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The Transpacific Yacht Race

Whatever they had to do to get it done, the sailors in this year’s Transpacific Yacht Race set a high mark for the crews that will follow. We may not know what it means to sail from Los Angeles to Hawaii, but we’re impressed…

The Transpacific Yacht Race

Whatever they had to do to get it done, the sailors in this year’s Transpacific Yacht Race set a high mark for the crews that will follow. We may not know what it means to sail from Los Angeles to Hawaii, but we’re impressed…

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Whatever they had to do to get it done, the sailors in this year’s Transpacific Yacht Race set a high mark for the crews that will follow. We may not know what it means to sail from Los Angeles to Hawaii, but we’re impressed…

There are many names for the wind, as many for the currents that stir the oceans and for the constellations overhead. Tramontana, Zephyros, Sharki… These names have been shared the world over and passed down for generations in fables and in songs. No matter their language or place of origin, most of these names were learned upon the sea and brought to us by the people who sail upon it, who leave and then return with stories only they can understand. So it is with those who race yachts across the ocean, and certainly with those who found themselves about as far from land as one can get in this year’s Transpacific Yacht Race.

Known as the “Transpac” by its fans and family of competitors, this biennial sailing test is the USA’s longest and oldest ocean race. It begins at California’s Point Fermin, on the southern edge of Los Angeles, and finishes 2,225 nautical miles later at a point just off Hawaii’s Diamond Head. At the midpoint, competitors are about as far from dry land as possible.

The start is staggered between June 29 and July 5, with the fastest boats leaving last. This ensures all boats arrive in Honolulu at roughly the same time. It was inevitable that the long days and nights following this year’s start would bring competition, adventure and personal revelations to the sailors who competed, but there was no way to know that the 2009 Transpac would see a new record set. Understanding what drove the team that set it is a different story however. For that, you might need to be a sailor.

History

The Transpac had its first start in 1906 when Clarence MacFarlane, a sailor in Honolulu, took inspiration from Hawaiian King David Kalakaua’s belief that such an event would improve social and economic ties between the kingdom and the mainland. MacFarlane invited two of his sailing contemporaries to race from San Francisco to the Hawaiian Islands, and then set out to make the start. However, when he sailed his 48-foot schooner into San Francisco Bay, MacFarlane found the city in ruins. The “Great Quake” of San Francisco had hit just 27 days earlier and the city was hardly in shape to host a celebratory event. A quick change of plans saw the start moved to Point Fermin and there it’s stayed, except for one nostalgic nod in 1939 when it briefly returned to San Francisco.

Results

Three boats finished the 1906 Transpac, with the winner reaching Hawaii more than 12 days after leaving Los Angeles. This year there were nearly 50 boats in the race, and the finish came quickly. Seventeen were Division I and II boats, faster yachts that left on July 5. Of those, Alfa Romeo was one of the biggest, measuring 100 feet. It was Neville Crichton’s boat, and he’d only run the Transpac once before—in 1979, finishing 8th in a 22-boat fleet. This year he was hoping for more, and the weather was cooperating.

The wind on the July 5 start was solid, blowing 12-15 knots and kicking up small whitecaps outside of Long Beach’s Rainbow Harbor. From the outset, race participants were predicting a record-setting Transpac. Alfa Romeo’s navigator, Stan Honey, was right there with them. Quoted in the online sailing blog SailRaceWin, Honey said before the race, “We stand a reasonable chance to break the Transpac record.”

Less than six days later, they had.

With a final time of 5:14:36:20 they shattered the 2005 mark of 6:16:04:11 set by Hasso Plattner’s Morning Glory. The feat earned Alfa Romeo a shelf full of awards, including the Merlin Trophy (named for a famed Bill Lee-designed 68-footer) and the Clock Trophy, which is awarded to record-setters. Asked later what it took to prepare the boat for its incredible run, a smiling Crichton said, “Money.”

Elaborating that the crew had enjoyed perfect weather conditions and had managed to avoid even a single mechanical problem, it could be some time before a new record is set.

Why

The sailing is round-the-clock, the weather unpredictable. The food at sea is usually nothing special, conditions on board are cramped. It’s expensive, physically exhausting, mentally taxing, takes a specialized skill set, a week of your life and a strong political network of friends and associates to even get on one of the boats. So why do it?

According to the Transpac’s official web site, transpacrace.com, the reason has to do with “challenge, adventure, teamwork and excellence: inspiring a sense of achievement and camaraderie in participants that lasts a lifetime.” There’s something to that, but we suspect that the real essence of “why” is tough to scratch unless you’re a sailor yourself. When asked what inspires people to sail in gruelling races, sailors interviewed often gave rather stock responses, most of which included one or more of the above words. The Disney film Morning Light, which followed a group of young sailors running their first Transpac, tried to get at the essence of the race. Roy Disney is a 17-time Transpac vet, donated the Clock Trophy and supports the race wholeheartedly, but again it’s debatable whether his film helped the viewer to achieve any real understanding of the event. Aside from highlighting the technical difficulties, much of the film involves simply watching the sailors as they banter or stare off at the horizon. What’s really going through their minds is known only to those who have sailed the Transpac. Barring that experience, the sea and its lessons may well remain a mystery.

Suggested watching: “Morning Light”; The story of a young crew’s first Transpac is available on Blu-ray, DVD and movie download from Disney.

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