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SEE: Transpacific Yacht Club website for all the action...
For Immediate Release
B'QUEST BATTLES THE HONEYS IN AGONIZING FIRST TRANSPAC START
LOS ANGELES, CA -- (July 1, 2003) -- The starting gun fired punctually at 1 p.m. Tuesday for the
first of three starts in the 42nd Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii . . .
and nothing happened. On a warm, sunny day, with a breeze of only 2 knots
and an opposing current of 1 1/2 knots, the first 25 of 58 boats were left
sailing in place.
Three minutes later Palo Alto's Stan and Sally Honey, veterans of many
Transpacs sailing their Cal 40, Illusion, were the first to nurse their boat
across the line. They were followed six minutes later by William Boyd's
Beneteau 47.7, Beautiful Day, from San Diego, at the pin end of the line, a
couple of lengths in front of Robert Rice's Tripp 40, There and Back Again,
from Long Beach. After 45 minutes Kirby Coryell and Neil Weinberg, sailing
Beach Music from Lafayette, Calif., doublehanded, willed their red Tayana 52
across to complete the exercise in agony.
The group consisted of 10 Cal 40s, 11 Aloha class boats in four racing
Division 5 boats. Divisions 3 and 4 will start Friday, the Fourth of July,
followed by the largest and faster Division 1 and 2 boats Sunday.
The prospect of sailing 2,225 nautical miles on a liquid treadmill did not
seem appealing, but most of the teams appeared to be taking the frustration
in good spirits---although Greg Boyer of Long Beach may have considered
firing up the grill hanging off the back of his Cal 40, John B. But as Beach
Music got under way a southwest breeze was starting to fill and Santa
Catalina Island became visible through a haze 23 miles offshore. Whether
anyone would clear the West End without tacking was doubtful, barring a
significant wind shift to the right.
After their start, the Honeys went west along the Palos Verdes Peninsula for
15 minutes, looking for relief from the current, but as they tacked to
starboard their early lead was threatened by B'Quest, the San Diego Tripp 40
manned by a crew of disabled sailors representing Challenged America in
Division 5.
If there was one crew happier than B'Quest's, it was the team on John
Harrison's Cal 40, Seafire, one of four Hawaiian entries in the race.
Harrison isn't sailing because of a back problem, but the crew was all
smiles as it sailed past a press boat and one exclaimed, "We're going home!"
Daily position reports, news summaries, photos will be posted at
http://www.transpacificyc.org until the completion of the race.
TRANSPAC NOTES
Starbuck, a Black Soo 31 entered by Greg Nelsen of Piedmont, Calif. withdrew
Monday, leaving the total fleet count at 58, still the largest in 18 years.
Souvenir Transpac 2003 programs may be requested by e-mail to
bavery@mail.occ.cccd.edu.. There is no charge.
