The forty-fifth edition of the Transpacific Yacht Club’s race from Los Angeles to Diamond Head light got underway on Monday, June 29, 2009 with eleven of the total entry list of forty-seven boats starting the 2225 nautical mile race to Hawaii. This year Transpac created a new racing division that was composed of boats that needed waivers of the racing rules that prohibit movable ballast and require manual power. This Division (the unlimited division) of five boats included the two fastest and largest boats in the race (ALFA ROMEO, and MAGNITUDE) and though not eligible for the Barn Door were racing for the newly dedicated Bill Lee Trophy for fastest elapsed time.
The 2009 fleet was diverse, ranging from a Hobie 33 to the 100 foot ALFA ROMEO and the 78 foot tall ship LYNX. Other than those extremes the fleet was pretty typical of recent Transpac fleets and included 4 TP 52’s; 8 ULDB 70’s; 5 Santa Cruz 50’s and 6 Aloha Class boats.
Three double-handed crews participated in this year’s race. PEGASUS, an open 50 sailed by Philippe Kahn and Mark Christensen won the double-handed class, and in the process established a new double-handed record of 7 days, 19 hours, and 38.5 minutes knocking two and a half days off the old record.
As is sometimes the case, some of the staggered start days experience better wind conditions than others. This year, the Sunday (last) date worked out better for its starters. As a result, the first 16 positions in the overall corrected standings went to boats starting on Sunday. As is always the case there were periods of strong wind, but overall this year’s race wind conditions could best be described as moderate.
In the Aloha Class (Division VII) the spanish entry CHARISMA, a Sparkman & Stephens 57, posted both the fastest elapsed time and best corrected time to win that division. CHARISMA and her crew have for the last couple of years been traveling the world and competing in a number of classic offshore races. CHARISMA’s track took her north of what is usually considered an optimal course, but she was able to stay in decent breeze and it all worked out okay for her.
As always, the press and public’s focus was on the largest and fastest boats in the race, and no boat racing in the recent past has been bigger and faster than the New Zealand entry, ALFA ROMEO, owned and raced by Neville Crichton. ALFA ROMEO smashed the previous elapsed time record by 26 hours establishing a new race record of 5 days, 14 hours, 36 minutes and 20 seconds. When one compares the sheer size and advanced features of ALFA ROMEO, it is understandable how she could slash a full day off MORNING GLORY’s record and earn a place for its name on the TPYC new Course Record Trophy.
Of the boats with fixed ballast and using manual power no boat took home more trophies than John Kilroy’s modified TP 52, SAMBA PA TI. SAMBA finished in 7 days, 8 hours, 17 minutes and 11 seconds. In spite of incurring a 15 minute penalty for missing a mandatory check in, her corrected time was good enough to win the Barn Door for fastest elapsed time, the King Kalakaua and the Governor of Hawaii trophies for first overall corrected, the Harry Uhler Memorial Trophy for first in Division I and the TPYC Trophy for the first TP 52.
Another TP 52, FLASh, took second overall corrected, and third overall and first in Division II came the turbocharged SC 70 OEX owned and sailed by long time Transpac racer, Peter Tong. ULDB 70’s also corrected out to fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth. not bad for boats that were built 20+ years ago.
In the five boat Division V, composed exclusively of Santa Cruz 50’s the battle was between HORIZON and ALLURE with HORIZON correcting out first although finishing 1 minute, 5 seconds behind ALLURE.
In Division III, the fastest boat among the Thursday starters, CRIMINAL MISCHIEF, had the best elapsed time and won its Division, but because of its start date could only correct out 17th overall, and in Division IV which was composed mostly of SC 52’s and J Boats, BAD PAK, a J/145 won the class. In Division VI, it was RELENTLESS, a highly modified 1D 35 winning the class with BLOODHOOUD, a Hobie 33 in second. Interestingly, both boats were sailing double handed and finished second and third behind PEGASUS within the double handed specialty class.
All in all, the 45th race to Hawaii was another exciting, record breaking, and closely contested Transpac Race.
- Jerry Montgomery, Staff Commodore