Transpac 2007 Press Release

Transpac's mainland home bigger, better - and forever

LONG BEACH, Calif.---When the Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii sails into its second century this summer it will cast off from the place destined to be its mainland home port for perhaps another hundred years: Rainbow Harbor at Shoreline Village in Long Beach.

Artist's view of 1 of 11 Transpac monuments to be placed in Rainbow Harbor at Long Beach

Transpac activities will start with the July 7 unveiling of 11 Walk of Fame monuments---one for each decade of the race---to be placed around Rainbow Harbor, a popular tourist site surrounded by restaurants, shops and the Aquarium of the Pacific.

The stainless steel monuments were commissioned by the City of Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation & Marine and developed by The Acorn Group and SoLa Creative. Paul Riha of Stone Imagery designed the steel structures. They will be 5 1/2 feet tall and shaped like a sail full on the wind. Each will display photographs and historical highlights and list the winning boats of the races of the era.

The initial 2005 pre-race experience, with free mooring for competitors and celebratory sendoffs, was so popular with racers and visitors alike that Long Beach decided to give Transpac a permanent presence in the city of nearly half a million.

This summer's month-long schedule of pre-race activities will be integrated into the city's annual Sea Festival celebration. It was Chris Pook, executive director, and Drew Satariano, president of the Sea Festival Association of Long Beach, who led the moves to feature Transpac in the event in 2005. Earlier, Pook founded and led the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach for many years. Satariano is a lifelong sailor, community activist and past commodore of the Long Beach Yacht Club.

Rainbow Harbor in 2005

As in 2005, complimentary dock space will be provided in Rainbow Harbor for all boats, local and from out of town, to make their final preparations there in the days and weeks before the race. This year they will include Roy E. Disney's modified 90-foot Pyewacket and his Morning Light project team of young sailors, who will race a Transpac 52 in the 44th 2,225-nautical mile race to Honolulu.

On the three start days July 9, 12 and 15 the various divisions will depart amid public fanfare past the Queen Mary and to the starting line below Point Fermin Park in nearby San Pedro.

Plans also include a tented hospitality area next to the water at the foot of Pine Avenue featuring musical entertainment and exhibits.

Transpac Commodore Al Garnier said, "I don't know of any other major ocean race in the world that has a permanent home port that honors its history and traditions as this will. Usually the boats just meet at the starting line and sail away. Now the public and the sailors can all get together before the start to share the adventure."

Rainbow Harbor from above

There are currently 57 paid and registered entries, rapidly building toward the 75---the second most ever---that raced in 2005. The record is 80 in 1979.

The Transpacific Yacht Club has joined with Casio Computer Co., Ltd., in a sponsorship agreement to make the company's Oceanus watch the official timekeeper of the 44th biennial race. The Oceanus is a solar-powered chronograph watch with a time signal-calibration function developed by making full use of Casio's advanced electronic technologies. News and product information: http://world.casio.com/

Official entries to date:

