transpac preview

By the time this issue of Latitude hits the stands, all but one of the divisions in the '09 TransPac will have crossed the starting line off Pt. Fermin.

With 50 entries grouped into fairlytight rating bands of like vessels, the numbers aren't quite up to those in the last two editions, but given the economic climate in which owners have had to make the decision to go, and the quality of those entries, the 45th race should be memorable and make for some pretty good spectating for those of us stuck sailing from our desks and watching the race tracker.

While impressive in breadth, the international flavor of the fleet — entries have come from Australia, Japan, Peru, Mexico and Spain — isn’t as noteworthy as is the homecoming of sorts for a couple West Coast brainchildren recently returned from a tour abroad: four TP 52s and eight ULDB 70s, including Chris Welsh's participation-record holder, the Spencer 65 Ragtime, signed up for the trip. Oddly enough, one of the iconic designs most associated with the race for the last 40-odd years — the Cal 40, which had its own class of 13 boats in 2005 — is not represented.

To update you on some of the boats we mentioned in last month's Sightings piece about the race, Jim Partridge’s wild-looking new, canting-keel Antrim 49 Rapid Transit is in the final stages of build at Berkeley Marine Center. We'd be

2006 Pacific Cup overall winner Tom Akin has chartered Mark Jones' TP 52 'Flash' for this year's Transpac, and assembled a rock-star crew including Paul Cayard, Jay Crum, Hogan Beatie, Paul Allen, and Will Paxton. Sporting new aft-deck extensions plus a deeper keel and heavier, lower-CG bulb, and square-top main, 'Flash' has a lot more power, and pace, than she did in the 2008 Pacific Cup.

really surprised if the boat makes it to the start. Sadly, another boat we'd hoped to see race, Southern Californians Sue and Barry Senescu’s new Antrim Class 40 Yippee Kai Yay will not be making the trip.

Neville Crichton’s R/P 100 Alfa Romeo is the no-brainer bet for elapsed-time winners. The silver-hulled sliver might never have had the chance to race if the TransPacific YC hadn’t brought the entry requirements in line with most of the world’s best-known offshore races by setting an upper length limit at 100feet LOA, and dropping the prohibition against using powered sailing systems like winches. They should be fun to watch on the tracker.

With most of the ratings determined and the class breaks announced, it's time to anoint a boat in each division and special class as the boat we're bet-

ting on to win. While we've had some of the more superstitious sailors out there ask us not to choose them for fear of the as-yet unproven “Latitude Jinx,” we have to believe that most people with a chance to win don't believe in ghosts. And if you are afraid of undue expectations, look at it this way: unless you're in Division 1, you didn't see this before you left; and if you want to win any kind of team sporting contest, you'd do well to believe you can win with preparation, talent, good chemistry and dedication — so no bitching!

If you go back ten years, the fleet only had 23 boats; in light of the current economic climate, we have to give a shout out to the YC for rounding up such a good fleet this year. You can do your part by following the race on its massivelyimproved website, which you'll find at www.transpacrace.com.

Division 1 — Flash, TP 52, Tom Akin: This division should prove to be a pitched battle between quite a few awesome boats, but we expect Akin's chartered Flash and John Kilroy Jr.'s TP 52 Samba Pa Tí to be duking it out right up to the end.

Both have some extremely talented and experienced sailors aboard with lots of offshore miles, including a few Volvo Races among the two crews. Samba has guys like Stu Bannatyne, Justin Ferris and Robbie Naismith aboard. The boats are pretty different as far as TP 52s go; Flash — which will feature Paul Cayard and Jay Crum aboard — has much softer hull sections than Samba, and therefore less form stability, but a bit more performance at deeper angles and in lighter air. Flash has received a makeover, with a new keel that added seven percent more righting moment than the original configuration, and a new sailplan with a shorter-footed, square-top main that should give the boat some extra pop.

Division 2 — Pyewacket, SC 70, Roy P. Disney: The sleds have come home to roost and as they've accumulated back on the West Coast, this quintessential TransPac class is back with eight boats. In the "classic car" division, our money's on the 'new' Pyewacket, which will have many of the usual suspects aboard from the program's illustrious history, like Robbie Haines, Ben Mitchell, Doug Rastello, Gregg Hedrick and Rick Brent, as well as fresh blood like Morning Light navigator Piet Van Os. These guys will be tough to beat.

Division 3 — Criminal Mischief, R/P 45, Chip 'Dr. Megadeath' Megeath: The

Criminals will be on the prowl for a follow up to their division wins in last year's Pacific Cup and this year's Cabo Race. Despite being the shortest boat in the division, Criminal Mischief is the scratch boat. The other boat in the Division that could factor into the podium is Bob Barton's Bay Area-based Andrews 56 Cipango, which sits at the opposite end of the rating spectrum, but took second in Division and second overall last year.

Division 4 — Reinrag2, J/125, Tom Garnier: In the middle of the rating band for the class, Tom Garnier's defending overall winner Reinrag2 is a damn good bet to at least take her division, if not the race overall.

Division 5 — Horizon, SC 50, Jack Taylor: John Shampain is navigating what was the top SC 50 in this year's Cabo Race.

Division 6 — Relentless, 1D35 T, Tim Fuller: Teaming up with Eric Shampain, John Fuller's Relentless should be familiar to Bay Area readers: it was previously Andy Costello's turboed Double Trouble.

Division 7 — Charisma, S&S 57, Alejandro Perez Calzada: If the "Manuel Doreste" listed on the crew roster is the same one who sailed Solings for Spain in the Olympics back in the 90's, then we're pretty sure this is going to be a talented group aboard the Barcelona-based entry in a division of only displacement boats.

Special Classes —

Doublehanded — Relentless: Philippe Kahn's Open 50 Pegasus will be tough and has a good chance to set a new doublehanded record for the race. But look for the Tim Fuller/Eric Shampain duo on Relentless to come out on top on corrected time.

Hawaiian Boats — We haven't really seen any of these guys sail, so we'll pick this one solely by boat type. On those grounds, frankly it's a toss-up between Gib Black's SC 50, hull number #1 Roy's Chasch Mer, and Reed Barnhard's Hobie 33 Bloodhound. Both boats are tailor made for the course. So we're going to have to flip a coin — Bloodhound.

SC 50 — Horizon

SC 52 — Hula, SC 52, Maury Myers: With guys like Scott Easom, Chris Lewis, Rob Kane and Mark Towill, Hula should be well-sailed.

Sled — Pyewacket

Tall Ship — There's only one, so we're going to go with Lynx, the sleek, black 78-ft square tops'l schooner.

TP 52s — Flash

Elapsed Time — Alfa Romeo, R/P 100, Neville Crichton: No question about this one . . . new race record?

Overall — Reinrag2

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