Transpac: that’s a wrap

At this point, all entered yachts are accounted for in this 51st edition of the Transpac. This was a year of challenges for the 2021 Transpac: the COVID pandemic put tremendous uncertainty into every phase of planning for participants, organizers and sponsors alike.

Yet in the end it was Mother Nature who emerged as the star of the show this year: mostly strong steady winds that propelled the forty-one teams who started out in San Pedro last week down the rhumb line to some of the fastest times seen yet in this race. One broken mast just after the start and a broken rudder in the Molokai Channel were the only serious damage incidents, and no serious injuries or health issues that were not resolvable on the trip.

And of course the outstanding Hawaiian hospitality of Transpac 51– tempered a little by COVID concerns – was enjoyed by all and delivered by an outstanding group of hosts in this “Year of the Volunteer.”

The Tail End Charlie Award in the 2021 Transpac goes to Skipper Tim Jones and his crew on his Olson 40 Live Wire. They were the last entry to cross the finish line at Diamond Head, finishing with an elapsed time of 11 days 18 hours 35 minutes from their start on Friday, July 16 in Division 7.

Finishing not long before Live Wire was Mark Ashmore’s Cal 40 Nalu V. Ashmore and wife Kathleen, Chris Tadlock and navigator Hugh Westermeyer did not have the fastest ride to Hawaii, having broken their spinnaker a few days ago and sailing the remainder of the race with a poled-out headsail. They also achieved a more important mission for their team in this race.

“Of most importance, we raised $31K for ALS research [in memory of our passed crewmate Mark Buttermann]. This is a great amount, but is short of our $50,000 goal. Please do share this challenge on social media and with your friends. While the race may be ending for us, the challenge goes on and ALS research funding is critically important.”

Nalu V received the First Cal 40 to Finish award from TPYC Commodore Jim Eddy (a Cal 40 owner too), being the only one in the fleet this year. However, in two years in the next race Nalu will no doubt have more rivals as these classic yachts perennially participate in this race that helped make them famous.

Here are the eight division winners:
Division 1. BadPak – Botin 56
Division 2. Peligroso – Kernan 68
Division 3. Warrior Won – Pac52
Division 4. Pied Piper – Santa Cruz 70
Division 5. Bretwalda3 – Rogers 46
Division 6. Horizon – Santa Cruz 50
Division 7. Favonius – Dehler 46
Division 8. Ho’okolohe – Farr 57

Event information – Race details – Results – Tracker

Forty-one teams started the 51st Transpac Race which took 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

Source: TPYC