J/Teams Battle Light-Air Pacific Cup Race to Hawaii
(San Francisco, CA)- The Pacific Cup is a premier offshore sailing race that challenges participants with an exhilarating journey from San Francisco, California to Kaneohe, Hawaii. Held on even-numbered years since 1980, this renowned ocean race spans over 2,100 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean, offering both seasoned racers and passionate amateurs a unique test of skill, endurance, and seamanship.
Hosted by the Pacific Cup Yacht Club, “the FUN Race to Hawaii” is known for its welcoming spirit, competitive yet laid-back atmosphere, and unforgettable camaraderie among participants. Open to a variety of yacht classes, the race balances serious offshore competition with the thrill of adventure and the reward of a warm Hawaiian welcome at the finish line.
From meticulous preparation and tactical weather routing to the celebration at Kaneohe Yacht Club, the Pacific Cup is more than a race— it’s an experience that builds lasting memories and lifelong friendships.
With staggered starts, 48 teams began the biennial 2,070 nm race from San Francisco, California, to Kaneohe, Hawaii, over a week ago.
Veterans of the 2026 race will all share a common narrative: how they avoided, or dealt with, the patch of light air that dominated the middle of the course.
The earliest starters had little choice but to slog through it, as in “so wide you can’t get around it.” The navigator of Lightspeed summed it up: “Gotta say, this navigator appreciates how hard the crew worked to keep the boat moving when the wind dropped to single digits and swung within a 40-degree arc. We never stopped pushing to get every last tenth of a knot out of this girl.”
In general, the early starters took a pretty standard path, arcing a bit to the south to catch possibly stronger winds, if not by much.
Then came the Friday racers, the greyhounds of the fleet, ready to scream toward Hawaii at 20 knots or better. Well, not so fast. They, too, got caught by the light air. With the blob moving south, they opted uniformly to arc over the light stuff, though this puts them at risk of being caught by the low velocities in the Pacific High. But really, it was the only path. The “greyhounds” were ambling along with speeds in the low tens. Great numbers for the early starters, but not quite what these sleds are hoping for.
Day seven, and the fleet fanned out across the western half of the course into three very different weather worlds. Out front, the leaders have reached the trade winds and are finally pointing at Hawaii.
In the middle, a big patch of light and shifty air has turned into a genuine parking lot. And the fast boats that started Friday lost their strong coastal breeze and are now in that same soft stuff, which is doing wonders for everyone chasing them.
The weather picture
It all revolves around the North Pacific High. The Pacific winds swirl around this huge clump of higher pressure, defining where the wind is and isn’t. Over the next three days, the High slowly lifts to the northeast, keeping the fleet split into three very different groups.
The leaders, out in the far southwest, are the lucky ones. They have crossed well below the High and into the trades: warm air in the low 70s, breeze in the teens, and a downwind slide under a building south-southwest swell.
The middle of the fleet drew the short straw. Sitting under the ridge, they are in light, fickle air, pockets of decent breeze separated by dead spots and big wind shifts. For the next few days, the ridge sits overhead, so it’s a patience game: find the lanes, and you gain; fall into a hole, and you watch the fleet sail away.
And the big boats, the Friday sleds, have sailed off their strong coastal reach straight into that same lighter belt. Their speeds have already backed off from yesterday’s 12 and 13 knots into the 10 to 11 knot range, and the ridge will keep the pressure modest for the next three days. That is the great equalizer: put the fleet’s fastest boats into soft air, and suddenly a 27-footer far ahead does not look so far away.
ORR 2 Division
Sailing in this fleet is Michael Spies’s J/160 MARITIMO 160 from Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. They have been at the top of the leaderboard for much of the race so far.
ORR 3 Division
Two J/Teams are sailing in this fleet; Falk Meissner’s J/99 SHARK ON BLUEGRASS from Berkeley Yacht Club and Tim Roche’s J/92 ZAFF from Richmond Yacht Club. Both teams have been doing well and vying for the top of the leaderboard as well.
For more Pacific Cup Race sailing information
https://pacificcup.org/