44th Transpac Removes Rating Limit For Faster Boats;

Two Arizonans Entered To Date For 2,225 Nautical Miles

LOS ANGELES — An unexpected development has prompted the Transpacific Yacht Club board of directors to remove the rating limit for the fastest boats seeking first-to-finish “Barn Door” honors and possibly an elapsed time record in this summer’s 44th Transpac from Los Angeles to Honolulu. The new eligibility limits will now allow boats up to 30 meters (98.5 feet) in length overall (LOA) to compete in their maximum configuration.

The Transpac race has had a rating limit based on the slightly smaller maxZ86 class (87 feet LOA). A special rating system was used to rate yachts near that limit.

The design offices of Juan Kouyoumdjian and Reichel/Pugh discovered significant loopholes in that rating system, which resulted in a large unfair rating advantage for their first-to-finish contenders. 

Given the short time for first-to-finish yachts to adjust their configurations to the limit, the Transpac board of directors elected to follow parallel paths to simultaneously: (1) request correction of the rating system in favor of fleet-wide fair ratings and (2) delete the rating portion of the eligibility limit so that first-to-finish contenders can complete their configuration changes while the rating system is corrected. 

The Notice of Race is being revised to state that monohull yachts with lengths between 26 feet and 30 meters, which meet the other race requirements, are eligible for entry in the 2007 Transpac. The eligibility limit now is based on maximum LOA and qualification under the other standards, common to all entries, listed in the Notice of Race. 

The rating is now immaterial to qualifying for entry at the upper end of the fleet. 

Transpac Commodore Al Garnier said, “We regret making such significant changes so close to the race, but under the circumstances we believe it was the best way to keep the race as fair as possible for everyone.”

Two maxZ86s set the pace in the 2005 race. Hasso Plattner’s Morning Glory logged an elapsed time record for monohulls of 6 days 16 hours 4 minutes 11 seconds and finished about 2 ½ hours ahead of Roy E. Disney’s Pyewacket.

The Transpacific Yacht Club has joined with Casio Computer Co., Ltd., in a sponsorship agreement to make the company’s Oceanus watch the official timekeeper of the 44th biennial race. The Oceanus is a solar-powered chronograph watch with a time signal-calibration function developed by making full use of Casio’s advanced electronic technologies. News and product information:  http://world.casio.com/

The 2007 Transpac, 2,225 nautical miles from Los Angeles to Honolulu has July 9, 12, and 15 starts.

Official Entries To Date
(Classes To Be Assigned)

DH-Addiction 2 (J/35), Richard Blackburn, Honolulu
Adrenalin (Santa Cruz 50), David Clark, Newport Beach, Calif.
Bolt (Nelson/Marek 55), Craig Reynolds, Newport Beach, Calif. 
DH-Brilliant (J/100), Tim Fuller, Murrieta, Calif.
Brown Sugar (Express 37), Steve Brown, Santa Ana, Calif.  
Cheetah (ULDB 70), Chris Slagerman, Los Angeles
Cirrus (Standfast 40),  William D. Myers, Honolulu
Coyote (Beneteau 39), Tim Bond, Honolulu
Denali (Nelson/Marek 70), William McKinley, Grosse Pointe, Mich. 
Elixir (Jeanneau 49 DS), Chad Downey, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
*Enchilado (Jeanneau 54), Cesar de Saracho, Tucson, Ariz.
Far Far (Cal 40), Don Grind, Placerville, Calif.
Fortaleza (Santa Cruz 50), Jim Morgan, Long Beach, Calif.  
French Kiss (Beneteau 50), Bryan Daniels, Alamo, Calif.
Ginny (Calkins 50), Chris Calkins/Norm Reynolds, Encinitas, Calif. 
Ho’okolohe (Farr 58), Alyson and Cecil Rossi, Novato, Calif. 
Horizon (Santa Cruz 50), Jack Taylor, Dana Point, Calif.
Hugo Boss (Volvo 60), Andy Tourell, Gosport, UK
Hula Girl (Santa Cruz 50T), Beau Gayner, Newport Beach, Calif. 
Illusion (Cal 40), Sally Honey, Palo Alto, Calif.
Inspired Environments (Beneteau First 40.7), Timothy Ballard, Sausalito, Calif. 
It’s OK (Andrews 50), Tres Gordo Sailing, Glendora, Calif.  
Locomotion (Andrews 45), Ed Feo, Long Beach, Calif.
Lucky (Transpac 52), Bryon Ehrhart, Chicago, Ill.  
Magnitude 80 (Andrews 80), Doug Baker, Long Beach, Calif.  
Medicine Man (Andrews 63), Bob Lane, Long Beach, Calif.  
Morning Light (Transpac 52), Pacific High Productions, Los Angeles 
Mysteré (Swan 42), Jorge Morales, Dana Point, Calif.   
*DH-Narrow Escape (Fast 40), Allen Lehman Jr., Payson, Ariz.
Pacific High (Columbia 30M), Steve Washburn, Irvine, Calif.
 Paddy Wagon (Ross 40), Richard Mainland, Los Angeles
Passion (Santa Cruz 50), Steve Hastings, Corpus Christi, Tex. 
Peregrine (Hobie 33), Simon Garland, San Diego 
Psyche (Cal 40), Steve Calhoun, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.
Ragtime (Spencer 65), Chris Welsh, Newport Beach, Calif.
Recidivist (Schumacher 39), Ken Olcott, Los Altos, Calif. 
Reinrag2 (J/125), Tom Garnier, Wilsonville, Ore.    
Relentless (Santa Cruz 52), Will Durant/Rick Brizendine, Long Beach, Calif.      Rosebud (STP 65), Roger Sturgeon, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 
Ruahatú (Concordia 47), Ricardo Brockmann, Acapulco, Mexico
Samba Pa Ti (Transpac 52),  John Kilroy Jr., Los Angeles, Calif.
DH-Seaker II (Farr 33), Wes Stone, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.   
Shaman (Cal 40), Steve Waterloo, Alameda, Calif. 
STAGS’ LEAP Winery (Chasch Mer),  (Santa Cruz 50), Gib Black, Honolulu 
Stark Raving Mad III (Reichel/Pugh 66), Jim Madden, Newport Beach, Calif.
 Stealth Chicken (Perry 56), Timothy Beatty, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.  
Tower (Lidgard 45), Doug Grant, San Pedro, Calif. 
Trader (Transpac 52), Fred Detwiler, Pompano Beach, Fla. 
Vicki (Andrews 68), Al and Vicki Schultz, Long Beach, Calif.
Westerly (Santa Cruz 70), Thomas and Timothy Hogan, Newport Beach, Calif.
 Windswept (Sean 57), Maxwell Phelps, Jamul, Calif.

**DH-X Dream (X-119), Steen Moller, Point Richmond, Calif.   
 **DH =Doublehanded.

Multihull
(Four entries required to establish class.)
Minnow (Catana 52 catamaran), Bob Webster, Pryor, Okla.

*Arizona entries at press time are underlined and boldfaced.

More information is available at  www.transpacificyc.org