CHANGES perating that there was no mention in the Mexican government's Boater's Welcome to Mexico Guide that all anyone had to do to get a TIP was go to the Banjercito just across the border from Otay Mesa, a half hour from San Diego. One Ha-Ha entrant did this the Friday before the start of the Ha-Ha and said he was in and out in 15 minutes. Saving perhaps the best for last, we can announce that ‘Home is the Sailor’. Warwick 'Commodore' Tompkins of Mill Valley made an October doublehanded passage, with his old friend and protégé Robert Flowerman, from Hawaii to San Francisco with his Wylie 39+ Flashgirl. Two other expected crew for the lateseason trip weren’t able to make it. Readers may remember that Flashgirl was struck by lightning while on a mooring off Kaneohe this summer, and still suffers greatly from electrical and mechanical problems. Did we mention that Commodore will turn 85 on February 26? The passage took 21.5 days, the second slowest of Commodore's 20+ trips from Hawaii to California. The big prob-
lem was the unusual wind direction and fluctuations in the wind. It was part of the same chaotic North Pacific weather situation that turned back Jeanne Socrates when she attempted to start her most recent solo around-the-world trip with Nereida, and the same weather that brought endless southerly winds to HaHa boats trying to make it down the coast to San Diego from the Pacific Northwest. Normally Commodore goes up to 40 or even 42N to get over the top of the Pacific High, but this time he never got farther north than 38. And in so doing, he and Robert had lots of 'strange winds'. “We had lots of sailing in 25 to 30 knots, which meant a triple-reefed main or even a staysail, and at times just the staysail," says Commodore. "Pretty dull sailing with so little sail up. We did have to heave to one night when it was blowing 30 knots and waves were crashing on the deck. I was surprised at how well such a light and narrow boat as Flashgirl hove to. Robert and I slept like babies.”
Commodore says it wasn’t the worst weather he’s had coming back from Hawaii, but it was unusual weather for the passage. For example, they had 36 hours of complete calm in ‘gale alley’ just off the coast of California. And when they finally made landfall at Pt. Reyes, they had to beat upwind to get south to San Francisco. The one aspect of the trip that made Commodore particularly happy is his new set of sails. They were made in New Zealand, but using US-made Contender hybrid cloth. “They were excellent, which was important as we had no engine. “The sailing part of the trip was easy,” contends Commodore. “All the sailing parts of the boat worked just fine. It was the other stuff — the engine, the autopilot, the refrigeration, the electrical — that caused us such grief.” So what’s next on the plate for the soon-to-be 85-year -old Commodore? “I need work,” he says. “You know of anybody who needs professional sailing services?” Good ol’ Commodore. They smashed the mold for him into a million pieces.
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