Latest News

MERLIN Trophy Unveiled

Trisha Steele, a fourth-generation Transpac racer and a recent owner of MERLIN, dedicated a new trophy, the MERLIN Trophy for the fastest elapsed time for the unlimited class of yachts competing in the Transpac Race. The trophy, built by Ken Gardiner, is a scale model of MERLIN, the famed Bill Lee-designed 68-footer. Complimenting Lee, Steele said, “He has been a great innovator in Transpac yachting and has been a member of the Transpacific Yacht Club for years. This trophy is to commemorate his contribution over the years.”

Close of Registration on the Near Horizon

Forget spring cleaning, planting flowers and all of your other chores and make sure that you and your crew are set for the Greatest Ocean Race in the World - Transpac09. Start ticking off the list of things to do before you and your team slips the lines and joins the Transpac09 sendoff parade out of Rainbow Harbor. Above all, don’t let the end of May sneak up on you without registering for Transpac09 and the Weather Symposium.

Inspection FAQs

Congratulations on your recent entry into the most prestigious yacht race in the world - the 2009 Los Angeles, California to Honolulu, Hawaii Transpacific Yacht Race. Enclosed is a list of inspectors for your convenience. Inspection of the vessel must be completed by Monday June 22, 2009. This will allow ample time to remedy any discrepancies. If your vessel will not be in the Southern California area prior to the Sunday July 1, 2009 date, please contact me at your earliest so that we may set up a date for inspection. We will be more than happy to accommodate you.

Safety at Sea Seminar

The Racing Rules of Sailing require a certain number of crew to have taken and passed a Safety at Sea Seminar. These seminars are sanctioned by US Sailing and offered around the country. Please plan ahead when considering this requirement, as the seminars may not be available just prior to the Transpac.

Rainbow Harbor

Since 2005 Transpac has called Long Beach our mainland homeport. Sandwiched between the corporate high rises of downtown and the Queen Mary, Rainbow Harbor is home to the Transpac fleet as they gather and prepare for the Race. For two weeks prior to the start competitors enjoy complimentary moorings at the marina. Shoreline Village with its shops, attractions, restaurants and watering holes, surrounds Rainbow Harbor and serves as the gathering place for race participants, as well as local residents. Held during the Long Beach Sea Festival, Transpac Village and Rainbow Harbor has become the place where the public can get an up-close look at the racing yachts.

Cathie Nash - 50 Years of Transpac Service

Almost fifty years ago, a “warm, bubbly” gal got involved in Transpac, while working for Don Haskell, who was campaigning his 67’ S&S Yawl CHUBASCO. Cathie Evans prepared many meals and stocked the boat for the race. She was taken by the adventure that the crew of CHUBASCO would have racing to the Islands, and just couldn’t miss meeting them in Honolulu … so she booked a ticket to Hawaii. 

Phil Uhl Transpac Artist

For many years, the Transpacfic Yacht Club has been lucky to have Phil Uhl as our resident artist, creating our official race posters. For 2009 Phil created an original piece based on the mid-Pacific meeting of Morning Light and Samba Pa Ti during the 2007 Transpac.

Painting, photography, graphic design, television, video, and movie production are all subjects Phil Uhl is very comfortable with. While Uhl is well known for high quality and attention to detail, he does not limit himself to one particular style or media. If you have been involved with competitive yacht racing over the last three decades, you have seen his work. From his first SORC in 1968 to the recent "Morning Light" film, Phil has focused on producing memorable images celebrating the beauty and excitement of sailing. Uhl, who lives in Honolulu has been involved one way or another with TRANSPAC since 1973. His work can be seen at www.philuhl.com.

Inside Team Leglus

Team Leglus was conceived and created by Mr. Tomikura who had his own lifelong dream of challenging the Transpacific yacht race from Japan. Mr. Tomikura's dream came one step closer to a reality when the yacht club has decided to purchase an Ohashi 52 which already participated to the race three times under the a different ownership. In order to give his mission the best chance of succeeding, he opted not be a part of the sailing team. He decided to look for a new skipper and crew members, the best to be found, not only from his yacht club but also from general public, and announced his challenge in Kazi, a well-known sailing magazine in Japan.