Easiest return from Hawaii to West Coast?

[Bitter Gnat]

Did the "BackPac" in 1992 on Marishiten (NM 68). 17 days. Cold and wet from the first day out of the Ala Wai. Never saw the sun. High never materialized. Pound, pound, pound.

In 2005 we paid crew to bring the Gnat (B40.7) back with Cliffy. Forget how long it took them. 20 days? That was another hard trip, but the keel stayed on!

 

[Rasputin22]

Did the "BackPac" in 1992 on Marishiten (NM 68). 17 days. Cold and wet from the first day out of the Ala Wai. Never saw the sun. High never materialized. Pound, pound, pound.

In 2005 we paid crew to bring the Gnat (B40.7) back with Cliffy. Forget how long it took them. 20 days? That was another hard trip, but the keel stayed on!

Was that the titanium hull MARISHITEN?

 

[Kaimana]

We are looking to transit from Hawaii to Vancouver in July. Would be nice to go with buddy boat. If anyone knows a potential please PM me.

 

[longy]

Almost impossible to stay anywhere close to another boat (even a sistership) on this route due to different speeds and different sailing philosophies. All the old timers on T-Pac returns would have a delivery SSB net set up so all could talk to each other, and get real time weather across the trip.

 

[Bitter Gnat]

Was that the titanium hull MARISHITEN?

Nope. This one was the sled that later became Coruba. We did see the titanium boat in Guam after we did the '92 Japan-Guam race. I think somebody said it may have sank sometime close to our last sighting?

 

[silent bob]

We are looking to transit from Hawaii to Vancouver in July. Would be nice to go with buddy boat. If anyone knows a potential please PM me.

Several boats will be returning from Transpac later in July. I believe the Santa Cruz 70 “Westerly” will be returning to the Vancouver area at that time.

 

[JMarinero15]

2005 Return was one of the 6 delivery crew (inc Capt) on "Grand Illusion" SC70 - idea was standard route plan - starboard tack NE apx - get to the high - motor thru, for which we carried two blue 50 gal barrels of fuel - pick up the wind on port and SSE apx to LA - BUT - the high kept moving away E - finally after 5 days (or 6? 🤔) close to lat 38° - can't remember the long - it was agreed time to tack and go down to LA - total time ( with heavy old dacron delivery sails) Honolulu - Marina del Rey - 11 days / 2700 nm avg speed apx 10.5 kts .
Never touched the fuel in the barrels and only motored down the last stretch of coast Santa Barbara- LA.
Had a helluva party finishing of the remaining food and booze ... lol
Nice trip - good steady breeze , a little bit of bow slamming first day or so- bit of trade wind chop plus most of us had to get the hang of anticipating easing the bow thru on a 70 footer - my personal highlight the nite before landfall (actually early AM that day) at about 1 AM - port tack on a relaxed reach - bit shy of broad reaching - quatering swells about 6' wind apx 15 k gusts 20+k (I think) my turn on the wheel - we had a 2 man 2 hour watch with one rotating out/in every hour and hour on the wheel each - (woulda liked more helm time - not every day get to drive a renowned 70' turbo sled lol) doing about 10-12k and a bit of workin the helm with N-NW swell and gusty breeze north easterly quadrant - and then I FELT that Moment - most you would know it - where the swell starts to lift up the stern just soooo and has that certain angle on the face and as you get up to the crest theres that of balance and good gust just right - couldnt tell ya much but I knew it all factors clicked - felt it more like - time to SURF!! - give that wheel that Hard yank that kicks into the groove and work the wind wave combo- (odd combo from separate quaters) as long I could and go fast - not the typical right angle to and straight down wave face surfing typically done with boats but actually cutting across face apx 45° kinda like a surfboard (never been on one I body surfed Oahu) and topped out at 18.9kt with bow planing surging across the wave ,- what a rush - didn't last for long - but just more than a 1' as I stayed on that swell but long enough avg 17kts to have a bit of a thrill - my watchmate - Paddy, Capt. said at one point " Looks like too much work..." - yeah there was quite a bit of weather helm to pump - "Naah not for me !" - but it was beast of boat to work on those angles for sure - but only thing going thru my mind at that moment " I hope we dont hit a container / or logs ... I hope we dont hit... ) at 1 AM moonless night didnt see shit but I couldnt pass up the moment - we cheered going over 18k - shortly after my watch ended and as I was to go below for the next guy - Paddy had barely been on the helm 5' - said " Get all the guys up we gonna reduce sail" 🤣🤣
(... and yes GI big enough that head sail changes, reefing etc you need min 6 people on deck for a snappy maneuver "one time")

And a fews days later went back the 'aina with a following wind on.... Hawaiian Air. ....hehe

Oddly enough miles wise it matched a trip years earlier I did with a Frenchman on his heavily homebuilt Custom 36' CB sloop - from Las Palmas Canarias to Fort du France Martinique - 2700 nm ..but in 21 days...

 

[floater]

which had the better food?

 

[Que]

Brought a 70'er back in '16 and had beautiful marketing-brochure conditions (boat issues were completely unrelated to the weather) for a 13ish day return on the generally accepted route to PNW. The original plan that year was to head to California first, but common sense eventually prevailed. Brought a 45'er back last year and had 21 days of wind and sea on the nose followed by a stack of PTSD therapy bills from the crew.

 

[BrightAyes]

Nothing, and I mean nothing, beats Business Class on a Dreamliner. Silly you'd even ask.

 

[eric1207]

I FELT that Moment

Thanks, you brought back a smile and fond memories of THAT MOMENT for me: Off the coast of Baja on a glorious, warm, sunny, windy day in a 65 footer. A surf on a huge, long, gently sloping swell that lasted for what seemed like minutes. It seemed more like a ski run than sailing when looking down that long, watery ramp, it just kept going. I recognized it for what it was, popped the auto pilot off, jiggled the wheel, and off we went. Yee Haw! All 6 of us in the cockpit hootn' n' holleran' as the speedo climbed higher and higher. Topped out at 17 knots, a record for the boat. Lame by the pro standards here but amazing for me who was new to helming more than a just a 19' dinghy.

I've had a few thousand more ocean miles since that day 13 years ago, but have never seen another wave even close to that one. I'll remember that til the day I die.

 

[veni vidi vici]

Over the top 14 days back in the day ~~~

 

[hawaiianhubster]

My brother, Chris Grosswendt, had a similar return taking Sorcery back from to LA after the 1977 Transpac. One tack - 10 days.