Although Eric sees his participation in the Singlehanded
TransPac mainly as a personal accomplishment, he admits "that may
change when the gun goes off." He's got both the boat and the experience
to threaten the favorites - Olson 30s have won and set records in this
race several times, and Jungemann himself has completed two Pacific Cups,
taking second in class in the doublehanded division of the last one in
1992.
Actually, Eric almost climbed aboard the same boat, the Crealock 37 Oregon Native, to do last summer's Tahiti Race. But those plans fell through when business commitments caused his partner to pull the plug on the project. Somewhat dejected about the whole thing, Eric drove out to New Mexico's Elephant Butte Reservoir, a popular sailing site, to visit his father.
"And sitting right there at the dock was this Olson 30 for sale that had spent almost its entire life in fresh water. . . ," says Jungemann.
It didn't take long for Eric to make a deal and get the boat to Alameda. Then the work began. Big Mon underwent extensive upgrades, including the addition of such new gear as: headsails, furler, rod (standing) rigging, Spectra/Technora running rigging, wiring/batteries/ charging system, dodger, rudder and a newly faired bottom. The rig itself - mast, boom, vang and mast step - have also been beefed up and the stick converted to double spreaders. Eric echoes the sentiments of most racers when he says, "The preparation is endless and by far the most work. Compared to that, the race itself should be fun."
Like many, Eric will sail the boat back home after the TransPac. Unlike most, that trip may be as special or more so than the race, as his crew will be Bert, his 72-year-old father who'll be making his first ocean crossing.
Navigation: Magellan GPSs (2), sextant backup; Steering: Alpha 3000 and Auto-helm 3000 autopilots; Food: "Basic single dish fare, mostly canned and easy to prepare."
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