Not something to be taken lightly

Held biennially since 1906, the history that precedes the 2027 Transpac Race is key as teams begin their preparation for the 2,225-nautical-mile course across the Pacific from Los Angeles to Hawaii.

Five thousand pounds of ice, a cook, and the skipper’s wife were how Craig Reynolds’s grandfather prepared his gaff-rigged schooner for the 1928 Transpac, nearly 100 years ago. “And they were happy to find the island!” says Reynolds, who will be competing in his 68-foot Nelson Marek Bolt.

This will be his tenth race across the Pacific and while, like his grandfather, he may have done it the first time for the thrill of the adventure, today he races to win.

“The whole key in the Transpac is to gybe in the right spots. You can’t make mistakes,” advises Reynolds. “You have an element of luck, an element of skill where you pick the right course and that is determined by the weather, and then you have an element of how prepared you are.”

Get all three elements in alignment, and you might win. “There’s an art to it. That’s one of the reasons Transpac is such a great race,” says Reynolds, who has beat the pros to the podium in his class with an all-amateur crew in past Transpacs. They’re a devoted team, returning to race year over year.

“Being a thousand miles offshore and the whole world is just the boat and the people on the boat, it’s pretty special,” adds Reynolds. “You get out in the middle of the ocean and the camaraderie of making the boat go, it’s just a special thing. Transpac is a really special race. To do it, you have to really want to.”

For Bob Pethick, that camaraderie and immersing himself in the boat and the race is what appeals to him.

“I like getting offshore, getting off the grid, turning off my phone, take a time-out from all the things that keep you busy during life,” says the four-time Transpac veteran. “I really like the camaraderie of our team and getting offshore sailing and competing. My best friends are the people I sail with offshore.”

Pethick is expanding that network of friends, teaming up with another Transpac sailor, Standish Fleming, to campaign the new-to-them TP52 Akua Kai, formerly Crush of Western Australia.

Pethick’s Rogers 46 Bretwalda 3, was first-to-finish in the Transpac second day start in 2015, 2019, and 2021, and placed first in class and third overall in 2021. Fleming’s J/125 Neriad, clocked class wins in Puerto Vallarta and Cabo races and was first in class and second overall in the 2023 Transpac.

The two accomplished skippers have partnered up on the purchase and refit of Akua Kai and are melding their crews and skills to take on Transpac 2027. “It’s a rocket ship, particularly compared to the other 52s on the West Coast, and particularly downwind,” said Pethick. “For the kind of racing we do, we think it will do well.”

Originally from Michigan, Pethick has 40 Mackinac races under his belt, he did Newport to Bermuda in 2021, and the Rolex Middle Sea Race in 2025, as well as numerous West Coast events over the years, but Transpac is always next level when it comes to offshore competition and strategy.

“It’s more than twice as long as the next longest race, so it’s a whole other level of endurance and planning. You have to have redundant systems to deal with any kind of failures. You’re a thousand miles offshore so you have to be your own doctor, your own mechanic, because you’re on your own.

“I think it can be a life changing experience, good or bad—it’s not something to be taken lightly, and most people who do it don’t take it lightly. I’m glad to be one of the first to sign up for the 2027 Transpac.”

Taking it lightly—but not too lightly—is Mike Sudo’s approach with Macondo, a Beneteau First 47.7 that will be racing its fifth Transpac in a row. With a focus on a happy crew and learning more about the race by talking to other competitors, Sudo has improved his elapsed time each year.

“For me, I want to win, but I’d rather laugh and have fun, have no one fighting and make it safe, than come in first,” he says.

During the race, his role is cook and keeper of the good mood. He washes the dishes, cleans the heads, and provides three hot meals a day, making sure his crew are well-fed and well-rested so they perform better on the helm.

“Driving at night, that’s our strong point,” he says. “I believe someone who’s wide awake is the best safety for the boat. If they’re wide awake they can drive straight.”

One of his biggest thrills is inviting new crew to join the boat and experiencing the race again as a first-timer through their eyes.

“Seeing them cross that buoy for the first time is like watching someone open up their Christmas present when they believe in Santa Claus.”

His skipper, Mike Price, is returning to race with him and bringing his father along—having a father-son duo on the team is a highlight for Sudo, whose overall goal is to inspire more people to try sailing and take on challenges like Transpac.

“It helps sailing a lot if we encourage more people to do it, and be more relaxed about it,” he says, and, like Reynolds, he encourages people to just do it. He budgets $80,000 for race prep, works at West Marine for the gear discounts, drives Ubers for other boat crews to prime them for race tips and lives aboard Macondo to save on rent.

“We’ve got a boat that’s too heavy, a crew too young, and an owner too poor. We’re like the David in a Goliath world.”

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Source: TPYC