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Sports | Sailing in Marin: Pacific Cup 2024 – the fun…

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Courtesy Elliot James

Elliott James' boat Bloom County is expected to compete in the Pacific Cup for the first time as the race begins from San Francisco Bay on Monday, July 15, 2024.

Downwind may be a challenging point of sail for Elliot James' Bloom County during the Pacific Cup 2024 race from San Francisco Bay to Hawaii.

Elliot James (center) and Kyle Vanderspek (left) won their class in the recent Spinnaker Cup race from San Francisco to Monterey.

The crew of the Bloom County practices for the Pacific Cup 2024 race from San Francisco Bay to Hawaii.

Elliott James' boat Bloom County is expected to compete in the Pacific Cup for the first time as the race begins from San Francisco Bay on Monday, July 15, 2024.

Doublehanding from San Francisco to Hawaii in the Pacific Cup (Pac Cup) race for the first time on his sailboat Bloom County is the culmination of some five years’ worth of delays for owner Elliott James. His first attempt to compete in the 2020 edition of the race was thwarted due to the pandemic, he was waitlisted for the 2022 event but notified of a place in the fleet too late to make it logistically work. Third time’s a charm, as they say, and Elliott is chomping at the bit to set sail in the 2070-mile biennial invitational race which finishes in Kaneohe, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu.

“I’ve been trying to do Pac Cup forever, not necessarily on my boat, but a ride with someone else just to do it and it’s never worked out!” James laughed. “People keep telling me I have the perfect boat to race Pac Cup on so we’re finally doing it!”

Bloom County, a Mancebo 31, is a purpose-built safe ocean racing boat so race prep has been relatively minimal for James, who will sail with his buddy Kyle Vanderspek. most of the work so far has involved putting together items required for a long voyage that one wouldn’t normally carry inshore, like an emergency rudder system, which James had built, and a power generation system (he’s installed solar panels).

“I never imagined doing a long offshore race like Pac Cup double-handed in the boat, but when we did the double-handed Farallons race in April in stormy conditions, she held up really well while boats around us were dismasting and breaking all kinds of things,” said James, who grew up sailing in the junior program at the Sausalito Yacht Club. “She’s well-built.”

Being sturdier than others in his Pac Cup fleet means bloom County will be faster upwind if it’s breezy, but the race is typically just a few days of reaching and mainly downwind, which will benefit the lighter boats in his division.

“I’ll have some stiff competition with boats who do well downwind. My main competition will be Wolfpack, a Donovan 30 also racing double-handed — very experienced sailors who have done the Pac Cup several times,” James said. “We rate similarly but I’m concerned about fending them off.”

Pam and Bill Hughes, who live aboard a power boat in Sausalito, purchased their Antrim 27 Cascade 18 months ago with the goal to race the Pac Cup. They were inspired to make each day count after Bill incurred a serious health issue. It took a few years for him to regain his strength but through that time he kept sailing. When his health improved, the couple figured that it was time to fulfill some lifelong dreams.

“Bill is now 100 percent so we’re doing Pac Cup while we’re healthy and if I can help his dream come true, I’m thrilled,” Pam Hughes noted. “ I think we will be successful if we can all work well together, learn something about each other, enjoy the immediate and whatever the outcome is I know that the process of doing it will be fun!”

A maritime couple who have been around boating for a long time, Pam and Bill Hughes completed the requisite safety training classes and have concentrated their race prep focus on getting to know the boat. Lopez is a veteran offshore racer with many ocean miles under his belt.

“It’s a pretty simple race boat with an open transom and not a lot of complicated systems,” Pam Hughes explained. “We’ve been at the boat at least twice a week figuring out how to store equipment, how to work the communications systems, testing out horrible dry foods that everyone seems to love for camping (laughs), going through safety inspections, we updated the rigging, and I’ve been swimming as much as possible to be in good shape.”

Other boats hailing from Marin include the custom 43-footer Carodon owned and skippered by Heather Richard (Sausalito) competing in Pac Cup for the first time, the Santa Cruz 52 City Lights, owned and skippered by Aaron Wangenheim (Tiburon). This will be Wangenheim’s third Pac Cup, and second on City Lights. Bob Horton (San Anselmo) is competing for the second time on his Cal 40 Highlander, and veteran ocean racer Paul Cayard, formerly of Marin, will skipper the Swan 65 Translated 9 US with a mostly amateur crew. Viva, the Cal 40 owned by Don Jesberg (Belvedere) is racing Pac Cup for the first time, although Jesberg is a veteran of nine Transpacific races.

Horton, learning from his first Pac Cup in 2018, commented, “We redid the boom preventer to be more elastic because we broke the boom four days out from the finish last time which was a heartbreaker! We’re looking forward to finishing the race on the podium, although we have some pretty tough competition in the Cal 40 fleet.”

Translated 9’s goal is to introduce its colleagues, clients, and collaborators to the sport and some 600 guests have sailed on the boat on the Bay in the past year. As Cayard explains, the Pac Cup experience is an opportunity for Translated 9 to embrace a corporate goal to celebrate the human element through communication and understanding.

“Translated discovered sailing as a means to support its corporate mantra which is, “we believe in humans, through communication and understanding,” Cayard explained. “With the right people, anything is possible, challenges are everywhere but if you have people with the right values; determination, discipline, desire, resilience to bounce back, and motivation — all virtues exemplified in sailing. It’s amazing the impact sailing has on a person. They have no idea.”

Follow the race: https://www.pacificcup.org/

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Pacific Cup 2024 - The fun race to Hawaii

Presented by : The Pacific Cup Yacht Club Race begins: July 15, 2024 in San Francisco Bay

The FUN Race to Hawaii, the Pacific Cup, has taken sailors from San Francisco Bay to Kaneohe Hawaii since 1980. With a focus on training, information, and ohana (family), the race has helped many voyagers hone their skills for ocean voyaging, whether in a hard-fought battle against world-class professionals or a challenging transit with family and friends. Either way, this mostly downwind race features some of the most enjoyable sailing on the planet, going on for days! For more information, go HERE .

Ocean Navigator is a proud sponsor of the 2024 race!

Pacific cup 2024 – updates, international safety at sea with hands on course.

International Safety at Sea with Hands On Course January 13, 2024 at Kaneohe Yacht Club, Kaneohe, Oahu Signups are open here

This course is to prepare you for survival offshore in demanding situations and emergencies. As with any training, what you get is proportional to what you put into it. What you learn in this course may save your life and the lives of others in an emergency. We encourage you to give the course the effort and time it deserves.

Training The course is taught by experienced lifelong sailors. While the course is designed for sailors of all types and levels – cruisers, racers, novices, and experts, our focus in to help prepare you for the Pacific Cup race from San Francisco to Hawaii. The subject matter reflects the accumulated knowledge and lessons learned of the world-wide sailing community. MORE INFO >>

The course has two parts. The first part is the Online Offshore Safety at Sea Course. It is extensive and comprehensive. The online course will provide you with an excellent level of knowledge and is the starting point for the second part of the course.

The second part of the course is a full day of practical training. You will be updated with the latest information on key topics and then spend most of the day in hands-on training covering damage control, firefighting, emergency signaling, survival equipment, use of personal flotation devices, and life rafts. MORE INFO >>

Signups Open

Entries for the 2024 Pacific Cup opened at 8 am on March 29, and within four hours fourteen adventurous boats (and their skippers) had signed up. Our growing entry list includes a wide range of boats, both new to the race and returning veterans. Doublehanders and fully crewed, and sizes ranging from 27 to 52 feet! Will YOU be joining us? To Enter Go Here .

Notice of Race posted

Our 2024 Notice of Race Start Date is July 15, 2024, and is now posted on our documents page. This gives you plenty of time to review the document and decide to enter the FUN race to Hawaii. For Race Documents and Links Go Here .

Frequently-Used Links Enter the Race Crew List Knowledge Base VHF Cable Reference (referred to in PCER) Sign up for Weighing

Files Notice of Race (321.08 KB) Equipment Requirements (PCER) (183.95 KB) Anchor Appendix of PCER (308.97 KB) NOR amendment 1 (Starlink and Crew weight) (84.27 KB) PCER for Multihulls (331.27 KB) Measurement and Ratings Guide (168.66 KB)

Full Moon for 2024 Race

July 15, 2024 , is scheduled to be the first start for the 2024 Pacific Cup, the FUN race to Hawaii. Slowest boats will start that Monday, with faster boats starting later in the week, is the plan.

Race organizers have to balance a number of factors in picking a start date. We prefer to start around 10 am to 2 pm, on an ebb tide. The date should be late enough that the Pacific High will have had a good chance to form, but not so late that we are into a high chance of tropical storms or somebody’s school year. We really want a moon.

This year, the week of July 15 came closest to ideal, with a blazingly full moon set for the middle of the race. That’s when we’ve scheduled our start for, and we hope to see you there

Pac Cupper wins NOBEL PRIZE

John F. Clauser sat in the bar at Berkeley Yacht Club on the evening of October 3, sharing his woes with other Pac Cup veterans and fans. Something about his boom. Also, we all commiserated about the challenges of working with one or more ratings systems.

Business concluded we all went home to a peaceful sleep. John, however, we imagine, was awakened by the traditional 2am call from the Nobel Prize Committee. He had been awarded the prize in Physics for his foundational work in quantum entanglement.

Congratulations, John!

Read about it here.

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The Fun Race to Hawaii

By Ronnie Simpson
Updated: March 27, 2019

It was almost sunset late last July on the docks in Kaneohe, Hawaii — the finish line for the biennial Pacific Cup yacht race , and a long way from the start in San Francisco — when the Hanse 505 Anaïs glided alongside and came to a halt. Moments later, a full-on dock party was raging as the last rays of sun spilled over the Pali mountain range. Skipper Matt Solhjem looked back at his Hanse in disbelief before reviewing the list of carnage. From blown-out spinnakers to broken electronics, the passage had taken its toll. The look on Matt’s face told a story: humbled, gracious and fully content, but also mischievous, like a teenager who’d just pulled one over on his parents. Winding down from a 12-day-long adrenaline rush, the first-time ocean racer said, “That was definitely a race. Right off the bat, the other boats were pushing hard. Even though we were sailing in the cruising class, that was a race, for sure.”

For the crew of Anaïs , it was also a successful one; they were the winners of the 14-boat cruising division, the largest in the race.

Bluewater cruising rallies and offshore yacht races have been the catalyst for an untold number of sailors to set sail and turn their dreams to reality. With a dedicated support and preparation network, as well as the perceived safety of traveling in a group, many sailors who might otherwise be hesitant to head offshore have found the proposition far less daunting when presented with the option of doing their first major crossing as part of an organized event. Nicknamed the “fun race to Hawaii,” the Pacific Cup has traditionally been a semi-laid-back affair that includes everything from Maxi racers full of pro crews to doublehanded Moore 24s sailed by intrepid amateur sailors, with everything in between.

The Pacific Cup has an interesting history. On June 15, 1980, 40 yachts sailed out under the Golden Gate Bridge in what was then called the Kauai Race, from San Francisco to the “garden island” of Kauai. Almost immediately, they were pasted by rough conditions. Attrition ensued, but 10 days later, Bill Lee’s legendary Merlin (the predecessor to the venerable Santa Cruz 70) was the first boat to come surfing into the islands. Easily the fastest yacht in the race, Merlin arrived in Kauai close to four days ahead of the next boat; the celebrated 68-footer also won a commanding victory on corrected time, establishing a long tradition between 70-foot sleds and success in the Pacific Cup. The Division II winner back in 1980 was Dean Treadway and his legendary Farr 36, Sweet Okole. Nearly 40 years later, in 2018, the same skipper and boat came power-reaching into Hawaii to earn a very close second place in their division, only narrowly missing out on victory due to an unfortunate wind shift in the final miles.

