When Google maps can’t get you there

The Transpac Race is long – 2225 nm from Los Angeles to Honolulu. All but one boat needed a week to finish with half the fleet taking 10+ days. That’s a lot of days to slave over modern tools to assess weather and routing options, so the 2025 race honored the exceptional navigators of top-finishing boats.

The Ben Mitchell Trophy for the navigator with the fastest elapsed time result was awarded to Stan Honey, who navigated the Juan K 88-foot Lucky. The Chuck Ullman Trophy honors the navigator with the fastest corrected-time result: Graham Bell, who navigated the Cal 40 Restless.

Additional honorees:
Division 1 – Artie Means, Botin 56 BadPak
Division 2 – Damian Craig, Ker 52 Fast Exit II
Division 3 – Matt Wachowicz, Reichel Pugh 68 Pied Piper
Division 4 – Randy Smith, J/145 Aimant de Fille
Division 5 – Chris Busch, Santa Cruz 52 Westerly
Division 6 – Ben Allen, J/125 Arsenal
Division 7 – Charles Devanneaux, Beneteau First 36 Rahan
Division 8 – Sam Patton, Beneteau First 47 Macondo
Multihull – Simon Fisher, Gunboat 68 Convexity2

The Transpac Race recognizes celestial and traditional navigation with its Mark S. Rudiger Celestial Navigation Trophy, which is awarded to the navigator who prepares and submits the best celestial navigation worksheet to the race’s impartial judging panel. After careful review, Django Tomlinson, aboard the Santa Cruz 50 Oaxaca, was presented with this award.

Event information – Race details – Results – Tracker

The 53-boat fleet began the 2025 Transpac Race with staggered starts on July 1, July 3 and July 5 for the 53rd edition of the biennial 2225 nm crossing from Los Angeles to Honolulu.

Elapsed records:
Monohull: 2017, Comanche, VPLP 100, Jim Clark – 05d 01:55:26
Multihull: 2017, Mighty Merloe, ORMA 60, Hl Enloe – 04d 06:32:30

Source: TYC