SRSC member Pat Broderick (with large clock trophy) and other PacCup Division A winners.  Miss Hawaii, left rear, presented the awards.

"NANCY" crew at Kaneohe Yacht Club Dock after winning Division A in the 2010 Pacific Cup - SF to Kaneohe Bay on Oahu, HI.  Michael Andrews, SRSC member and skipper Pat Broderick, Gordie Nash.  We look shell-shocked, but were just bone-tired after nearly 14 days of hard sailing.

"NANCY's" track - almost the Great Circle route between SF and Oahu.  Note the first 3 days and then the "average" space between check-ins for the rest of the race.

SRSC member Pat Broderick sailed his Wyliecat 30 "NANCY" in this year's Pacific Cup Yacht Race from San Francisco to Kaneohe Bay on the NE corner of Oahau - 2072 nm.  "NANCY" Started July 5 and Finished on July 18 at 11:15 pm (HST), placing 1st in Division A. 

Pat was joined in his 1st Pac Cup by crew members Gordie Nash, Sausalito Boat Builder and 8-time PacCup racer, and Michael Andrews, multiple Santana 22 National Champion and 2-time PacCup Racer.  It was a "First 1st Place" for each of them as well Pat's "First 1st."

"NANCY" is a cat-rigged wind-surfer wish-boned design with a single sail. Although that might appear to make sailing 24 hours a day simple, this year's unusual weather demanded constant attention to steering and sail trim.  The "Track Chart" demonstrates that the first 3 days were frustrating, with 100 miles or less and an average speed of less than 4 knots.  

On day 4 the normal July northwesterly wind became a southerly that held for almost 2 days.  No one who completed the race could remember southerly winds after the Farallones.

On day 5 the NW breeze finally filled in and "NANCY" began to fly, reaching in about 160º wind for several days before heading dead down wind for the last 3 or 4.  The best day's mileage was 196 nm, with around 185 nm being the average.  The trip speed average was 7.1 knots.   The highest speed over the bottom (GPS) was near 18 knots, with 16+ surges common.   But mostly is was a steady 8 or 9 knots once the wind filled in.

Instead of the promised Pacific rollers, there was a confused sea state with waves coming from the south where there was a high pressure zone off of Mexico; waves coming from weak Pacific High in a northwesterly direction; and a swell from behind caused by the low pressure zone in between the two highs.  To make things even more interesting, there was an occasional, random wave from the east that slapped the bow or quarter around.  Steering was especially difficult at night when the driver couldn't see the waves since there was no moon, the sky was cloudy, and it was foggy for the first half of the race.

And it was cold!  Foulies, boots, and gloves every night except for the last two.  Long sleeves and even jackets during the day.  Finally on day 12 we got the "PacCup Weather" and stowed the foulies.  

It was difficult to see the squalls on the dark nights, but with moon and star light, they were very visible on the final two nights.  A squall over the port quarter meant getting on to a port tack so we could run with them and not get caught in the windless zone behind them.  We successfully avoided doing that, even on the darkest night, reveling in the 25+  knot wind and warm rain until the squall passed.

Because of the unusual conditions, most boats stayed north of the Great Circle route, but we opted to pretty much sail somewhere between the Great Circle and Rhumb  Line.  Partly this was because our satellite phone weather connection failed to connect so we had little access to actual weather predictions.  Mostly, however, it was because a cat-rigged, non-spinnaker boat sails best in reaching conditions when competing with symmetrical spinnaker boats - which all of the other Division A boats were.

Our stiffest competition was a J-30 whose PacCup rating was exactly the same as ours.  In reaching wind, we were often 100 miles ahead, but on the final few days, in dead down wind conditions, that lead narrowed.  "NANCY" finished 45 minutes ahead after 2072 nm!  A margin of only 6 or 7 miles.

There's a more complete story in the August issue of "Latitude 38" and more stories on <norcalsailing.com>. The Pacific Cup Yacht Club website <pacificup.org> also has stories and photos.