Daily Vic-Maui reports

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 4.5

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Day 12.75

Day 13

Day 14

Day 15

Day 16

Day 17

It's been a long term dream to do the Vic-Maui race. 

The day is finally here, and together with an awesome crew to make it all happen, Kinetic is ready to go!

As the race progresses, this page will display the daily reports we receive from Kinetic's crew.  (FYI -- KST is Kinetic standard time - 2 hours behind PDT and 1 hour before Hawaii.)

These reports are being transmitted by wireless email using a SSB radio, a radio modem and a Panasonic Toughbook computer. 

If you have any motivating (brief) thoughts/words you would like passed on to our race crew, send them to me and I'll try to get them there (jokes, poems, etc.) info@kineticsailing.com

Don't forget to look at the photo gallery for new images.

Message from:

Kinetic 74373

IBM Vic-Maui 2004 International Yacht Race

48-14.434, 123-57.332

1120 KST 23 JUN 04

280 TWA 15 TWS

242 COG 7.2 V

Hello to friends and family of the crew of Kinetic. 

Months of preparation and days of attention to final details culminated in Kinetic receiving a special award at the pre-race skippers meeting for passing the race committee safety inspection 100% on the first try, with no callback items.  Apparently, this is quite unusual. 

We crossed the start line just after 1000 hrs today, Wed Jun 23.  Beautiful sailing, beating into a 15 knot Westerly in sun with some cloud.  We were about the 6th boat thru Race Passage, a good start given that we are rated as 7th fastest in the fleet of 19 boats that have embarked on this biennial adventure.  

All onboard are well and we very much appreciated the family and friends who joined us at the start in Victoria.  A special thank you to our spectator boats - John and Brenda on Dream Catcher, Milt and Margie on Good Ship and Barclay, Carol Ann and James on Captiva.  You are the best!

We are fortunate to have sponsorship from Harmony Airways (passenger travel and air freight) and Panasonic (Toughbook computers). 

Our objectives are to have fun and to win our division (8 boats).  We will do our best to keep you up to date, daily, via our website at www.kineticsailing.com. Also, see the daily race updates at www.vicmaui.org.  

David Sutcliffe

Kinetic 74373
IBM Vic-Maui 2004 International Yacht Race
40-28.131', 128-57.315'
0808 KST 27 JUN 04
345 TWA 15-30 TWS
180 COG 9.3 V

Hello again to friends and family of the crew of Kinetic.

Lots of sail changes, up and down; beat with #1, reached with #1 reacher, flew 2 chutes. Finally running downwind, all night and this a.m. We are now on the edge of a gale, true wind 20-30, gusts into the 30's. Thanks to Sebastion Moes for the most successful wind dances. Seas are building. Took down our 1.5 oz chute, now flying our 2.2 oz. storm chute. Harmony Airways Boeing 757 pilot and Kinetic navigator Captain Mark McKim is flying the Harmony Airways chute on Kinetic to Maui instead of his usual jet plane. A little slower but much more exciting!

Halyards chafing. Made repairs to mainsail clew/outhaul car. Max boat speed so far 13.9 knots. Average speed last 9 hours over 9 knots. Shot some impressive video footage. This is the sailing we came for. Key now is to balance speed with safety and limiting damage.

Peter Moes and Brian Richards ran a Saturday fitness clinic above decks. Crunches, sit ups, etc. Steered by moonlight last night until squalls swept over us. Saw the lights of one boat behind us briefly but outran them in the dark. Saw an albatross this morning - good luck.

Everyone exhilarated, some exhausted.

David Sutcliffe
Skipper, Kinetic

Kinetic 74373
IBM Vic-Maui 2004 International Yacht Race
37-21'N, 130-30'W
0545 KST 28 JUN 04
330 TWA 27 TWS
176 COG 9.5 V

Hello again to friends and family of the crew of Kinetic.

Have been running downwind in seas continuously. Wind continues to be 15-30+ kn, mostly 20-30. Chafed two more halyards, also chafing sails, switched to reacher, surfing DDW with main and poled reacher. Spinnaker halyard repairs will be a daily chore. Max boat speed so far 16.3 kn. We have done 220 nm in the last 24 hours.

Last night started with moonlight and then clouded over heavily. Steering went from difficult to very difficult. Accidental gybes usually occur after changes of helm. It is like driving a race car by feel, while blindfolded. We go to sleep with images of spinning compass discs glowing red.