Since that inaugural race in 1980, the event outgrew its humble beginnings, was renamed the Pacific Cup and relocated its finish to Kaneohe, on the island of Oahu, to accommodate more boats. Yes, there are still plenty of glitzy raceboats and famous sailors, but the event has also always attracted local sailors who get their hands on a modest ultralight racer and dream big. While no small ultralight boats sailed in that first race, they have since become a fixture. From Moore 24s and Express 27s to Santa Cruz 27s, Olson 30s and Hobie 33s, the Pacific Cup attracts a great number of those early surfing boats from the heyday of the Santa Cruz boatbuilding era. In 2018, the race enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime battle between seven Express 27s (six sailed doublehanded in their own one-design fleet, while one sailed in a PHRF handicap division with three crew on board). The little 27-foot speedsters and their crews put on a performance that will be talked about for many years to come.

The look on the skipper’s face at the finish line told a story: humbled, gracious and fully content, but also mischievous, like a teenager who’d just pulled one over on his parents.

After a gnarly super El-Niño impacted the race in 2016, when major tropical weather systems moved across the racecourse in quick succession, the vibe on the docks at the hosting Richmond Yacht Club in Point Richmond, California, was decidedly more relaxed in 2018. All of the weather models pointed to a much more traditional, if not benign, race. With an incredible two-thirds of the 60-boat fleet being first-time race entrants, no one was complaining about the mellow forecast. With light winds, warm temperatures and sunny skies at the race village, one could have been forgiven for confusing Richmond with the race finish. The 60 entries were spread across eight divisions over four different starting days in mid-July, with the goal being to get everyone into Kaneohe around the same time. It was the third time a dedicated cruising class was included, with the first coming in 2014.

“A lot of goals came together to get the cruising fleet added to the Pacific Cup,” said Pacific Cup Yacht Club commodore and eight-time race participant Michael Moradzadeh. “First, we wanted to make the race more accessible to some folks who might feel intimidated by racing all the way to Hawaii. We relaxed the rules a bit — but not in terms of safety — to allow boats to motor a bit if needed, or to call a coach or weather router for advice, things you normally can’t do in a yacht race. We thought that the sailors wouldn’t be too competitive, but as it turns out, any time that you get two or more boats on the water it’s most definitely a race! For 2020, we’re probably going to configure the fleet a bit more like a race with actual handicap ratings and scoring, though still allowing the cruisers to use their engines if necessary. Competitive cruising, if you want.”

Competitive cruising is a polite way to put it. In the 2018 Pacific Cup, two 50-foot sisterships were duking it out near the head of the fleet, with top-tier sailing talent on board both boats. On Emmanuel Sauquet’s Hanse 505, Outremer , a crew of six Frenchman, including Vendée Globe superstar Tanguy de Lamotte, found themselves locked in an intense match race with the aforementioned Anaïs , which was stacked full of seasoned racers from San Diego, including the local Ullman Sails pro, Chuck Skewes. While Outremer tended to have a slight speed advantage at times, the two boats took wildly divergent routes to Hawaii, which ended up being the deciding factor.

In solidarity with the Frenchmen on board A Fond le Girafor , a revolutionary new foiling Beneteau Figaro 3 in the doublehanded class, who were just ahead of them, Outremer played the north side of the racecourse while rival Anaïs played the south. Up north, the route would be much shorter, and in theory, there would be a narrow corridor of increased pressure for any navigator who was skilled and daring enough to try to thread the needle and find it. Down south, the conditions looked a bit softer, though considerably more consistent with fewer wind holes to deal with. The boats up north looked good in the short term, but as is usually the case when racing to Hawaii, those northerly boats faded hard in the middle stages of the race. When the wind finally went light for the northerly boats, Anaïs gained a big advantage and held on to the finish to arrive into Kaneohe some 12 hours ahead of her French competition.

As is often the case in races from California to Hawaii, the boats that opted for a northern route faded hard in the middle stages of the voyage.

The arrival of Anaïs signaled the start of a marathon push for me, the race’s media guy, that would last for much of the following week. After that first cruiser came in, the floodgates opened and boats were finishing around the clock. With so many interesting storylines to follow and friends spread throughout the fleet, seemingly every few hours I would attempt to greet and cover a boat, no matter what time of day. From high-energy arrival parties to heartwarming reunions among loved ones, each arrival was different from the last, but equally special.

I’ve always had a soft spot for the French and their passion for sailing, and because this year’s fleet had such an incredible number of French sailors, it was fun and exciting to greet them in Hawaii. Perhaps the most touching of all finishes in the 2018 Pacific Cup was when Nicolas Thiebaud’s all-French crew on his Jeanneau SunFast 3200 Dare Dare arrived in the middle of the night to a raucous welcoming committee that included a huge French contingent singing an old Breton song in honor of their fellow countrymen. When you engage in an organized sport like ocean racing, you do it as much for the community as you do for the voyage itself. To see the love and camaraderie among competitors is perhaps the most beautiful part of the whole event; it’s one big celebration of the sport, among friends both new and old.

RELATED: Molokai High

Aside from the two modern 50-foot Hanses with wicked-up crews that found themselves in an improbable match race for the lead, the rest of the 14-boat cruising fleet spanned the full spectrum of cruising yachts — a Mason 44, Island Packet 380, Nordic 44 and Swan 441 were among the entrants — with a wide array of proper cruisers and comfy racer-cruisers also sprinkled throughout the racing fleets.

As well as the diversity of boats entered, the ambitions and vibes of the various different crews is hard to miss. Obviously, a lot of the fleet is composed of hardcore racing sailors who thrive on the intense competition and the thrills that only high-speed open-ocean surfing runs in the trade winds can deliver. For others, it’s their own personal Everest, the culmination of a major life undertaking amid years of dreaming. While for many still, it’s merely a summer tradition, a break from work or an ambitious summer cruise. For all, however, it’s a long bluewater passage with day after day of off-the-breeze sailing in ideal conditions before arriving to a warm welcome in paradise. Whether racing or cruising, the sail from California to Hawaii is about as good as it gets.

For many, the race itself is just a part of the motivation for entering the Pacific Cup. Russ Johnson, skipper of the Jeanneau 52.2 Blue Moon , said, “Probably the biggest part of the Pac Cup, for me, was to be able to do the return trip and go through the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. I learned about the gyre 15 years ago and was surprised at how many people had still never heard of it. I wanted to see what was out there for myself, and make my findings available to raise awareness and educate people about what it is.”

Before returning to California, and visiting the garbage patch along the way, Johnson found himself on island time, and his return delivery was delayed a couple of months by impromptu local adventures. “The sailing was absolutely beautiful. From almost any port, you can be out in the ocean in minutes and have reliably great breeze and open-ocean sailing. Within hours, you can find another port or another island entirely to pull into and meet new people. We visited the remote north side of Molokai. It was amazing and completely unexpected. With the tallest sea cliffs on earth, beautiful waterfalls and hidden coves, it was the real Hawaiian paradise that I had hoped to find.”

Not all boats that sail in on a Pac Cup make the return, however. Some skippers sail their boat into Hawaii, effectively on a one-way journey, before selling the boat in the islands and flying home. For so many others, however, the Pac Cup is just the beginning of the journey. Warren Holybee and crew sailed his Morgan 382 Eliana into Kaneohe in 14 days to grab third place in the Coral Reef Sailing Apparel A division. The next time we saw Warren, he was in Honolulu installing a Monitor windvane and dodger that he had shipped out with the delivery gear. From Hawaii, he cruised on to Fiji and will be heading on to New Zealand.

For Thiebaud, a young French sailor who lives in San Francisco, the Pac Cup was part of his spiritual journey to sail to the islands of French Polynesia. As soon as the Pac Cup was over, he was seen loading big ground tackle, a dinghy and other cruising gear onto his 32-footer Dare Dare and heading south. Overall winner Prospector, a flashy, modern 68-foot racing yacht, sailed onward to Sydney with its professional crew for a run at the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race. The Pacific Cup was just one leg of a racing circumnavigation that includes many iconic ocean races. Just like the diversity of the fleet itself, when the awards party ends, an equal if opposite number of adventures ensue.

Back in 1980, the first year of the Pacific Cup, Lester Robertson raced a Moore 24 named Legs to the island of Kauai in the 1980 singlehanded Transpac. Nearly 40 years later, he was back, this time doublehanded, to race another Moore 24 called Foamy to Hawaii. “I decided to do the race, and then two and a half months into the rebuild I was diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer. They told me I had a 15 percent chance to survive the first five years, but I always figure we can be in the top 15 out of 100,” he told me with a forced chuckle. “There’s so much else in life, but it was one of the things that I really, really wanted to do — another transpacific voyage in a small boat — and I’m just so grateful and privileged to be here. I appreciate it so much. There’s just so many other ways it could have worked out.” Lester and his crew, Randy Parker, pushed the venerable Moore 24 hard, fighting for the victory for much of the race, ultimately finishing in third place in the division and only narrowly missing out on second.

You talk to a guy like Robertson, or a first-timer, or a 15-time race vet, or even a race volunteer, and you realize how much the Pacific Cup means to this crowd. From the opening race village at the Richmond Yacht Club to the finish-line festivities at the Kaneohe Yacht Club, there is an overwhelming sense of pride and gratitude in being part of it: gratitude for the incredible and oftentimes humbling experience, and pride to be a part of something so undeniably special and uniquely homegrown. With a dedicated group of volunteers and many of the usual suspects among the competitors, the fleet has a family feel to it and takes great pride in ownership of their little race that has left such an indelible mark on the sailing world. With this tightknit group that warmly welcomes outsiders and newcomers, including cruisers, the time has never been better to cast off the dock lines and discover the Pacific Cup for yourself. The next Pac Cup is scheduled for 2020. How about joining the fun?

Ronnie Simpson is a sailor, surfer and sailing media professional who is in the early stages of a surf-focused sailing circumnavigation on his Peterson 34 , Quiver . Having recently completed a degree in integrated multimedia from Hawaii Pacific University, Ronnie continues to pursue his goals as a sailing journalist alongside — and to help fund — his own sailing ambitions. He was the media director for the 2018 Pacific Cup.

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Far flung and out of town entries for Pacific Cup Yacht Race

Pacific Cup

J/world offshore racing event.

Every other year a fleet of boats heads out the spectacular Golden Gate Bridge with a destination a world away. After a little more the 2000 miles of open ocean sailing, we arrive in the stunning Kaneohe Bay on the northern shore of Oahu. This is the Pacific Cup, run in July of “even” years. It is a fantastic adventure that boasts some phenomenal sailing across one of the most fantastic stretches of open ocean on the planet. It truly is the adventure of a lifetime.

J/World Sailing offers sailors the opportunity to race in this world class event. Each running, we compete with a team comprised of six amateurs and three of our world-class, professional coaches. Each individual will be an active and equal member of the team, and everyone aboard gets to take turns at doing everything, including driving. The environment will be fun, positive, and conducive to learning… and we’ll of course work hard to get a great finish! In 2016 we were first in class, second overall in ORR, and set a new California to Hawaii record for the venerable Santa Cruz 50s!

We will be sailing over to the islands the legendary Santa Cruz 50, Hula Girl and the modern DK46 Cazan. Hula Girl was turboed under the supervision of Bruce Nelson. She sports an updated carbon rig, a modern bulb keel, and new rudder. She was most recently the personal boat of Paul Cayard, one of the most successful racers in yachting history, and completed an extensive refit in 2013. For more on this incredible boat, visit here . Cazan is a Mark Mills design that sports a large cockpit and towering, powerful rig (bigger than a SC52!).

Students may be of various ability levels, from experienced offshore racers who enjoy the notion of joining a ‘turn-key’ program, to sailors who are looking to expand their horizons and learn more about offshore racing. The program will include practice sessions prior to the race, all the onboard provisioning, team gear, entry fees, port fees, and delivery fees. Participants are responsible for their own travel and accommodation arrangements in Los Angeles and Hawaii.

