Latest News

Aloha Race Blog

Cass here. The bad news is that I will be the one doing most of the daily email updates but the good news is that the whole crew has some fun ideas to keep all you following our race entertained, although I'm pretty sure most of these ideas are just to give us something to do while we're out here.

Elliott just asked me who I was emailing and I told him obviously our fan club. He's currently off watch and laying in his bunk. I'm not sure which is pinker, his crew shirt or his face. Yes, 5 1/2 hours in and he is already burned.

Comanche and the Cooney Family Preparing for the 2019 Transpac Race

With the allure of Transpac 50 being felt both near and far, it was only fitting that Comanche, the fastest monohull on earth and current monohull course record holder, would come up from Australia to help headline what is a record setting fleet. 100 feet long and extremely powered up, Comanche is a beast of a boat that when unleashed across more than 2,000 miles of open water is capable of eating up miles en masse, as witnessed by her 2017 Transpac course record-setting run of 5 days 1 hour and 55 minutes. Changing owners since 2017, the boat is now owned by Jim Cooney and family, many of which will be sailing as crew on the one-off VPLP designed supermaxi. While the owners may have changed, the focus has remained the same, and that is to be the fastest monohull entered and to have a shot at her own course record.

An interview with Dobbs Davis about the 50th edition of the Transpacific Race

Hawaii. Mere mention of this beautiful island chain amongst serious offshore sailors immediately sparks conversation of the world-famous Transpacific Race, which starts on the waters off of Los Angeles and finishes off of Honolulu’s Diamond Head formation, yielding a racetrack of some 2,225 nautical miles. Transpac, as the race is affectionately known, is organized by the Transpacific Yacht Club and now raced biennially (odd-numbered years following WWII) and has a proud and rich history hailing back to 1906.

More importantly for anyone who loves sailing fast under spinnaker, Transpac also has a long track record of serving-up fantastic conditions, once teams crack off their sheets and aim their bows for what can only be described as one of the planet’s prettiest destinations.

Not surprisingly, the race has long attracted some of the world’s fastest boats. To help give some perspective on how much the race—and sailing—have evolved since Transpac’s inaugural event, skipper H.H. Sinclair won the 1906 Transpac with a time of 12 days, nine hours and 59 seconds aboard Lurline, his 86-foot schooner. Flash-forward 99 years and skipper Ken Read, sailing aboard Comanche, the all-conquering, VPLP-designed 100-foot super maxi, sailed this same patch of brine in just five days, one hour, 55 minutes and 26 seconds.

I checked in with Dobbs Davis, media manager for the 50th edition of the Transpacific Race, which is set to kick off on July 10, via email, to learn more about this classic West Coast distance race.

Can you describe the race’s culture to an outsider?

The culture of this race is not unfamiliar to any West Coast offshore sailor who is used to starting in cold places and heading towards the warmth: laid back but serious when it’s needed, with competent and able seamanship, and ready for the long miles.

Transpac Record Setter Relaunched and Ready for 50th Edition

The world-famous sailing yacht Merlin is set to embark on the 50th running of the classic Transpacific Race from California to Hawaii on July 13. Merlin set an elapsed time record in 1977 that stood for two decades. The boat has been recently refit and is ready for launch out of Southern California in hopes of continuing the yacht’s winning legacy.

The newly refit Merlin will be on display at the Long Beach Yacht Club on Thursday, July 11, from 6-9 p.m. for a Transpac send off party. The Merlin Yacht Racing crew is honored to host designer and builder Bill Lee as well as naval architect Alan Andrews and boat builder Dennis Choate, both of whom were instrumental in Merlin’s most recent refit. Friends, supporters and competitors are invited to join in the festivities and can RSVP to merlinyachtracing@gmail.com or by calling Kate at (813)-229-1000, EXT. 212.

Jeff Brown Yachts (sponsor)

We had such a great time at the Transpac Aloha send off party this weekend! It was a pleasure to display our BRABUS Shadow 500 along with a couple of beautiful BRABUS SUVs from BRABUS Marine. The Shadow 500 will be a VIP spectator boat for each of the starts the race starts this week. We are happy to sponsor the 50th Anniversary of the Transpac Race and wish all the racers good luck!