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Bretwalda3 Race Blog

The Bretwalda team had a great start and trip to the west end of Catalina.  Good call crossed us just before we cleared the point at the west end without  having to tack from the start. Many in our fleet tacked up right after the start and that became lost distance to us.  Once we cleared the end of the island it was light for a few hours then we got into the breeze.  It became very choppy and with winds in the 20's it was sloppy and the boat was on it's side making the general task of eating, dressing or any other life skills extremely difficult.

All boats away in Transpac 50

With the breeze shifted far left in overcast skies due to a strong Catalina Eddy, the final wave of 24 monohulls and 4 multihulls in a record fleet of 90 yachts are now headed off the coast in the 50th edition of Transpacific Yacht Race, a biennial race to Honolulu organized by the Transpacific YC. These are the largest and fastest boats in the fleet, and their starts were an impressive display of masterful big-boat sail handling, seamanship and tactics as they charged the line on port tack with a variety of headsail types suitable to the close reaching angle sailed to clear the West End of Catalina, the only mark of the course in this 2225-mile race.

Live Wire Retires With Mast/Rigging Issue

Live Wire, Olson 40, has retired with mast/rigging issues. All crew are safe and returning to California.

Macondo Retires With Rudder Failure

Mike Sudo's Macondo has retired from the 2019 Transpac due to rudder failure. They reported to be safe, and making good headway towards Los Angeles.

"Macondo now heels hard to starboard and our worlds feel a bit upside down. The potential for catastrophic rudder failure crept from the shadows last night forcing our crew to make the heavy hearted decision to turn back. To head home. To abandon 2+ years of daydreams and planning. You never truly learn what you or your crew are made of in fair winds and seas, you learn about your crew in the dark of night, when shit hits the fan and the stakes are high -- that's when the masks are removed and you know the makings of a man. Words cannot express the admiration I have for this team and their fortitude. Not for a moment did they shrink to the multitude of challenges -- they rose."

Santa Cruz 50 Trouble Retires With Rudder Bearing Problem

Due to a problem with rudder bearings, Tom Camp's Santa Cruz 50 has retired from the race, and is returning to California.

Macondo Race Blog

Yesterday the clock struck noon and Macondarella's journey to the ball begun. 

But this isn't just any ball. This is no glass slipper, polite society, champagne waltz kinda shindig. 
No, this is Maconadrella's foray outside her comfort zone, loos'd of limits and imaginary lines--this is her epic journey to finally get lei'd. We'll be chronicling her journey and of her faithful crew in regular posts, dependant upon sea state and vomit threat level.

SD Boatworks (sponsor)

It was a great weekend at Transpac Race Village! We saw a lot of our friends, fixed an electric winch, and sorted out our odds and ends and spare parts bins! Today we are on site at Transpac Pier and we’re happy to be joined by Sam Vineyard from Marlow Ropes! He will be here today and tomorrow at our booth. We were also joined on the pier by North Sails who have set up a great looking lounge just across from us!

Second wave heads west in Transpac 50

In gray but clearing skies and a light building seabreeze, the second wave of monohull entries has left the start line set by race managers from the Transpacific YC here at Point Fermin to head towards a finish line awaiting them at Diamond Head in Honolulu 2225 miles away in this year's 50th edition of the Transpacific Yacht Race.

Today 13 yachts in Division 3, 11 in Division 4 and 3 in Division 5 set off for their first mark of the course, the West End of Catalina Island, before heading southwest on tracks determined by their navigators to be the right balance between greater wind speed to the south versus shorter distance to the north. Weather forecasts for the coming days suggest tracks that should sag south, but not quite as far south as the first wave was advised when they left on Wednesday afternoon. Wind angles and pressures look good for the next few days for this group.