During the 2300-0300 watch, we saw a light on the horizon to the West. It soon became a few lights - obviously a large ship many miles away. 10 minutes later our bearing to the ship had not changed, indicating that we could be on converging courses. We used our radar to determine that the ship was doing 22 knots and that we would pass within a mile. We altered course by reaching up hard across the running seas to pass astern of the ship and called her on the VHF radio. Her deck officer responded and we passed each other safely. She was a large container ship bound for San Francisco.

We saw more albatrosses, a mariners sign bringing good fortune, including one that patrolled alongside Kinetic, skimming the wave tops, in the moonlight during the first night watch.

Our watermaker does not like the turbulent aerated water associated with the boat surfing. We will have to improvise over the next few days. The boat is rolling and consequently we are rolling about in our berths as we try to sleep. All aboard are tired and well.

The crew is well-bonded and enjoying a lot of humour; Peter Moes tells the cleanest jokes, Brian Richards has a deep reservoir of rugby songs and other lusty lore, Debbie Hill holds her own with the guys, Graham Walker has a quick wit and Jim Prentice a subtle dry one. Last night he chose just the right moment to sagely opine that it is always darkest just before the dawn. Ron MacKenzie could fill a book with accountant and dentist jokes. Peter Thorn is quick with a cheerful laugh while Werner Kurz always has a sea story to tell. Mark McKim has just the right disposition to put forward a navigator's recommendation at the daily crew meeting and then be peppered with varied and erratic suggestions from everyone else including the skipper.

We really enjoy getting short email messages from our friends and family at home. The Panasonic Toughbook is vital to our communications and navigation.

We are enjoying a fantastic sail.

David Sutcliffe
Skipper, Kinetic

----------

PS: from Gaylean -- we have had a slight problem with email -- please send any future emails to info@kineticsailing.com.  (Steve K - please send me your email address again, thx.)
 

Kinetic 74373

IBM Vic-Maui 2004 International Yacht Race

POSN 28-46.061'N, 135-34.760'W

0325 KST 2 JUL 04

056 TWA 13.6 TWS

190 COG 7.3 V

Hello again to friends and family of the crew of Kinetic. 

Yesterday, we crossed the halfway line and had a Canada Day celebration. Several Canada T-shirts were modelled by crew, although none were wet.  Jim Prentice won the contest to guess which baby picture went with which crewmember, a feat made all the more remarkable for the fact that Super-Captain Mark McKim submitted someone else's baby photo instead of his own.  Suspiciously, navigator Mark McKim won the contest to guess when we would reach the halfway point.  The prize was popcorn and a DVD - Master and Commander. 

The sky is azure blue while the ocean is crystal clear, brilliant blue, somewhat lighter than the deep blue of the more northerly area we raced through.  Winds are light, North East trades, getting steadier as we make progress toward Maui. It is very warm now.  Above decks, the sun blazes and cooks exposed skin.  Below decks, there is shade but little fresh airflow.  Speedos are being considered, despite Kinetic's average crew age of 45. 

We have been seeing Frigate Birds for several days.  They are bright white, thin-bodied, have narrow wings, an impossibly long tail and wheel and soar gracefully over and around the boat.  We were also circled by a white Gannet-like bird with black-fringed wings.  We sailed through a school of flying fish, setting them skimming the wave tops just ahead of our bow. 

We can again, once again report that our water maker is working, again.  The water maker and the basic installation were fine from the start, but the dual seawater intake system we are using (one intake for each side - optimized for port or starboard gybes) allows airlocks even when thru-hulls are set properly and as a result causes no end of trouble.  We need to add a centreline thru-hull intake and/or an input line selector valve, neither of which are possible/available here.  For now, we are manually switching the intake lines with an improvised connector. 

We are live-trimming the sails, 24/7, in a relentless hunt for more speed and better sailing angles.  Light air spinnaker gybes and peels at night are done by just 5 crew in a carefully choreographed routine made all the more challenging by the darkness and profusion of lines and controls.   It looks like our division will be a tight race right to the very end.  Thank you to our many supporters.  Thanks in particular to Mike Axford -forewarned IS forearmed.  Congratulations to Rich Alban on the new boat and to Peter Wealick and Marhenurh for Waves.  Special hello's to our loved ones. Thanks to Ed Life and David Shore, past Vic-Maui skippers, for their pre-race advice on organization, weather and routing. 

