The 2001 Transpac

July 14, 2001

TAIL END CHARLIES STILL FRIENDS, BUT VOW NEVER AGAIN

HONOLULU – Several days ago the two-man senior citizen crew of Watercolors sent the message: “Looks like we win last to finish trophy but won’t be there to pick it up.”

Right on both counts. The 41st Transpacific Yacht Race ended Saturday morning when Michael Abraham and Phil Rowe of Newport Beach, Calif., sailed Abraham's Watercolors, a Sabre 402 sloop, past the Diamond Head finish line exactly 3 minutes 32 seconds shy of 14 days for the 2,225-nautical miles from their June 30 start off the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

They were assured of receiving the traditional Tail End Charlie trophy when Jorge Morales' Mystere, a Swan 42 from Laguna Niguel, Calif., finished less than an hour and a half earlier. All the other honors were distributed Friday night during the awards dinner at the Renaissance Ilikai Waikiki Hotel.

Abraham and Rowe, close friends since their college days at UC Santa Barbara, had only one complaint. "We heard that some guys had won the Ancient Mariner [oldest crew] trophy for an average age of 56 or something," Rowe said.

Actually, the 65-foot ketch Bonaire claimed a maturity mark of 55.65 years.

"Our average age is 64," Rowe said. "We're both 64."

Aye, matey, and there's the rub. "Phil and I agreed we're not going to do it again, certainly not doublehanded." Abraham said. "We don't have the balance or the agility or the stamina. If we'd had an emergency it might have been difficult. We didn't realize what our ages would mean. Typically, you can steer for only 30 minutes at a time, [then] you're gonna start losing it."

Doublehanders are allowed to use autopilot; Watercolors used it about 70 per cent of the time, Abraham said.

Still, unlike most of the other younger crews that arrived after much shorter voyages, Abraham and Rowe were as clean-shaven and neatly attired as a pair of gentlemen relaxing at their yacht club.

"We took showers every third day," Rowe said.

Most important, their friendship survived. "We never saw each other," Rowe said. "There was only one place to sleep.

"When we started we had three objectives: Get there, don't get injured and have a good time. Nowhere on that list was winning."

TRANSPAC CAMEOS

Most of the award winners Friday night were known going in -– the Barn Door for Philippe Kahn's Pegasus, overall for Seth Radow's Bull, etc. Surprised recipients included Pegasus' Zan Drejes, most valuable crew member on the fastest boat for the second consecutive time, following 1999 aboard Roy E. Disney's Pyewacket; the Pacific High trophy to Yoshihiko Murase's Japanese entry, Bengal II, which ventured farther north of the rhumb line than anyone; the fishing trophy to Bonaire, which tallied eight mahi mahi, three tuna and one attacking marlin that got away. . . .

Natalie Frazier, the 12-year-old recovering lymphoma victim who was an "honorary" crew member for Hawaiian doublehanded entry Two Guys On the Edge, joined Dan Doyle and Bruce Burgess on stage and read a poem she had written for them before they left:

"Sailing across the sea

In inspiration of me

Nothing but water all around

When you return you will be crowned

"Keep in touch every day

And remember don't ever quit

Seasick is bad, but sailing is rad

Watch the wave, think of me

And the good person you will always be."

Doyle said, "That really was all the motivation we needed. The wind wasn't there, so it was frustrating, but we knew we had to keep going." Donations to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society may be made through the Two Guys campaign. Donors receive a team cap for $50 and a crew shirt for $100. Details: (808) 534-1222. . . .

Transpacific Yacht Club Commodore Sandy Martin followed the tradition of his recent predecessors by meeting all 32 finishers at Ala Wai Yacht Harbor, no matter what the hour. "Once you're up it's pretty nice," he said. "Everybody has such a good time." But, 32 luaus in eight days? Life will seem empty now.

Plantation at Ko Olina is a supporter of Transpac 2001. Stratos Mobile Networks is the official communications supplier, providing satellite telephones to facilitate monitoring of the fleet. For more information please contact Stephanie Thomassen at (800) 250-8962 or (206) 633-5888.

