Last days for the discounts

44th biennial Transpacific Yacht Race to Honolulu to close early entry incentives at the end of the week

The early discount entry deadline for this summer's 44th biennial Transpacific Yacht Race to Honolulu is the end of this week, Friday, March 9. Competitors signing up online and mailing their entry fee postmarked no later than March 9 will save 18-25%, depending on boat size.

Also, a $50 discount will apply to the entry fee of an owner/charterer who is a current member of US Sailing.

The official current entry list includes the top three Division 1 finishers on overall corrected time in 2005. In order, Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory, Doug Baker's Magnitude 80 and Roy E. Disney's Pyewacket. Morning Glory lowered the Transpac elapsed time record to 6 days 16 hours 4 minutes 11 seconds in that race, and just last week Magnitude 80 shattered the 22-year-old record for Del Rey Yacht Club's race to Puerto Vallarta by more than 31 hours.

Meanwhile, prospects for a multihull class in this year's race have developed with interest expressed by Bob Webster's Minnow, a Catana 52 from Pryor, Okla., and Loe Enloe's LoeReal, a 60-foot trimaran that is a sister ship to Steve Fossett's Lakota that sailed Transpac in 1997. No multihull has finished Transpac since then.

Official entries to date:

Adrenalin (Santa Cruz 50), David Clark, Newport Beach, Calif.
Bolt (Nelson/Marek 55), Craig Reynolds, Newport Beach, Calif.
Chasch Mer (Santa Cruz 50), Gib Black, Honolulu
Cirrus (Standfast 40), William D. Myers, Honolulu
Enchilado (Jeanneau 54), Cesar de Saracho, Tucson, Ariz.

Far Far (Cal 40), Don Grind, Placerville, Calif.
Fortaleza (Santa Cruz 50), Jim Morgan, Long Beach, Calif.
Ginny (Calkins 50), Chris Calkins/Norm Reynolds, Encinitas, Calif.
Ho'okolohe (Farr 58), Alyson and Cecil Rossi, Novato, Calif.
Hula Girl (Santa Cruz 50), Beau Gayner, Newport Beach, Calif.

Inspired Environments (Beneteau First 40.7), Timothy Ballard, Sausalito, Calif.
It's OK (Andrews 50), Tres Gordo Sailing, Glendora, Calif.
Magnitude 80 (Andrews 80), Doug Baker, Long Beach, Calif.
Medicine Man (Andrews 63), Bob Lane, Long Beach, Calif.
Morning Glory (R/P maxZ86), Hasso Plattner, Kiel, Germany

Morning Light (Transpac 52), Pacific High Productions, Los Angeles
Mysteré (Swan 42), Jorge Morales, Dana Point, Calif.
Narrow Escape (Fast 40), Allen Lehman Jr., Payson, Ariz.
Pacific High (Columbia 30M), Steve Washburn, Irvine, Calif.
Paddy Wagon (Ross 40), Richard Mainland, Los Angeles

Passion (Santa Cruz 50), Steve Hastings, Corpus Christi, Tex.
Peregrine (Hobie 33), Simon Garland, San Diego
Psyche (Cal 40), Steve Calhoun, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.
Pyewacket (R/P maxZ86), Roy E. Disney, Los Angeles
Recidivist (Schumacher 39), Ken Olcott, Los Altos, Calif.

Reinrag2 (J/125), Tom Garnier, Portland, Ore.
Relentless (Santa Cruz 52), Will Durant/Rick Brizendine, Long Beach, Calif. Ruahatú (Concordia 47), Ricardo Brockmann, Acapulco, Mexico
Seaker II (Farr 33), Wes Stone, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.
Stark Raving Mad III (Reichel/Pugh 60), Jim Madden, Newport Beach, Calif.

Stealth Chicken (Perry 56), Timothy Beatty, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
Tower (Lidgard 45), Doug Grant, San Pedro, Calif.
Windswept (Sean 57), Maxwell Phelps, Jamul. Calif.

A Transpac seminar for prospective ocean racers is scheduled Saturday, March 31, at Los Angeles Yacht Club in San Pedro, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

There is no charge except for lunch that will be available.

The lecturers will include Stan Honey and Joe Buck on weather and permissible weather access software; Robbie Haines, sail selection and inventory; Dan Nowlan, Transpacific Yacht Club ratings; doctors from St. Mary Medical Center discussing medical issues; Tom Garrett, Rainbow Harbor pre-race mooring arrangements and activities; Roby Bessent, boat inspection; Jerry Montgomery, provisioning and storage, and Jim Hill, the FIS Tracking system.

Laurie Gaylord Sportswear will have official Transpac apparel for sale.

Those planning to attend may pre-register at mmmontgomery@aol.com

More information and online registration at: http://www.transpacificyc.org