Pursuing palm trees and umbrella drinks

San Pedro, CA (July 14, 2021) – With seven of the 41 teams in the 51st running of the Transpac Race on the course, and the event organizers unable to rub two words together about their first night while the tracker trails reality by four hours, Scuttlebutt HQ will wing it to maintain interest in this biennial 2225 nm race from Los Angeles to Honolulu.

With less than half the fleet size from 2019, somebody needs to.

To begin with, when the first section of the course is upwind 25 miles to the West End of Catalina Island, and the preference is to stay on the long starboard tack, don’t be an Express 37 and start to leeward of the Farr 57 unless you want to get rolled and suffer. To watch the agony on video, click here.

Once clear of Catalina, there’s a lot of open ocean for separation, and while most of the fleet is climbing north, there’s individuals everywhere, and in Division 8 the zag rather than zig is the Cal 40 Nalu V which is already pointing toward palm trees. If the Windy wind information on the tracker is to be believed, Nalu V is close hauled while their division mates are reaching. Rut roh…

The 0800 position report doesn’t likely mean much more than navigators remembered to call in their position, but if you are into that kind of thing, click here.

The before and after look of competitors is always startling, so here is the freshly-showered, clothes-don’t-stink look before the start where they speak of why they choose to spend their time this way… click here.

With two starts remaining on July 16 and 17, Scuttlebutt founder Tom Leweck is amidst a membership drive for TPA – TransPac Anonymous – which is his nonprofit organization designed to protect yachtsmen from unscrupulous boat owners who make promises about sunny July sailboat rides to Hawaii.

While Sharon Green is famous for her downwind finish line photos off Diamond Head, you pay early on with cold and wet days of headsail wind angles. If you need to contact Tom, let us know.

Event information – Race details – Entry list – Tracker

Forty-one teams are competing in the 51st Transpac Race which takes the fleet on a 2225 nm course from Point Fermin in Los Angeles to the finish line off Diamond Head in Honolulu, Hawaii.

2021 Schedule
July 13 start – Division 8
July 16 start – Division 5, 6, 7
July 17 start – Division 1, 2, 3, 4
July 30 – Honolulu Awards Ceremony