Comms staging,in Rainbow Harbour

1337PDT-33.45.500N, 118.11.500W-, BS=0.00, Heading=315, Pressure1016, Cloud Cover=50 percent (comments: marine layer - burning off), Sea State=Rippled, Calm,

"This is an e-mail from the boat. We are using an Iridium Product called XGate - which is slicker' n snot. This email is being sent using MarinaNet Internet connection but the next one you receive should come from the Iridium Phone itself."

"All's good down here. Chuggy is dropping of the trailer. We picked up the raft this morning and should get our Safety Inspection from Roby tomorrow afternoon."

"More to come Doug"

Here is the translation: In the old days we used to send e-mail in "packets" using the SSB radio and a Pactor Modem. It was slow like an old 2400 rate fax and you could not send much either. Now a days they use Iridium Satellite telephones that do the job about 4 time faster and you can send bigger files too. Iridium use costs more however but there is not budget for this endeavour so full speed ahead down the Technology Superhighway I say!

They need to move the trailer over San Pedro Harbour on the industrial side of the LBC. Shipping company Matson will ship the empty (well except for a change of clothes, a mickey of Fireball, and Chuggy's acceptance speech) trailer over to Honolulu and Greg and Chuggy will load the boat on it for shipping back to the mainland after the race.

Life Rafts are like Cell Phones. It is a safety requirement that the life raft needs to be certified by an accredited life raft inspector every two years (at the longest). This usually costs about 20 percent of the value of the new raft! So like Cell Phones they might as well give you the raft because they make it on the service!

Roby is the head of the Safety Committee and every boat is inspected for compliance - before the race - what a concept huh? We became fast friends with him when we began racing across to Hawaii in 2001. That is him on the right in the picture above next to Pacific Alumni, Roscoe and current candidate for greatness Doug at the Kanehoe after party.

Mai Tais are an important component of Transpac racing. Among many other wisdoms Roby taught all of us the fine points and where to find the best Mai Tais. Patron Benefactor Emeritus Alf Tait bought for all of them that year I recall!