Halfway point (for some) in Transpac

After yesterday’s third and final start of the 2023 Transpac, the fortunes of the fleet of 57 entries can be ascertained from the PASHA HAWAII YB tracker system and reports coming in to race managers at Transpacific Yacht Club. There are some in this fleet there are starting to get a taste of the champagne sailing conditions that makes this race famous, while others are still days away from having this taste too as they struggle to get off the California coast.

The leaders in the first group of starters continue their match race battle for the lead in Boatswain’s Locker Division 7 among two Dehler 46 sisterships. At 0900 PDT this morning Greg Dorn’s FAVONIUS is shown to have managed to pass and build a 4-mile lead over Ian Edwards’ WINGS from Australia. With 1219 miles to the finish at Diamond Head in Honolulu these two are sailing at about 9 knots and are near the halfway point on the course after 5 days of racing.

They and the rest of Tuesday starters are positioned 50-100 miles south of the rhumb line. In the back half of this group is Cecil and Alyson Rossi’s Farr 57 HO’OKOLOHE who are leading PASHA HAWAII Division 5. Steve Rossi is aboard HO’OKOLOHE and reported this morning “We’ve all been watching the tracker keeping an eye on the fast boats and the pain they’ve been suffering with their start. Well, we’re currently feeling a bit of their pain with light winds in the 4-7 knot range. We’re doing our best to race west into the dropping pressure zone where we’re hoping we can finally throw our kite up before it gets dark.

“The caveat to the light winds is that boat is finally level after three days of being on its ear- giving us trouble with the water maker inlet being in and out of the waterline, causing us to run out of water early this morning. Luckily it’s back on line making a plentiful 10 gallons an hour and filling our tanks. Showers all around tonight.”

Also racing in this division is Paul Farrell’s Andrews 40 SPIN DOCTOR, who reported on the good life on board: “Shepard’s Pie with sides of Mast Head Genoa and 10 knots boat speed for dinner last night.”

After three days of racing the fleet of Thursday starters is also doing well and are positioned on tracks that lie further north straddling the course rhumb line. Going on average a knot faster than the racer/cruisers in the Tuesday group, Bill McKinley’s all-carbon Ker 46+ DENALI3 is in the lead of Ocean Navigator Division 4, only slightly faster than Dave Moore’s Santa Cruz 52 WESTERLY 52 who maintains their lead in Cabrillo Boat Shop Division 5.

In this group James Nichols’ J/125 VELVET HAMMER even found some humor to share with the fleet and their fans: “Did you know that in Hawaii it’s illegal to laugh loudly? —- You have to keep it to a low ha.”

In contrast there’s not much light-hearted humor being expressed among yesterday’s starters. After getting off the start line and around the West End of Catalina, most tacked to port and headed northwest. Unfortunately most got stuck for hours in light and drifting conditions among the outer Channel Islands, with Marchetta/Furey’s Santa Cruz 70 MIRAGE reporting “Fended off a sea lion looking for a resting place, marine mammal presumed we were another rock….”

Only Manouch Mosheyedi’s Bakewell-White 100 RIO100 and George Hershman and Mark Comings’ Reichel/Pugh 63 GOODENERGY were able to break away to the southwest and are progressing on a southerly track at speeds of 10 and 8 knots, respectively. At the last look of the tracker, Doug Baker’s Dencho/Kernan PELIGROSO has started to lead the rest of the group out of slatting conditions and into more decent breeze.

Among the group of 4 entries who have dropped from the race thusfar is now a 5th: Jason Carroll’s MOD 70 ARGO, who was leading the EPIC Insurance Division of fast multihulls, reported having engine trouble and is heading back to Cabrillo Way Marina.

All entries in Transpac can be tracked on the YB system, sponsored by Pasha Hawaii. The positions, speeds and headings of each entry can be found on this system on either the browser of app versions. There is a built-in 4 hour delay for each entry, except when within 200 miles of the finish when the tracker goes live. Use this link to follow the fleet: cf.yb.tl/transpac2023.

InformationTranspac transpacyc.com