Trans-Pac Video Live-Stream
At San Francisco's St. Francis Yacht Club
On Wednesday at the St. Francis Yacht Club ( to which I do not belong) I attended a thrilling live-feed video stream via Starlink from the Halawa, a participant in the 53rd edition of the historic 2,225-nautical-mile race from LA to Hilo, Hawaii called the Transpac.
Ron Young, the sail tactician on board this 56’ -long blue Andrews yacht, hosted this live-stream video event from 1100 miles west from California, halfway through the Transpac. Ron did an amazing job, speaking “live from the ocean” to the SFYC lunchtime gathering via Zoom, as he buckled into his inflatable life jacket harness, with Halawa heeling 10 degrees to north with a 17 knot true wind speed. He told his rapt SFYC audience, “We’re sailing as hard and fast as we can.”
The 2025 Transpac began last week with 53 boats lining up in a series of three pursuit-style starts on July 1, July 3 and July 5, allowing all to finish within a few days of each other. Four boats have since retired from racing and the remaining fleet, ranging in size from 35 to 88 feet, is competing for both the fastest elapsed time to the finish line off Honolulu’s Diamond Head, and for the best corrected time results using the Offshore Racing Rule handicap system.
https://transpacyc.com/news
This Spring Ron had invited me to speak at the SFYC Hemingway’s last days. Now, a few months later, like a seasoned talk show host, he interviewed the crew, toured the cabin of this worthy Transpac contestant and took us topside. As we tucked into our prime rib and sipped iced-tea safely in the elegant reaches Chart Room of The St. Francis Yacht Club, we felt like we were there on board Halawa as we watched the virtual live-feed. We could almost feel the salt water splashing our faces.
You can view an archived version of the live feed here.
As loath as I am to promote anything to do with Elon Musk I must report that Starlink made this live-stream possible. In a previous post I wrote how I interviewed a couple via WhatsApp last Winter for an article in a yachting magazine.
They were cruising the Bahamas with a Starlink internet dish tethered to their 27-foot Ranger tug. They call their Starlink dish a “real game changer”. You can view their YouTube videos below:
Trans-Pac Video Image Freezing During the Livestream
However, during the livestream via Zoom to SFYC , Starlink’s video stream feed kept freezing even with its “in motion support”. The Starlink website says its download “speeds up to 400+ Mbps for fast, reliable connectivity” but doesn’t mention the upload speed needed for video streaming which I suspect is smaller. I don’t know which service plan the Halawa was using for Starlink Maritime “which offers faster speeds and prioritizes data on the water” ( Starlink).
Some blue-water Starlink users have complained on Reddit saying the standard dish may struggle with maintaining a consistent connection on a moving boat, particularly in choppy waters or when making frequent course changes.
Starlink says its Flat High-Performance Dish is the best bet for connectivity from a moving vessel, “for demanding tasks like professional video streaming”. With a wider view and better GPS capabilities it has the ability to connect with more satellites underway to maintain connectivity.
Technology and Bluewater Yacht Racing
During this video live feed we learned from the “Nav” ( navigation) officer, Mark, how technology has recently transformed offshore yacht racing. He showed us the apps he uses, one showing different velocities for all the yachts racing towards Hawaii as well as the names of the boats.
With a simple tap of his finger on the nav station screen he zoomed in his competitor’s vessels pink dot to view where they were headed to catch the best wind and their position in the race. He could also learn via the same app the other racer ‘s velocity and their course. He touched the screen and announced that “Triumph is 30-49 north of us, moving at 20.6 knots. ”
The small pod of a nav station, “my office”, he told us, is where he determines the most “productive efficient course” for this 33-year old refitted vessel. In addition to traditional navigational equipment his station includes an Iridium satellite phone, VHF radio and a battery monitor. A paddle wheel on Halawa’s bottom tells him Halawa’s velocity. As the vessel isn’t equipped with a generator, ( to save weight?) the crew turns on the engine twice daily to recharge batteries used to run the nav station equipment and the boat’s other electronics.
Conrad, the Mate and Cal Maritime grad, told us that he began sailing at 8 years-old on a sail dinghy built from plywood. He pointed to Colin, sitting next to him, a burly CFO of an insurance company who is “three times as strong as me, and smart” who works the “handles”, topside, trimming the sails by pumping on the winches.
“When we go down a wave, the boat accelerates and then Colin has to bring in the kite ( sail) making it tighter so the boat begins to surf.” - Colin, Mate of the Halawa
Page, another crew member, told the SFYC audience that he had been on races where people have died and that a “good helmsman anticipates movement of waves and wind.”
Kimo, the captain and owner of Halawa, told us he refitted his boat before the race with a new carbon fiber mast and boom and bought new sails. He received the spar only one week before the start of race. He also made modifications to the keel bulb. He changed the traditional watch system of four on four off to a system of a four hour daytime watch and three hours at night, to give crew more rest and keep accomplished drivers fresh. The ten-person crew is divided into 4 squads of 2 with 2 floaters taking over “when someone is wiped out.”
“We’re not on a cruise ship, working like crazy all the time if we’re not sleeping” Ron told the SFYC luncheon audience whose toughest task at hand was choosing between a cookie or brownie for desert.
“New brains come on watch after resting. The Trans- Pac is won or lost at night. Computers and brains figure out how to go faster. If you’re not rested, and don’t have enough brain power you lose you analytic power to make the boat go faster.”
-Captain Kimo
The cook, Ron Young told us, was one of the best he had ever had racing on this his fourth Pacific crossing. “He’s also a great driver and trimmer. The omelet I had this morning that was better than I have ever had a restaurant.” Ron then opened a drawer o show the SFYC audience freeze-dried food packets that crew could fill with boiling water when hungry.
Kimo decided to race his boat two years ago after his father died. “I started to think of an appropriate way to bid his farewell, “ he said. Last year, after scattering his father’s ashes at the end of the 2024 Trans-Pac race with his brothers, he realized that he “liked being on the ocean” and began to get Halawa ready for the 2025 Trans-Pac.
Ron Young asked Kimo what is needed to prepare for the Trans-Pac.
“A supportive wife and learning to delegate.”
Lucky, an 88-foot Juan K-designed yacht owned by Bryon Ehrhart, claimed the Transpac’s coveted Barn Door Trophy on Friday, July 11, as the first monohull to finish the 2025 race. Crossing the Diamond Head finish line at approximately 0723 Hawaiian time, Lucky completed the 2,225-mile course in 5 days, 21 hours, 23 minutes and 49 seconds—the fifth-fastest elapsed time for a Barn Door winner in race history.
https://transpacyc.com/