 The highlights of the night were getting lots of wind, finally, peeling the chute in the dark, short-handed, and being escorted by moonlit dolphins leaping on both sides of the boat at the same time. 

David Sutcliffe

Skipper, Kinetic

Kinetic 74373

IBM Vic-Maui 2004 International Yacht Race

POSN 27-29.536'N, 138-20.579'W

0650 KST 3 JUL 04

058 TWA 18 TWS

249 COG 8.9 V

Hello again to friends and family of the crew of Kinetic. 

A sunny high pressure area is to our immediate right (North) while we are sailing under a mixture of broken clouds and blue sky.  Cloud bands moving through give us extra wind for a while, then move on.  There is an irregular lumpy swell running.  Winds range from a fun 12-20 knots down to a too-light-for-good-progress 5-7 knots.  They are not steady yet despite our position in the traditional zone of "trade winds". 

The daily routine is well established.  Two six hour daytime watches followed by three four hour watches at night.  More gybes, sets and takedowns.  Adjusting halyards, up or down, every hour to limit chafe.  Continuous sail trim.  People rotating through all the various roles including steering.  Creaking winches, groaning blocks, vibrating rigging, whistling wind, rushing water, rustling sails, footfalls of crew moving about, watermaker pumping, engine charging batteries are all mixed together into a noise level which is surprisingly loud.  Any lull in the noise is instantly noticeable and generally means the wind is light and/or we are moving slowly - cause for immediate and noisy action! 

We now have plenty of drinkable water in our tanks.

We have enjoyed tremendous support in Vancouver for our Vic-Maui program right from the outset.  Thank you's are due to Brad Marchant and the team at First Yacht Services (commissioning and maintenance); J-P Cardinal and colleagues at Westerly Yachts; Steve White and the team at Pro-Tech (rigging); Dave & Marcia Miller and Dennis Lefeaux of North Sails.

The highlights of the night were squalls, wet squalls, very wet squalls, more wind, a full moon projecting a moonbow onto a squall line, flying fish at dawn, a spectacular sunrise complete with a rainbow.  We are making great progress towards Maui, some 1075 nautical miles ahead of our current position.  

Daily Kinetica: the sail area of our spinnakers is about 1600 square feet, each; our boom vang mechanical advantage is 128:1; our main sheet mechanical advantage is 64:1. 

David Sutcliffe

Skipper, Kinetic

Kinetic 74373

IBM Vic-Maui 2004 International Yacht Race

POSN 26-29.977'n, 140-43.487'W

0010 KST 4 JUL 04

083 TWA 19 TWS

243 COG 9.4 V

Hello again to friends and family of the crew of Kinetic.  

Early in the day, the skies are wild with low scudding clouds, broken by patches of blue sky and beams of sunlight filtering through to highlight the sea below.  Later in the day, blue sky spreads and clouds coalesce into distinct squall lines.  Swells run, most, but not all, in a common direction and wind waves build on the swells.  Ruffles of tiny wavelets scurrying along are the icing on top, marking downbursts of wind from passing squalls.  Random combinations of converging swells and troughs make sudden and unpredictable high peaks and equally deep holes in the water.  Waves and troughs on an angle to Kinetic try to slew her off-course and roll her from side to side.  Yet she keeps the sea well, deep keel and rudder keeping her upright and on a true course, her crew dry and safe.

The NE trade winds have filled in and seem to be holding.  It is warm during the night and warmer still during the day.  We are sailing downwind as hard and fast as we can, live-trimming the main, pole, spin sheet and, in heavier air, the choker.  With the strategic decisions on positioning already made, for good or for worse, and the trade wind corner successfully turned, much now depends on skill, wind and luck in a final 1000 mile "drag race" to Pailolo Channel and the finish line near Lahaina, Maui.  The race for Division 2 and corrected standings is far from over and we are expecting a tight finish.

The starboard off-watch has finally got ahead of its current maintenance requirements and is enjoying some sleep, chat and card games in the "mosh" pit - a disorderly pile of sail and personal gear bags in the main cabin.  Our breathable wet weather gear from Helly Hansen has worked very well in both colder and warmer weather.

Peter Moes is now known as the Midnite Barista.  His no-foam lattes have been voted as "Best of the Pacific".  There are also reports that he has been seen with the effigy formerly known as Voodoo Bandita.  Photos to follow.    More flying fish, at least two species, small and large, blue and silver, soaring the height of our bow and making wide radius bank turns before returning to the sea.  Watched two birds circling Kinetic for hours, trying to take on the wing the flying fish that we stirred up.   