“I wanted to thank you for a wonderful trip and the experience of a lifetime. I was and remain extremely impressed with all the preparation and hard work that you put in to make this trip a success for the students. I took from this experience not only a great deal of knowledge on ocean sailing, but also increased confidence in my ability as a sailor.” – MC, after the 2008 Pacific Cup

Prolific journalist Kimball Livingston writes of our program: You will be “taught how to get to Hawaii doing the fast thing. Win or lose you’ll come back different. Want to skipper, next time, with confidence? You never really know what you will get, California-Hawaii, but it is a benign passage by the standards of ocean passages, and halfway across you are farther from land than at any other point on the globe. At the end there’s Hawaii. Suck it up and cope.”

J World Offshore Racing – 2012 San Deigo to Puerto Vallarta Race

J World Offshore Racing – 2011 Transpac

About J World Offshore Programs

There are no other programs in the world like this. period..

The offshore programs put together and managed by J/World are absolutely unique in the world of yachting. You are a truly active and integral member of an actual racing team. We don’t load the boat with clients to the point where no one gets to do anything. We won’t just park you over a grinding pedestal We aren’t just taking you for a ride like so many big boat programs. You are sailing the boat. You get to drive, trim, navigate… whatever your interests are, we’ll be sure that you get to exercise that muscle.

For most programs, we limit enrollment to six clients. With three coaches aboard, that’s a 2:1 ratio which means everyone aboard gets a ton of personal attention from our extremely experienced staff.

These programs are fully turn-key, and managed by a team of sailors who are hand selected for both their extensive sailing background, and their ability to coach well and share their knowledge, expertise, and enthusiasm with others. The afloat staff is supported by our expert shore team, insuring that you have the time of your life.

The boat is owned by J/World. This is crucial… it is not some charterboat that we tap into for occasional use. It is our boat, campaigned regularly by our team. To you, this means that the equipment is on absolutely top condition, the boat is maintained to the highest competitive standards, and the safety equipment onboard is second to none.

The J World Offshore Programs are singular in the world of yachting. If you have heard of other pay to play programs or you have joined the ‘cattle boat’ programs that dominate the market, it’s time to rethink your experience. There is no other program in the world like J World Offshore. Don’t take our word for it. Just read below for a couple of the many, many unsolicited emails of appreciation we get…

2017 Transpac Crew - Derek D. (aka Easy-D)

I know that I had the chance to thank each of you personally while I was in Hawaii, but I wanted formally thank you as group for the amazing experience aboard Hula Girl on this year’s Transpac.

Although I definitely had the least offshore experience among the group on board, all three of you put me at ease before, during, and after the race. Other than the vertigo issue that I had on a couple of the cloudy/moonless nights when I was steering (thank you Patrick for bailing me out!), I felt relatively comfortable at the wheel (for fear of a wipe-out of epic proportions). I must say that Patrick’s demeanor as my Watch Captain helped me build that confidence over the duration of the 2225 nm.

Watching all three of you going about your business onboard was a treat and demonstrated that all three of you are real pros! Whether it was Patrick at the bow, Wayne at the wheel or nav station, or Paul at the wheel, all three of you made it look so easy! Knowing that the boat was well-prepared in advance of the start also showed a level of professionalism that I haven’t seen. I greatly enjoyed the consistent communication of expectations prior to the experience occurring which helped keep surprises to a minimum. In short, this was not your first rodeo (unlike me) which helped allay any fears.

Although the Team Philosophy wasn’t a “win at all costs” one, the fact that you were able to coalesce a disparate group with varying levels of sailing and offshore experience was truly remarkable. To me, one of the more satisfying things was that we earned a podium finish in an extremely competitive division of SC50s and SC52s. However, I’m still contemplating all the ways we could have done better to make up the 5 minutes of corrected time on Deception, or the several hours that Horizon finished ahead of us. Regardless, I know that my goals prior to the race were to sail safely, fast, and fun! Mission accomplished!

Again, I thank you for providing me with this tremendous opportunity of sailing in this year’s edition of Transpac! Don’t be surprised if I decide to do something else with J World again whether it’s around the buoys or another offshore opportunity. I’m still smiling about the overall experience that I had and it’s certainly among my top sailing highlights, let alone one of the overall highlights in my 52 years.

Take care for now! Please keep in touch.

2016 Pacific Cup Crew - Andreas K.

I just wanted to spend the time to thank you again for all the training I got from you guys during the Transpac. Wayne, you are one of the best skippers I ever sailed with, and Patrick you are probably the best coach I have met so far.

You kept encouraging me to take over the helm, over and over again, and really helped me overcome one of the biggest shortcomings I saw in my skill set. Everyone on the boat had his chance. You guys were there for everyone who wanted to rise to the next level… and once we hit the Molokai Channel ,I was able to handle the breeze and the swell, which surprised me as much as some of the other guys!

I just wanted to let you guys know how much I appreciate what I took with me from this trip. You guys rock…

Pacific Cup 2022 - Jim G.

Aloha! I know you are probably running boats back home, but I am going to send this now anyway before my vacation buzz wears off. 🙂

After spending a bit more time relaxing in Hawaii with my wife post-race, we got back yesterday. So I wanted to let you know how much I appreciated the experience on Cazan during the 2022 PacCup. Somewhere in my top 10 life experiences, maybe even top 5! It was a privilege to be aboard with David, Collin and Austin — they are hands-down the best sailors I’ve ever sailed with and, just as important, simply great folks to hang out with. I would go sailing again with any of them any time for any reason!

Even if they hadn’t said a thing to me the entire trip, I would have learned a ton just by watching them handle the boat — particularly the downwind spinnaker reaching on the waves! Of course they were not silent, but instead were constantly teaching and helping us get better at trimming, steering and grinding . . . and more. And they handled all my questions — both the good ones and the sort of stupid ones — with clear answers and good natured patience.

All of them were natural communicators and their love of sailing was infectious. We amateurs all got noticeably better. Our speed and handling improved every day throughout the race and we pushed the performance to the point of covering over 300 miles in 24 hours! That may or may not be a record for CaZan, but it was certainly some fantastic racing!

In addition to the great J/World crew, I’d add that Cazan is an impressive boat. Sturdy as hell, fairly dry, reasonably comfortable (for a raceboat!) and yet still speedy. We used most of the sail inventory and got a lot of out of those kites! A great boat for the trip and a positive part of the package was learning about the sails and systems on a veteran ocean raceboat.

Finally, I am not a particularly nervous sailor, but I am generally cautious and try to be prepared for the conditions — so I had a few concerns about sailing the open ocean in places I had never sailed before. However, even when the wind and weather conditions got a bit more challenging (or “sporty”) sailing with the Cazan team, I never felt like we were unsafe or unready. Any of the worries I might have had about wandering 2000+ miles out over the Pacific simply disappeared as we worked together. I realized when we finished that your team gave me all of that the confidence by improving my sailing competence in rougher conditions — yet another benefit from the amazing trip.

At bottom, my Pac Cup experience was truly awesome and I wanted to let you know that I appreciate the care and preparation that you and your J/World colleagues put into making it that way. I would happily recommend you all to anybody looking to get offshore experience — feel free to use me as a reference or quote me on the website!

Take care and I’ll figure out how to sail with you all again down the road.

Transpac 2021 - Randy B.

I didn’t have a chance to talk with you at the end of the race so I wanted to send you a quick e-mail to say thank you! The Transpac was a very memorable experience for me and truly did check the bucket list box.. I believe I told you that my dad sailed it in 1951 and always talked about what a great race it was. Now I understand what he meant! As a dinghy boat sailor getting to sail downwind in those classic pacific Tradewinds surfing conditions was something I will never forget. Dave, Chris and Collin are exceptional sailors, great teachers and were professional the whole time with everyone onboard….probably the reason you selected them. I will also say that offshore skipper role Dave showed leadership skills well beyond his years. Oh yeah and Chris’ sense of humor had me laughing most of the time. I now see why your turnkey offshore program is so highly regarded and I’m glad I had a chance to participate in it. Thanks again!

J/World Sailing

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J/World Performance Sailing School is the preeminent source for sailing skills development.

SailingEurope Blog - Sailing, Yacht Charter and Beyond

Transpacific Race – Racing Between the USA and Hawaii

For many European and Mediterranean sailors, crossing the Atlantic is a great challenge . Most of them do not even think of sailing the Pacific , and if they do, it is only a distant dream. However, sailors do not turn from boys into men only between Europe and the East Coast of the USA. The West Coast of the USA has its own version of an offshore race. The Transpacific Yacht Race , also known as the Transpac , connects California (San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Pedro, etc.), and the Hawaiian Islands .

This demanding race has probably been best described by Russell Coutts , an Olympic gold medalist and five-time winner of the America’s Cup, who claims it is one of the best offshore races in which he has ever competed. The race is very strategic for the navigators, and there are some fantastic downwind rides .

Beginnings of Transpacific Race

The first start of the Transpac took place in 1906 in Los Angeles . It should start in San Francisco, but the devastating earthquake forced the organizers to change the schedule. Traditionally, the race starts off San Pedro , at the Pt. Fermin buoy . The competitors have to finish the 2,225 NM long course off Diamond Head Lighthouse in Honolulu .

The Pacific High

A high pressure area , also known as a Pacific High , has always played a very important role in this race. Sailing into it would be a competitive suicide. On the other hand, reaching the lower ends of the high makes the winds bend the aft. It is the perfect opportunity for setting the spinnaker and pleasantly continuing the race downwind. This means that the yachts optimized for downwind sailing are the ones competing for the line honours.

Transpacific Race Record

The current fastest time of the Transpac for a fully crewed monohull is 5 days, 14 hours, 36 minutes and 20 seconds , and was set by Alfa Romeo II . I am sure that many of those reading this are excellent sailors, but, if you are not professionals, you should check out the Aloha class of the Transpac. This class was created for yachts that are not so young, and are heavy, often equipped with massive refrigerators, air conditioners, and other systems that contribute to comfort and luxury . This class is for everyone who is into offshore competition, but do not have a professional career and big sponsors.

Finishing the Transpac (Transpacific race) can lead to the realization of two dreams – crossing the Pacific and visiting the Hawaiian Islands . I am sure that passing Diamond Head under spinnaker and arriving to Waikiki beach deserves a magnificent aloha welcome …

I wish you a calm sea, a fine wind and a strong mast!

1 thought on “Transpacific Race – Racing Between the USA and Hawaii”

Hey… what are best foods to have aboard for the crew

Regional Sailboat Races in the USA

By: Zeke Quezada, ASA Destinations , Sailing Races

Let’s set sail into the thrilling world of regional sailboat races! These competitions offer a unique and exciting twist on the traditional sailing experience.

Regional races center around sailboats vying for supremacy in specific corners of the world, be it a coastal paradise or a cluster of enchanting islands. These events serve as a rallying point for local racers, as sailors hailing from nearby towns and yacht clubs come together to showcase their skills.

What’s particularly enticing about regional races is their inclusivity. Whether you’re piloting a nimble dinghy or commanding a majestic yacht, these races often welcome boats of all types and sailors of all levels. Whether you’re a seasoned sea veteran or a novice setting sail for the first time, there’s a class tailored to your needs at most of these local sailing races.

It’s not all about the competition! Regional races transform into grand sailing events, where communities burst to life for multiple days of festivities while showcasing their local flavor. Sailors gather, forge new friendships, and revel in their shared passion for this incredible sport.

Moreover, these races often offer affordable entry fees, ensuring accessibility to aspiring racers of all backgrounds. Some races may be shorter and less arduous than epic ocean crossings, making them ideal for sailors looking to refine their skills. Regional sailboat races are all about honoring the sport of sailing and the remarkable community it nurtures.

