A few boats have withdrawn, a few seem to be having problems, no boat has suffered serious damage, and no one has been injured or killed. Winds allowing, it looks like the leader will complete the race in four days, breaking the record of five days. A large field will complete in five or six days, and the remaining fleet will complete within 28 days.
My friend Mark is up there with the top 10 (well, he’s tenth right now) and making excellent progress on catching the boats in front of him. Early on he made a choice on which way to go, and once committed the wind died, turning a great choice into a disaster. That’s sailing.
The leader (a 27 foot catamaran with two people on board) picked a careful course through the islands and managed to catch the best winds. They could hit a piece of driftwood, or get caught in a whirlpool, or crash into an island from sleep deprivation, but if their luck holds, they’ll be in Ketchikan tomorrow.