Final standings in order of handicap ratings:

DIVISION 1 (started July 1)

1. Pegasus (Reichel/Pugh 75), Philippe Kahn, Santa Cruz, Calif., finished 8 days 2 hours 34 minutes 3 seconds.
   
2. Pyewacket (Reichel/Pugh 73), Roy E. Disney, Los Angeles, Calif., 8:03:36:58.
   
3. Chance (Reichel/Pugh 74), Bob McNulty, Corona del Mar, Calif., 8:05:08:24.
   
4. Merlin's Reata (Lee 68), Al Micallef, Ft. Worth, Tex., 8:17:45:35.
   
   

DIVISION 2 (started July 1)

1. Grand Illusion (Santa Cruz 70), James McDowell, Haiku, H.I., 9:02:34:24.
   
2. J-Bird III (Transpac 52), David Janes, Newport Beach, Calif., 8:23:36:10.
   
3. Taxi Dancer (R/P 68), Brian W. Mock, Corona del Mar, Calif., 9:04:17:13.
   
4. Yassou (Transpac 52), Jim and Nancy Demetriades, Beverly Hills, Calif., 9:05:50:42.
   
5. Medicine Man (Andrews 61), Bob Lane, Long Beach, Calif., 9:02:47:43.
   
6. Ragtime (Spencer 65), Hui Holokai Syndicate, Owen Minney/Trisha Steele, Honolulu, 9:17:20:25.
   
7. Mongoose (SC 70), Robert Saielli, La Jolla, Calif., 9:16:18:32.
   
8. DH--Étranger (Jutson 50), Howard Gordon, San Luis Obispo, Calif., 10:04:04:01.
   
   

DIVISION 3 (started June 30)

1. Cantata (Andrews 53), Brent Vaughan, Oceanside, Calif., 10:07:44:54.
   
2. Firebird (Nelson/Marek 55), Greg Sands, Long Beach, Calif., 10:08:16:10.
   
3. Bengal II (Ohashi 52), Yoshihiko Murase, Nagoya, Japan, 9:16:20:56.
   
4. Baronesa V (Open 40), Shuichi Ogasawara, Miyagi, Japan, 10:00:49:34.
   
5. Rocket Science (Riptide 55), Nguyen Le, Amsterdam, 10:01:26:49.
   

DIVISION 4 (started June 30)

1. Bull (Sydney 40 OD-T), Seth Radow, Marina del Rey, Calif., 10:17:49:19.
   
2. Sensation (1D35), Mike Thomas, Detroit, Mich., 11:01:07:05.
   
3. DH--Two Guys On the Edge (Sonoma 30), Dan Doyle, Honolulu, H.I., 12:18:46:19.
   
4. Ouch (J/120), Ted Mayes, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., 11:13:35:47.
   
5. Uproarious (Olson 40), Robert Bussard, Santa Fe, N.M., 11:22:07:58.
   
6. Mystere (Swan 42), Jorge Morales, Laguna Niguel, Calif., 13:22:33:02.
   
7. DH --Watercolors (Sabre 402), Michael Abraham, Newport Beach, Calif., 13:23:56:28.
   

RETIRED -- LawnDart (Fast 40), Bill Allan, Nanaimo, B.C., 2,175.

DH-Doublehanded

ALOHA DIVISION A (started June 25)

1. Willow Wind (Cal 40), Wendy Siegal, Sunset Beach, Calif., 14:06:01:24.
   
2. Shanakee II (Pedrick 75), Jim Warmington, Balboa, 11:15:51:38.
   
3. Seda (Ericson 41), Josef Sedivec, Bonita, Calif., 15:11:48:05.
   
4. Sea Dancer (Ericson 35), Al Wheatman, Marina del Rey, 16:03:44:57.
   
5. Bonaire (Moody 65), Gil Jones and Associates, Newport Beach, 13:22:53:56.
   
6. Gecko (Tartan 41), Jim Fabrick, Laguna Beach, 15:15:09:09.
   
   

ALOHA DIVISION B (started June 25)

1. Axapac (Wylie 39), Barry Ruff, Vancouver, B.C., 3:23:55:26.
   
2. Stardust (Wylie 46), Peter and Patricia Anderson, Laguna Beach, 13:05:01:24.
   
   

TRACKING CHART

Check the courses your favorite boats followed across the Pacific with the Transpac tracking chart on the official Web site at www.transpacificyc.org.

TRANSPAC PUBLICITY

Rich Roberts

cell phone (310) 213-2526

Information center (808) 946-9061

richroberts@compuserve.com