Transpacific Race : Four Yachts Vie for Lead

Four Class A yachts Friday showed signs of staging a photo finish in the 2,225-mile Los Angeles-to-Honolulu race.

As brisk northeast winds pushed the Transpacific leaders into the final 800 miles, only 14 miles separated the top four contenders, making it anybody’s race for line (first-to-finish) honors.

The leader was Nick Frazee’s Nelson-Marek 68 Swiftsure III, 740 miles from Honolulu, but a 274-mile day’s run had pulled the 62-foot Ragtime, skippered by Pat Farrah, within nine miles of the leader. Keith Simmons’ NM-68 Prima was two miles astern of Ragtime, and the NM-68 Saga, co-skippered by Doug Baker and George Writer, was three miles behind Prima.

Prima logged the day’s best run of 277 miles. Swiftsure III had 270 and Saga 263.

At the 8 a.m. PDT roll call Friday, Baker reported that Saga was sailing in 20 knots of wind, aided by eight-foot following seas. The average wind velocity was 15 knots.

The leaders were averaging better than 11 knots, indicating they could cross the finish line off Diamond Head by early Monday if the favorable winds continue.

There have been close two-boat finishes in past Transpac races. In 1965, Ticonderoga beat Stormvogel by 5 minutes 48 seconds, and in 1973, Ragtime edged Windward Passage by 4 minutes 31 seconds.