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43rd Biennial Transpacific Yacht Race / Los Angeles to Hawaii Transpacific Yacht Club, Jerry Montgomery, Commodore June 9, 2005 76 Boats, Big and Small, Set for Centennial Transpac LONG BEACH, Calif.---Seventy-six boats---the second largest entry list ever---are signed up to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Transpacific Yacht Race in next month's 2,225-nautical mile contest from Los Angeles to Honolulu. That number is topped only by the 80 boats that competed in 1979, followed by 74 in 1981.
The entries represent nine countries, matching the record set in 2003, and a dozen states. All want to be part of the historic Centennial Transpac, which as centerpiece of Long Beach's Sea Festival will have a rousing sendoff from its new pre-race Transpac Village home in downtown Rainbow Harbor, as well as the traditional individual aloha welcomes for all the boats in Waikiki. The smaller boats will start July 11 off the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Next on July 15 will come the middle classes and then the big boats on Sunday, July 17, sending the fastest in pursuit of the "Barn Door" trophy for the fastest elapsed time and, if conditions are favorable, the monohull record of 7 days 11 hours 41 minutes 27 seconds set by Roy E. Disney's former Pyewacket in 1999. That record has never seemed so much in jeopardy. The race will mark the Transpac debut of the fastest boats ever to sail the race---the maxZ86s Pyewacket, Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory and Dick and Doug DeVos's Windquest, plus Randall Pittman's Dubois 90, Genuine Risk, and Doug Baker's Andrews 80, Magnitude 80. Although Windquest, with its slightly older technology, and the smaller Magnitude 80 will rate slightly slower, all are considered to be as much as a day faster than the record with similar conditions. Genuine Risk is slightly longer and thereby faster than all but will power down to meet the special Transpac rating established earlier at the maxZ86 level. As configurations stand now, for purposes of corrected handicap time contention, Morning Glory is the scratch boat and will owe Genuine Risk one one-hundredth of a second per mile---only 23 seconds for the race. Pyewacket gets 92 seconds, and if it comes down to that it will be the wildest finish in race history. The race also marks a change of pace for Philippe Kahn. His Pegasus maxi sleds were first to finish in the last two races, but this time he cares little about Barn Doors. With a new boat, Kahn will be the newest member of the Transpac 52 group, joining Charles Burnett's Braveheart, Roger Sturgeon's Rosebud and Fred Detwiler's Trader as representatives of that fast-growing international class. "Our team wanted to do something new and exciting," Kahn said. "The Transpac 52 class is pretty much level racing, so we will have four equally matched and identical boats racing to Honolulu. Then we’ll race the Waikiki offshore series and the San Francisco Big Boat Series. "My prediction is that the Transpac 52 is the class for the next decade. When it comes to rating and performance these new smaller boats are similar to the classic Santa Cruz 70s. This is exciting because all these boats can basically compete boat for boat. However, you must remember that we have a brand new boat, so it will take us a bit to be competitive. I think that there are many other Transpac entries with a much greater chance at the Overall trophy, which is really the most prestigious trophy of all."
All 76 boats are eligible for the Governor of Hawaii and King Kalakaua trophies for first overall on corrected handicap time. Although ratings and class breaks are not yet announced, the smaller boats have gained leverage with the rating distance raised to 2,300 miles for this race, giving them a longer track to collect precious seconds owed them by bigger boats. The former include the Cal 40s whose class predecessors won overall in 1965, '67 and '69, and seven J Boats. Psyche, Don Salisbury's winning Cal 40 in '65, is returning for the first time under its new owner, Steve Calhoun of Palos Verdes Estates, Calif. Two J/35s will compete among seven doublehanded entries. One will be Transpac's first women's doublehander: Charmed Life, a Catalina 470 sailed by Patricia Garfield and Diane Murray of San Francisco.Then there's the Aloha class for boats with heavier displacement or less race-rated technology. One is the 76th and final entry, Cesar de Saracho's new Jeanneau 54, Enchilado, from Mazatlan, one of three Mexican entries. De Saracho, 67, a retired tomato grower, will sail with Maria Teresa, his wife of 42 years, and their three grown children Cesar Jr., Ricardo and Anna Lucia.
They almost waited too long. De Saracho had just taken delivery of the boat late last month when he phoned Robbie Haines, the Transpac representative for San Diego, and said, "I want to do the race . . . how do I do it?" "Do you know the deadline is a week away?" Haines replied. With Haines' help, de Saracho got his paperwork in order just in time. Transpac Trivia Quiz What does "Enchilado," the name of Cesar de Saracho's boat, translate to in English? Answer below. An Invitation to Transpac Boats of the Past Transpac Rear Commodore Dale Nordin has issued an invitation to former competitors to join in the Centennial celebration and special commemorative events in conjunction with the start of Transpac 2005. There will be a ceremonial start and parade of classic boats on Sunday, July 17, crossing the start line with recognition of each participating boat. After the race boats start, the ceremony will continue with a Classics "fun race"---motoring allowed---to Long Beach, finishing before an audience of dignitaries and spectators at the Queen Mary. Free slips will be provided for participants at Rainbow Harbor July 15-17. Any boat that has completed a Transpac race is welcome to participate. Those interested may contact Nordin at (562) 244-6450, (714) 846-4944 or at Dale_Nordin@hotmail.com, or contact Betsy Crowfoot at (805) 448-1439 and Betsy.Crowfoot@Verizon.net.
Rainbow Harbor Applications Pouring In Shoreline Yacht Club Commodore Gary Schneider reports that 44 entries have applied for moorings in Long Beach's downtown Rainbow Harbor, site of the Transpac Village for pre-race activity. "The first boat will be Renegade and it is scheduled to arrive on June 17," Schneider said. Transpac veteran Dan Sinclair will bring his Andrews 70 from Vancouver, B.C. Boats with drafts too deep to be accommodated in the Alamitos Bay Marina may take up residence well ahead of their class starts. Windquest is due in on July 1. Boat owners interested in securing free mooring may contact Commodore Gary Schneider of Shoreline Yacht Club for information: syclb@hotmail.com or captaingary1@hotmail.com Shoreline Yacht Club is the official resident host for the Transpac Village venue. Trivia Answer You might think it has something to do with Mexican cuisine, but you'd need a daring appetite. De Saracho says it means "Raging Bull," especially a red one. His boat is red. Competitors Urged to Contact Hawaii Boat Hosts With a large number of entries, Transpac Commodore Jerry Montgomery has urged competitors to contact the boat host committee in Honolulu about arrangements to ensure the traditional welcome party in Waikiki. Offers of assistance and any special needs or requests may also be addressed. The chairperson is Barbara Silvey at hawaiipianolady@aol.com. Challenged America Hosts 'Stars' Fundraiser Challenged America will host "Night With the Stars," a fundraising event for the disabled team's second Transpac effort, at the Bali Hai Restaurant on San Diego's Shelter Island Friday night, June 10. The gala event will start at 6 p.m. with food, beverage, entertainment, meeting the Stars and an auction. Information: www.sail-world.com/ChallengedAmerica/ Official entries
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 here. 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. COMMODOREJerry Montgomery (562) 427-3116 mmmont@aol.com HONOLULU CHAIRMAN ENTRIES PRESS OFFICER WEB PAGE
The official 2005 TransPac Yacht Race Website http://www.transpacificyc.org
06/09/05 |
