LONG BEACH, Calif.---As the America's Cup winds down in Spain, this shoreline city of 461,500 is poised to become the center of the sailing world with boats, facilities and special events in place leading up to the 44th Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii.

Rainbow Harbor, with temporary docks, is ready for Transpac fleet

As many of the 60 of the 74 boats now entered in the West Coast's premier ocean race, including Roy E. Disney's modified Pyewacket and his Morning Light team of young sailors, will be moored in Rainbow Harbor in downtown Long Beach, courtesy of the city, some at temporary docks. But while they await their starts on July 9, 12 and 15, they won't be twiddling their tillers.

The schedule opens Saturday evening, July 7, at 6 p.m. with opening ceremonies and the dedication of 11 monuments along the Transpac Walk of Fame. The 5 1/2-foot-tall monuments present highlights and photos of each decade of the race since its inception in 1906.

On the three start days the public will watch the race boats depart amid cannon-firing fanfare past the Queen Mary and to the starting line off Point Fermin Park in San Pedro.

Transpac Rear Commodore Tom Garrett, chairman of the mainland committee overseeing arrangements, said, "We've tried to think of everything we could possibly do to make this a memorable and enjoyable experience for the sailors to get together before the race and for visitors to meet them and feel a sense of the sport that is so much a part of the city's tradition."

Bigger and better than '05

The waterfront site will be transformed into Transpac Village, surrounded by the Aquarium of Pacific, upscale restaurants, amusement attractions and Shoreline Village with its shops and cafes. A "Club Transpac" tent will host race-related events.

Pre-race activities, listed below, were introduced on a relatively modest scale before the previous race in 2005. They are joined with various nautical-related events of the annual Long Beach Sea Festival.

Chris Pook, executive director of Sea Festival 2007, said, "What better place or better way is there to recognize the history and success of one of the great international yacht races than by bringing these remarkable sailors and citizens together in Long Beach, with its long seafaring tradition? The citizens will certainly make them feel welcome."

The nearby Shoreline Yacht Club will be the lead mainland host, offering volunteers to assist with the needs of each boat. Other Southern California clubs have accepted daily assignments as "Village hosts."

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/

Transpac supporters also include the Long Beach Sea Festival, Gladstone's Restaurant and L. Gaylord Sportswear.

Transpac schedule of events

Sat., July 7

• 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.---Safety at Sea seminar, Shoreline Yacht Club
  
• 6-8 p.m.---Opening ceremonies, dedication of Transpac Walk of Fame monuments and opening of Club Transpac, Rainbow Harbor
  

Sunday, July 8

• 4 p.m.---Transpac skippers meeting, L.B. Hyatt Regency Hotel
  
• 5 p.m.---Aloha sendoff dinner, L.B. Hyatt Regency Hotel
  

Monday, July 9

• 10 a.m.---First start sendoff ceremonies, Rainbow Harbor
  
• 1 p.m.---Division 6 and Aloha 2 boats start, Pt. Fermin, San Pedro
  

Wed., July 11

• 6 p.m.---"California salutes Transpac and the Morning Light crew" dinner, Club Transpac, Rainbow Harbor
  

Thurs., July 12

• 10 a.m.---Second start sendoff ceremonies, Rainbow Harbor
  
• 1 p.m.---Div. 4 and 5, 50/52 and Aloha 1 start, Point Fermin, San Pedro
  

Friday, July 13

• "The Race to Honolulu/Transpac Yacht Presentation, Media and Children's Day"
  
• 12 noon---Media sail on Ragtime
  
• 2 p.m.---Transpac boats "dressed" to receive visitors
  
• 2:30 p.m.---Young people from Southern California Chapter of Special Olympics visit boats and crews
  
• 4 p.m.---Introduction of Transpac skippers and crews, Club Transpac
  
• 4:30 p.m.---Introduction of visiting VIPs
  

Sunday, July 15

• 10 a.m.---Final start ceremonies, Rainbow Harbor
• 1 p.m.---Divisions 1, 2, 3 start, Point Fermin, San Pedro

Transpac 2007 division assignments
(Handicap ratings to be determined)

Division 1 (Start July 15)

• Magnitude 80 (Andrews 80), Doug Baker, Long Beach, Calif.
  
• Medicine Man (Andrews 63), Bob Lane, Long Beach
  
• Peligroso (Kernan 70), Mike Campbell/Dale Williams, Long Beach
  
• Pyewacket (Reichel/Pugh 90), Roy E. Disney, Burbank, Calif.
  
• Rosebud (STP 65), Roger Sturgeon, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
  

Division 1 or 2 TBD (Start July 15)

• DH-Pegasus 101 (Open 50), Philippe Kahn, Honolulu
  

Division 2 (Start July 15)

• Holua (Santa Cruz 70), Brack Duker, Pasadena, Calif.
  
• Hugo Boss (Volvo 60), Andy Tourell, Gosport, UK
  
• Denali (Nelson/Marek 70), William McKinley, Grosse Pointe, Mich.
  
• Lucky (Transpac 52), Bryon Ehrhart, Chicago
  
• Morning Light (Transpac 52), Jeremy Wilmot, Honolulu
  
• Samba Pa Ti (Transpac 52), John Kilroy Jr., Los Angeles
  
• Skylark (Santa Cruz 70), Doug Ayres, Newport Beach, Calif.
  
• Trader (Transpac 52), Fred Detwiler, Pompano Beach, Fla.
  
