JUNE 30, 1999 PRESS RELEASE NO. 14 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A spectacular start—and then nothing

The Cruising and Doublehanded classes that started the 40th Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii so spectacularly Tuesday were left drifting today (Wednesday) in winds of zero to 6 knots, with a mere 30-foot sailboat fighting for the lead.

The early breeze died past Santa Catalina Island and the seas beyond went flat. At the first daily 8 a.m. roll call, the 10 boats had managed to sail only 82 to 111 miles in the first 19 hours at average speeds of 5 knots or less.

In the initial position reports, Two Guys On the Edge—a Sonoma 30 with only Les Vasconcellos and Bruce Burgess of Waikiki Yacht Club on board—had sailed 107 miles, closely following the direct line to the islands. The only boat calculated to be in as good a position was Wendy Siegal's Cal 40 Willow Wind from San Diego at 111 miles.

Bob Pace's Esprit, from Oceanside, and Doug Jones' 49-foot yawl Pacifica, San Diego, had logged 108 miles each but were following deviated courses.

Vapor, a 25-footer that is the smallest boat ever to race in the 93 years of the Transpac, failed to radio its position, as required by the rules, but was not thought to be in distress. Aboard are Bill Boyd and Scott Atwood of Long Beach.

The smaller racing boats will start Friday, followed by 14 large monohulls Saturday. Both starts will be at 1 o'clock.

Photos of Tuesday's start, daily position reports, crew lists and other information are available on the race web page, www.transpacificyc.org.

The 40th Transpac is sponsored by Iridium North America, the world's first global telephone and paging company. Through a constellation of 66 low-earth-orbit satellites circling the globe, customers can make or take calls and receive pages in the most remote regions on Earth. Additional information regarding the Iridium system is available at the web site at www.iridium.com or by calling 1-888-Iridium.