Beginning on the Fourth of July, 2011, fifty-three race boats crossed the start line off Pt. Fermin in San Pedro. The 46^th Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu was underway.  More than 400 sailors from California, Mexico, Chicago, Japan, San Francisco, and many other ports, headed across the Pacific Ocean in this classic yacht race.  Sending them off from our Mainland Base around Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach was a dedicated crew of Transpac volunteers.  And waiting for them in Honolulu were hundreds more volunteers standing by to give the yachts and the sailors the famous Aloha welcome.

A little over six days after her start, just at dawn, Bella Mente sailed by Hap Fauth and his crew was first to cross the finish line at Diamond Head capturing the fabled Barn Door Trophy.  They were followed closely by Doug Baker’s Magnitude 80.  Over the next few days the remainder of the fleet sailed into Ala Wai Yacht Harbor and found their Hawaii Hosts waiting with the traditional Aloha welcome parties.  The venerable Santa Cruz 70 Grand Illusion skippered by James McDowell took top honors and the King Kalakaua Trophy as the corrected time winner.  Commodore Bill Lee could not have been happier.

A few days later, the smallest boat in the fleet, Peter Fray’s Sunfast 3200 Relentless proudly took her place on Transpac Row in front of the Shack after putting 2,225 miles of ocean under her keel.

The crew of Philip Sauer’s Second Chance distinguished themselves shortly before finishing by spotting a distressed swimmer in the water off Diamond Head.  The crew from Channel Islands Yacht Club in Oxnard, California stopped the boat and rescued the man in the water before continuing on to finish the race.  US Sailing later awarded the crew of Second Chance the Hansen Rescue Medal for their actions.

In November the Transpacific Yacht Club elected new officers and board for 2012 – 2013.  Bo Wheeler our successful Honolulu Chairman moved up to become the new Rear Commodore.  Dan Nowlan, long time handicapping expert and US Sailing Offshore Director, became our new Vice Commodore.  And following my term as Vice Commodore, I was elected Commodore of the Transpacific Yacht Club.

As Commodore, my first two objectives are running another successful Tahiti race in 2012 and increasing the Transpacific Yacht Club membership.  The Tahiti Race is well underway with Karl Kwok’s Beau Geste and Steve Rander’s Rage planning to start the race on April 20, 2012.  Beau Geste will have the 2008 record set by Magnitude 80 in her sights.  Rage will be after her and aiming for a corrected time victory.  Transpac is still hopeful that another boat or two will join Beau Geste and Rage on this edition of the Tahiti Race.

Membership in the Transpacific Yacht Club marks a truly unique accomplishment.  Each and every member of Transpac has completed the race to Diamond Head or the race to Papeete, Tahiti.  All of us have made one of those great passages, and some of us have made many trips across the Pacific.  Each should be justifiably proud of our accomplishments and equally proud to carry the membership card of the Transpacific Yacht Club.  There is no other club like it anywhere.

Are you a member?  Have you done the Transpac Race to Honolulu or Tahiti?  If your answer to the second question is “yes”, and you proudly remember the year, the boat, and the friends you made on those trips, you should really make sure that the answer to the first question is also “Yes”.  We welcome all of you aboard.  And there is one more thing you can do for our club.  Call up one of your good friends who sailed with you, and make sure they remember to join also.  If all of us do those two simple tasks, the Transpacific Yacht Club will strongly sail thru the new century and many more sailors will have the opportunity to complete the greatest race across the Pacific and feel the warmth of Transpac Aloha in the Hawaiian Islands.

Finally, we look forward to seeing many of you on the starting line in July of 2013 for the 47^th race across the Pacific to Hawaii.  If this will be your first Transpac, you are especially welcome.  If this will be your second, third, or tenth trip, we salute you.  The first start is scheduled for Monday, July 8, 2013.

Aloha!

Membership in the Transpacific Yacht Club is open to any sailor who has successfully completed the course in a race sponsored by TPYC between two points on the Pacific Ocean not less than 2000 miles. Currently there are more than 600 sailors who are members of TPYC: one of the most prestigious yacht clubs worldwide.

If you have completed the Transpac Honolulu or Tahiti Race and wish to join TPYC please download the membership application form and return it to our Membership Chairman.

For more information contact:

Mike Nash

Membership Chairman

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The Honolulu Committee is made up of hundreds of volunteers from the State of Hawaii. These dedicated people give countless hours, tasked with such duties as tracking all the race boats as they approach the finish line at Diamond Head, manning the communications building, and hosting welcome parties. Round the clock, for two weeks, these tireless workers provide the Aloha Spirit that makes the Transpac Race so very special.

Honululu Committee Directors

V/C Administration Robert "Bo" Wheeler
V/C Race Operations Carl Geringer
V/C Harbor Operations James "Jim" Ewing
Secretary Sue Roach
Treasurer Cliff Cisco
Chairman Mark Hazlett

For over half a century the Transpac Shack has served as the communications center during the Transpac Race.  Constructed out of telephone poles and plywood and a few other random pieces of timber, the “Shack” has been the gathering place for friends and family looking for information on the Transpac Race.