I've just returned yesterday from the Honolulu to Newport Beach, California passage aboard Ragtime. The trip was great and it was fantastic to be able to make the crossing on such a well known boat with great crew.
Due to the forecast at the time of departure, we were able to make the passage more direct for California rather than head due north as is usually required. Having said that, we still had quite an uphill battle, as we had headwinds almost the entire trip. Ragtime is designed as a fast downwind racer, so beating upwind meant relatively slow (for a raceboat) progress and a lot of slamming into the waves.
Many people would imagine that sailing across the oceans on a 65 foot sailboat would mean a luxurious cruise. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case as Ragtime is well known to be a 65 foot boat with the interior of a 25 foot weekend cruiser. She was built for speed not comfort, and considering that she was finished in 1966, Ragtime has not done bad at all and is still winning races such as the Sydney Hobart and the Tahiti Race.
Since boxed and canned food at sea can become quite tiresome after a while, we tried our luck at fishing during the crossing. Before leaving Honolulu, we stocked up on some high quality fishing gear in hopes of supplementing our diet at sea with some fresh fish. Luck was not with us however, and we made the entire crossing without catching a thing. It was a pity because we were all looking forward to a change from canned food and the usual sailing grub.
We did encounter one gale about two thirds of the way across, but most of the trip consisted of relatively light winds. Since it was a delivery, and we were on a schedule, that meant that we had to motor a bit.
Here's a few pictures of the trip and I will be sure to post some more when I get them all organized.
I am continuing to prepare for the voyage and work on the sponsorship.
Cheers,
Ryan