At 1610 KST on 3 Jul, at position 27-07.7N, 139-41.2W, we sighted a sailboat with a pink/orange masthead spinnaker, range less than 3 nm, crossing our course on starboard gybe and heading about 255 degrees M.  Hailed her on VHF 16 but no response.  Later, at 2200, we saw a white stern light bearing 235 degrees M but lost contact in low clouds.  If this vessel was indeed in our race, we crossed within 3 miles after 1,700 miles of open ocean racing. 

Thank you's for assistance with pre-race preparations are due to Joan Van Paridon for the cards and special bottle and to Rich Alban, Steve Crowe and Steve LeClair as well as Dr. Alan Holmes of Global Medical Services.  We appreciate the continued support from our sponsor Harmony Airways - yesterday they air-freighted to Maui the pile of extra "cruising" gear required for our return delivery crew.   

Daily Kinetica: Definition:  "Pooching" - the undesirable art of sailing deep and slow.  "Go Hot, Go Deep" - the desirable art of sailing deep and fast.  

David Sutcliffe

Skipper, Kinetic

Kinetic 74373

IBM Vic-Maui 2004 International Yacht Race

POSN 25-10.937'N, 143.28.348'W

2245 KST 4 JUL 2004

074 TWA 14 TWS

230 COG 7.0 V

Hello again to friends and family of the crew of Kinetic.  

We are now on the home stretch to Maui.  Earlier today, we passed the 800 nm to go point.  Just before that milestone, we spotted and were quickly overtaken by a large US naval vessel throwing a monstrous rooster tail out the back.  We talked briefly on the VHF radio.  He was clearly in a hurry to go somewhere and soon disappeared over the horizon. 

We are in a different form of hurry - offshore sailboat racing.  At fleet radio role call, we had made 195 nm in our daily run, 2nd best of all the division 2 & 3 boats.  Wind speed and direction are ever more important now, as no less than 12 boats, the bulk of divisions 2 & 3, are converging on Hawaii from different angles, some 750-1000 miles out.  We are currently the boat that is 6th or 7th closest (of all 19 division 1, 2 & 3 boats) to the finish line.  How well sailed each boat is, and how much wind, and from which direction, and how sustained it is, will more or less determine the finishing order.  Some nascent beards are already being shaved in what is arguably premature anticipation. 

The trades are currently not very steady.  We'll sail along for hours in 15-20 knots, plus, then for hours in 10-15 knots; this seemingly small difference in wind speed, along with the effect of swells and waves, make a large difference in boat speed and in whether or not we can surf.  We expect to arrive in Lahaina sometime Friday; sooner if we get steadier, stronger winds. 

We have seen many more groups of flying fish.  While airborne, we refer to them as squadrons rather than as schools.  Meanwhile, we offer a correction to an item from several days ago; we have received expert advice to the effect that our Frigate Birds were actually a species of Tropic Birds with white tail feathers. 

Thank you in advance to the return delivery crew, Mike & Rae Sutcliffe and Walter & Mavis Norman, for offering to sail Kinetic back to Vancouver.  All four are experienced offshore sailors who have completed circumnavigations of the world. 

Happy Birthday wishes for Monday July 5th to Sarah from Werner and crew. 

Daily Kinetica: Kinetic's hull speed is about 8.5 knots; the fastest speed we have achieved on this race while surfing is 16.3 knots. 

David Sutcliffe

Skipper, Kinetic

Kinetic 74373

IBM Vic-Maui 2004 International Yacht Race

POSN 23-37'N, 145-50'W

1935 KST 5 JUL 04

080 TWA 17 TWS

218 COG 8.0 V

Hello again to friends and family of the crew of Kinetic.  

Night sailing in the trade winds, 0300-0700 watch:  the waning moon hangs gibbous in the Southern sky, luminous and finely featured, while behind our phosphorescent wake rises Venus, tack sharp and rivalling the moon with diamond brilliance, closely flanked by Mars, flickering red and comparably weak.  A shooting star streaks across the face of the moon and disappears behind our sails, followed by a high, thin skiff of wispy cloud signalling the wind strength and direction aloft.  The moon slowly sinks to the West, Venus rapidly rises, a beacon in the East, Mars fades and dawn is preceded by a loom on the horizon.  The sun rises, blazing our back trail, extinguishing stars and planets, painting clouds and sea a warm hue alike, diminishing the moon.  Wind and waves continue impassively.  Our eyes adjust to the new day. 

