TRANSPAC: Halfway To Hawaii

(July 17, 2013) – In the last 48 hours most of the 58 entries in the 47th LA-Honolulu Transpac are now at the halfway point or beyond on this 2225-mile race that started in three waves last week.

Of the first wave of starters that left LA in fast conditions on Monday afternoon, July 8th, the largest boat, Bob Hayward’s Seastream 650 Manatea, has been leading the pack boat-for-boat the entire race. They are only 400 miles from the finish at Diamond Head just east of Honolulu, and are averaging about 9 knots as they come into the stronger wind tradewinds east of the archipelago.

But using the ORR rating system, the leader of Division 8 in corrected time continues to be Matt Brooks’ classic 1932 S&S-designed wooden-built yawl Dorade, who is averaging only 0.5 knot slower.

In Division 7, Yuichi Takahashi’s First 40 ten quarter from Japan has taken the lead in a match race they’ve been having with another Japanese entry, Hiroshi Kitada’s X-41 KIHO, now that the two have re-converged after having been separated for the past 48 hours. Ten quarter gybed to the south and found more wind to come back north across the rhumb line and set up close to KIHO, setting the stage for a battle royale over the next 500 miles they have to the finish.

Division 6 is going to be a high-stakes gamble: Jeff Urbina’s Bodacious IV seems to want to avoid his competitors, steadfastly staying south of everyone, perhaps in search of more wind in the dying breeze starting to creep across the course. In contrast, the current corrected time leader and past class winner, Jack Taylor’s Santa Cruz 50 Horizon, is content to work the shifts near the rhumb line and keep covering the rest of the class. We’ll see in the next day or two whether the Bodacious gamble will pay off as they all head more deeply into the Hawaiian tradewinds ahead, with the finish being about 900 miles away.

Division 5 has been led by Gordon Leon’s Farr 40 Foil for some time now, as they play the shifts in a conservative middle-road track about 1000 miles from the finish.

Division 4 is nearly the same, with Chip Megeath’s team on his R/P 45 Criminal Mischief sailing very well and extending on a lead they’ve also had for a few days now, about 750 miles from the finish. And while well-separated now, the two Rogers 46’s, Bob Pethick’s Bretwalda 46 and Chris Hemans’ Varuna 46, might be able to dig back against the Criminals if the breeze goes lighter.

From the second day of the race, the Division 3 ULDB Sleds have been led by Roy Pat Disney’s Andrews 70 Pyewacket, who have been making covering moves against their four rivals with 1100 miles to go. Lately, however, Per Peterson’s Andrews 68 Alchemy have been putting the pressure on the veteran team on Pyewacket, so the next 24 hours will be interesting for this group as they sag well south of rhumb in search of more wind.

Tonight the lights of Division 2 boats will be interspersed with the Sleds, as these TP 52’s gybe in and around each other in a tightly-packed group. But their leader, Isao Mita’s Beecom, has extended away 50 miles south on their own hunt for more breeze, trying to regain not jus the actual lead but extend even more to the current corrected time leader, Byron Erhardt’s Lucky.

And the waning wind conditions are quickly undermining the Division 1 leaders who were for a time on record pace. With 700 miles to go, Syd Fischer’s Ragamuffin 100 has broken off their earlier match race with Giovanni Soldini’s Volvo 70 Maserati, who has fallen back in the lighter breeze, but at 14 knots of boat speed will make it near impossible to challenge the current course record held by Alfa Romeo.

The corrected time leader in this class Tom Holthus’s STP 65 Bad Pak, who has been gybing regularly on the shifts close to the middle road in the course.

All but one entry, Meanie, have their Yellowbrick trackers working well on 6 hour delays, which get turned to live as they reach within 100 miles of the finish.

For more information, standings, photos, and daily video analysis of the race by USA Seahorse Editor Dobbs Davis, go to www.transpacyc.com.