Website: Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race
Description: The Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race is an offshore yacht race that takes participants from Marblehead, Massachusetts, to Halifax, Nova Scotia. It’s a challenging long-distance race across the North Atlantic.
Website: Figawi Race Weekend
Description: Figawi Race Weekend is a popular sailing event that includes both a race and a weekend of festivities. It starts in Hyannis, Massachusetts, and ends on Nantucket Island.
Website: Block Island Race Week
Description: Block Island Race Week is a biennial event that takes place on Block Island, Rhode Island. It features a series of races over the course of a week and is known for its lively social scene.
Website: Vineyard Race
Description: The Vineyard Race is an offshore race that starts and finishes in Stamford, Connecticut, with a course that takes sailors around Martha’s Vineyard. It’s known for its scenic course and challenging conditions.
Website: Newport to Bermuda Race
Description: The Newport to Bermuda Race is a classic offshore race that starts in Newport, Rhode Island, and finishes in Bermuda. It’s one of the most prestigious ocean races on the East Coast.
Website: Ida Lewis Distance Race
Description: The Ida Lewis Distance Race is a coastal race that starts and finishes in Newport, Rhode Island. It offers a variety of courses, including offshore and overnight racing.
Website: Camden Classics Cup
Description: The Camden Classics Cup is a regatta held in Camden, Maine, that celebrates classic and vintage sailing yachts. It’s a showcase of timeless sailboat designs.
Website: Nantucket Race Week
Description: Nantucket Race Week is a week-long sailing event held on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. It includes a variety of racing classes and social activities, making it a family-friendly event.
Website: Boothbay Harbor Regatta
Description: The Boothbay Harbor Regatta is an annual regatta held in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. It features a mix of sailboat racing, social events, and onshore activities.
Website: Annapolis to Newport Race
Description: The Annapolis to Newport Race is a classic offshore race that starts in Annapolis, Maryland, and finishes in Newport, Rhode Island. This classic race takes sailors between two of the USA’s sailing epicenters.
Website: Charleston Race Week
Description: Charleston Race Week is a premier sailing event held in Charleston, South Carolina. It’s one of the largest regattas in the United States, featuring a wide range of sailboat classes and competitive racing.
Website: Around Long Island Regatta
Description: The Around Long Island Regatta is an annual offshore race that circumnavigates Long Island, New York. It’s a challenging race known for its variety of conditions and scenic views along the course.
Website: Around Martha’s Vineyard Race
Description: The Around Martha’s Vineyard Race is a sailing race that circumnavigates Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
Website: Conanicut Yacht Club
Description: The Around Jamestown Island Race is organized by the Conanicut Yacht Club and takes place in the waters around Jamestown Island, near Newport, Rhode Island. It’s a local race with stunning views of the Newport area.
Website: Atlantic Cup
Description: The Atlantic Cup is a premier Class 40 offshore racing series held along the East Coast of the United States. It features multiple legs and attracts international competitors. The race promotes sustainability and ocean health.

Website: Rolex Big Boat Series
Description: The Rolex Big Boat Series is a prestigious sailing event held in San Francisco, California. It’s known for attracting top sailors and a wide range of sailboat classes, making it a highlight of the West Coast racing calendar.
Website: Pacific Cup
Description: The Pacific Cup is a biennial offshore yacht race that takes participants from San Francisco, California to Kaneohe, Hawaii. It’s a challenging race known for its long-distance and unpredictable conditions.
Website: Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race
Description: This is one of the largest international yacht races, starting from Newport Beach, California, and finishing in Ensenada, Mexico. It features a wide range of sailboat classes and attracts sailors from around the world.
Website: Baja Ha-Ha
Description: The Baja Ha-Ha is an annual cruisers’ rally that starts in San Diego, California, and ends in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. While not a traditional race, it’s a popular event for sailors looking to cruise along the Baja California Peninsula.
Website: Swiftsure International Yacht Race
Description: The Swiftsure International Yacht Race is held in the waters off Victoria, British Columbia. It offers a variety of race courses, attracting both local and international sailors for a challenging competition.
Website: Round the County Race
Description: The Round the County Race is a sailing race that takes place in the beautiful San Juan Islands of Washington State. It offers a picturesque and challenging course for sailors.
Website: Santa Barbara to King Harbor Race
Description: This race starts in Santa Barbara, California, and finishes in Redondo Beach, California. It’s a popular offshore race along the Southern California coastline.
Website: Southern Straits Yacht Race
Description: The Southern Straits Yacht Race is a challenging overnight race that begins and ends in Vancouver, British Columbia. It’s known for its strategic and tactical sailing.
Website: Long Beach Race Week
Description: Long Beach Race Week is a multi-day regatta held in Long Beach, California. It features a variety of racing classes and attracts sailors of all levels.

Gulf of Mexico

Website: Harvest Moon Regatta
Description: The Harvest Moon Regatta is a popular offshore sailing race that takes participants from Galveston, Texas, to Port Aransas, Texas. It typically takes place in October and is known for its festive atmosphere.
Website: New Orleans Yacht Club
Description: The Race to the Coast is a sailing race that starts in New Orleans, Louisiana, and finishes in Gulfport, Mississippi. It’s organized by the New Orleans Yacht Club.
Website: GBCA Performance Cup Series
Description: The GBCA Performance Cup Series is a series of sailboat races organized by the Galveston Bay Cruising Association (GBCA) in Galveston, Texas. It includes various races and regattas throughout the year.
Website: St. Petersburg Yacht Club
Description: The St. Petersburg to Havana Race is an offshore race that starts in St. Petersburg, Florida, and finishes in Havana, Cuba. It’s organized by the St. Petersburg Yacht Club.
Website: Clearwater Yacht Club
Description: The Clearwater to Key Largo Race is an offshore sailing race that starts in Clearwater, Florida, and finishes in Key Largo, Florida. It’s organized by the Clearwater Yacht Club.

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The 50th California-to-Hawai‘i Transpacific Yacht Race Sets Sail For Honolulu

The golden edition of the transpacific yacht race brings a record number of racing yachts—and yacht parties—to honolulu..

The Mighty Merloe as it crosses the finish line in 2017. Photo: Courtesy of Sharon Green, Ultimate Sailing

I n the fall of 1886, with his 50 th birthday only weeks away , King David Kalākaua invited members of a San Francisco yacht club to race their sailboats to Honolulu for the festivities. As tempting as the invite was, the yacht club declined, unable to pull off such a big race in such a short amount of time.

Kalākaua died a few years later, but his idea for a California-to-Hawai‘i race persisted, and in 1906 the first Transpacific Yacht Race was held. It was to start in San Francisco, but 1906 is the year the city was destroyed by an earthquake, and the start was moved to Long Beach, where it remains today. With few exceptions (mainly world wars), Transpac has been held every other year since.

This year marks the 50 th edition of the 2,225-nautical-mile race, and a record number of boats—more than a hundred—have registered.

Transpac is famous both for its downwind spinnaker sailing and its rollicking post-race parties. In addition to three bashes hosted by O‘ahu’s three major yacht clubs, each boat is assigned an “Aloha Welcome” team, which fetes finishers at the dock with mai tais served in hollowed pineapples. “It doesn’t matter if a boat arrives at 4 p.m. or 4 a.m., we give it an Aloha Welcome unmatched by any other race in the world,” says Carl Geringer, chairman of Transpac’s Honolulu Committee.

SEE ALSO: The 11 Best Events on O‘ahu in July

Handicapping allows a wide range of sailboats to compete, from the new breed of blindingly fast high-tech multihulls to plodding old family cruisers. Staggered starting dates, beginning July 10, give the slower boats a head start so that all boats finish around the same week.

Winner of the first Transpac, the 86-foot schooner Lurline, made the passage in 12 days, 9 hours, 59 minutes—an astonishing speed at the time. In 2017 the 60-foot trimaran Mighty Merloe set its own astonishing record, finishing in just 4 days, 6 hours, 32 minutes. All eyes this year will be on Maserati, the hydrofoiling 70-foot Italian trimaran that might have beaten Mighty Merloe in 2017 had it not crashed into debris and lost a rudder.

Among the mountain of honors up for grabs is an enormous sterling silver cup for the boat with the best time after adjusting for handicaps—the grand prize. Kalākaua himself, racing his yacht Healani in Hawai‘i waters, was first to win this trophy (for another, pre-Transpac race). As Transpac lore has it, he then filled it with Champagne and shared it with his competitors so that all might drink from the cup of victory. Officially it’s named the Hawaiian Challenge Cup. But sailors commonly refer to it as the Kalākaua Cup—an homage to the sailing king who dreamed big.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

For tickets to Hawai‘i Yacht Club’s Mount Gay Transpac 50 th Golden Anniversary Shirt Party, July 24, call 949-4622.

For tickets to Waikīkī Yacht Club’s Mount Gay Rum Party, July 25, call (808) 955-4405.

To volunteer, contact Janet Scheffer: [email protected] , (808) 521-1160.

To inspect the fleet, stroll Transpac Row (makai side of the central dock) at the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor.

For satellite tracking of the boats’ positions go to yb.tl/transpac2019

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Boat Type: i52 Owner: Michael Firmin Home Country: AUS

Zero gravity 51.

Boat Type: RP 51 Owner: Ivan Batanov & Lawrence Andrews Home Country: USA

Boat type: dehler 46 owner: ian edwards home country: aus, boat type: santa cruz 52 owner: dave moore home country: usa.

Boat Type: Santa Cruz 70 Owner: Stuart Dahlgren Home Country: CAN

Boat type: dencho/kernan 44 owner: les linkogle home country: usa, boat type: r/p 52 owner: thomas furlong home country: usa, velvet hammer, boat type: j/125 owner: james nichols home country: usa, boat type: santa cruz 52 owner: steve selllinger home country: usa, boat type: andrews 70 owner: doug pasnik home country: usa, t/s cal maritime, boat type: andrews 77 owner: cal maritime home country: usa, sweet okole, boat type: farr 36 owner: dean treadway home country: usa, spin doctor, boat type: andrews 40 owner: paul farrell home country: usa, boat type: jeanneau 43 owner: steven george home country: usa, boat type: carbon 32 owner: jerome sammarcelli home country: usa, boat type: tp52 owner: john brynjolfsson home country: usa, rock n’ roll, boat type: andrews 68 owner: john sangmeister / justin smart home country: usa, boat type: bakewell white 100 owner: manouch moshayedi home country: usa, boat type: j/125 owner: thomas garnier home country: usa, boat type: andrews 68 owner: roy p. disney home country: usa, pinball wizard, boat type: santa cruz 52 owner: bill & lisa dana home country: usa, boat type: santa cruz 70 owner: jack jennings home country: usa, boat type: dencho/kernan 68 owner: doug baker home country: usa, boat type: newland 368 owner: stephen lewis home country: usa, boat type: mod 70 owner: justin shaffer home country: usa, boat type: santa cruz 50 owner: michael moradzadeh home country: usa, night’s watch, boat type: j/130 owner: dean stanec home country: usa, boat type: j/125 owner: standish fleming home country: usa, boat type: santa cruz 70 owner: marchetta/furey home country: usa, boat type: bill lee 68 custom owner: chip merlin home country: usa.

