Fast and Familiar Trio for Transpac 2001

by Rich Roberts on 9 Mar 2001 Merlin, Medicine Man and Pyewacket - boats that have sailed miles worth of
smiles in the Transpacific Yacht Race - are among the 11 latest entries for
the 41st race from Los Angeles to Honolulu this summer. They bring the
total to 24 with 3 1/2 months remaining before the first starts.

Between them, Merlin and two of Roy E. Disney's Pyewackets have won five
'Barn Door' trophies as the first boats to finish. Bill Lee's 68-foot
breakthrough design launched the ultralight revolution in 1977 by sailing
the 2,225 nautical miles in 8 days 11 hours 1 minute 45 seconds. That
brought a new word to the sport's jargon: 'sled,' for a boat designed to
sail downwind, a trademark of the Transpac. Merlin's record stood for 20
years until Pyewacket II beat it by 19 1/2 hours in 1997 and a new
Pyewacket lowered it to 7:11:41:27 in '99.

Bob Lane's Medicine Man, a smaller Andrews 56, had its two days of fame in
'97 when it made the most of a three-day headstart and flew to the islands
in 8:06:31:00. 'Now they'll have to beat my record,' Lane said, half-joking
-- before Pyewacket did just that.

The latest Pyewacket, a 73-foot Reichel/Pugh maxi sled, has had some subtle
upgrades since that success, but Merlin and Medicine Man have been modified
into virtually new boats. Merlin's latest owner, Al Micallef of Ft. Worth,
Tex., has even given it a new name with a Western ring: Merlin's Reata
(lariat).

As this is reported, Medicine Man's remake is still a work in progress.
When it's complete, Alan Andrews, the original designer, will have placed a
longer, sleeker hull under the old deck and rig. Then it will be an Andrews
61.

'For the last race we turbocharged the rig,' Andrews said, 'and now we've
added a new hull to enable the extra horsepower of that rig to be used to
its full potential. Bob has constantly upgraded the boat since it was built
in 1989.'

However fast the made-over Merlin and Medicine Man may be, Pyewacket's
strongest competition is expected to come from new boats not yet entered.
But Disney points out that speed alone is no guarantee of winning Transpac.

'I think we fool a lot of people because we tend to make it look easier
than it is,' he said. 'Our crew has been together for 10 or 20 years and
does a great job of sailing. That's our real strength.'

ENTRIES FROM ALL OVER

As the lineup for Transpac 2001 grew to 24, it seemed the final total could
top the last five races since 49 competed in 1989. The list reflects
broadening interest, including boats from six states and four countries on
three continents.

Entries chairman Jerry Montgomery said, 'The encouraging thing about this
list is it's not our usual suspects. When you combine these with the ones
we usually get, the turnout is going to be impressive.'

Organizers this year have created added incentive for smaller as well as
older boats, with the new Transpac 40 and 50 boat-for-boat competitions and
the Aloha (formerly 'cruising') class for sailors with older displacement
boats who are still keen for racing.

'The Aloha fleet is going to be very well represented,' Montgomery said,
'and the top end of the overall fleet is going to be very competitive.'

The latest entry list:

Triumph (Santa Cruz 52), Howard Diethrich, Phoenix, Ariz.
Grand Illusion (Santa Cruz 70), James McDowell, Haiku, H.I.
LawnDart (Fast 40), Bill Allan, Nanaimo, B.C.
Baronesa V (Open 40), Shuichi Ogasawara, Japan
Ouch (J/120), Ted Mayes, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
Rocket Science (Riptide 55), skipper Todd Downey, Ventura, Calif.; owner
Nguyen Le, Amsterdam.
Medicine Man (Andrews 61), Bob Lane, Long Beach, Calif.
Mystere (Swan 42), Jorge Morales, Laguna Niguel, Calif.
Pyewacket (Reichel/Pugh 73), Roy e. Disney, Los Angeles, Calif.
Merlin's Reata (Lee 68), Al Micallef, Ft. Worth, Tex.
Unnamed (Sydney 40 OD-T), Seth Radow, Marina del Rey, Calif.
Uproarious (Olson 40), Robert Bussard, Santa Fe, N.M.
Firebird (Nelson/Marek 55), Greg Sands, Long Beach, Calif.

Doublehanded

Étranger (Jutson 50), Howard Gordon, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Watercolors (Sabre 402), Michael Abraham, Newport Beach, Calif.

Aloha Class

Joyride (Beneteau First 42s7), William Johns, Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Gecko (Tartan 41), Jim Fabrick, Laguna Beach, Calif.
Tango (Beneteau 41), Howard Raphael, Palo Alto, Calif.
Willow Wind (Cal 40), Wendy Siegal, Sunset Beach, Calif.
Axapac (Wylie 39), Barry Ruff, Vancouver, B.C.
Bonaire (Moody 65), Gil Jones and Associates, Newport Beach, Calif.
Seda (Erickson 41), Josef Sedivec, Bonita, Calif.
Pakele (Santa Cruz 35), Bill Boyd, Long Beach, Calif.
Blaze (Warwick 60), David Bishop, Sammamish, Wash.


STARTING DATES AND PRE-RACE SENDOFF PARTIES

Aloha: party June 24; start June 25, 2001.
Under-50-footers: party June 29; start June 30.
Over-50-footers: party June 29, start July 1.
Multihulls: party June 29, start July 4.

TRANSPAC PUBLICITY
Rich Roberts
(310) 835-2526
richroberts@compuserve.com

ENTRY INFORMATION
Jerry Montgomery
mmmont@aol.com