42th Biennial Transpacific Yacht Race / Los Angeles to Hawaii Transpacific Yacht Club, Brad Avery, Commodore June 13, 2003 LIVING A PIPE DREAM IN TRANSPAC 2003 LONG BEACH, Calif.---It was convenient how Transpacific Yacht Club scheduled its 42nd biennial race from Los Angeles to Hawaii this summer because it fit right into Scott Piper's plans. "This is part of the third circumnavigation," he said. Piper's Pipe Dream IX from Coral Gables, Fla. is one of three J/160s and eight J Boats overall. All will start in Divisions 3 and 4 on the Fourth of July, following the Cal 40 and Aloha fleets on July 1 and preceding Divisions 1 and 2 on July 6.
The other J/160s are Peter Johnson's Maitri and Myron Lyon's Innocent Merriment, both from San Diego. There also are a J/145, two J/125s and two J/120s. There is even another boat named Pipe Dream: John Davis' Choate/Feo 37 from Long Beach. But it's a good bet that among the race's 59 entries none has as much mileage under its keel as Pipe Dream IX. Piper, 64, has sailed the 53-foot boat 79,341 nautical miles since he bought it in 1996. That's more than 35 Transpacs, at 2,225 miles each. In the past seven years the Florida orthopedic surgeon has been around Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope, through the Suez Canal and through the Panama Canal four times, including on this tour. "We left Miami on Feb. 22," Piper said. "Hawaii's on the way, which is why we're doing the Transpac. We'll go from there to the Marshall Islands, Palau, the Philippines, Borneo . . . I do most of my racing in an Etchells and use the big boat to cruise, but whenever a race presents itself, I do it." That includes the Sydney-Hobart race on circumnavigation No. 2 and a course record in the Annapolis-Bermuda race in '96 on what he calls a "shakedown cruise." Most of those miles have been in comfort. "Of the three J/160s going, we are by far the most in a cruising mode," Piper said. "I have everything on that boat you can imagine." Maitri and Innocent Merriment reported enjoying "extensive wine cellars [and] fresh showers every day" when they finished 1-2 overall in last year's San Diego-to-Puerto Vallarta race. Piper said his amenities include a fridge and freezer, washer-dryer, three air conditioners, a large transformer, three extra fuel tanks, a big-screen TV---"You name it," Piper said, "we have it." He launched his current lifestyle 10 years ago, alternating a couple of months of work with portions of his circumnavigations, flying between Florida and his stopovers. "It's been a successful formula for me," he said. "Though not as lucrative, the practice held together." His wife Gillette will join him after Transpac for a cruise of the Hawaiian Islands before he sets out for the Marshalls in October. "I met her as a blind date after a Newport-Bermuda race when I was 21 and she was 19," Piper said. "She named the first boat." They'll celebrate their 40th anniversary before he starts Transpac. TRANSPAC NOTES The skippers and crews of Transpac's eight San Diego entries will be hosted Tuesday, June 17, by LARRY BAUMANN, owner of the Bali Hai Restaurant on Shelter Island. The reception will start at 6 p.m. and feature Polynesian dancers and complimentary food. Accommodation is limited to the first 200 reservations, which may be made by phoning (619) 523-9318. . . . The Aloha sendoff dinner is scheduled Saturday, June 28, 6 p.m., at the new Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort, 21500 Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach. Tickets are available to race non-participants by contacting AL GARNIER at (310) 816-6515. The price is $52. . . . Looking for still another party? Willow Wind skipper WENDY SIEGAL and navigator DUNCAN HARRISON, who generated the Cal 40 revival with 10 boats, will host a getaway gathering Sunday, June 29, 5 p.m. at Gangway 13, Slip 267, in the Alamitos Bay Marina. Since food and drink will already be stowed, guests are asked to bring their own. . . . NEIL BARTH of Newport Beach has withdrawn his Volvo 60, America's Challenge, which he planned to sail doublehanded with TROY BETHEL. "We are simply unable to complete the project in a time frame that will enable us to race safely and competitively," Barth said. The total fleet is now 59 boats. . . The last Safety at Sea seminar before Transpac---required of 30 per cent of the crew and both members of a doublehanded crew within the last five years---is scheduled June 28 at the Orange Coast College of Sailing and Seamanship in Newport Beach. Those interested are urged to sign up by phone at (949) 645-9412, ext. 2. EDITORS: A press/photo boat will be available to accredited media for all three starts. Complimentary, copyright free photos in high and low resolution also are available. Please contact the press officer (below) concerning either matter. OFFICIAL ENTRIES (as of June 13, 2003):(Some division assignments provisional) RACING DIVISION
Division 1 (starts July 6)
DH - Doublehanded ALOHA DIVISION (starts July 1)Aloha A
Aloha B
Transpac Documentary Video/DVD The two-hour historical documentary "Transpac/A Century Across the Pacific" is on sale in marine stores and nautical museums or may be ordered online with a credit card through a link on the Web site home page www.transpacificyc.org. The Web site also has a mail-order form. The video format $39.95, DVD $49.95 and PAL $49.95 for countries requiring that medium. COMMODOREBrad Avery (949) 645-9412 brad@occsailing.com ENTRIES PRESS OFFICER WEB PAGE
The official 2003 TransPac Yacht Race Website http://www.transpacificyc.org
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