Boat Type: MOD 70 Owner: Giovanni Soldini Home Country: ITA

Boat type: hylas 63 owner: nicholas green home country: usa, boat type: beneteau first 47.7 owner: mike sudo home country: usa, boat type: beneteau first 44 owner: charles devanneaux home country: usa, boat type: express 37 owner: dan merino home country: usa, j world’s hula girl, boat type: santa cruz 50 mod owner: wayne zittel home country: usa, boat type: dufour 50 owner: michael marion home country: usa, imagine too, boat type: catalina 445 owner: larry goshorn home country: usa, boat type: farr 57 owner: cecil & alyson rossi home country: usa, groundhog day, boat type: rogers 46 owner: rich festa home country: usa, grand illusion, boat type: santa cruz 70 owner: david h. clark home country: usa, boat type: r/p 63 owner: george hershman / mark comings home country: usa, good trouble, boat type: andrews 56 owner: marie rogers home country: usa, glass slipper, boat type: antrim 40 owner: cree partridge home country: usa, boat type: dehler 46 owner: greg dorn home country: usa, fast exit ii, boat type: ker 52 owner: john raymont home country: usa, boat type: ker 46+ owner: william mckinley home country: usa, boat type: santa cruz 50 owner: chris messano / bill durant home country: usa, boat type: j/111 owner: ed sanford home country: usa, boat type: dk46 owner: wayne zittel home country: usa, boat type: santa cruz 70 owner: edward marez home country: usa, boat type: nelson marek 70 owner: craig reynolds home country: usa, boat type: jeaneau 52.2 owner: russ johnson home country: usa, black marlin, boat type: 1d35 owner: herwig baumgartner home country: usa, boat type: botin 56 owner: tom holthus home country: usa, boat type: botin 65 owner: raymond paul home country: usa, boat type: j/125 owner: andrew picel home country: usa, boat type: mod 70 owner: jason carroll home country: usa, aimant de fille, boat type: j/145 owner: steven ernest home country: usa.

More info coming soon

Boat Type: R/P 55 Owner: Alan Lubner Home Country: USA

Alan Lubner’s ZVI from Seattle is a recent upgrade in performance from his previous Dehler 46, having acquired the 2007-built Reichel/Pugh 55 this year. He is one of several entries from the Pacific Northwest to come to So Cal to participate in the 2021 Transpac, his first time to compete in this race. He said “Entering Transpac has always been a dream and when the right boat and the right group of people came about, the timing seemed right to make a 2020 debut.”

Besides himself, his team of ten will include Alan Lubner, Nigel Barron, John Stanley, Mike Stanley, and Andrew Cook as Navigator. For qualifying races and passages they plan to do both: race in the usual long distance race schedule in Puget Sound in addition to the Oregon Offshore (198 miles) and the long offshore delivery down the coast to Los Angeles.

For preparation the team is using the winter downtime to remove all the deck hardware and repaint the deck and nonskid. “We're taking this time to look over all the fittings and blocks & take everything apart,” said Lubner.

The team’s goals are to “compete at the highest level and finish in Hawaii with the knowledge that we did everything we could to get there as quickly and safely as possible.”

Warrior Won

Boat type: pac 52 owner: chris sheehan home country: usa follow:.

Chris Sheehan acquired the Judel/Vrolijki-designed Pac52 Bad Pak in late 2019, re-named her Warrior Won , and missed a lot of the 2020 racing season due to pandemic cancellations. He and his Connecticut-based team did, however, managed to earn an overall win in the Stamford-Vineyard Race in September, a 238-mile classic late-summer race in the New England season.

“Myself and my team love offshore sailing,” he said. “Transpac has been high on the priority list of the race's we intend to sail over the next few years. After some great training and racing on the East coast in 2020, we are all looking forward to some fun SoCal sailing in 2021.” This sailing includes the full circuit of pre-Transpac offshore races: the Islands Race, the Newport-Cabo Race and the SoCal 300.

This is Chris’s first Transpac, but the crew of nine he has assembled has significant experience and demonstrated talent in this and many other world-class offshore races: the team includes Dylan Vogel, Collin Leon, Mal Parker, Mo Gutenkunst, Hartwell Jordan, Scott Ewing, Stu Bannatyne, and Chris Lewis as Navigator. In addition the tune-up races, Sheehan said this team will also be focused on preparation and training with the goal of a division win in the race.

They certainly have a platform capable of this achievement: Bad Pak was runner-up in both class and overall results in the 2017 race.

Boat Type: RP 52 Owner: Tom Furlong Home Country: USA

Tom Furlong’s San Francisco YC-based Reichel/Pugh-designed Southern Cross 52 was launched in 2009, and competed in the last Transpac in 2019. In the competitive Division 1 fleet after 8 days of racing she missed a podium finish by less than two hours in corrected time – not bad for this being Furlong’s first Transpac.

“We purchased the boat in early 2018 and underwent an extensive refit specifically oriented to competing in the 2019 Transpac,” he said. “The boat and team sailed well in that race, but also knew there was more to learn and optimize. COVID cancelled the 2020 season, and so we hoped that 2021 Transpac was a realistic goal. We are looking forward to putting our increased knowledge of the boat into practice in this race.”

Furlong has some repeat players for this edition, but some new crew as well, such as Christopher Branning signed on as Navigator. The remainder of the team of 11 is as follows: Benjamin Allen, Blaine Pedlow, Hilary Hill, Mark Newbrook, Patrick O'Connor, Sarah Young, Sean “Doogie” Couvreux, Timoth Galligan and Tyler Baeder.

To prepare for this year’s race, Furlong says they have sailed in a number of multi day practice sessions, participation in the Islands Race in March – where they finished third in class, and a “multi day offshore loop.” The goal of these sessions was “to improve the our knowledge of the boat and sail inventory and generate needed performance information,” he said. “We have a number of new sails for the race to optimize, and have continued to enhance the offshore livability of the boat” an important goal for a 52-foot carbon rocketship.

Regardless, Furlong says “Our goals are always to be safe, have fun, learn and improve, and in the end feel like we sailed the boat well.”

Boat Type: Santa Cruz 50 Owner: Tom Camp Home Country: USA

Boat type: santa cruz 52 owner: steve sellinger home country: usa follow:.

While Steve Sellinger’s Santa Cruz 52 Triumph is in Newport Beach, he is based in Park City, Utah and has been steadily improving his Transpac results since making his debut in the 2017 race: that year they scored 7th out of 10 competing in what is generally known as the Fabulous Fifties class of SC 50’s and SC 52’s. They improved on this to a 4th place in the last race edition in 2019. Its notable, however, that within this competitive class they win the top Corinthian team trophy for having an all-amateur crew.

This year Sellinger has enlisted some pro help, signing on Jeff Thorpe as navigator to supplement 2017 Transpac winning navigator & tactician, Brad Wheeler. Triumph is stacked with many years of expertise at navigation and tactical expertise to help guide the Triumph team towards another year of improved performance, and other crew members to be announced but drawing heavily from his past roster.

Sellinger is philosophic about his attraction to the race: “There is tremendous joy being on the open ocean and a real satisfaction building a team of 8 that can get each other across the Pacific,” he said, “pushing the boat and each other to work hard and stay focused. The race starts out in somewhat dreary (wet and cold) conditions and gradually warms over the days ending in what might be considered paradise. There is great satisfaction in finishing this incredible race.”

Aesthetics aside, the Triumph team is also keen to get to that podium. “Our goal is to win and get the boat and it’s crew safely to Honolulu but ultimately enjoying the moment is the real satisfaction,” says Sellinger.

Spindrift V

Boat type: express 37 owner: andy schwenk home country: usa.

Andy Schwenk from Richmond, CA has sailed a few times to Hawaii – 49 times he reckons he’s crossed “that whale pasture,” three as a Transpac Race crew – but all of these trips have been on boats other than his own Express 37 Spindrift V .

So, he said “I figured it was about time to do one myself.”

Schwenk has yet to name the other four members of Team Spindrift , but he says between them they have numerous Transpac Races, Victoria-Maui’s, Pacific Cups, and other offshore races under their keels.

And his preparation plans seem simple: “Pump the bilges, load the icebox and wax the tiller.”

As for goals in the race, Schwenk’s are also simple: “Catch a Mahi and not be over early at the start.”

Boat Type: TP 52 Owner: Marek Omilian Home Country: USA Follow:

Marek Omilian’s TP 52 Sonic hailing from Seattle was designed by Farr Yacht Design and built at Cookson Boats in New Zealand in 2005 before most boats in this class evolved towards being the inshore specialty racers they are today. Build strength and resiliency were important characteristics in these early-generation designs, whose genetic roots were in the Transpac and other challenging races offshore.

“I bought the boat in 2018 after circumnavigating with Clipper-Round-the-World Race with the goal to race fast offshore,” said Omilian. “It took us last two years to bring the boat up to offshore shape and to build and train the crew. We cannot wait to have fun racing to from California to Hawaii next July!”

To prepare Sonic for the race, Omilian made a few upgrades in 2019 to get ready for the 2020 Pacific Cup, which was cancelled. “We have new offshore Main and few other sails, and have extended the bowsprit to full TP52 dimension. We are making a few other updates and adding a water maker.”

Omilian will be sailing his first-ever Transpac with an intended team of 10 selected from his usual team of 12, and will have David Rogers as navigator. Their delivery to SoCal from Seattle is long enough to meet the race’s qualification requirement, but they are also considering competing in the race to Cabo San Lucas and other events in SoCal in the 2021 season.

Being their first Tranpac, the Sonic team’s number one goal seems modest: to finish the race. Yet they also seek to have a podium finish while “having great fun speeding downwind under the light of the moon and stars.”

In fact, in this 51 st edition of the race the full moon is on July 24th, one week after the last start of the fastest boats, including Sonic – and with the first start of the race for the slowest boats being on July 13 th , the entire fleet should enjoy good starlight and moonlight during most of their race.

Boat Type: J/125 Owner: Rufus Sjoberg / Jason Crowson Home Country: USA

Rock ‘n roll, rapid transit, boat type: antrim 49 owner: james partridge home country: usa, boat type: j/121 owner: scott campbell home country: usa, pyewacket 70, boat type: volvo 70 modified owner: roy p. disney home country: usa.

The name Pyewacket could easily be synonymous with the modern era of Transpac: in nearly every year since 1987 there has been an entry under this name raced by a member of the Disney family and their teams, with the exception being in 2013 when the Pyewacket team partnered with Bob Oatley’s Wild Oats team to race the Australian R/P 100 that year. During this 34-year history of 17 races, the Pyewacket team has earned numerous class wins, the Barn Door Trophy and set a course record on four different boat designs with the same name.

In the last edition of the race, the Pyewacket team in their Andrews 68 had entered intent on an overall corrected time win, when in the second night of the race they hit a speed bump: OEX , another sled in the race, had a serious rudder system failure and was taking on water with liferafts already deployed. Disney and team altered course and rescued the team, sailed back to California, and received US Sailing’s prestigious Arthur B. Hanson award for their outstanding rescue at sea.

This year Roy P. Disney is back, this time intent on crossing the finish line at Diamond Head first in fleet with a fifth new design, a turbo-charged Juan Kouyoumdjian-designed Volvo 70, built for the Volvo Ocean Race in 2011. Disney but bought the boat in late 2019 in anticipation of TPYC’s planned LA-Tahiti Race in 2020. With that race postponed to next year, Disney and team now have their sights trained on a Barn Door Trophy win in Transpac.

“Transpac has always been on our "must do" races with all the boats our family has had over the years,” said Disney. “It is absolutely the best offshore race in existence and finishes in paradise!”

The Pyewacket team will grow to 13 to sail this rocketship, with an all-star team planned – joining Roy will be: Gary Weisman, Ben Mitchell, Robbie Kane, Brian Janney, Peter Isler, Mark Callahan, Jan Majer, Scott Easom, Jeff Reynolds, Rodney Daniel, Daryl Wislang and Mark Towill.

As a warm-up, the Pyewacket team not only participated in the recent Newport-Cabo San Lucas Race, but set a new course record of 1 day 21 hours 22 minutes, besting Magnitude 80’s old record by a whopping 14 hours.

Yet Disney’s stated goal for his Transpac experience is modest: He wants to “enjoy the comaraderie and wonderful sailing conditions we always expect and get sailing to Hawaii.”

The name Pied Piper in the Great Lakes is inexorably tied to offshore racing legend, having cut five hours off a 76-year old monohull course record in the 1987 edition of the 333-mile Chicago to Mackinac Race. This impressive mark set by the Andrews 68 ULDB was not defeated until 2002 by Roy Disney’s larger Reichel/Pugh 75 turbo-Sled Pyewacket , who still holds the record time of 23:30:24 for this race.

