Pat Broderick wrote on July 28 regarding the LongPac:

At 1100 this Wednesday, July 29, Michael Andrews and I begin the the Singlehanded Sailing Society's "Great Pacific Longitude Race"(LongPac). We'll start at Golden Gate YC on the Marina Green in San Francisco, sail west in the Pacific Ocean to 126º 40' and turn around, finishing back at GGYC.

The race is 200 nautical miles out and 200 nautical miles back. We expect to complete the 400 nm in about 3.5 days. Right now winds are predicted in the 20 knot range out of the NW, so things are looking pretty good for the trip.

We will carry a satellite transponder, so you can follow our journey. I must caution you about the system. It can fail. So, don't worry if our track stops or disappears. We will not have found the edge of the Earth Columbus thought might be out there.

DO NOT call any authority if we "disappear" from your screen. There are multiple safety systems in effect in case an emergency arises. Here is how to find the website:

1. Go to www.sfbaysss.org

2. Click on the 2009 GREAT PACIFIC LONGITUDE RACE

(Read the caution about the transponders to emphasize what I said above about a boat disappearing. You can also explore the other pages for the race.)

3. 3.Link to Transponder Tracking Map
   

The transponder will remain on after we finish the race (we cannot access the controls), so you should see the boat return to Sausalito and the see the transponder drive up Highway 101 to Santa Rosa. When the track stops there, you'll know I'm home safe and have completed the most dangerous leg of the adventure - the drive home from the boat.

I'll be carrying a video and still camera for NorCal Sailing Productions, so there will be some video and still photos of the trip. They should have a story, video, and photos up a few days after all the boats get back.

Hope you enjoy "watching" us sail the race as much as we anticipate being out there.

Pat Broderick

Nancy, Wyliecat 30 #28890

From another Wyliecat 30 sailor on July 28:

Thank you for the coverage of Northern California racing. I look forward to each report. Today in your coverage of the Second Half Opener you wrote: “Historically, July was considered too windy for racing on the Bay, and so a break in the schedule was created….”

 

I’m sure there are old timers who know more about this, but I was told way back that there were no races scheduled in July so we could all go to the Delta. Many clubs held July rendezvous in the Delta long before there was a Tinsley Island.

 

Tom Patterson

Dazzler, Wyliecat 30