• Westerly (Santa Cruz 70), Thomas and Timothy Hogan, Newport Beach
  

Division 3 (Start July 15)

• Bengal 7 (Ohashi 46), Yoshihiko Murase, Nagoya, Japan
  
• Cheetah (ULDB 70), Chris Slagerman, Los Angeles
  
• It's OK (Andrews 50), Tres Gordo Sailing, Glendora, Calif.
  
• Locomotion (Andrews 45), Ed Feo, Long Beach
  
• Pendragon IV (Davidson 52), John MacLaurin, Encino, Calif.
  
• Ragtime (Spencer 65), Chris Welsh, Newport Beach
  
• Yumehyotan (Nelson/Marek 68), Yasuo Sano, Osaka, Japan
  

Division 4 (Start July 12)

• Bolt (Nelson/Marek 55), Craig Reynolds, Newport Beach
  
• Cipango (Andrews 56), Bob & Rob Barton, Santa Rosa, Calif.
  
• Delicate Balance (Custom 56), DBB Transpac LLC, San Rafael, Calif.
  
• Lucky Dog (J/125), Colin Shanner, San Diego
  
• Raincloud (J/48), Lorenzo Berho Corona, San Diego
  
• Reinrag2 (J/125), Tom Garnier, Wilsonville, Ore.
  
• Ruahatú (Concordia 47), Ricardo Brockmann, Acapulco, Mexico
  
• The Secret (MacGregor 65), Cheryle Rayson/Garry Golding, Salisbury Downs, Australia
  
• Verizon Wireless (ex-Stealth Chicken; Perry 56), Timothy Beatty, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
  

Division 50/52 (Start July 12)

• Adrenalin (Santa Cruz 50), David Clark, Newport Beach
  
• Fortaleza (Santa Cruz 50), Jim Morgan, Long Beach
  
• Horizon (Santa Cruz 50), Jack Taylor, Dana Point, Calif.
  
• Hula Girl (Santa Cruz 50T), Beau Gayner, Newport Beach
  
• Kokopelli 2 (Santa Cruz 52), S.A. (Chip) Megeath, Tiburon, Calif.
  
• Passion (Santa Cruz 50), Steve Hastings, Corpus Christi, Tex.
  
• Relentless (Santa Cruz 52), Will Durant/Rick Brizendine, Long Beach
  
• Stags' Leap Winery (ex-Chasch Mer; Santa Cruz 50), Gib Black, Honolulu
  
• Tachyon III (Santa Cruz 52), Kazumasa Nishioka, Tokyo
  

Division 5 (Start July 12)

• DH-Narrow Escape (Fast 40), Allen Lehman Jr., Payson, Ariz.
  
• On the Edge of Destiny (1D35), Sean Doyle, Kailua, H.I.
  
• Paddy Wagon (Ross 40), Richard Mainland, Los Angeles
  
• Rancho Deluxe (Swan 45), Mike Diepenbrock, Sacramento, Calif.
  
• Recidivist (Schumacher 39), Ken Olcott, Los Altos, Calif.
  
• Tabasco (1D35), Gary Fanger, San Francisco
  
• DH-Tango (J/133), Michael Abraham, Newport Beach
  
• Tower (Lidgard 45), Doug Grant, San Pedro, Calif.
  
• Uncontrollable Urge (Columbia 30), James/Chris Gilmore, Carlsbad, Calif.
  

Division 6 (Start July 9)

• 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.
  
• Far Far (Cal 40), Don Grind, Placerville, Calif.
  
• Inspired Environments (Beneteau First 40.7), Timothy Ballard, Sausalito, Calif.
  
• Peregrine (Hobie 33), Simon Garland, San Diego
  
• Psyche (Cal 40), Steve Calhoun, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.
  
• Shanti (Olson 911S), Jon Eberly, Greenbrae, Calif.
  
• DH-X Dream (X-119), Steen Moller, Point Richmond, Calif.
  

Aloha A (Start July 9)

• Alsumar (S&S 70), Bill and Ted Davis, Las Vegas, Nev.
  
• Anna Katarina (First 47.7), John Otterson, La Jolla, Calif.
  
• Ariadne (Ladd 73), Frank Easterbrook, Newport Beach
  
• Between the Sheets (Jeanneau 52), Ross Pearlman, Marina del Rey
  
• Enchilado (Jeanneau 54), Cesar de Saracho, Tucson, Ariz
  
• French Kiss (Beneteau 50), Bryan Daniels, Alamo, Calif.
  
• Ho'okolohe (Farr 58), Alyson and Cecil Rossi, Novato, Calif.
  
• Windswept (Sean 57), Maxwell Phelps, Jamul, Calif.
  

Aloha B (Start July 9)

• Cirrus (Standfast 40), William D. Myers, Honolulu
  
• Gaviota (Cal 2-46), Jim Partridge, Pasadena, Calif.
  
• Ginny (Calkins 50), Chris Calkins/Norm Reynolds, Encinitas, Calif.
  
• Lady Liberty (Catalina 36), John Wallner, Calabasas, Calif.
  
• Mysteré (Swan 42), Jorge Morales, Dana Point, Calif.
  
• Traveler (North Wind 47), Michael Lawler, Newport Beach
  

DH-Doublehanded.

Multihull

The official 2007 TransPac Yacht Race Website http://www.transpacificyc.org
Website © 2006/2007
Doug Vann, Lisa Niemczura, Walt Niemczura