Pied Piper campaigned for decades among the Great Lakes 70’s in the Lakes, first by Dick Jennings and then by his son Jack, and the team has now set their sites on the Pacific where these designs started their offshore racing lives in the 1980’s before migrating to the Lakes. Purchasing the Santa Cruz 70 Holua in 2019 with it being kept in Portland since, Jack’s intent was to race in the 2020 Pacific Cup that was Covid-cancelled, and so has now re-focused their program on the 2021 Transpac.

Having already done one race as crew and thus eligible to join the Transpac YC, Jennings has yet to race as skipper, and is looking forward to “the challenge of sailing to Hawaii.” The team plans to have 10 crew aboard and complete qualifying races in Southern California in 2021 to train and be ready for the start in July.

“We will have a number of 'rookie' Midwest sailors on the race who have spent a lot of time on SC 70's,” he said, “but never with them pointing to Hawaii.”

As for boat preparation, Jennings said “Our boat hasn't been raced since 2017. There are a lot of things that have changed in the Offshore world - we are doing our best to keep up.”

They have joined an active and competitive class of Sleds that have in recent years have also been contenders for top overall prizes in the race.

Boat Type: Kernan 68 Owner: Doug Baker Home Country: USA

Peligroso skipper Doug Baker has to be one of the more loyal participants in Transpac Race history, having competed in 19 races as a skipper and twice as a crew. There will be few in the 2021 fleet that have that impressive level of long term dedication to this race.

In the 50 th edition in 2019, Baker and many of his team members were part of the Chubasco crew that sailed the renovated 1939 S&S yawl to Diamond Head. This was a vessel very different from Baker’s usual preference for high speed sloops… he does after all hold the existing course record of 11 days 10 hours 13 minutes and 18 seconds in the Transpacific YC’s other classic ocean race: the LA – Tahiti Race. Baker’s Alan Andrews-designed Magnitude 80 set this goalpost in 2008, and being over a decade old now this record time is alluring for more modern designs to come have a try at breaking it, possibly in next year’s running of the race postponed from last year.

In 2019 Baker re-entered the world of fast monohull sailing by purchasing the 2005-built Kernan 68 Peligroso , and in July will start Transpac with a team of 12 that includes Baker, navigator Ernie Richau, and an impressive list of Pacific ocean racing talent: Keith Kilpatrick, Tim Kernan, Bill Durant, Dustin Durant, Jimmy Slaughter, Juggy Coulgher, Doug Mclean, Mike Pentecost, and Mike Van Dyke.

The team plans to race to Cabo San Lucas from Newport Beach in March as their qualifier, as well as the SoCal 300 in May, with the goal of being competitive and having solid results in all races.

Boat Type: TP 52 Owner: Eduardo Porter Ludwig Home Country: MEX

After acquiring the TP 52 Patches from fellow Mexican yachtsman Jorge Ripstein in 2014, current owner Eduardo Porter Ludwig campaigned here to a respectable 3rd place class finish in the 2015 edition of Transpac, just 17 minutes behind the division winner, Craig Reynolds’s TP 52 Bolt .

Now 6 years later Ludwig (or Goldo as he’s known) and Reynolds are both back for the 51st edition of the race, although this time Bolt has grown to be a Nelson/Marek 68 and may be in a different division than Patches . Nonetheless, Goldo is keen to return to this race.

“Our first Transpac in 2015 was amazing,” he said, “with a 3rd place result with a full Mexican crew. After that we did the Rolex Big Boat Series, two San Diego – Puerto Vallarta races and a couple of small offshore races in Mexico. The TP52 class died in Acapulco in 2018 so I decided to keep Patches in Long Beach to participate in local regattas during the 2019/20 season.”

The pandemic lockdown then changed plans for competing in that season, so he looked ahead to 2021.

“I was tired of not doing anything exciting,” Goldo said, “so decided to do major repairs on the boat to make her faster and stronger, and the Newport-Cabo San Lucas Race in March 2021 as the qualifier. We were then thinking about Europe in the summer, but then I said ‘why not Transpac?’ because the boat will be ready to go for that race.”

Like others who will be mid-Pacific in July, Goldo is looking further south and west for even more adventure after the race. ”We are thinking afterwards to send the boat to Sydney and do the Hobart Race,” he said.

With navigation guidance provided by Marc Span, the Patches team is planning on a fairly large group of 11 crew that includes Goldo, Span, Daniel Porter and Jan Hossfeld from the 2015 team, Federico Haller, Federico Ortiz, Andres Alvarado and Javier Patron from other offshore races on the team, and Emilio Del Valle, Valentin Pratt and Alex Murrieta on their first long offshore race.

For Goldo, the goals for the Patches team are simple: “To have a great experience and share this with my crew.”

Boat Type: Santa Cruz 50 Owner: Michael Moradzadeh Home Country: USA Follow:

The Bill Lee-designed Santa Cruz 50 predates by a few years the iconic Santa Cruz 70 as being one of the perfect designs for Lee’s famous philosophy for Pacific sailing: Fast is Fun! Light, narrow, and easy to sail offwind, SC 50’s have been racing to Hawaii in nearly every Transpac race since being first launched some 40 years ago.

Michael Moradzadeh’s San Francisco Bay area-based Oaxaca has been a regular entry in these races over the years, and with his ownership since 2015 he has skippered in two races: 2017 and in 2019. Within the usually competitive Fabulous Fifties class of SC 50’s and their newer cousins the Santa Cruz 52’s, Moradzadeh and team showed considerable improvement in these two races, earning an 8 th place in 2017 and then winning the class in 2019… but not by much: Oaxaca’s winning margin in corrected time after over 9 days of racing was less than 12 minutes over rival SC 50 Horizon owned by John Shulze, the class winner in 2017.

Including himself, Moradzadeh plans to have nine on board for the race, with nearly the exact same winning team he had in 2019. This includes two prominent female pro sailors - Liz Baylis returning as Navigator and UK-based Dee Caffari as a helmsman – along with Harry Spedding, Molly Noble, Brett DeWire, Patrick Lewis and David Ritchie.

The team seems confident in their boat’s set up for the race, because when asked if they were making any modifications, Moradzadeh’s reply was simple: “We might clean it,” and as a race goal he said it was to “Beat our 2019 performance.”

All kidding aside, he did say “We had a wonderful time winning our division by a bare 12 minutes [in 2019]. Looking forward to another delightful passage and a party at the end.”

For a pre-race warm-up for the main event, Moradzadeh and crew plan on racing the 2021 Coastal Cup to bring the boat down the coast for the start.

San Diego-based Standish Fleming is not new to Transpac, having raced in 4 previous races as crew, but 2021 will be his first edition as Skipper of the J/125 Nereid . This is certainly a proven design in Transpac, with her sistership Hamachi having won the overall King Kalakaua Trophy in the 2019 edition after eight and a half days of vigorous sailing in ideal conditions.

Yet Fleming knows the more you put into this carbon speedster the more you get back in performance: “I would have liked to have more time to get the boat and crew in shape,” he said. “She is an easy boat to sail but a hard boat to sail fast. But at age 74, I do everything in real time or it likely doesn't happen.”

Like Hamachi , Nereid will race with six on board as crew. These include Fleming, Jeremy Davidson, Rick Graef, Charlie Jenkins, Calvin Schmid and Damian Craig as Navigator. They qualified the boat for Transpac by racing in this Spring’s Newport-Cabo Race, respectably finishing on the podium among six entries in Class C.

As for other preparation plans for Transpac, Fleming said their plan has been simple: to “fix everything that was worn or broken” from previous campaigns.

Fleming says their primary goals for the race are to “get to Honolulu safely, and enjoy the trip. The last Honolulu race I sailed was in 1971. I want to see the big ocean once again.”

Boat Type: Cal 40 Owner: Mark Ashmore Home Country: USA

With a promising start in July 2019 in Transpac 50, Mark Ashmore’s Nalu V was one among five other Cal 40’s headed to Diamond Head in what was looking to be one of the most competitive classes in the race. Even though these classic Transpac designs are over 50 years old, their skippers and crews are always keen to push the boats and themselves after months and sometimes years of preparation.

“My wife Kathy and I had been working very hard on our Cal 40, and were so excited to be prepared and start the 2019 Transpac!,” said Ashmore, who hails from South Shore YC in Newport Beach. This was to be his first race to Honolulu.

But on the first night of their race the Race Committee received this message from Nalu V: “Difficulties keeping bilge dry, pumps keeping ahead but reason for water ingress unknown, returning to port." There were no reported injuries or other problems, and the tracker soon afterwards confirmed the team’s about face to return to port.

“Unfortunately our first campaign ended in a retirement,” said Ashmore, “so this second chance means even more to us. Our goal is to finish and have fun! This was our only goal in this year’s San Diego-Puerto Vallarta Race, and yet we ended up placing 2nd in Division 6 and 15th overall!

“Not bad for an old girl loaded down with cruising gear!”

Boat Type: Stevens 47 Owner: Justin Waite Home Country: USA

Hailing from Kenai Fjords YC in Alaska, Justin Waite, Jesse Osborne and their crew on their Stevens 47 Mikmaks are new to Transpac in 2021.

“Transpac seems like a fun way to get to Hawaii!,” says Justin. “This race is a bucket list item for our entire crew, and the boat is on the West Coast and is ready to go. The time was right for us to enter and experience this challenging race.”

In all there will be six aboard for the race, dominated by family members – two Waites and two Osborne’s – along with two other crew named “Dr. Rick” and “Gary the Racer.” Justin is planning to navigate, and their qualifying passage will be the long delivery trip to LA from their current base in the San Juan Islands.

For preparation, Justin says “The boat underwent a complete refit with offshore racing in mind, but she's still more of a comfortable cruising boat than a racer,” a feature we’re sure will be appreciated more than once on this race.

And as for goals, he says “To borrow from equine endurance racing: ‘To finish is to win.’ Our goal is to arrive in Hawaii with a happy, healthy crew and a boat ready to sail another passage.”

Medicine Man

Boat type: andrews 63 owner: bob lane home country: usa, boat type: judel-vrolijk 72 owner: bryon ehrhart home country: usa, boat type: rogers 46 owner: dave macewen home country: usa.

Dave MacEwen is not new to Transpac. In three previous editions he and his team on the Santa Cruz 52 Lucky Duck have earned respectable results, placing third in the 2019 and 2015 editions in the “Fabulous Fifties” group of SC 50’s and SC 52’s, one of the most competitive classes in the race.

Yet for 2021 MacEwan has chosen a different path with his plan to compete in this edition with a platform new to him this year, a Rogers 46. This all carbon-fiber race boat designed in 2006 by Simon Rogers and built at CMI in Thailand is a very different platform to race to Hawaii than the SC 52 cruiser/racer.

“We have stepped up to a faster, but far less comfortable, Rogers 46 for this race, and are excited to get her out in the big wind and waves we routinely see on our way to Hawaii.” Indeed, Lucky Duck’s elapsed time in the 2019 race was 24 hours slower than Bob Pethick’s Rogers 46 Bretwalda 3 .

The Rogers 46 design type is no stranger to Transpac: Pethick is entered once again in this cycle, on the hunt for a class win after their third-place performance in 2019, and Chris Hemans’ Varuna captured a class win in 2017 and third place performance in 2015. With the high level of experience depth found on both teams, no doubt the rivalry between Lucky Duck and Bretwalda 3 for the 2021 race will be keen to watch.

MacEwen is looking forward to this: “The Transpac race is for us the ultimate test of boat prep, navigation and sailing skills. We look forward to going up against some of the best talent in the world as we battle our way to the finish line,” he said.

In preparation for the race MacEwen says “We are working through the sail inventory now, and we will also be installing new Lithium ion batteries. For training we plan on doing the Islands Race, the Cabo Race and California Offshore Race Week as we prepare for Transpac in July.”

