First finishers for 2023 Transpac Race

(July 6, 2023) – At 02:48 Hawaii Standard Time, Justin Shaffer’s MOD70 Orion crossed the finish line at Diamond Head as the first finisher in the 2023 Transpac Race.

Their elapsed time of 4 days 17 hours 48 minutes fell short of breaking the multihull course record of 04:06:32 set by H.L. Enloe’s ORMA 60 Mighty Merloe in 2017, as the Orion team was not helped by the light winds encountered while exiting the California coast after their July 1 start.

However, among both multihulls and monohulls, this is nonetheless the sixth fastest elapsed time in the entire history of the race, first sailed in 1906.

The Orion crew of six (above) had Paul Allen, Hogan Beatie, Morgan Larson, Cam Lewis, Matt Noble and Justin Shaffer.

Orion’s sistership Maserati Multi 70 skippered by Giovanni Soldini was about 200 miles astern, with this team from Italy finishing at 08:55 HST for an elapsed time of 4D 23H 55M, the eighth fastest time in Transpac history.

Both teams followed a strategy common to this year’s fleet: a North Pacific high pressure centered well north of its usual position allowed teams to closely follow the rhumb line for most of the race.

Only in the last few days, on the west side of the racecourse, do the 15-20 knot breezes shift more to the east from the northeast, prompting teams to sail north of the rhumb line on starboard tack to stay in the best wind velocity before gybing to port to make their final approaches to Hawaii.

These last 1000 miles to the finish have the champagne sailing conditions that Transpac is famous for: clear days and starlit nights of glorious downwind sailing under spinnaker, with the occasional shift to gybe to reduce the distance to Diamond Head. Teams are well into their routines, perhaps punctuated by an occasional sail change or rain squall.

With the multihulls finished, the question now becomes: who will be the first monohull to cross the finish line?

Bill McKinley’s Ker 46+ Denali3 is a strong contender for this honor. With 485 miles to go at 0700 PDT today and at boat speeds of 11-12 knots, this fast carbon race boat and it’s Michigan-based team who started on June 29 in Division 4 will soon pass the three leading cruiser/racer teams of the June 27 starters in Division 7 who are sailing at a 2-3 knot slower pace.

If Denali3 continues at the current rate, she could be at Diamond Head in about 40 hours, at or before dawn on July 8.

Event details – Entry list – Tracker – July 6 Roll Call

From the inaugural race in 1906, the biennial Transpac Race in 2023 is the 52nd edition with 57 entrants to take on the 2225 nm course from Los Angeles to Honolulu.

Staggered Starts
June 27 – Division 7, 8
June 29 – Division 4, 5, 6
July 1 – Division 1, 2, 3, 9

Source: TYC