Transpacific Yacht Race
Encyclopedia
The Transpacific Yacht Race (Transpac) is an offshore yacht race
starting off Point Fermin, San Pedro, near Los Angeles
, and ending off Diamond Head Lighthouse
in Honolulu, a distance of around 2225 nmi (2,560.5 mi; 4,120.7 km). Started in 1906, it is one of yachting's premier offshore races and attracts entrants from all over the world. The race is organized by the Transpacific Yacht Club
.
The race is famous for fast downwind sailing under spinnaker
in the trade winds.
Double Handed: Pegasus 50, 2009, sailed by Philippe Kahn
and Mark Christensen, set a new record of 7 days, 19 hours, 38 minutes and 35 seconds.
, set an elapsed time record of 8 days, 11 hours, 1 minute. This record would stand for 20 years. Ending Merlin's record, in the 1997 race a new monohull
elapsed time record of 7 days, 11 hours, 41 minutes, and 27 seconds was set by Roy E. Disney
's Pyewacket
, a 73 foot maxi ultralight designed by Reichel/Pugh
. The record fell once again in 2005, with Hasso Plattner
's Morning Glory, a maxZ86 from Germany
. Morning Glory was the scratch boat when it led a five-boat assault on the record for monohulls. She finished the race in 6 days, 16 hours, 4 minutes, and 11 seconds to win "the Barn Door" trophy, a slab of carved koa
wood traditionally awarded to the monohull with the fastest elapsed time.
On July 7, 2009, Alfa Romeo II
beat the Morning Glory record for best day's run set in the 2005 race, by sailing 399 nmi (459.2 mi; 738.9 km) in 24 hours. The next two days she broke her own best-day record by sailing 420 nmi (483.3 mi; 777.8 km) and 431 nmi (496 mi; 798.2 km). First to finish the 2009 Transpac, Alfa Romeo II set a Transpac race elapsed-time record of 5 days, 14 hours, 36 minutes, 20 seconds. However, because she must use "stored power" (a diesel engine) to move, Alfa Romeo II, sailing in the "unlimited" class, was not eligible for the traditional "Barn Door" trophy, but instead was the inaugural winner of a new trophy dedicated by Trisha Steele, called the "Merlin Trophy".
In the double-handed
division, Pegasus 50, sailed by Philippe Kahn
and Mark Christensen, set a new record of 7 days, 19 hours, 38 minutes and 35 seconds. They pioneered use of an iPhone
, with Fullpower-MotionX GPS technology.
Yacht racing
Yacht racing is the sport of competitive yachting.While sailing groups organize the most active and popular competitive yachting, other boating events are also held world-wide: speed motorboat racing; competitive canoeing, kayaking, and rowing; model yachting; and navigational contests Yacht racing...
starting off Point Fermin, San Pedro, near Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and ending off Diamond Head Lighthouse
Diamond Head, Hawaii
Diamond Head is the name of a volcanic tuff cone on the Hawaiian island of Oahu and known to Hawaiians as Lēahi, most likely from lae 'browridge, promontory' plus ahi 'tuna' because the shape of the ridgeline resembles the shape of a tuna's dorsal fin...
in Honolulu, a distance of around 2225 nmi (2,560.5 mi; 4,120.7 km). Started in 1906, it is one of yachting's premier offshore races and attracts entrants from all over the world. The race is organized by the Transpacific Yacht Club
Transpacific Yacht Club
The Transpacific Yacht Club is responsible for organizing the world renowned Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu.-Transpac:...
.
The race is famous for fast downwind sailing under spinnaker
Spinnaker
A spinnaker is a special type of sail that is designed specifically for sailing off the wind from a reaching course to a downwind, i.e. with the wind 90°–180° off the bow. The spinnaker fills with wind and balloons out in front of the boat when it is deployed, called flying. It is constructed of...
in the trade winds.
Notable records
Fully Crewed Elapsed time: Alfa Romeo II , 2009 of 5 days, 14 hours, 36 minutes, 20 seconds.Double Handed: Pegasus 50, 2009, sailed by Philippe Kahn
Philippe Kahn
Philippe Kahn is a technology innovator and entrepreneur, who is credited with creating the first camera phone solution sharing pictures instantly on public networks. Kahn's first publicly shared picture is unique in that no other teams making the claim have any pictures. Kahn shot the first camera...
and Mark Christensen, set a new record of 7 days, 19 hours, 38 minutes and 35 seconds.