Boat Type: Olson 40 Owner: Tim Jones Home Country: USA

The first few days of 2019’s Transpac 50 were looking good for Lomita, California-based Tim Jones and his crew on his 1983-launched Olson 40 Live Wire. They were making solid progress jib-reaching in the big winds and seas 250 miles off the coast, tracking steadily on a route a little north of the bulk of the fleet and thus shaving a few miles off the 2200 miles left to the finish at Diamond Head, and thereby leading their division at this early stage in the race.

But then disaster struck on the morning of the third day of their race: Live Wire reported having a broken the top section of their mast above the second spreader, forcing them to turn back under jury rig. No one was injured, but the trip back to the coast was a long one, taking five days to reach their home port in San Pedro.

Given this incident, Jones is still good-natured yet understandably keen to “finish what we started in 2019, with the goal "to finish without breaking the boat."

Aside from a new spar, there are no other modifications anticipated to Live Wire, and the team plans to race in the SoCal 300 and the LAYC Breakout Race #4 to prepare for Transpac 2021.

Ty Park, Dan Shine, Liz Hopkins, Rich Kennedy are on Jones’s crew, with a total of six planned.

Boat Type: Beneteau 49 Owner: Brett Crawford and Jason Halloway Home Country: USA Follow:

Hailing from the San Francisco Bay area and SFYC and StFYC, Brett Crawford and Jason Halloway are co-skippering their 2005 Berret-Racoupeau-designed Beneteau 49 entry Knotty in the 2021 Transpac. The two are part of an interesting bi-national team of seven crew from the US and Denmark.

As Crawford says, “Our team is a group of long-time close friends with sailing being the common thread that connects us all. We have all sailed together (and against each other) for many years in the Knarr one design class in the USA, Denmark and Norway. Our team is half American and half Danish. The guys on our team have both raced and cruised all over the world, but I am the only member of our team who has prior experience racing to Hawaii.”

As such, everyone else has had this race on their Bucket List, and the decision to race in 2021 is prompted by one simple fact: “We are certainly not getting any younger!”

The Knotty team of Anders Fisker, Christian Fisker, Lars Gottfredsen, Tim Von Nieda, Scott Sullivan, Jason Holloway and Crawford nonetheless plans to race with the proper priorities in place.

“The thing that I am most looking forward to about this 2021 Transpac race,” he said, “is making the 10-day passage with my closest friends on board. In preparation we purchased another 165-quart cooler to hold enough beer and wine for 10 days. We probably should have gone with a larger size cooler. If there was an ORR rule against having too much fun, Team Knotty would be disqualified the moment the starting gun is fired!”

For their qualifying trip, the team completed in early October their 401-mile passage from San Francisco to Newport Beach in two days. As for goals, the Knotty team’s are simple: “To make every minute of this race fun,” said Crawford. “No stress. No yelling. No anxiety. Just 7 guys having a fun sail to Hawaii.”

San Diego-based Dan Merino is entering the 2021 Transpac on his Express 37 Juno for his first time as a Skipper, although he’s done the race twice before as crew. While this Carl Schumacher design series-built in Santa Cruz by Alsberg was first launched in 1984, these boats remain popular in West Coast sailing, and Merino has owned Juno since 2018.

When asked why he decided to enter this year, Merino said “I think for most people that have done this race, there is an urge that develops that makes you want to do it again. There's something about waking up more than 1000 miles away from land, spotting the Islands after many days at sea, and surfing the boat in the Molakai Channel to the finish that makes it addictive,” a sentiment shared by many Transpac veterans.

Merino plans to race with six on board, who include Jeff Westbrook as Navigator and Bill Jenkins, Simon Garland, JC Langlois, and Merino’s son Zach, who has been an instrumental part of the Juno program. Dan said “For me, I bought the boat with the intention of doing the race. Entering the race was solidified when my son Zach showed interest in being part of the crew.”

For the team’s qualifying passages, Merino said “We've been focusing on offshore racing for the past 2 years. Races we have done and are targeting are Newport to Ensenada, the Islands Race, Little Ensenada, and the SoCal 300. In addition we plan on doing some 200-mile practice passages.”

And for preparation, he said “Other than getting the boat down to the essentials we'll add a couple of asymmetric spinnakers and plan on adding an aft bulkhead in front of the rudder.”

The goals for the team are well stated by both Merino and team member JC Langlois: “For me, its getting there safely, doing well, and sharing a very unique experience with my son,” said Merino. “I've got a great crew and hope they all have the desire to do another one with me in the future. “

“To complete and place well in the race,” said Langlois. “Looking forward to feeling the exhilaration of the ocean crossing and its elements as our ancestors did.”

Boat Type: Santa Cruz 50 Mod Owner: Wayne Zittel Home Country: USA Follow:

Boat type: farr 57 owner: cecil/alyson rossi home country: usa.

Transpac is special for Grand Illusion and this year’s race will be Grand Illusion’s 16 th Transpac. Launched as Hotel California in 1986 as Santa Cruz 70 hull number 6 it raced in 1987 and shortly thereafter was purchased by Ed McDowell and renamed Grand Illusion . The McDowells had great success with “GI” racing in 13 Transpacs, and setting a record by winning first overall on three occasions (1999, 2011 & 2015). David Clark purchased the boat in 2018 and he along with his talented crew, including navigator Patrick O’Brien have enjoyed class wins in the 2020 PV Race and 2021 Cabo Race. This will be GI’s second Transpac under Clark.

Boat Type: RP 63 Owner: George Hershman / Mark Comings Home Country: USA

The 63-foot Reichel/Pugh-designed GoodEnergy co-skippered by George Hershman and Mark Comings joins a strong fleet of similar high-performance monohulls entered in this year’s race. Having just bought this proven offshore yacht from Australia – she was built in 2009 as Loki in carbon/nomex at McConaghy, and was the 2011 winner of the Sydney-Hobart Race – Hershman thinks this is right time for Transpac.

“This has been a goal for us to pull together a great group of friends and talented sailors to do Transpac together,” Hershman said. “When we found such a well-accomplished boat like Loki, we knew this was the right boat and right time to bring together the GoodEnergy team for this race.”

While this is the first Transpac for Hershman, he says he has surrounded himself with a strong veteran team the includes co-skipper Mark Comings, navigator Jib Kelly, Chuck Clay, Mike Burch, Kenny Dair and others to be named soon for the roster of 12 crew. To prepare for the race, the team plans to do the SoCal 300 in May, and some work on the boat: “Some optimization is needed for Transpac,” said Hershman. “We plan to update the sail plan and reduce some bulb weight, and upgrades to the electronics, but not much. The boat is in very good shape.”

Yet for such a high performance platform as GoodEnergy , the team’s goals are simple. “Our goal is to compete hard and sail our best,” said Hershman. “We have put together a strong team to do that. Our main goal is to enjoy ourselves and have a lot of fun! The group on the boat has grown up together as friends and finishing at Diamond Head together will be a magical moment.”

Boat Type: Dehler 46 Owner: Gregory Dorn Home Country: USA

Since 2019, Tiburon, CA-based Greg Dorn has been training and racing his team on his new Dehler 46 Competition Favonius , with some impressive initial success: third place in Class A at the Big Boat Series. Dorn now has Transpac in the team’s sights, saying “We have been planning for the right moment to do the Transpac and building a racing program around Favonius is affording us a unique opportunity. We have been racing her and find that come July 2021 we will be extremely well prepared.”

Among those preparations Dorn says are “optimizing symmetrical and asymmetrical set ups with an additional fractional stay for staysails. We will upgrade the primary winches and some electronics.”

Dorn plans to race with 7 on the team, with Will Paxton named as Navigator. And while this is Dorn’s first Transpac, he is taking a long view of this race, saying they see the 2021 race the first of many future races in Transpac.

“First and foremost, our goals are to learn how the platform performs and have fun,” he says. “I am taking the long view and plan to return in 2023, 25 and beyond so this first race focused on collecting knowledge that will help us sail better in subsequent Transpacs.

Boat Type: Ker 51 Owner: John Raymont Home Country: USA Follow:

John Raymont’s Ker 51 Fast Exit II is a recent acquisition, having been bought in 2020 to replace his prior Fast Exit , an Andrews 40 he raced in the 2017 and 2019 editions of the Transpac Race.

For the 2021 edition he plans to have a crew of 10 total, with all but three named so far in addition to himself: Alan Andrews, Zack Maxam, Randy Moreno, Pike Harris, Steve Mader and Doug Johnstone as Navigator.

John said he has “watched the Transpac Race with envy since being a kid, which was the basis for us doing our first exciting race in 2017. Now I’m hooked!”

In preparation for the start in July 2021, Fast Exit II plans to race in the Islands Race in February and the Newport Beach to Cabo San Lucas Race in March.

Goals for the 2021 Transpac Race include “Having a fun 7-day sail to Hawaii, and winning the race.”

Boat Type: KER 46 Owner: Bill McKinley Home Country: USA Follow:

Bill McKinley and his Denali3 team are accustomed to fast boats, first on his Nelson/Marek 70 Denali, then his HPR Carkeek 40 Denali2, and since 2018 on his new Denali3, a Ker 46+. Being from Grosse Pointe, MI, the team is best known for pursuing their racing prowess on fresh water: they are perennial competitors in the annual Bayview-Mackinac and Chicago-Mackinac Races.

In 2007, however, McKinley did come west to compete in his first Transpac Race on the Nelson/Marek 70, and now is back for 2021 to race to paradise once again. The race left an impression.

“Without a doubt the 2007 Transpac Race was the most enjoyable race any of us have ever sailed,” said McKinley. “When I built Denali3, running the Transpac Race was always on our "bucket list.” With our 2020 sailing season short-circuited due to Covid (we planned to do the 2020 Newport to Bermuda Race), we made the decision to pull up our timing and focus on something incredibly exciting.”

The Denali team has been tight over the years, and McKinley can already name the 8 crew to accompany him on the race: Norm Berge, Nick Diephouse, Nick Ford, Pat Gardner, Geoff Paine, Jim Offer, Dan Thompson and Randy Singelyn as Navigator.

The goals for this Midwest team are simple: “Champagne downwind sailing with a group of close friends.”

Boat Type: Andrews 77 Owner: John Clement Home Country: USA

Based in Newport Beach but representing two clubs – Newport Harbor and Balboa YC’s – the Compadres team has a leadership, crew and boat that runs deep in Transpac talent to be a competitive force to be reckoned with in 2021.

Their Andrews 77 now named Compadres was built in 2003 as Alchemy , became Ocean in a tour of the Great Lakes, then was transported back to California and re-assembled at SD Boatworks in 2019 where the members of Cal Maritime’s offshore team learned to handle her power both in the qualifying races and passages and the 50 th edition of the Transpac itself, where they earned a respectable 3 rd place in Division 1.

The Compadres team will be led by skipper Tyler Wolk. They have an ambitious slate of races ahead that includes the Cabo Race, Santa Barbara to San Diego Race, Long Point Race, Islands Race, 14 Mile Bank Race, Hot Rum Series, Around Catalina Race, Sunkist Series, and Ensenada Race.

Preparations for Compadres are extensive with a complete modernization plan underway: all new electronics, instruments, software and programming, enhanced sail inventory, renewed standing & running rigging, faired and refinished bottom, keel & rudder, and new rudder bearings. The engine is rebuilt with a new control panel, all new hydraulic lines, the deck is renewed with new non-skid, there is a new water ballast system, all new safety gear & life rafts, new watermaker & refrigerator, new lifelines and a pass-thru pulpit, and rebuilt winches & clutches.

The initial roster for the Compadres team is as follows: Don Yahn, John Clement, David Dahl, Michael Dahl, Sean Dahl, Brett Scott, Bart Scott, Anton Visser, Doug Welsh, and Travis Winsor… a total crew of 14 is being planned for the race.

Saying that they’re doing the race because of “too many conversations in the NHYC Pirates Den,” their goal is to have a race that will be Safe – Fast – and Fun

Boat Type: DK46 Owner: David Gates Home Country: USA

Boat type: pac 52 owner: kate and jim murray home country: usa follow:.

