"Nai'a hasn't been lying, but her nose has been growing,"
wrote Michael in the Winter 1996 edition of Trimaran Times, a newsletter
published by Save the Dolphins, a division of the Bay Area environmental
group Earth Island Institute. Ever since her launch four years ago, Nai'a
('dolphin' in Hawaiian) has performed the dual roles of offshore racer
and publicity vehicle for the Institute.
What Reppy was referring to was the 'growth spurt' the boat experienced this past winter. The former 30-footer was literally cut apart and lengthened, 2 feet in each ama and 6 more feet in the main hull. With other additions such as a carbon fiber boom and spinnaker pole and a deeper daggerboard, says Michael, "the results have been dramatic. The boat is much more stable and controllable." After previous plans to sail the SSS TransPac were shelved in 1992 and 1994, Mike feels the boat is finally ready. Indeed, the 'new' Nai'a will likely be the boat to beat for line honors, even sailed conservatively.
Although the SSS TransPac will be Reppy's first, he is no stranger to crossing oceans quickly. Aboard his former boat, the Shuttleworth 42 trimaran Damiana, Reppy took third in the (crewed) 1987 'Open' TransPac, and first in class in the '88 CSTAR (Carlsburg Singlehanded Trans-Atlantic Race, formerly the OSTAR).
Michael will keep busy during this year's race tweaking and tuning for maximum efficiency while the autopilot steers the three-ruddered boat. At the speeds of which Nai'a is capable, he doesn't feel like he's going to be doing much recreational reading, but he is bringing along music "to fit the mood and conditions - rock, folk, spiritual, whatever." Similarly, he'll choose his exact route depending on the 'mood' of the weather at the time.
"I'm looking forward to some great tradewind surfing," says Reppy of the upcoming race, adding, "I'm also sailing to save the dolphins."
Navigation: Trimble, Garmin GPSs; Steering: Navico autopilots; Food: "One-pot meals" - premade the first few days, then fresh as long as it lasts, then canned.
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