Starting Dates ~ Cruising Class: June 29 ~ Monohulls: July 3 ~ Multihulls: July 6

Discount deadline for entries March 1
Nobody wants to be over the line when the starting gun fires, but it pays to be early in the Transpacific Yacht Race. Boats under 50 feet signing up by March 1 will pay an entry fee of only $600, compared to $750 after that date. Boats 50 feet and longer will pay $800 by March 1, then $1,000. Members of US Sailing are entitled to $50 discounts.

Forms are available by writing to entry chairman Dan Nowlan at 4224 Point Loma Ave., San Diego, CA 92107. Nowlan also may be contacted by phone or fax at (619) 224-0198 or by e-mail at dtnowlan@earthlink.net .

Starting dates for the 40th biennial classic from Los Angeles to Honolulu are June 29 for the Cruising class, July 3 for all other monohulls and July 6 for multihulls. For the Cruising class, introduced in 1997, entries must be a minimum of 34 feet in length overall with a Southern California Region PHRF Random Leg rating between 27 and 195 and a ULDB performance rating factor of less than 1.8, ensuring a class of comparable performance levels.

Other monohulls must have a rating of 140 or lower. Multihulls must be 45 feet LOA. The Sailing Instructions, with entry information, are available on the race website: http://www.transpacificyc.org/ .

New Pyewacket wins Pineapple Cup
Roy E. Disney's new Pyewacket set itself up as the boat to beat in this summer's Transpac when it outclassed the monohull fleet in the Pineapple Cup Feb. 4-7.

The 75-foot Reichel/Pugh "maxi sled," sailing its maiden race, suffered a half-day of light wind early on and missed Windward Passage's 29-year-old record for the 811-nautical mile dogleg course from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. around Cuba to Montego Bay, Jamaica by only 1 hour 48 minutes 27 seconds. Pyewacket's elapsed time: 3 days 5 hours 55 minutes 20 seconds.

The next nearest finisher was RX/Sight, the former Nicorette, almost six hours behind.

Earlier, adventurer and Transpac competitor Steve Fossett broke his own multihull record for the event, sailing his 60-foot trimaran Lakota the distance in 2:20:08:05. That took 7 hours 47 minutes off his former record.

Disney's older Pyewacket, a turbo 70, climaxed a record-breaking binge in West Coast events by beating Merlin's 20-year-old Transpac record in '97. Its future is uncertain.

Sneak peeks at Transpac documentary, new trophy
Selected segments of a Transpac documentary will be shown and a new trophy recognizing the race's record-setting monohulls will be unveiled the evening of Thursday, Feb. 25, at Disney Studios in Burbank. Because of limited seating, attendance will be by invitation only.

The documentary, "100 Years of Transpac," is produced by Roy E. Disney and Leslie DeMeuse. Currently a work in progress, it utilizes archival film and photos and 125 on-camera interviews to parallel the 20th century's development of Hawaii with the history of the race. When completed, it will run two hours and be available on video.

The trophy was commissioned by Disney and created by Andrea Favilli, who cast it in Italy. It will be presented to the Transpacific Yacht Club and dedicated to the nine boats that have held the elapsed time record, starting with Lurline in 1906.

Safety at Sea seminar March 13
Sailors with limited ocean racing experience planning to do Transpac may pick up some offshore savvy at Orange Coast College's all-day Safety at Sea seminar Saturday, March 13.

The eight-hour, hands-on course will feature all aspects of offshore sail and power boating, including preparation, heavy weather handling and life raft deployment. Fee is $50. Details: (949) 645-9412.

'Survivor' film shown
"Rock the Boat," the story of the boat Survivor and its all-HIV crew in the 1997 Transpac, will be shown at the Landmark Nuart Theater in Los Angeles March 5-11. The theater is at 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., phone (310) 478-6379. Admission is $8, or $5 for people over 62.

The well-reviewed film-previously titled "The Human Race"-is primarily the work of crew member Bobby Houston, who served as director, cinematographer and sound engineer. The producer was Robert Hudson, who initiated the project through his Get Challenged foundation in Ojai.

A relatively inexperienced crew of 11 HIV-positive men sailed their chartered boat bearing the names of people who had died of AIDS on the hull. They finished sixth in Division III in 10 1/2 days.

Transpac veteran Ed Doheny dies
Edward Doheny, who raced his boats in eight Transpacs, died in Honolulu on Jan. 25. He was 81.

Doheny was a member of the Transpacific Yacht Club since 1955, when he sailed his 35-foot ketch Sea Belle. From 1959 through '71 he raced his 75-foot ketch Kamalii. He also belonged to the Los Angeles and St. Francis YCs and the Cruising Club of America.

Shirts, caps and posters
Orders for embroidered crew apparel and commemorative posters may be placed with L. Gaylord Sportswear, official distributor for Transpac.

The company is located at 894 Production Place, Newport Beach, CA 92663, phone (949) 548-5428, e-mail gaylordspt@aol.com .

Publicity: Rich Roberts
1258 Lakme Ave.
Wilmington, CA 90744
Phone: (310) 835-2526
Fax: (310) 513-1664
E-mail: richroberts@compuserve.com