Point Richmond, CA, Tuesday, July 8, 2014 -- The third start day of the Pacific Cup Race saw three race divisions leaving for Hawaii under high fog conditions and 18+ knot winds.
The first group to start was the Weems & Plath division -- light, fast boats expected to finish the Pacific Cup in eleven days or so (if the weather cooperates). The division is named for the race sponsor that has supplied the Pacific Cup’s division trophies for many years, and this group is expected to have close competition. 
Tiki Blue, Free Bowl of Soup, and Sweet Okole head toward the Golden Gate Bridge.
There are a significant number of previous Pacific Cup participants in this division. Sweet Okole, a Farr 36 built 1976 and skippered by Dean Treadway has sailed six Pacific Cups (one more than its skipper) and four Transpacs, winning overall in 1981 in 1985. This is skipper Gary Troxel’s fourth pacific Cup on Tiki Blue, his Beneteau 423. Steve Hill, skipper of Coyote, a Beneteau First 42, has raced two Pacific Cups on his own boat and one on VALIS.
For Tom Abbot, skipper of Avion, a Bianca 414, getting ready for the race has been a three year project. And while four of Avion’s crew have never done the race, Abbott has one Pacific Cup under his belt and his navigator, John Dillow, has 9.
Don Ahrens, skipper of Red Cloud, a Farr 36 built in 1976, is doing his first Pacific Cup, but he and his crew have been sailing together for a decade. Abbott “just wants to get west” as fast as he can and is worried about competitors Sweet Okole and a Free Bowl of Soup, Eric Hopper’s J105 from Portland, OR.
The Matson division was the second division out the Golden Gate today -- boats in the middle of the race’s ratings range, sporty, fun, and able to go the distance. For those in the know, Matson ships are as iconic for Hawaii as palm trees and umbrella drinks. A longtime supporter of the race, Matson provides reduced rates for the transport of Pac Cup boats back to the mainland.
This division has two Hobie 33s, Por Favor, skippered by John Denny, and AERO, skippered by Joe Wells. Wells purchased AERO especially for this race. This is his first Pacific Cup, but one crew member has sailed three and his navigator has sailed four.
It’s also a first Pacific Cup for Wayne Koide, skipper of Encore, a Sydney 36 CR, but he’s done three Transpacs on other people’s boat, navigator Gordy Nash has done seven or more Pacific Cups, Peter Kornhaber has done one Transpac and one Pacific Cup, and the rest of the crew are experienced ocean racers.
The other boats in this fleet are Eric Devaney’s Blue Crush, a J109, (there are four Devaneys on board out of a crew of six) and Thomas Palmatier’s Shoofly, a Custom Barnett Offshore 41.
The Kolea Double-Handed division was the last start of the day, and comprises the faster of this year’s two double-handed divisions. The Kolea bird (Pacific Golden Plover) undertakes an incredible journey of nearly 3,000 miles between Alaska and Hawaii twice a year without stopping once to rest or feed. The name Kolea was chosen for this division because of the indefatigable spirit of the Pacific Cup double handers. This should be an interesting division to watch, with several strong contenders.
Bill and Melinda Erkelens, sailors with an extraordinary range of ocean and small boat racing expertise, won the 1994 Pacific Cup overall double-handing their Dogpatch 26 and hope to repeat this performance twenty years later in Wolfpack, a Donovan 30. This couple wants a light, light boat – no extra anything brought aboard. Mark Howe double-handing with Shana Bagley on War Pony, a Farr 36, shares this sentiment and laughs about their “upgraded head” – a bucket with a seat. Mark has done three Pacific Cup races, and Shana has both a Pacific Cup and a Transpac to her credit.
War Pony
Thirsty, a Beneteau First 30, skippered by Charles Devanneaux with Fred Courouble, Frenchmen from Paris and Britanny via Southern California, is traveling in true French Style. While most double-handers live on freeze dried food, this duo has packed duck confit, foie gras, veal blanquette and seven splits of excellent wine to enjoy during an early evening cocktail half-hour – with the best wine saved for Bastille day. This race is Charlie’s tribute to a sailing partner who passed away from ALS two years ago.
Also in this division is California Condor, an Antrim Class 40 that lost both rudders in the 2010 race. However, skipper Buzz Blackett and Jim Antrim, Condor’s designer, both with many Pacific races under their belts, have high hopes for 2014. Bob Johnston, an experienced single-handed Transpac racer, is skipperingRagtime!, a J/92, with Tracy Rogers. Tracy has a nearly identical J/92, so these two should be a good team.
Ragtime! and California Condor
Two of the double-handed boats are doing their first Transpacific race. Cecile Schwedes, a Southern Californian with coastal racing experience, is racing Aeriagnie, a C&C40 Tall Rig, with Perry Peters. Justin and Christina Wolfe, who live in Austin, TX, but call Seattle home, are racing Shearwater a J/120 and are doing the Pacific Cup because “Hawaii is a natural dream destination.”
Eight of the boats starting today -- Coyote, Tiki Blue, Sweet Okole, Encore, Ragtime, Wolfpack, War Pony,and California Condor – come from Richmond Yacht Club, starting end headquarters for the 2014 Pacific Cup. RYC awards the “Mai Tai trophy” to its top performer in the Pacific Cup.
The remaining divisions start Thursday and Friday. Starting times for all divisions can be found Pacific Cup's 2014 Race Entries by Division list. Details and photos will be posted on the Pacific Cup's website andFacebook page. You can follow the boats on the Pacific Cup website’s tracking page or the Yellowbrick app for iPad, iPhone and Android devices. Positions are delayed by six hours until the first boat reaches the 200 miles to the finish point, when the data will become live.
For more information, please contact:
Karin Knowles
(510) 232-8420
media@pacificcup.org
High resolution images are available from Pacific Cup photographer, Leslie Richter, contact:leslie@rockskipper.com, 415-509-1777 www.rockskipper.com
About Pacific Cup Yacht Club – The Pacific Cup Yacht Club is responsible for organizing the biennial Pacific Cup, dubbed the "FUN RACE to Hawaii." Since 1980, the Pacific Cup has been sailed from San Francisco Bay to Hawaii every other year, and since 1988 the finish has been at the warm and welcoming Kaneohe Yacht Club on Oahu. With an emphasis on pre-race preparation for the 2070-mile race, PCYC’s volunteer membership has helped to ensure that thousands of racers have been delighted with their Pacific Cup experience. For more information about the Pacific Cup, visit http://dev.paccup.org
About Richmond Yacht Club – Since 1932 RYC has been dedicated to serious sailing while at the same time having tremendous fun. The club's Point Richmond location and excellent harbor facilities make it easy to hold both small boat and big boat regattas, and RYC has a proud tradition of hosting world class championships as well as many regattas for Bay Area racers, junior and youth boaters, and its own members. A significant percentage of Pacific Cup competitors have always come from RYC, so it's not surprising that the two clubs joined in partnership to establish RYC as the Start Line headquarters for this year's race. For more information about Richmond Yacht Club, www.richmondyc.org
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