Transpac Yacht Race News

2003 Start Dates:

Tuesday, July 1st - Division V, CAL 40 Aloha A & B
Friday, July 4th - Divisions III & IV
Sunday, July 6 - Divisions I & II

42th Biennial Transpacific Yacht Race / Los Angeles to Hawaii

Transpacific Yacht Club, Brad Avery, Commodore
www.transpacificyc.org

July 1, 2003

B'QUEST BATTLES THE HONEYS IN AGONIZING FIRST TRANSPAC START

LOS ANGELES---The starting gun fired punctually at 1 p.m. Tuesday for the first of three starts in the 42nd Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii . . . and nothing happened. On a warm, sunny day, with a breeze of only 2 knots and an opposing current of 1 1/2 knots, the first 25 of 58 boats were left sailing in place.

Three minutes later Palo Alto's Stan and Sally Honey, veterans of many Transpacs sailing their Cal 40, Illusion, were the first to nurse their boat across the line. They were followed six minutes later by William Boyd's Beneteau 47.7, Beautiful Day, from San Diego, at the pin end of the line, a couple of lengths in front of Robert Rice's Tripp 40, There and Back Again, from Long Beach. After 45 minutes Kirby Coryell and Neil Weinberg, sailing Beach Music from Lafayette, Calif., doublehanded, willed their red Tayana 52 across to complete the exercise in agony.

The group consisted of 10 Cal 40s, 11 Aloha class boats in four racing Division 5 boats. Divisions 3 and 4 will start Friday, the Fourth of July, followed by the largest and faster Division 1 and 2 boats Sunday.

The prospect of sailing 2,225 nautical miles on a liquid treadmill did not seem appealing, but most of the teams appeared to be taking the frustration in good spirits---although Greg Boyer of Long Beach may have considered firing up the grill hanging off the back of his Cal 40, John B. But as Beach Music got under way a southwest breeze was starting to fill and Santa Catalina Island became visible through a haze 23 miles offshore. Whether anyone would clear the West End without tacking was doubtful, barring a significant wind shift to the right.

After their start, the Honeys went west along the Palos Verdes Peninsula for15 minutes, looking for relief from the current, but as they tacked to starboard their early lead was threatened by B'Quest, the San Diego Tripp 40 manned by a crew of disabled sailors representing Challenged America in Division 5.

If there was one crew happier than B'Quest's, it was the team on John Harrison's Cal 40, Seafire, one of four Hawaiian entries in the race. Harrison isn't sailing because of a back problem, but the crew was all smiles as it sailed past a press boat and one exclaimed, "We're going home!"

Daily position reports, news summaries, photos will be posted at www.transpacificyc.org until the completion of the race.

TRANSPAC NOTES

Starbuck, a Black Soo 31 entered by Greg Nelsen of Piedmont, Calif. withdrew Monday, leaving the total fleet count at 58, still the largest in 18 years.

. . .

Unable to raise their headsail before the 2001 Transpac start because of a having the wrong head foil, Dan Doyle (left) and Bruce Burgess of Two Guys On the Edge were in despair until borrowing one from Kirk Wilson's Bay Wolf. They're having a parts problem again but with time to sort it out well before their July 4 start.

Souvenir Transpac 2003 programs may be requested by e-mail to bavery@mail.occ.cccd.edu.. There is no charge.

EDITORS: Press/photo boats, courtesy of private owners and J/Boats and Raider RIBS inflatable tenders, 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.

Division 1 (starts July 6)

Pegasus 77 (Reichel/Pugh 77), Philippe Kahn, Honolulu.
Pyewacket (R/P 75), Roy E. Disney, Los Angeles.

