Just to provide a small qualification to the impressive headline, there were only three boats in the cruising division of this year's Vic-Maui Race and the cruisers did start a few days ahead of the main fleet of 11 boats. But Ballymack did indeed lead the fleet for the first 1,000 miles or so and, as the pictures will attest, certainly sailed with a style that probably few other boats in the history of the Race have achieved.
Skippers and crew in the Vic-Maui tend to cover the spectrum in terms of prioritization of racing versus the experience. The skipper and crew of Ballymack were pretty much at the "its-all-about-the-experience" end of the spectrum. Although we did our best in terms of sailing the optimum course and maximizing speed and had a respectable placing, we did seem to excel in turning the 2,400 plus mile voyage into a uniquely enjoyable experience.
Thanks to our skipper, Mike Cormack, and his very able culinary assistants, Allard Ockeloen and R.C Myles, the typical offshore racing regime of tinned and dried food meals was replaced with a constant series of memorable meals, the dinners usually accompanied by a glass of excellent French wine and a an aged single malt whisky.
I doubt if any of us will ever forget moments such as when sitting around the cockpit table at sunset, half-way to Hawaii, dining on organic bison tenderloin with Roquefort cheese and fresh vegetables, accompanied by an excellent Chateauneuf Du Pape, while Roxanne, the faithful Hydrovane self-steering gear, guided us safely through the swells.
Our very capable navigator, Walter Norman, took us on a course further offshore than most of the fleet. This took us more directly to Hawaii but with the trade-off of encountering lighter winds on the edge of the Pacific High. Ultimately, our course was dictated by the sailing preferences of Ballymack herself, a traditional Hans Christian 48. With no symmetrical spinnaker, Ballymack was not able to sail efficiently at a deep angle to the wind and so after the first 10 days of sailing on starboard tack, we made a series of gybes either side of the direct course to Maui.
RC Myles was the rookie sailor on board, but a master fisherman. A few days past Cape Flattery he caught a nice eight-pound tuna. Within 20 minutes, RC and Allard had the fish cleaned and filleted and the entire crew were enjoying extremely fresh sashimi, accompanied of course by soy, wasabi and fresh ginger. Later in the trip we caught two mahi-mahi and even managed to improve upon the experience with not just sashimi, but excellent ceviche and fish tacos with ginger and fresh made mango salsa.
By the end of our first week, conditions changed enough that we felt as if we were really in the Vic-Maui surging along at up to 8 knots. On day nine, we had our only significant gear failure. After some hours of sailing through confused waves and swells, the genoa halyard shackle gave way and the genoa went overboard.
After some consideration as to who should go aloft, it soon became clear that RC was the prime candidate. Although the rookie sailor, he had already proven himself as a natural helmsman and sailor. None of us argued when he volunteered to go aloft and retrieve the broken halyard from the top of the mast as it rolled crazily through a 30 foot arc. RC paid serious heed to the advice to not let go and on returning to the deck had deep bruises on his legs and arms. By day 15, we were less than 500 miles from Maui and experiencing the most perfect sailing conditions imaginable. The wind blew steadily at 18-20 knots and we averaged over seven knots, surfing at higher speeds down the wave fronts.
We sighted Maui on day 18 at 10:30 a.m. The final eight miles along the Maui coast to Lahaina were pure magic. The seas were flat but we had a good 20 knots of wind blowing us at full speed towards the finish line. The sun was setting and lighting up the rain clouds over the Maui hills with a bright rainbow. A perfect setting for our finish. We had taken 18 days 12 hours and 42 minutes.
The Ballymack raised over $26,000 in donations for the Down Syndrome Research Foundation. Allard's eldest daughter Emily (age nine) has Down syndrome. As Allard puts it, "I hope that our efforts help to elevate the acceptance of young adults with Down syndrome, so Emily can enjoy her adulthood to the fullest and participate in as many facets of life as she chooses."
Allard is grateful for the support he received from local community members and said, "Of the $26,000+ that was raised by the Ballymack crew for the Down Syndrome Research Foundation (DSRF), $3,800 came in as donations from local Bowen Islanders. Thanks to our very generous friends on Bowen for a very successful fundraising effort."
The Ballymack team
