PACIFIC CUP 2018 PREVIEW — A
s is often the case in life, promoting a yacht race can have its fair share of ups and downs. With economic expansions and contractions, constantly changing market trends, new races to compete with, and competitors being pulled in increasingly disparate directions, getting a solid number of Category 1-prepared racing yachts on the starting line of a long ocean race, year in and year out, can be a daunting proposition. Founded 38 years ago and held every two years since, the Pacific Cup is now charging into its banner 20th edition, full steam ahead. Built from the ground up with an ethos of fun, safety, preparedness, volunteerism and inclusivity, Pacific Cup continues to turn out huge, enthusiastic fleets every time — no small feat in this crazy game we call yacht racing. Again continuing to reinvent itself, change with the times, and make moves to get boats on the starting line, the 20th Pacific Cup sees a healthy fleet of 63 yachts preparing to undertake the 2,070-mile journey from San Francisco to Kaneohe, O'ahu. Even more impressive than the total number of entries for 2018 is the fact that around two thirds of those entries — 43 to be exact — are first-time entries, signaling the continued appeal and long-term viability of the race. Many of these entries are in the Cruising Class, first introduced in 2014 and now comprising the largest division in the race at 14 boats. Another point of strength for the Pacific Cup is the continued success with doublehanded entries, primarily fueled by lightweight, trailerable boats that require a minimum of money and logistics to get to the start and finish lines. While there's a big, interesting fleet
PACIFIC CUP
'Cazan' joins 'Hula Girl' in the J World sphere of Pacific Cup racing. Paul Martson and George Mann will skipper the San Diego-based DK 46.
and we expect to see some great racing, any attempts at breaking the twoyear-old course record will have to wait for another year. 2016 was the second consecutive year of a particularly strong El Niño occurrence, which helped create record-shattering conditions for much of the fleet, including Manouch Moshayedi's supermaxi Rio 100, which broke Mari Cha IV's 12-year-old course record by a couple of hours to bring the new mark to 5 days, 3 hours and 41 minutes. Now in the second year of cooler temperatures — last winter was a La Niña occurrence — Pacific Ocean conditions are forecast to be much more 'typical' than the nearly apocalyptic conditions that the fleet encountered in 2016.
In 2016 the crew had their hands full with nuking winds and crazy swells. While it's too early to forecast the race, initial indicators point to fairly windy conditions both on the West Coast and in Hawaii, with scientists predicting average to very slightly above-average hurricane activity. These may not be record-setting conditions, but they are potentially really good racing-to-Hawaii conditions. A Fleet Coral Reef Sailing Apparel Division Monday, July 9 — When the first starting guns go off on Monday, July 9, four fleets and around half the boats in this Pacific Cup will get underway, including the slower-rated boats, two doublehanded classes and a steadily growing armada of cruising boats that want to take part in the "fun race to Hawaii." The A fleet/Coral Reef Sailing Apparel Division includes just four boats: a Morgan 382, an Express 27 and two Cal 40s — three very different designs. Of note is the Cal 40 Green Buffalo, skippered by Jim Quanci, who will
be sailing in his 16th Pacific Cup, including a long list of wins. Quanci certainly knows the way to Hawaii. Doublehanded 1 Pau Maui Vodka Division Monday, July 9 — One of the most anticipated fleets in this year's Pacific Cup is the Doublehanded 1/Pau Maui Vodka Division; effectively a one-design Express 27 fleet consisting of six of the classic ultralight NorCal speedsters. Express 27s have long been a staple in the race; there's a ton of them in Northern California and they are arguably the most refined and well-mannered of all of the Santa Cruz ULDBs. They're legendary boats to race shorthanded to Hawaii, so it was only a matter of time before we would see a big one-design start. Perennial class champion Motorcycle Irene, with Zachary Anderson and Will Paxton on board, is certainly expected to do well, but in a long race with six boats and a couple of wild cards from Tahoe and Seattle, this should be a fun division to watch. Doublehanded 2 Mount Gay Rum Division Monday, July 9 — The other doublehanded fleet, the D2/Mount Gay Rum Division, comprises seven boats of diverse designs, yet filled with experienced sailors. Bill and Melinda Erkelens are back with their Jim Donovan-designed MORC 30 Wolfpack; after back-to-back wins in this division, they're certainly a favorite. The Erkelens will face off against another husband-wife duo, Sean and Kim Mulvihill on the J/120 Jamani. Another interesting entry is the Kaneohe-based Antrim 27 Bacon Berger, with Mike Bacon and Kaneohe Yacht Club commodore Frederic Berg on board. Antrim 27s have proven to be a handful in past Pacific Cups, but, when sailed well, they can be extremely quick. The smallest boat in the Pacific Cup, a Moore 24 called Foamy, will surely be a crowd favorite and a potential dark horse on the racecourse. The tiny ULDBs have written themselves into the history books since races like the Pacific Cup were created. In fact, Foamy's skipper, Lester Robertson, was one of the first