W. E. Rawson's Helsal II.

Division 2 (starts July 6)

Alta Vita (Transpac 52), Bill Turpin, Santa Cruz, Calif.
Beau Geste (Transpac 52), Karl Kwok, Hong Kong.
Bengal II (Ohashi 52 ),Yoshihiko Murase, Nagoya, Japan.
Grand Illusion (Santa Cruz 70), Lahaina, H.I.
Helsal II (Adams 60), W.E. Rawson, Melbourne, Australia.
Icon (Perry 65), Richard Robbins/Jim Roser, Seattle.
Medicine Man (Andrews 61), Bob Lane, Long Beach, Calif.
Pendragon 4 (Davidson 52), John MacLaurin, Marina del Rey, Calif.
Renegade (Andrews 70), Dan Sinclair, Vancouver, B.C., Canada.
Vicki (Andrews 68), Al and Vicki Schwartz, Long Beach.

Myron Lyon's J/160, Innocent Merriment.

Division 3 (starts July 4)

Dasher (Santa Cruz 50), Roger Groh, San Francisco.
Horizon (Santa Cruz 50), Jack Taylor, Dana Point, Calif.
Innocent Merriment (J/160), Myron Lyon, San Diego.
Jeito (J/145), Francisco Guzman, Acapulco, Mexico.
Lucky Dog (J/125), Peter Putnam, Newport Beach---DH.
Maitri (J/160), Peter Johnson, San Diego.
On Point (Schock 40), Nick Martin, Wilmington, Calif.
Pipe Dream IX (J/160), Scott Piper, Coral Gables, Fla.
Reinrag² (J/125), Tom Garnier, Portland, Ore.
The Cone of Silence (Australian Super 30), James and Jenny Neil, Newport, NSW, Australia.

Richard Mainland's Ross 40, Paddy Wagon.

Division 4 (starts July 4)

Bolt (Olson 40), Craig Reynolds, Balboa, Calif.
Cool Man Cool² ! (Sydney 38), Harrell Jones, Dana Point.
Hot Tamale (J/120), Tom and Doug Jorgensen, Glendora, Calif.
Krakatoa (Young 32), Rod Skellet, Sydney, Australia.
Lawndart (Cape Bay Fast 40), Bill Allan, Nanaimo, B.C.
Paddy Wagon (Ross 40), Richard Mainland, Marina del Rey, Calif.
Swept Away (J/120), Louis Bianco, Seattle.
Tabasco (1D35), John Wylie, San Diego.
TERA's XL (ILC 40), Antony & Daniel Barron, Northridge, Calif.
Two Guys On the Edge (1D35M), Dan Doyle, Honolulu---DH.
Wild Thing (1D35), Chris and Kara Busch, San Diego.

Tim and Sue Coker's Choate 40, Masquerade

Divisions 5 (starts July 1)

B'Quest (Tripp 40), Challenged America/Urban Miyares, San Diego.
Masquerade (Choate 40), Timothy Coker, San Diego.
There and Back Again (Tripp 40), Robert Rice, Long Beach.
Wind Dancer (Catalina 42), Paul Edwards, Wilmington, Del.

Cal 40 (starts July 1)

California Girl (Cal 40), Don and Betty Lesley, Point Richmond, Calif.
Celebrity (Cal 40), Gerald Finnegan, Redondo Beach, Calif.
Flying Cloud (Cal 40), Darrell and Scott Wilson, Long Beach.

Illusion (Cal 40), Stan Honey & Sally Lindsay Honey, Palo Alto.

Darrell Wilson warms up his Cal 40, Flying Cloud, followed by Dennis Conner on Persephone

John B (Cal 40), Greg Boyer, Newport Beach, Calif.
Ralphie (Cal 40), Jack and Taylor Pillsbury/Eleanor and Davis Pillsbury, San Francisco.
Ranger (Cal 40), William Partridge, Richmond, Calif.
Redhead (Cal 40), Andrew Opple, Ketchum, Idaho.
Seafire, John T. Harrison, Honolulu.
Willow Wind (Cal 40), Wendy Siegal, Seal Beach, Calif.

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.