Comanche sets Transpac 24 hour record

Los Angeles, CA (July 8, 2017) – Comanche, the 100-foot racing yacht owned by Jim Clark and Kristy Hinze-Clark, posted a 24 hour run (0800 roll call to roll call) of 484.1 nm (20.2 knot avg), setting a new Transpac record in the 49th edition of the race.

The previous record of 431 nm held by Neville Crichton’s 100-foot Alfa Romeo II was set in 2009 when they also set the monohull course record which still stands. Comanche hopes to beat that record too.
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Editor’s note: It is reported by Robbie Haines, who sailed on the supermaxi Wild Oats XI in 2015, that they posted a 24 hour run of 453 nm. No other details are available.
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Alfa Romeo II’s monohull course record time from 2009 was 5 days, 14 hours, 36 minutes, 20 seconds. Comanche will need to finish by 12:36:19 AM (Honolulu time) on July 12 to break the record.

Interestingly enough Stan Honey, navigator aboard Comanche is looking to break a record he helped establish, as he was also the navigator aboard Alfa Romeo II in 2009. Stan has said what’s key is not necessarily having a windy race but just having the wind be consistent.

Comanche has more speed to show, demonstrated when in 2016 they set the outright monohull 24 hour speed record of 618.01 nm (25.75 knot avg). For more about the current Transpac records, visit http://2017.transpacyc.com/history/race-records.

Elsewhere on the course, Peter Shumar provides some context from onboard the Santa Cruz 50 Deception. “It’s finally getting warmer with ‘only’ 1800 miles to go. The vomit crew have returned from the status of the living dead. The boat (well, us) is starting to stink quite nicely. but other than that, the hard stuff is over and the racing is on.”

Event details – Entry list – Tracker – July 8 position report – Facebook

Start Schedule
July 3 – Division 5, 6, and 7 (17 boats)
July 5 – Division 3 and 4 (16 boats)
July 6 – Division 0, 1, 2 (22 boats)

Background: First organized by the Transpacific Yacht Club in 1906, the Transpacific Yacht Race or Transpac is an offshore sailing race from Point Fermin in Los Angeles to Diamond Head, just east of Honolulu, a distance of 2225 miles. The 2017 edition attracted 55 entrants that will have staggered starts on July 3, 5, and 6.