Santa Cruz 27 Ian Sprenger), forecast only two hours behind. With the wind lightening as we approach the island of Oahu, we could see changes in relative performance, so our eyes will be glued to the tracker.