Race News!
1998 Singlehanded TransPac 

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Date:	Fri, 03 Jul 1998 07:14:53 -0700
Subject:	Update
From:	Steve Faustina aboard Solitaire
To:	Joseph Oster <email disabled>, sensei@###.com

Hi Joe and Terry,

It's 1230 PDT on Solitaire and I just awoke from a morning nap since I didn't get to sleep this morning until after the 0900 radio check-in because I was up all night trimmng sail, driving and sorting out a charging problem.

I've been flying the 1.5 oz shute around the clock since day 3 when I blew up the .75 oz.  Last night I had an accidental jibe and got my first chance to put the Stan Honey jibe recovery technique to work.  It was pitch dark with the boat on her ear, the spinnaker and main both back winded, wind blowing like mad and the only thing I could hear in my head was Stan saying, in his calm matter of fact way, when this happens, "just jibe back"!  Well, there is a little more to do but Stan's advice did the trick.  The boat came back to her course, the spinnaker popped through the fore triangle and I was off and running again.

Earlier in the day I used his method for de-powering the spinnaker when you round up. Pull out the outgrabber (which I had rigged after hearing Stan's SSS seminar), ease the topping lift and crank in the foreguy.  It worked like a charm also.  I feel real confident now with both of these techniques so that when the squalls come in the middle of the night I will be less inclined to dowse the kite.

Today has been absolutely gorgeous, blue, blue sky, blue, blue sea and warm sunshine. Winds from astern at12-16 kts.  This is what the Transpac is all about.

Last night, prior to our check in Cynthia Petroka on Grey Ghost in the Pacific Cup hailed us to say hello and wish us luck.  She said that they escaped the gale that we saw on the weather fax as being off the Calif. coast.  I guess some of the later starting boats got clobbered.

That's it for now.  I'll try and write later tonight after 2100 check-in.

Steve

ps I tried sending this earlier today but couldn't get through. 

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