An errant flying fish ricochets off the bow pulpit, autographing Kinetic with silver scales on salt-encrusted stainless steel.  The bow plunges in and out of successive waves, turning thin curling sheets of water outward on either side, destroyer-like.  One spinnaker goes up on a fresh halyard, another comes down on a still-serviceable halyard; we have learned through necessity how to prevent/manage chafe.  Our bowman goes up the rig and applies sail repair tape to chafed areas on the mainsail's spreader patches.  Ears attuned to every change in Kinetic's cacophony, we investigate a new sound emanating from the boom vang.  An ounce of prevention ...  

This is now a contest of improving speed by tenths of knots, times the miles remaining.  We hope first for more wind and then for more consistent wind.  Winches grind and growl 24 hours per day, presaging the need for an overhaul after the race.  Maui is 710 miles away and we are inbound with urgency to meet friends & family.  Daily Kinetica: Kinetic sets 2307 square feet of downwind sail area, more than triple the floor area of David & Gaylean's first condo.  

David Sutcliffe

Skipper, Kinetic

Kinetic 74373

IBM Vic-Maui 2004 International Yacht Race

POSN 22-54'N, 147-20'W

0715 KST 6 JUL 04

090 TWA 25 TWS

240 COG 10+ V

Hello again to friends and family of the crew of Kinetic.  

During the night, a flying fish landed on deck and was promptly returned to the sea.  We are gybing to maintain speed toward Maui, now 534 miles away. 

Message to Sebastion (13):  Your earlier wind dance were mere training exercises compared to what we need now.  Now is the appointed hour, your singular duty is upon you, bend but do not break, sway but do not fall, waste no effort, spare no method, do not fail us now in our greatest need.  It is time to dance for the wind, to bring the winds to Kinetic; any wind, all winds, big winds, one wind to rule them all. 

The sun baked Kinetic and all things upon her.  Crew lathered lotions and most escaped unburnt.  It is possible that the bride may arrive at the wedding slightly overdone and wearing the latest trendy scent, eau de Aloe Vera.  The water in the solar shower became so hot that it was unusable for a time.  All are well in every respect. 

Thank you to Harmony Airways for getting so many of our friends and family to Maui in style and on time.  We hope to be not too far behind; long enough, though, for them to enjoy some beach time before we cross the finish line.  Thanks for all the support and advice to Steve Kempton - groom in waiting, Kirstin Anderson of Trilink Travel, Ingrid DeHaan of Crown Street Catering, Ron Vanderhelm, Pete McConnell, John Bugliarisi. 

Daily Kinetica: Kinetic's crew of 10 includes a scientist, an airline pilot, a social planner, an investment advisor, a doctor, a lawyer, an accountant and three business executives; the crew's average age is 45. 

David Sutcliffe

Skipper, Kinetic

Kinetic 74373

IBM Vic-Maui 2004 International Yacht Race

POSN 22-02'N, 149-58'W

0415 KST 7 JUL 04

105 TWD 17.5 TWS

240 COG 8.8 V

Hello again to friends and family of the crew of Kinetic.  

It is now quite hot above decks and warm and humid below decks.  A tiny silver flying fish was on the deck for a few hours before we found it and was completely desiccated.  We warmed up the shower water in plastic bags lying on the deck in the sun.  The port watch had showers yesterday and the starboard watch followed suit today.  Showers provided momentary relief from the heat and hopefully longer relief from the smells of shipboard life with a restricted water supply. 

Squalls, with or without rain, provide the best bursts of wind, but they eventually move on, leaving us in quieter wind until the next squall.  One today provided 20+ knots for over one hour.  We have experienced, in the trades, generally better wind during the night.   This holds true even during clear patches, when the constellations go cartwheeling across the sky. 

A flock of birds today was unusual; until now, we had only seen solitary birds or pairs.  This probably signals our relative proximity to land, now some 380 miles away.  Our thoughts and discussions are turning toward land, too. 

Thank you's to Ron Kolody (especially for grey line) and Jon & Brenda McLean (Victoria logistics). 

Daily Kinetica: The total length of sheets, guys, halyards and other lines used on Kinetic is over 3,800 feet. 