OFFICIAL ENTRIES (as of July 1, 2003): RACING DIVISION Division 1 (start July 6) Pegasus 77 (Reichel/Pugh 77), Philippe Kahn, Honolulu. Pyewacket (R/P 75), Roy E. Disney, Los Angeles. Division 2 (start July 6) Alta Vita (Transpac 52), Bill Turpin, Santa Cruz, Calif. Beau Geste (Transpac 52), Karl Kwok, Hong Kong. Bengal II (Ohashi 52 ),Yoshihiko Murase, Nagoya, Japan. Grand Illusion (Santa Cruz 70), James McDowell, Lahaina, H.I. Helsal II (Adams 60), W.E. Rawson, Melbourne, Australia. Icon (Perry 65), Richard Robbins/Jim Roser, Seattle. Medicine Man (Andrews 61), Bob Lane, Long Beach, Calif. Pendragon 4 (Davidson 52), John MacLaurin, Marina del Rey, Calif. Renegade (Andrews 70), Dan Sinclair, Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Vicki (Andrews 68), Al and Vicki Schultz, Long Beach. Division 3 (start July 4) Dasher (Santa Cruz 50), Roger Groh, San Francisco.---DH. Horizon (Santa Cruz 50), Jack Taylor, Dana Point, Calif. Innocent Merriment (J/160), Myron Lyon, San Diego. Jeito (J/145), Francisco Guzman, Acapulco, Mexico. Lucky Dog (J/125), Peter Putnam, Newport Beach---DH. Maitri (J/160), Peter Johnson, San Diego. On Point (Schock 40), Nick Martin, Wilmington, Calif. Pipe Dream IX (J/160), Scott Piper, Coral Gables, Fla. Reinrag2 (J/125), Tom Garnier, Portland, Ore. The Cone of Silence (Australian Super 30), James and Jenny Neil, Newport, NSW, Australia. Division 4 (start July 4) Bolt (Olson 40), Craig Reynolds, Balboa, Calif. Cool Man Cool2! (Sydney 38), Harrell Jones, Dana Point, Calif. Hot Tamale (J/120), Tom and Doug Jorgensen, Glendora, Calif. Krakatoa (Young 32), Rod Skellet, Sydney, Australia. Lawndart (Cape Bay Fast 40), Bill Allan, Nanaimo, B.C. Paddy Wagon (Ross 40), Richard Mainland, Marina del Rey, Calif. Swept Away (J/120), Louis Bianco, Seattle. Tabasco (1D35), John Wylie, San Diego. Tera's XL (ILC 40), Antony and Daniel Barran, Northridge, Calif. Two Guys On the Edge (1D35M), Dan Doyle, Honolulu---DH. Wild Thing (1D35), Chris and Kara Busch, San Diego. Division 5 (start July 1) B'Quest (Tripp 40), Challenged America/Urban Miyares, San Diego. Masquerade (Choate 40), Timothy Coker, San Diego. There and Back Again (Tripp 40), Robert Rice, Long Beach. Wind Dancer (Catalina 42), Paul Edwards, Wilmington, Del. CAL 40 (start July 1) California Girl, Don and Betty Lessley, Point Richmond, Calif. Celebrity, Gerald Finnegan, Redondo Beach, Calif. Flying Cloud, Darrell and Scott Wilson, Long Beach. Illusion, Stan and Sally Honey, Palo Alto. John B, Greg Boyer, Newport Beach, Calif. Ralphie, Jill and Taylor Pillsbury, Laguna Beach/Eleanor and Davis Pillsbury, Snowmass, Colo. Ranger, William Partridge, Richmond, Calif. Redhead, Andrew Opple, Ketchum, Idaho. Seafire, John T. Harrison, Honolulu. Willow Wind, Wendy Siegal, Sunset Beach, Calif. ALOHA DIVISION (start July 1) Aloha A Axapac (Wylie 39), Barry Ruff, Vancouver, B.C. Beach Music (Tayana 52), Kirby Coryell, Lafayette, Calif.---DH. Beautiful Day (Beneteau 47.7), William Boyd, San Diego. Between the Sheets (Sun Odyssey 52.2), Ross Pearlman, Calabasas, Calif. Enchanted Lady (Roberts 55 ketch), Andy Sibert, Seal Beach, Calif. Incredible (Swan 53), Rick Gorman, Los Alamitos, Calif. Lady Bleu II (Dynamique 62), Roger and Brenda Kuske, San Diego. Marla R (Beneteau 50), Jon Richards, Mesa, Ariz. Aloha B Barking Spider (Catalina 38), David Kory, Point Richmond, Calif. Pipe Dream (Choate/Feo 37), John Davis, Long Beach. Sea Dancer (Ericson 35), Alvin Wheatman, Marina del Rey. DH---Doublehanded. EDITORS: Press/photo boats, courtesy of private owners and J/Boats and Raider RIBS inflatable tenders, will be available to accredited media for the starts. Complimentary, copyright free photos in high and low resolution also are available. Please contact the press officer (below) concerning either matter.
PRESS OFFICER
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