Well. 63-time crosser John Jourdane, our navigator, declared this the weirdest weather he had encountered on a Transpac crossing. For my money, this rivalled the miserable 2000 Pac Cup. Five days of upwind slogging under gloomy skies, followed by a close reach of several more days made for difficult and challenging sailing.
Crew stepped up nicely, demonstrating and building skills both at the wheel and with patience for adverse conditions. Congratulations to our competitors, most of whom beat us handily.. Our expensive "northern strategy" cost us miles and time that we were not ultimately able to recapture.
The boat performed well, with no gear failures underway, other than minor sail tears ably repaired by Kelsey.