David Sutcliffe

Skipper, Kinetic

Kinetic 74373

IBM Vic-Maui 2004 International Yacht Race

POSN 21-52'N, 152-26'W

0130 KST 8 JUL 04

100 TWD 12 TWS

310 COG 7.3 V

Hello again to friends and family of the crew of Kinetic.  

Night, before moonrise, the sky an inky black void, perforated by pinpricks of light beyond count or imagination.  The Milky Way as you can only see it away from all other lights and civilization.  Familiar constellations and stars such as the Big Dipper and Polaris appear three-dimensional, prominent among the profusion of lesser lights.  Our wake, aglow with globs of phosphorescence, a feeble imitation.  Shooting stars streak silently earthward, searing tracks as sharp as a knife's edge.  The lulling sounds of waves and wind on hull and sails.  The silence of awestruck contemplation.  Timelessness. 

Today, we heard and saw airplanes, the first other than contrails in many days.  More birds, too, including one soaring silently alongside in the dark, an eerie shadow upon the sky beyond.  Another, enormous wingspan, wheeling, hovering and plunging, its prey below splashing wildly to escape.  

Kids ashore:  the wind dances are working, but just barely.  We need more!  249 miles to go.  Question:  if we go half the remaining distance each day, when will we arrive?   Think carefully!

Thank you's to Dan Sinclair (pre-race advice) and the radio operators aboard Renegade and Winds of Time for running the fleet's daily roll call.  

Daily Kinetica: Kinetic displaces 25,353 pounds, including about 8,500 pounds of lead keel, and draws 9 feet 2 inches of water. 

David Sutcliffe

Skipper, Kinetic

Kinetic 74373

IBM Vic-Maui 2004 International Yacht Race

POSN LAHAINA, MAUI

1252 KST 9 JUL 04

Hello again to friends and family of the crew of Kinetic.  

Today, at 1252 KST / 1152 HST, Kinetic crossed the finish line of the IBM Vic-Maui 2004 International Yacht Race. 

We spent the last 120 miles chasing down Antares, a well-sailed X-119, and one of the boats that took a very successful short-cut across the Pacific high pressure area.  At the daily roll call, they had reported a position that was a few miles closer to Maui than us, and many miles off to our right side.  We decided to find them, no small task in the open ocean, and engage in a boat-for-boat race to the finish line.  Our navigator, Mark McKim, estimated their most likely course and set our course to intercept them; he boldly predicted that we would see their red port bow light at about 10 pm.  A little earlier than that, we saw their spinnaker distant on the horizon, backlit brightly against the setting sun.  They evidently saw us, too, as they quickly gybed away from us and the race was on!  In the deepening gloom, we tracked them with radar and gradually gained ground until the two boats were only twenty boat lengths apart.  We spent all night crossing gybes only to converge again shortly after dawn, still the same twenty boat lengths apart.  We conversed by VHF radio and wagered a bottle of rum to the boat which crossed the finish line first.  This wager seemed to be the decisive sailing maneuver, as several hours later we crossed the finish line a few miles ahead of Antares, after some 2,700 miles of ocean sailing. 

We started the race as the seventh fastest ranked boat in the fleet of nineteen boats and we were the eighth boat to cross the finish line, unofficially at this time.  Official and corrected results, reflecting handicaps, will be available when the remaining boats have finished. 

The last twenty four hours were very busy, with active racing continuing right to the end.  We also had showers, some crew shaved, we re-read the Sailing Instructions for finish line details, we reflected on the last 16 days of offshore racing and camaraderie.  Our goals on departing from Victoria were to have fun, go fast, arrive in Lahaina as better friends and to win our division.  We have fully accomplished the first three objectives, and have left the last one unfinished, at least for now. 

A simple and sincere "thank you" to all our families, friends & supporters.  In more ways than these words can capture, we value your support for our adventure; we are fortunate indeed to have had such enthusiastic backing.  We also appreciate all the messages that we received by wireless email - they meant a lot to us as we read them aloud together, in the black of night, running downwind and downwave, feeling our way across an immense ocean.  Our sponsors, Harmony Airways and Panasonic, were also key contributors. 

Daily Kinetica: Kinetic's name was chosen to represent two ideas:  "motion" and "about family" (Kin: family & -etic: about). 

We will post a post-race summary after a few weeks R & R.  In the meantime, Mahalo and Aloha.

David Sutcliffe

Skipper, Kinetic

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