DH-Addiction 2 (J/35), Richard Blackburn, Honolulu
Adrenalin (Santa Cruz 50), David Clark, Newport Beach, Calif.
Ariadne (Ladd 73), Frank Easterbrook, Newport Beach, Calif.
Bengal 7 (Ohashi 46), Yoshihiko Murase, Nagoya, Japan
Between the Sheets (Jeanneau 52), Ross Pearlman, Marina del Rey
Bolt (Nelson/Marek 55), Craig Reynolds, Newport Beach, Calif.
DH-Brilliant (J/100), Tim Fuller, Murrieta, Calif.
Brown Sugar (Express 37), Steve Brown, Santa Ana, Calif.
California Girl (Cal 40), Don and Betty Lessley, Novato, Calif.
Cheetah (ULDB 70), Chris Slagerman, Los Angeles
Cirrus (Standfast 40), William D. Myers, Honolulu
Coyote (Beneteau 39), Tim Bond, Honolulu
Denali (Nelson/Marek 70), William McKinley, Grosse Pointe, Mich.
Elixir (Jeanneau 49 DS), Chad Downey, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
Enchilado (Jeanneau 54), Cesar de Saracho, Tucson, Ariz.
Far Far (Cal 40), Don Grind, Placerville, Calif.
Fortaleza (Santa Cruz 50), Jim Morgan, Long Beach, Calif.
French Kiss (Beneteau 50), Bryan Daniels, Alamo, Calif.
Ginny (Calkins 50), Chris Calkins/Norm Reynolds, Encinitas, Calif.
Ho'okolohe (Farr 58), Alyson and Cecil Rossi, Novato, Calif.
Horizon (Santa Cruz 50), Jack Taylor, Dana Point, Calif.
Hugo Boss (Volvo 60), Andy Tourell, Gosport, UK
Hula Girl (Santa Cruz 50T), Beau Gayner, Newport Beach, Calif.
Illusion (Cal 40), Sally Honey, Palo Alto, Calif.
Inspired Environments (Beneteau First 40.7), Timothy Ballard, Sausalito, Calif.
It's OK (Andrews 50), Tres Gordo Sailing, Glendora, Calif.
Kokopelli 2 (Santa Cruz 52), S.A. (Chip) Megeath, Tiburon, Calif.
Locomotion (Andrews 45), Ed Feo, Long Beach, Calif.
Lucky (Transpac 52), Bryon Ehrhart, Chicago, Ill.
Magnitude 80 (Andrews 80), Doug Baker, Long Beach, Calif.
Medicine Man (Andrews 63), Bob Lane, Long Beach, Calif.
Morning Light (Transpac 52), Pacific High Productions, Los Angeles
Mysteré (Swan 42), Jorge Morales, Dana Point, Calif.
DH-Narrow Escape (Fast 40), Allen Lehman Jr., Payson, Ariz.
Paddy Wagon (Ross 40), Richard Mainland, Los Angeles
Passion (Santa Cruz 50), Steve Hastings, Corpus Christi, Tex.
Pendragon IV (Davidson 52), John MacLaurin, Encino, Calif.
Peregrine (Hobie 33), Simon Garland, San Diego
Psyche (Cal 40), Steve Calhoun, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.
Pyewacket (Reichel/Pugh 90), Roy E. Disney, Burbank, Calif.
Ragtime (Spencer 65), Chris Welsh, Newport Beach, Calif.
Recidivist (Schumacher 39), Ken Olcott, Los Altos, Calif.
Reinrag2 (J/125), Tom Garnier, Wilsonville, Ore.
Relentless (Santa Cruz 52), Will Durant/Rick Brizendine, Long Beach, Calif.
Rosebud (STP 65), Roger Sturgeon, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Ruahatú (Concordia 47), Ricardo Brockmann, Acapulco, Mexico
Samba Pa Ti (Transpac 52), John Kilroy Jr., Los Angeles, Calif.
DH-Seaker II (Farr 33), Wes Stone, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.
Shaman (Cal 40), Steve Waterloo, Alameda, Calif.
Stags' Leap Winery (Chasch Mer), (Santa Cruz 50), Gib Black, Honolulu
Stark Raving Mad III (Reichel/Pugh 66), Jim Madden, Newport Beach, Calif.
Stealth Chicken (Perry 56), Timothy Beatty, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
Tabasco (1D35), Gary Fanger, San Francisco
Tachyon III (Santa Cruz 52), Kazumasa Nishioka, Tokyo
DH-Tango (J/133), Michael Abraham, Newport Beach, Calif.
Tower (Lidgard 45), Doug Grant, San Pedro, Calif.
Trader (Transpac 52), Fred Detwiler, Pompano Beach, Fla.
Uncontrollable Urge (Columbia 30), James/Chris Gilmore, Carlsbad, Calif.
Vicki (Andrews 68), Al and Vicki Schultz, Long Beach, Calif.
Westerly (Santa Cruz 70), Thomas and Timothy Hogan, Newport Beach, Calif.
Windswept (Sean 57), Maxwell Phelps, Jamul, Calif.
DH-X Dream (X-119), Steen Moller, Point Richmond, Calif.

DH-Doublehanded.

Multihull

LoeReal (Jeanneau 60 trimaran), H.L. Enloe, El Paso, Tex.

Minnow (Catana 52 catamaran), Bob Webster, Pryor, Okla.

MEDIA CONTACT
Rich Roberts
(310) 835-2526
richsail@earthlink.net

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.

PRESS OFFICER
      Rich Roberts
      cell phone (310) 766-6547
      richsail@earthlink.net