History
Having “interesting” races in the 115-year history of Transpac is not unusual. In the 51 times this race has been run since 1906, there have been numerous circumstances that had an effect on most if not all competitors.
However, the great majority of these were related to natural events, such as passing hurricanes, unusual positions and strengths of the Pacific High, or effects related to El Nino. Another was the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan that left lots of floating debris throughout the North Pacific, affecting numerous entries in the 2013, 2015 and even the 2017 races with impact damage to hulls and appendages.
When the Notice of Race for the 51st edition was published in April 2020, TPYC was expecting a solid turnout following the great success of the previous 50th anniversary edition of the race with its record turnout of 88 entries in July 2019. Restrictions related to Covid 19 were just getting underway, but no one knew how long or how deep these restrictions would reach. The Newport-Ensenada race scheduled for that month cancelled, as did other major events on the US racing calendar, like the Newport-Bermuda Race in June, the Chicago-Mac Race in July and the ORC Worlds in September. It was like dominos falling without an end in sight as the pandemic raged on.
Would Transpac 51 be affected as late as July 2021? This was impossible to know in April 2020, since each cycle of Transpac is a complex dance between several parties: the Mainland Committee, the Honolulu Committee, the Race Committee and many other entities, like sponsors, logistics vendors, the media, and others. Managing the interests and expectations of all is an ongoing concern for the TPYC team.
For 2020-21, Covid restrictions added yet another layer of concern, prompting race managers to seek help from Sara Stone, an epidemiologist and sailor who provided invaluable help to TPYC’s R/C Bill Guilfoyle and his quest to make sense of both the California and Hawaii state regulations and protocols. This was not an easy task, especially when the restrictions changed throughout the spring of 2021. Besides publishing guidance on the TPYC website, Zoom calls were also held to outline the latest in this moving target.
As the pressure mounted on TPYC to decide in early 2021 whether to have the race or cancel, it became clear that having the race was the right option: there were enough dedicated sailors and organizers to do what it took to pull this off and not deprive those with the same passion to get back out to sea. The entry count, however, did whittle down for a myriad of mostly logistic-related reasons, especially for non-US entries and crews based outside the US who were unable to travel. In the end, it was 40 boats in three waves that left the California coast at Point Fermin to make the race to Diamond Head.
And for those that were able to race, they were rewarded with some of the best weather conditions seen in decades for Transpac. The Pacific high was a spread-out ridge positioned just north enough to give sufficient shape and isobar spacing for most boats to get out off the coast into the synoptic offshore breeze after the first night. The usual roadblock to this, the Catalina Eddy, was not strong enough to set up a trap as seen in the last few races, and only the first wave of starters on Tuesday, stumbled a little in their first night or two.
Everyone else, starting on Friday and Saturday, got off the coast in the normal westerly seabreeze and at the West End of Catalina did not immediately dive south in search of an early path to the Trades: the forecasts and routing solutions suggested a rare rhumb line race. That meant a fast passage for this race given the many miles not sailed south, sagging from the shortest route to Hawaii in search of suitable breeze.
When the team on Roy Disney’s fleet-leading turbo-charged Volvo 70 Pyewacket realized they would have a fast race but not quite enough to break Comanche’s course record set in 2017, navigator Peter Isler proposed a novel idea: why not set up for racing a little extra distance for an approach angle with no jibes that could give them a chance at a new 24-hour monohull record run. The plan worked: strong stable trades approaching Hawaii yielded a new record of 506 miles, for an impressive average speed of 21.1 knots, and for being first monohull to finish the race, Pyewacket took the coveted Barn Door Trophy.
The speed of this year’s race brought smiling faces to all entries upon entering the Ala Wai and collecting their leis and Mai-tai’s, with most of the veterans claiming this to be their fastest passage to Hawaii. And it’s no surprise the overall winner was once again a TP 52, a boat born and bred for high speed performance in this race. With a team of East Coast, West Coast and international pros, Chris Sheehan’s Warrior Won took the overall corrected time prize, the King Kalakaua Trophy, and adding to a growing list of awards this team has been seeking in races sailed around the world.
One final interesting aspect of this race related to Covid: rather than a large gathering to celebrate all awards and prizes, trophies were awarded in small groups soon after finishing at both Hawaii and Waikiki Yacht Clubs. Some preferred this approach even though it did not have the hula dancers, the video and photo shows, or the passing of the leadership paddle to the next cycle of TPYC officials. It did bring crew mates and their families together in a more intimate celebratory setting at these open-air clubhouses on the water under the palms
Besides the great weather, perhaps this was another success to Transpac 51: a more direct connection to the Aloha spirit we all enjoy when sailing to these magical tropical isles.
ALOHA!