Before the Division I and II boats pulled away from the dock on Sunday, many in the Aloha Send-off were busy collecting autographs. Some were trying to cover the Morning Light poster with cast and crew autographs. One fellow caught Paul Cayard and Stan Honey deep in conversation. Initially, he was after Cayard’s signature, but when he realized who the blond behind the white Alfa Romeo sunglasses was, he went for the famed navigator’s signature too. Honey scrolled his John Hancock right in the center of the man’s long-sleeved Transpac wicking shirt and immediately raised its value.
Read moreNeville Crichton’s Reichel Pugh 100, Alfa Romeo, established a new 24-hour run Transpac record from yesterday’s early morning position report through 0600 on July 7th. Alfa Romeo covered 399 nautical miles and surpassed the previous monohull record set by Morning Glory during the 2005 Los Angeles to Hawaii Transpacific Yacht Race.
Read moreMurray Spence, Alfa Romeo's Captain, briefs us with a snapshot of what the first 16 hours were like aboard Alfa Romeo, starting with the international team's send-off from Transpac Pier to their high speed flight around the top of Catalina Island and SW to skirt the high.
Read moreThe Transpac 09 communications vessel, the Alaska Eagle, left Los Angeles on Monday, June 29th with the first group of starters. They stayed with the cluster forging the southwesterly path to Hawaii. Not racing, but rather relaying communications from the fleet to shore and teaching adult students about navigation and engineering aboard ocean-going vessels, they use quite a bit more power to keep their generators going than the racing boats. The report from David Lee, who is in charge of communications, “We just stopped Alaska Eagle mid-ocean to dip the fuel tanks, verify quantity of fuel remaining. We've been using the Iron Staysail a lot lately . . . Seemed like the right thing to do, so all the crew went over the side for a swim . . . zero wind, absolutely glassed off. Roxanne Vetesse, who regularly crews on a 48-foot IOR boat in Oxnard, remarked, "It could be worse . . . . we could be racing!"
Read moreMost of the boats entered in Transpac 09 are veterans of the world’s most enduring and greatest ocean race. Many have completed two or three Los Angeles to Hawaii Transpacs; however, it is not unusual to hear that the boat has done four or five Transpacs. It’s also commonplace to meet sailors who have raced in several Transpacs. Also common are third, fourth and even fifth generation Transpac legacies. The Los Angeles to Hawaii Transpac is a rite of passage in many West Coast and Hawaiian sailing families.
Read moreDivisions I and II yachts in the Los Angeles to Hawaii Transpacific Yacht Race started their 2,225 nautical mile voyage in an i2-15 knot breeze from the Southwest. Cameramen in the helicopters hovering over the starting area and following the 17-boat fleet along the racecourse to see whether they would clear the west end of Catalina, were filming the Mylar sails, white decks and glistening hulls in nearly crystal clear conditions. As the race boats moved through the white capped seas they left a frothy wake behind.
Read moreHundreds of thousands crowded Rainbow Harbor’s shoreline, the decks of the Queen Mary and the marina basins of Long Beach to celebrate Independence Day. Side tied along Transpac Pier at Rainbow Harbor in front of Gladstone’s, Samba Pa Ti, Flash, Pyewacket, Alfa Romeo and Pegasus 50 were the center of attention. Crowds strolling the docks and promenades and posing for photos in front of the glistening boats and their tall masts, made it slow going for those crews who were still rushing from their containers to their boats to close out their punch lists.
Read morePegasus 50 is docked bow to stern with Alfa Romeo. Both are a marvel to look at and both are eyeing Transpac records. The 100-foot long Alfa Romeo is monstrous. Its deck is clean and wide and the sheets and halyards lead to powered winches that are trimmed with the push of a button. Down below, the cabin is spacious and designed for moving sails from side to side during shorter races in Europe.
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| Feb 24
ORR and 2025 Lessons Learned Seminar |
5:00 PM PSTZoom Webinar |
| July 2027
2027 Race Starts |
