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43rd Biennial Transpacific Yacht Race / Los Angeles to Hawaii Transpacific Yacht Club, Jerry Montgomery, Commodore July 21, 2005 A Glorious Sunday Morning Finish? Could Be LONG BEACH, Calif.---It's far from over, but the possibility arose Thursday that the oldest boat in the Centennial Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii could finish within minutes of the fastest boat Sunday. After numbers were crunched from the daily morning position reports, the 68-year-old yawl Odyssey---currently nearest to the finish at 529 nautical miles---was projected to finish at 6:20 a.m. HST Sunday, only 13 minutes ahead of Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory, currently 995 miles out but averaging 13.5 knots to Odyssey's 7.2---and stretching its lead over Roy Disney's Pyewacket from two to 71 miles Thursday.
It was also learned Thursday that Odyssey skipper Cecil Rossi plans to scatter the ashes of his former sailing partner, Lorenzo "Plazi" Miller, at the finish line. Miller, who died in February, was skipper and Rossi a crew member on Mir, which won Transpac immortality in 1969 by sailing backwards across the finish line after its mast broke at the end of the race. Miller's daughter, Lisa Miller of Newport Beach, said, "You talk to people and they still say that was an amazing thing. His ashes are on Odyssey, and they're going to scatter him at Diamond Head, just where the mast broke on the Mir. My dad and Cecil used to sail together a lot. For Cecil, it was a big deal to race one final time with my dad."
With Morning Glory in the mix, it could be a dramatic sunrise show off Diamond Head Sunday, but a lot could change in the next few days. The Commanders Weather forecast indicated better wind south, less to the north, with lighter winds closer to Hawaii. One seasoned analyst, preferring to be anonymous said, "Morning Glory is sailing a consistent course down the track in more breeze. Pyewacket has been sailing more of a zigzag course north and south. Genuine Risk has gone from 20 miles south of Morning Glory to 69 miles north. You'd want to be where Pye is, rather than Genuine Risk." Meanwhile, Doug Baker's Magnitude 80, slightly smaller than those boats, logged a 321-mile day---second only to Morning Glory's 339---to move into second place on projected corrected handicap time in Division 1. Pyewacket and Genuine Risk were fifth and sixth, but all four were still on pace to beat the Transpac record of 7 days 11 hours 41 minutes 27 seconds set by Disney's former Pyewacket in 1999. They would have to finish before 12:41:27 a.m. PDT Monday morning or 9:47:21 p.m. Sunday night Hawaiian time. Div. II Boats 1-2-3-4 Overall; Pegasus' Lead Shrinks Division II has turned into a battle of Transpac 52s, with one veteran interloper: Bob Lane's veteran Andrews 61, Medicine Man. Roger Sturgeon's Rosebud, Fred Detwiler's Trader and Medicine Man all closed on Philippe Kahn's more northerly but still frontrunning Pegasus 52 as all were to cross the midway point of the race Thursday. On handicap time, Pegasus 52, Rosebud, the well-traveled Ragtime and Trader were running 1-2-3-4 among the 75 starters. Bob and Rob Barton's Cipango from San Francisco took the overall Division III lead away from Craig Reynolds' Bolt, Newport Beach, although Tim Beatty's Stealth Chicken, Rancho Santa Fe, was five miles in front of Cipango, boat for boat, with 1,118 miles to go. Tabasco, the Alamitos Bay Syndicate's 1D35, remained way in front in Division IV, while in Division V Scott Self and Nigel Brown's doublehanded Soap Opera cut the lead of Cliff Thompson's Super Gnat to seven miles to keep its overall handicap lead secure. Among the Cal 40s, Sally Honey's all-woman Illusion made the only significant gain of 11 miles on Davis Pillsbury's Ralphie, which still had a 50-mile lead. Odyssey remained ahead in Aloha A, while Larry Hillman's So Far was living up to its name in Aloha B---132 miles ahead of the next boat. Paul Edwards' Wind Dancer, incidentally, reported earlier as a dropout because of steering problems, was continuing to race without resorting to auto pilot. The Communications vessel Alaska Eagle also reported: "Fishing poor." A full moon was due Thursday night. Quotes from the Boats Josh Ross, B'Quest: "We’ve gotten into a downwind routine. We know each other's wise-guy jokes before we say them. Our team is getting more entertaining every day. The sun beats down on the boat and miles of ocean go by, warping our minds into a state not fit for land. I’m sure each one of us thinking, 'Man, do you smell bad.' But we say nothing . . . this is a gentleman’s sport. Or is it that we are afraid to know the truth about ourselves? Are we mad in the head for being out here? This is what billionaires do in their spare time, so it must be OK. Where are the women? Whoever said women are bad luck on a boat should walk the plank. Talk about madness. Next Transpac we’re going to sail with some women and everyone will smell better. I hope." Mike Dawley, Pursuit: "Tonight was the Captain's Dinner and the crew was treated to a great meal of filet mignon, salad, baked potatoes and champagne. For dessert we had a wonderful brownie cobbler. If you would like to make it for yourself take a regular brownie mix, cook most of the way, and ask the helmsman for a snap roll to starboard that flips the pan of hot brownies out of your hands while the oven door is open and drops it on the floor and oven door. Next cobble it back together remove things that do not look like they belong in brownies and serve." Alan Peterson, Ragtime: "We've been sticking closer to the rhumb line than just about the entire fleet. It’s proved to be advantageous as the winds haven’t really been better for those who went further south. It’s been flat, calm, 10 knots of wind, overcast but comfortable, not too hot. Sun has peaked through a couple times and when it does it’s sooooo bright! " Daily Standings for July 21, 2005. Official entries Division I (starts July 17)
Division II (Starts July 17)
Division III (Starts July 15)
Division IV (Starts July 15)
Division V (Starts July 11)
Cal 40 (Starts July 11)
Aloha A (Starts July 11)
Aloha B (Starts July 11)
DH---Doublehanded. *---Starts July 15.
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
07/21/05 |
