History

Transpac 51 – An interesting but successful and fast year

Having “interesting” races in the 115-year history of Transpac is not unusual. In the 51 times this race has been run since 1906, there have been numerous circumstances that had an effect on most if not all competitors.

However, the great majority of these were related to natural events, such as passing hurricanes, unusual positions and strengths of the Pacific High, or effects related to El Nino. Another was the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan that left lots of floating debris throughout the North Pacific, affecting numerous entries in the 2013, 2015 and even the 2017 races with impact damage to hulls and appendages.

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The Story of the 2019 Transpacific Yacht Race: Huge Turnout for Anniversary Race

It was clear as early as 10 months prior to the 50th Transpac held in July 2019 that this was going to be an immensely popular race – by September 2018 there were already 50 entries on the roster, which went to over 80 in December, and this peaked at one time to 108 boats by early-Spring 2019, a figure that would have shattered the previous participation record of 80 entries set in 1979.

Yet even with 73 monohulls and 6 multihulls crossing the finish at Diamond Head, with 9 yachts retiring, this was an impressive record turnout for this 2225-mile biennial ocean racing classic. Teams from 7 nations were represented at the starts, with the fleet broken into 12 racing divisions ranging in size from two entries (Multihull Class 0A) to fifteen (Monohull Class 1).

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The Origins of the Transpac Race

The originator of Transpacific Yacht racing, the late Clarence MacFarlane of Honolulu, corresponded with yachtsmen of San Francisco and Los Angeles prior to 1906 and succeeded in interesting several mainland yachtsmen in a race to Honolulu. On April 14, 1906, he sailed his 48' schooner, LA PALOMA, from Honolulu to San Francisco to join them in a race back to Waikiki. However, he arrived 27 days after the “Great Earthquake” to find the idea of a race from the Golden Gate out of the question. At the suggestion of H.H. Sinclair, he sailed to Los Angeles to join the LURLINE and the ANEMONE for the first Honolulu Race which started from San Pedro on June 11, 1906.

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The Essence of the Transpac Race from Those Who Have Conquered It

Sailing the Transpac stirs a variety of emotions and lifelong memories. For some it's the rush of danger, for others a beautiful adventure, and for many it's both. Russell Coutts, an Olympic gold medalist and three-time America's Cup winner, said after sailing on the record-setting Morning Glory in 2005: "This is one of the best offshore races I have done . . . very strategic for the navigators mixed with some fantastic downwind rides. Definitely a race not to be missed."

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Transpac Photo History

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