HistoryDespite 57 boats – the most starters since 1985 – Transpac 2003 was less a race for records than milestones. Software entrepreneur Philippe Kahn, sailing a turbocharged PEGASUS 77, collected his second consecutive Barn Door in a two-boat battle with Roy Disney’s PYEWACKET, but again didn’t have enough wind to threaten Disney’s elapsed time record for a monohull set in 1999 (7 days, 11 hours, 41 minutes, 27 seconds). PEGASUS 77’s ET was 7 days, 16 hours, 31 minutes, 17 seconds.
That left room in the spotlight for other ocean adventurers that made the 42nd Transpac a tale of diversity, nostalgia, perseverance and victories of the human spirit. The fleet included an all-time high of nine foreign entries, a clear sign of Transpac’s global expansion in the 21st century and, along the way, PEGASUS 77, one of four entries listing Hawaiian home ports, did log a race record 24-hour run of 356 nautical miles, topping MAGNITUDE's 1999 record by three miles.
But there also were 10 Cal 40s – Transpac’s first class ever for a single type of boat – celebrating their 40th anniversary, harking back to the 60s when they dominated three Transpacs on corrected handicap time. And, for media punch, no arrival at Waikiki rivaled the prime time finish of Challenged America’s entry, the Tripp 40 B’QUEST, which had won the hearts of race followers. The first crew of disabled sailors in the race’s 97-year history was met not only by reporters but by four local TV crews, just in time for the early evening news. One did a live remote telecast – a possible first for Transpac
Urban Miyares, a blind Vietnam veteran who co-founded Challenged America in San Diego 12 years ago with Transpac as the ultimate goal, was a watch captain on B’QUEST. The crew also included paraplegics and a one-armed veteran. The only able-bodied crew member was skipper Joshua Ross.
Bill Turpin and his ALTA VITA crew from Santa Cruz, California, received the King Kalakaua Trophy for first overall, clocking the fourth fastest corrected handicap time ever, 7 days, 12 hours, 20 minutes, 29 seconds. Another Transpac 52, Karl Kwok’s BEAU GESTE from Hong Kong, finished 48 minutes earlier but owed ALTA VITA time for a stronger downwind configuration favorable to Transpac. ALTA VITA’s elapsed time for the 2,225 nautical miles was 8 days, 17 hours, 1 minute, 25 seconds. Key to ALTA VITA’s success was Jay Crum, the navigator, sailing his 12th Transpac.
BEAU GESTE, second overall with Gavin Brady and other world-class New Zealanders among the crew, corrected only 66 minutes better than ILLUSION, the fastest of the Cal 40s. That class was organized by Wendy Siegal, owner of the 2001 Aloha winner WILLOW WIND. ILLUSION's owner and co-skippers, Stan and Sally Honey, and their veteran crew of Skip Allan and Jon Andron, received the first of several standing ovations at the awards dinner.
Honey was navigator for PYEWACKET’s record runs in 1997 and 1999. “It’s much more work than sailing on PYEWACKET,” he said. “But I hope the message that gets communicated to the sailing community is that you can take a good old boat with a good old crew and be competitive in the race.”
ILLUSION led the race on handicap time until the last two days when stronger winds favored the larger ultralight boats.
Roger Kuske’s 62-foot cutter LADY BLEU II, an Aloha class boat from San Diego, was the first boat to finish because of its five-day head start, but Ross Pearlman’s BETWEEN THE SHEETS, a Sun Odyssey 52.2 from California, was the overall and Aloha A winner on corrected time, with BARKING SPIDER winning Aloha B.
As a result of the staggered starts, the first boats to cross the finish line were the Division V and Aloha A boats. The first four finishers all blew up spinnakers coming down the Molokai Channel to the finish. The finish conditions for this group were a far cry from the light start when a southerly current and light breeze resulted in some boats taking 20 minutes to clear the start line.
The outcome of the PEGASUS 77–PYEWACKET contest was determined early on, not by boat speed but by strategic differences of opinion keyed to PEGASUS 77’s navigator, Mark Rudiger. The PYEWACKET crew was stunned by the second day’s morning roll call and position report that showed PEGASUS 77 100 miles south of them. Then, when the shift they were expecting failed to produce a lively breeze, PYEWACKET had to eat its error and give up many miles to find better wind south. That’s when PEGASUS 77 came slightly north to slide into a controlling position directly in front.
PEGASUS 77’s Mike Mottl was chosen by his mates for the Don Vaughn Memorial Trophy as the most valuable crew member on the boat with the fastest elapsed time.
Other winners included hawaii’s own Dan Doyle and Bruce Burgess, TWO GUYS ON THE EDGE, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Gary Jobson Perpetual Trophy for first doublehanded on corrected time; Anthony Barran’s ILC 40, TERA’s XL, Northridge, California, Fast 40s; Division III winner Tom Garnier’s J/125, REINRAG2, Portland, Oregon, J/Boats (not including J/160s); Division IV winner Chris Busch’s 1D35, WILD THING, San Diego, Pocket Rockets Award, and John MacLaurin’s PENDRAGON 4, Marina del Rey, Fast 50s. In Division V, WIND DANCER, a Catalina 42 from Ventura, California, won its division and MAITRI won the three-boat J/160 class.
REINRAG2 recovered from mid-ocean repairs of a leaking rudder bearing to win Division III by three hours over Peter Johnson’s J/160, MAITRI, of San Diego. John Davis’ PIPE DREAM, a Choate/Feo 37 in Aloha B from Seal Beach, California, received the Tailend Charlie Trophy as the last boat to finish.
Kim and Lou Ickler, who managed the race headquarters, were awarded the Claire Lang Memorial Trophy for volunteer service.
- Written by Rich Roberts