Latest News

Barn Door Trophy Ceremony for Comanche

With the new open criteria established for the Transpac Barn Door Trophy for the 2019 race, the Comanche team gathered on Friday to receive the trophy awarded to the first monohull to finish the race. Specifically, the 2019 Notice of Race removed any restrictions on use of moveable ballast or non-manual power to define those eligible to receive this classic trophy, while boats that are first-to-finish contenders may not have a length greater than 100 feet overall (30.48 meters). This criteria is similar to that used in numerous other ocean races around the world, including the Sydney-Hobart, Fastnet, Middle Sea and other races.

From 2009 - 2017 those monohull entries that used moveable ballast or non-manual power were eligible to race, but the first boat to finish with these systems on board was not eligible to win this trophy, and instead were contenders for the Merlin Trophy.

Under the previous rule, Manouch Moshayedi's Rio100 won both the 2015 and 2017 Barn Door Trophy.

Conviction Race Blog

We passed a buoy a couple of days about 800 miles offshore. I am pretty sure it was not anchored. We were going 13 or so and it passed one boat length (50 feet) to windward and we did not see it until we were within a couple of boat lengths. We are glad that we did not ring that bell.

The boat captain decided to do some boat maintenance. So he emptied an entire can of dry lube on all the moving parts down below (there are lots). The crew members down below at that time experienced severe oxygen deprivation. They knew that no gas masks were available, so they evacuated the premises. I have never experienced an all hands on deck call that was as effective. Everyone feared lighting a match for the next few hours. Not much ventilation. One hatch.

Kialoa II Race Blog

Tough night and day but in the end very satisfying. The squalls last night were brutal. Too much for our limited suite of spinnakers so we decided to hoist the big genoa and pole it out. Except that the furling foil split and the sail got caught between foil sections. Eventually fixed after some magnificent work by David Sawdon and especially Jeff up the foil on a halyard using a grinder… don’t ask any more. Everyone and thing intact, sail hoisted and furled ready for this evenings squall party. While all this was going on the hydraulic ram that functions as the boom vang let go with a loud bang and a spray of oil on the deck. Again sorted this time using good old fashion string and purchases, well dynex and purchases anyway! So we power on, doing the best we can.

Fast Exit Race Blog

The big attraction of Transpac is the downwind sailing for days and days. Big swells,sunshine and big spinnakers in strong tradewinds.  At least that's the theory.  It does not always work out that way.  For example of the seven Transpac races and five Pac cup races that I've done so far, only two Transpacs and two Pac Cups were truly windy. That said, we still often get great days and nights of spinnaker sailing at speeds that make grown men and women squeal like little children.  It also means that the race attracts a wide and varied assortment of yachts prepared by their owners and crews to perform at full potential 24/7 for the whole race, pushing as hard as they can whenever they can. It is a race of "run what you brung" . Take Fast Exit. We have a kitchenette, small bathroom, some cabins with bunks and a saloon with convertible settee/bunks. A sort of Sprinter van with a really big engine, in the form a tall Carbon Fiber mast, big mainsail and big spinnakers.  Now, also in our class are boats akin to a large sport station wagon.  Think Cadillac CTS-V or Mercedes AMG, decent size with a stupidly big engine.  You could sleep in it, but would you really want to? And, so we race, in handicap style.  They have to beat us to Hawaii by a certain amount of time to win. Get to the wind first, be in the right lane and put up the biggest kite you can.  Sheet in, hold on and drive.  Shooting down big rollers with spray flying about all over the place, half the time in daylight half the time at night.  If you're lucky, like this year you get a full moon, if not, it's pitch black.  No matter what, you don't back off. Ever. Days two and three the Turbo Camper team pulled off 24 hour runs of 278 and 288 miles.  Pretty good for a fully powered up Turbo Camper.

Westerly Race Blog

Hello friends and family from, well, somewhere in the Pacific. We just wrapped up day 6 of the 2019 Transpac aboard the SC52 Westerly. Another wonderful day of sailing.

Yesterday was marked by crossing the halfway point on the race from California to Hawaii. Out here, it is said, you are farther from any dry land than you can get anywhere else on the planet. It is more that 1000 miles in any direction until you reach terra firma. And even though we know there are a lot of boats out here – we see all 90 of the racers on the position reports – the ocean still feels like a very big place and sightings of other boats are uncommon… although that is starting to change as the three different fleets begin to compress.