The second wave of racers will be leaving for Hawaii today, as the 46th Transpacific Yacht Race continues with a 1pm start time off Pt. Fermin in San Pedro. 19 smaller sailboats left on July 4th; those leaving today are larger and faster and, let’s face it, more fun to gawk at. Prior to the start, the boats gather at Rainbow Harbor for pre-race festivities.
The route is over 2200 nautical miles as the gull flies, and the trek takes about a week and a half, give or take a few days depending on the boat. The fastest elapsed time for a monohull was 5 days 14+ hours, a record set in 2009. The slowest was just under 24 days, back in 1939.
I was hoping to see our local fave Medicine Man out there this morning but no luck. Gayle Anderson from Channel 5 News was reporting from the scene, but neglected to interview me. Doesn’t she know I write a blog for Patch?
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Further info: http://www.transpacrace.com/
Real-time race tracking: http://live.adventuretracking.com/transpac2011