Break out the shorts and t-shirts...

July 9, 2010

1098 miles to Maui. We are flying Wanda, another A sail that is better suited to running. The foul weather gear came off and was replaced with shorts and T shirts today. Clear skies and about 25 – 30 degrees. The wind continues to be in the teens to twenties and we are on a deep reach with the rollers helping us surf our way to Hawaii. Flying fish were spotted this morning and the ocean water is deep blue with sapphires thrown across the surface. Last night the night sky was our compass as we held our course by aligning stars. Shooting stars were in abundance and the Milky Way was as thick as I have seen. The crew are light hearted, well fed and pretty thrilled with the way Turicum is eating up the miles. We are in a close competition with the other boats of our division so each watch is driving the boat as hard as they can. 200 mile days have been great but we are hopeful that we will do even better over the next few days with the larger sail area. Then comes the tricky part approaching Lahaina from the west. Hale is hard at work running course simulations and updating our best strategy. The winds will weaken as we approach Hawaii so it is essential that we be no lower than a beam reach.

Yesterday I promised a piece on the Church of Rasputin. After checking with the FBI, CIA, FCC, CRTC and our censors, we regret to inform you that the piece has been pulled to protect the obviously guilty. Another blow to democracy. In its place the management would like to offer you a factually correct if sanitized account of who all are aboard ( as far as we know).

Gunnar Jonsson: Gunnar is the skipper of Turicum and a veteran of the 2008 race. He owns and campaigns the SR 33 Havoc which has competed in the Van Isle 360 5 times and in countless other local races. He is a well known sailor and is past president of the Vancouver Rowing Club. Gunnar is married to the lovely Ede. They were actually married in Iran, one of the many countries Gunnar lived and worked in during his career in wireless communications.

Warren Hale: Hale, as he is known to virtually everyone, is the owner of Turicum and serves as navigator as well as doing a regular watch. He was a high school teacher and taught at the University of BC department of Education before going full time as a sailing educator through his company Richmond Sailcraft. This is Hale’s 6th Vic Maui. He is married to June, who runs the logistical side of the race including satellite information, meal planning and provisioning and all communications during the race.

John North. John is crew captain for the watch Gunnar is not on. John has a PhD from Cambridge in immunology and is currently Chief Operating Officer of the medical research company, Immunex. John has competed in one Vic Maui and one Transpac. His sons both hold PhDs in engineering. John’s wife Lois is an interior designer.

Don Macfarlane. Don competed on the international level as a dinghy racer and has a long history of involvement with sailing. He is an engineer by training and is the president of a company that manufactures custom pressurized steel vessels. He is married to Maggie and together they have three daughters.

Naomi Roddick. Naomi is a registered nurse and a highly sought after foredeck crew. She raced in the 2006 Vic Maui and continued on after the race to cruise through the South Pacific. She has raced in Greece and is a veteran of all of the major local and distance races. Naomi is on staff at UBC Hospital and taught post-anaesthesia recovery at an orthopaedic surgical facility in Uganda.

Johan Viljoen: Johan is a physician, originally from South Africa. Johan held a number of medical posts in South Africa before immigrating to the more temperate climates of Saskatchewan & Medicine Hat. In addition to conventional medicine he is also an acupuncturist and hypnotist. Johan and his wife Christa have three daughters.

Tim Mastel Mar. Tim is a property developer and property manager who began his successful career when just in junior high school. Raised in northern Alberta by teacher parents, Tim grew up doing a wide variety of outdoor activities. He is an avid sailor who regularly goes cruising with his wife, Laurie and their two daughters.

Les Mackoff: Les has been a lawyer for 28 years and is the senor partner at Mackoff & Company. He has been an ardent cruising sailor, both coastal and offshore for almost three decades. Les is married to the pianist, Patricia Hoy, They have two sons.

I guess you just can’t find good help these days.

Over and out.
Turicum 74257