Shark Collision Turns Back One of Five Boats Returning From Pacific Cup

Early birds don’t always get the worm. The final start of the 2024 Pacific Cup took off at 12:30 p.m. Thursday and quickly started heading west, and like Wednesday’s starters, enjoyed fresher breezes than the Monday fleet. Everyone is on the track, although PRO Michael Moradzadeh updated us with news of five boats having dropped out with a variety of problems, including a collision with a shark!

Michael sent us the following: “It’s a matter of history and statistics that a percentage of boats will turn back early on for one reason or another. For the 2024 race, we are experiencing a similar rate of canceled trips as prior years. Two boats have headed back to shore with steering issues and one with medical and comms challenges.

“Imagine, a Davidson 44 skippered by Wyatt Jones, has reported problems with their steering pedestal and is returning to shore, selecting Santa Cruz or Monterey as their destination. Their autopilot is able to manage the steering function.”

“Keaka, an Olson 34 skippered by Chris Maher, reports, ‘We are experiencing rudder issues and out of an abundance of caution will be retiring.’ They are heading for a Southern California port.”

“After enduring a rather sloppy light air night at sea, Rum Tum Tugger, a Beneteau First 10R, safely docked back in Richmond, returning on advice from our medical consultants at GW University. All are safe.

“Just when we thought we had satisfied our statistical norm, we got word from Pendragon, another Davidson 44, that their Starlink and steering were both not working, so they have retired also.”

“Finally, Rapid Transit, a sleek custom Antrim-designed racer skippered by Jim Partridge, texted our PRO and our commodore to inform us that they had hit a shark. A big shark. A shark big enough to tear the rudder mounting partly off the transom, requiring a return to base. The current issue of Latitude 38 features a story of brothers Jim and Cree Partridge racing against each other. Jim is now returning home aboard Rapid Transit and Cree continuing aboard his Antrim 40 Glass Slipper.”

“The shark encounter is interesting, as a competitor, Carodon, a much heavier boat, noted her encounter with a large shark who circled the boat and then charged at a high speed, breaking off at the last minute. One wonders if this was the same fellow.

“Using a variety of technologies, race organizers monitor the progress of the participants from start to finish and can reach out to coordinate assistance in case of need. We are hoping that the rest of the fleet has a less eventful crossing,” Michael concluded.

We asked how all this information was coming from the fleet. Fleet stats show 29 boats have Iridium GO! or Iridium GO! Exec, and 29 boats are with Starlink, though many with Iridium backup, and three have SSB and Pactor modems and about 20 boats are also carrying a Garmin inReach.

All that connectivity provides some reports direct from the boats, including Hultaj overcoming a lost halyard, Kahoots saying they got off to a bumpy start with crew members battling seasickness and rough seas, Chinook enjoying a steady wind while admiring Vera Cruz in the distance, Second Wind getting through bumpy conditions before setting the asymmetric spinnaker, resulting in smoother sailing at 8 knots, and Cascade was facing cold, misty rain and challenging helm conditions and was looking forward to warmer southern latitudes.

Monday starter Pell Mell, a Point Bonita 27, was making sail and watch changes, shifting from A3 then to A4 then to A2, and were finally off and running, hitting a top speed of 13.8 knots. They’ve also shifted from foul weather gear to shorts. Hula Girl also reported a shark experience off the Farallones when a large shark circled them before darting away.

In the screenshot of the tracker you’ll note that five of the “Class Crowns,” which are placed on the boats leading their class, are on the southern edge of the fleet. It also shows two of the returning boats back in the Bay, two in Monterey Bay and Keaka headed toward harbor in Southern California.

The early birds who started on Monday have escaped the light air that glued them in place for 24 hours while the Wednesday and Thursday starters were lucky to find breeze right outside the Gate. Most of the boats are starting to shift from reaching to running in warmer air as they now work the angles, the sails and watch schedules to stay alert for the quickest path to Kaneohe Bay.