Kate and Jim Murray purchased the Pac 52 Invisible Hand in 2019 with the intent of racing in the Great Lakes for the 2020 season from their base in Chicago, and with the Chicago-Mac Race cancelled they nonetheless raced to the island from the east side in the Bayview Mac Race.

Transpac fans will remember Invisible Hand as the overall winner in the 2017 edition of the race, and there have been no modifications to the boat since, so she should be a strong contender.

After the abbreviated 2020 racing season but some local team training in the Lakes, the Callisto team plans to head West in the Fall for the Newport to Cabo Race and then California Race Week in 2021.

This will be the first Transpac Race for the Murray’s, and when asked what inspired him to do the race, Jim said “This is the race this boat was meant to sail.”

Callisto plans to race with 12 aboard, including Jason Andrews as Navigator, and Shawn Dougherty – these two were the overall winners in 2019’s Transpac 50 on board their J/125 Hamachi .

Jim says their goal for the 2021 Transpac is to have “a safe and enjoyable ride to Oahu!”

Boat Type: Rogers 46 Owner: Bob Pethick Home Country: USA

After many years of racing in the Great Lakes, Bob Pethick headed west and competed in this first Transpac Race in 2013 on his 2007-launched Rogers 46 Bretwalda 3 . That year he corrected to a second place finish in his division, while in his next race in 2015 his finish was fifth, and in last year’s Transpac 50 he finished third, although he had the lowest elapsed time in the class and scored third in overall results as well.

“I love the Transpac Race,” said Pethick, “I plan to continue sailing the race as long as I can!” And given his track record of close finishes, Pethick also added “It would be nice to win one” as a stated goal for the team.

There are no modifications planned for Bretwalda 3 , and the veteran team plans to do the Cabo San Lucas Race held in March 2021 in preparation.

The current roster on the Bretwalda 3 team includes a crew loyal to this boat and this race: Gary Warner, Wally Cross, Paul Kerber and Jay Davis have all sailed at least two of the last three Transpac Races with Pethick. A total crew of 8 is planned.

Boat Type: Nelson Marek 68 Owner: Craig L. Reynolds Home Country: USA Follow:

Boat type: botin 56 owner: tom holthus home country: usa follow:.

Tom Holthus is a Transpac stalwart, having entered in every race since 2009 on various boats called Bad Pak . That year he won Division 4 on his J/145, a feat he repeated in 2011 with another division victory. In the next 2013 and 2015 races victory eluded he and his team on his much larger and more complex STP 65 of the same name, so in 2017 and 2019 he competed on a new Pac 52, finishing as runner-up to Invisible Hand in both Division and overall standings in 2017, and winning Division 1 in the 50 th edition Transpac in 2019.

This year he is returning with yet another Bad Pak , this time a Botin 56, in search of another Division 1 win despite the boat being new to he and his team of eight – he says they have only completed their minimum required 150-mile passage in preparation for this race due to the time spent to make modifications necessary for offshore racing.

“This boat was built for inshore racing so several modifications have been made since April,” said Holthus. “The hydraulic power winches were converted from the engine to a lithium ion-driven power source - who wants the engine on all the time sailing across the Pacific? Reefing points were added to the mast and boom, along with pipe berths, and a galley and water maker were added to the interior, along with a full communications systems.”

Handling those systems will be electronics expert Artie Means as Navigator, and several other highly experienced veterans of Transpac and numerous other offshore races: Matt Smith, Bruce Nelson, Bill Hardesty, Cody Schlub, Jon Gardner, Jon Ziskind and Kelly Holthus for a total of eight on board.

Asked why he decided to enter in this edition, Holtus’s answer was simple: “To experience the best finish on the planet.”

And asked about the team’s goals for this race, he said “We were victorious among the Saturday starters in 2019, and with much of the same team back in 2021 of course we would like to repeat this win. But we also understand repeating [victories] in any sport is extremely difficult and requires flawless performance by the team and lots of luck going its way.”













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Hundreds of Sailors Ready to Race in the 60th Edition of Rolex Big Boat Series

One of the best sailboat racing venues in the world, iconic San Francisco Bay, is ready to turn it on for the 60th edition of the Rolex Big Boat Series at St. Francis Yacht Club, September 11-15, 2024. The most prestigious regatta on the West Coast drew 71 boats and nearly 700 sailors to the docks of St. Francis Yacht Club, to hear what classes will race for Rolexes and perpetual trophies on Wednesday night, and to start preparing for the first race on Thursday, September 12. With a strong turnout in one design classes and ORC divisions, organizers are thrilled to welcome members and guests to be a part of the action on the water and shoreside. 

“Having been involved in this epic West Coast regatta for some four decades, it is my honor and privilege as Commodore to welcome our members and guests to the 60th edition of the Rolex Big Boat Series,” said Chris Perkins, 2024 Commodore of St. Francis Yacht Club and a past winner of the event. “I wish the best of luck to our competitors who are here to compete in one of the world’s most spectacular racing venues. Sail fast and enjoy our outstanding hospitality.”

Rolex Big Boat Series’ extensive history of champions is a tribute to the depth of talent that graces the event and this year, a solid fleet stacked with talented and tough competition is expected. 

“We have 30 J/105s starting again this year, which is great to see, and the ORC fleet is diverse and deep in talent with past winners returning to defend their titles,” says Felix Weidling, Race Director of St. Francis Yacht Club. “We always have our competitors’ best interests in mind and after taking in sailors’ feedback from last year, we continue to improve this important event which is a cornerstone of West Coast sailboat racing.”

Perennial Rolex Big Boat winner in the J/105 class, Ryan Simmons and his well-seasoned team on Blackhawk are eager to see how the competition will play out in the competitive San Francisco-based J/105 fleet. Blackhawk took first in class in 2019, 2021 and 2023, and second in 2022. Simmons does not take for granted that his luck will bear out for another win, although he and his crew are talented enough—and hopeful. 

“We’re lucky, we have low turnover on our team—we’ve been sailing together a long time and it’s the big difference,” says Simmons. “Our competitive edge this year will be consistency. In the first two days of the regatta, you can’t lock in the win, but you can definitely take yourself out of contention, so sailing smart the first couple of days is key, but Saturday and Sunday are really where the championship will be won.”

Hot to prevail against Blackhawk is NeNe , owned and skippered by Tim Russell who has played bridesmaid many times, often finishing in the top three. He’s currently leading the local J/105 fleet in the class championship series, making him a serious podium contender. 

“A first place on NeNe is alluding me!” says Russell. “You have to take chances and I usually approach every regatta being super conservative. On my starts I’m trying to win one end or the other and let our boat speed take care of itself and minimize mistakes, but in Big Boat you have to gamble.”

Peter Wagner won last year’s ORC-C division on Skeleton Key, the J/111 he’s owned since 2015. Winner of the J/111 North Americans for two years in a row and St. Francis Yacht Club’s Sailor of the Year in 2023, Wagner is a tough act to follow. He’s been racing Rolex Big Boat Series for almost 25 years and is looking forward to the solid competition, great conditions and fun social gatherings.

“It’s always one of the highlights of our season and certainly the highlight of racing on San Francisco Bay,” says Wagner. “In this particular event we’ve raced in various one design classes as well as ORR and now ORC and we’re really excited about the momentum around ORC. I think it will be a really competitive event. Some of the best, most reliable and most fun sailing conditions in the world are this time of year at this venue, the race management is second to none and the social side is always spectacular. There is always a great group of sailors that convenes around RBBS.”

Other boats returning to defend their 2023 titles include the J/88 Pelagia owned and skippered by Christos Karamanolis, Cape 31 M2 owned and skippered by Marc McMorris, and J/109 Reverie, owned and skippered by John Arens. Peter Wagner won last year’s ORC-C division on Skeleton Key, the J/111 he’s owned since 2015. Winner of the J/111 North Americans for two years in a row and St. Francis Yacht Club’s Sailor of the Year in 2023, Wagner is a tough act to follow. He’s been racing Rolex Big Boat Series for almost 25 years and is looking forward to the solid competition, great conditions and fun social gatherings.

TROPHIES & ROLEXES

At the Competitors’ Briefing on Wednesday, September 11, at 1600, St. Francis Yacht Club announced which classes will be racing for the six perpetual trophies and two Rolex timepieces.

J/105

As the largest one-design fleet this year, the J/105s will compete for StFYC’s Commodore’s Cup. The top J/105 skipper will also receive a Rolex timepiece.

ORC-A

The St. Francis Perpetual Trophy, which was anonymously donated to StFYC in 1966 to encourage competition between large offshore racing yachts, will be presented to the winner of the ORC-A fleet.

ORC-B

The ORC-B division will be racing for the City of San Francisco Perpetual Trophy, which has been contested since 1968 and features one of the original spades from the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge. The winner of this division will also take home a coveted Rolex timepiece.

ORC-C

The Atlantic Perpetual Trophy, featuring a ship’s bell from the 1905 Transatlantic-record-breaking schooner Atlantic, will go to the winner of the ORC-C fleet.

EXPRESS 37

The Express 37s will race for the Keefe-Kilborn Perpetual Trophy, established in 1976 to honor the memory of late StFYC members Harold Keefe and Ray Kilborn,

The Richard Rheem Perpetual Trophy, named for longtime StFYC member and skipper of Morning Star—the yacht that proudly broke the Transpac course record in 1949 and 1953—will go to the winner of the J/88 class. The PCYA Jesse L. Carr Perpetual Captain and Crew Trophy will go to the winner of the top J/88 finisher.

CLASSICS

The Classics will compete for the Classic Cup Perpetual Trophy.

ADDITIONAL AWARDS

All three ORC divisions will also be contesting the West Coast Championship.

The Storm Trysail Team Trophy to the three-boat team who have entered and achieved the best score. The team must be comprised of one boat racing in an ORC class, one from a one-design class, and one from any other class.

“I’m excited to lead the Rolex Big Boat Series in its 60th anniversary year,” says Susan Ruhne, who chairs the regatta and is the 2024 Rear Commodore of St. Francis Yacht Club. “The event is such an important part of the StFYC’s history and a favorite for so many sailors and spectators to experience. There is nothing like watching 70-plus boats on three race courses duke it out on San Francisco Bay, including the classic downwind run from the Golden Gate Bridge back to the club. I am also very proud that we continue to maintain Rolex Big Boat Series’ status as a Clean Regatta, a foundation of the event.”

The 2024 Rolex Big Boat Series is targeting Platinum Level Clean Regatta status, the highest distinction from Sailors for the Sea. A pre-regatta volunteer event with the Parks Conservancy was held at Crissy Field on Wednesday morning. Organizers have taken efforts to remove all single-use plastic from the event, and competitors spectators are invited to meet local non-profits who serve as Sustainability Partners for the event. Sail to Shelter will be collecting old sails on site to recycle into shelter for humanitarian aid.

Quantum Sails will be hosting Daily Weather Briefings every race day at 0730. All sailors are invited to tune in for the forecast from experts at Sailflow Weather and to hear local knowledge about San Francisco Bay conditions and currents.

Racing is set to begin tomorrow, September 12, at 1100 local time for most classes and 1300 for the Classics.

Follow the action online on Instagram and Facebook .

Published on June 25th, 2023 | by Editor

Solo from California to Hawaii

Published on June 25th, 2023 by Editor -->

The 2023 Singlehanded TransPacific Yacht Race got underway on June 25, with 17 boats ranging from 27 to 42 feet entered for the 2120 nm course from San Francisco to Kauai, Hawaii. – Details

Tags: Singlehanded TransPacific Yacht Race

Scuttling the boat in the Pacific Ocean →

All entrants complete solo Transpac Race →

PHOTOS: Singlehanded Transpac 2021 →

2021 Singlehanded Transpac Race →

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Crew rows 30 days to set record in boat race from San Francisco to Hawaii
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