A sport like none other

The Hobie 33 offers few creature comforts, and for the 2225 nm Transpac Race, this 33-footer gets pretty uncomfortable. But four twenty-somethings were all in, and having finished the 2,070 nm Pacific Cup Race from San Francisco to Hawaii a year ago, only good memories remained of that 12-day test.

Unfortunately, their 2019 Transpac Race was cut short after two days due to a cracked rudder post. While heartbreaking, we take such pleasure in seeing Kyle Vanderspek and his young group stretch their horizon with enthusiasm and a cherished Corinthian spirit. Here’s their report from July 12:

Retiring from the 2019 Transpac is nothing short of the biggest heartbreak of our lives, or at least that’s the way it feels right now. Watching the fleet sail by us as we sail home at 3.5 knots is painful, but we couldn’t be happier for our competitors as they sail on to greatness in Hawaii.

At the finish of our 2018 Pacific Cup, Scuttlebutt Sailing News posted an article about us titled “Attitude Overcomes all Hurdles” and that statement has stuck with us since our finish last year and still stands true today. Although this is not the outcome we planned and prepped over a year for, this is the outcome we are faced with and as a successful team we are tasked with making the best of a painful situation.

We have to remember the positives here and the biggest one is everyone is safe and we are getting a smile here and there onboard. There is also a bigger take away from this, the community of sailors and non-sailors that have and continue to support us. It’s hard to find a another sport that brings together people of such very different backgrounds and walks of life all interested and invested in the success of all the sailors on the starting line.

After our email went out about retiring, we received word that the MV Happy Days would be in route to our position at day break, no questions asked and no hesitation, dropping their weekend plans at a moment’s notice to go on a rescue mission 250 miles offshore for us. What other sport in the world can you find people like that? A selfless act of kindness and one which instantly raised our morale and spirits.

The gratefulness we have in reading the positive comments of encouragement amid our sailing community is unmatched. So again, like the article said, “Attitude overcomes all hurdles” and this moment will be no different.

Event Details – Entry list – Tracker – Facebook

Note: There is a 4-hour delay on the tracker but goes live within the final 200 miles.

Background: First organized by the Transpacific Yacht Club in 1906, the biennial 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 nm. The 2019 edition has 12 divisions with staggered starts on July 10, 12, and 13.

Boats racing in Divisions 6, 7, 8, 9, the Cal 40s, and the Multihulls in Class 0A will start on July 10. The second start on July 12 will be for the boats in Divisions 3, 5 and the Santa Cruz 50/52s, with the final start on July 13 for the remaining monohull entries in Divisions 1 and 2, along with the Multihull class 0 entries.

Source: TPYC