Record History
In 1977 the yacht Merlin, designed by Bill LeeBill Lee (yacht designer)
Bill Lee is the designer of many famous ocean racing yachts, and one of the founders of the Santa Cruz school of boatbuilding, known to many as the Wizard. Several of his designs achieved notoriety in the 1970s, with Chutzpah and Merlin having won the Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to...
, set an elapsed time record of 8 days, 11 hours, 1 minute. This record would stand for 20 years. Ending Merlin's record, in the 1997 race a new monohull
Monohull
rightA monohull is a type of boat having only one hull, unlike multihulled boats which can have two or more individual hulls connected to one another.-Fundamental concept:...
elapsed time record of 7 days, 11 hours, 41 minutes, and 27 seconds was set by Roy E. Disney
Roy E. Disney
Roy Edward Disney, KCSG was a longtime senior executive for The Walt Disney Company, which his father Roy Oliver Disney and his uncle Walt Disney founded. At the time of his death he was a shareholder , and served as a consultant for the company and Director Emeritus for the Board of Directors...
's Pyewacket
Pyewacket
Pyewacket was one of the familiar spirits of a witch detected by the "witchfinder general" Matthew Hopkins in March 1644 in the town of Manningtree, Essex, England. Hopkins claimed he spied on the witches as they held their meeting close by his house, and heard them mention the name of a local woman...
, a 73 foot maxi ultralight designed by Reichel/Pugh
Reichel/Pugh
Reichel/Pugh is a yacht design company based in San Diego, California, USA. It is led by John Reichel and Jim Pugh.Since the late 1990s, Reichel/Pugh-designed yachts have successfully competed in many major races, including the America's Cup...
. The record fell once again in 2005, with Hasso Plattner
Hasso Plattner
Hasso Plattner is a cofounder of software giant SAP AG. Today he is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of SAP AG.- Biography :Hasso Plattner is a German entrepreneur...
's Morning Glory, a maxZ86 from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Morning Glory was the scratch boat when it led a five-boat assault on the record for monohulls. She finished the race in 6 days, 16 hours, 4 minutes, and 11 seconds to win "the Barn Door" trophy, a slab of carved koa
Koa
Acacia koa is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, where it is the second most common tree. The highest populations are on Hawaii, Maui and Oahu...
wood traditionally awarded to the monohull with the fastest elapsed time.
On July 7, 2009, Alfa Romeo II
Alfa Romeo (yacht)
Alfa Romeo can refer to several yachts owned by Neville Crichton, the Alfa Romeo automobile distributor for Australia and New Zealand. In 2003, Crichton was named Yachting New Zealand's "Sailor of the Year" for his accomplishments with yacht Alfa Romeo I.Alfa Romeo I is a fixed keel "supermaxi"...
beat the Morning Glory record for best day's run set in the 2005 race, by sailing 399 nmi (459.2 mi; 738.9 km) in 24 hours. The next two days she broke her own best-day record by sailing 420 nmi (483.3 mi; 777.8 km) and 431 nmi (496 mi; 798.2 km). First to finish the 2009 Transpac, Alfa Romeo II set a Transpac race elapsed-time record of 5 days, 14 hours, 36 minutes, 20 seconds. However, because she must use "stored power" (a diesel engine) to move, Alfa Romeo II, sailing in the "unlimited" class, was not eligible for the traditional "Barn Door" trophy, but instead was the inaugural winner of a new trophy dedicated by Trisha Steele, called the "Merlin Trophy".
In the double-handed
Two-handed
Two-handed may refer to:* Two-handed manual alphabet, alphabetic writing system* Two-handed sword, any large sword that requires two hands to use* Sailing a vessel by a total of two sailors...
division, Pegasus 50, sailed by Philippe Kahn
Philippe Kahn
Philippe Kahn is a technology innovator and entrepreneur, who is credited with creating the first camera phone solution sharing pictures instantly on public networks. Kahn's first publicly shared picture is unique in that no other teams making the claim have any pictures. Kahn shot the first camera...
and Mark Christensen, set a new record of 7 days, 19 hours, 38 minutes and 35 seconds. They pioneered use of an iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, with Fullpower-MotionX GPS technology.
External links
- Official Transpacific Yacht Club website
- Archived Transpacific Yacht Club website (source for info prior to 2009)
- Transpac Online Registration & Event Planning
- Live 2009 Transpac Race Tracking by IonEarth (Race is over, but you can now track many boats now returning to mainland)