Transpac Race : Two Class D Boats Go for Overall Win

The race for first-to-finish in the 33rd Los Angeles-to-Honolulu race is history, but the race for handicap honors began Tuesday with strong tradewinds helping the smaller boats to save their time allowance over the Class A yachts.

The race was developing into a Class D contest as two of that division’s boats were fighting for the overall handicap win.

At the 8 a.m. PDT Tuesday roll call, the 36-foot sloop Sweet Okole, skippered by Dean Treadway of Richmond, Calif., was leading overall in a close race with Montgomery Street, a modified Cal-40 skippered by David Denning, also of Richmond. Sweet Okole was 336 miles from the finish, and Montgomery Street was 8 miles behind.

Sweet Okole was the winner in 1981, when it was sailed by a Honolulu crew, and Montgomery Street is making her eighth Transpac appearance under the same owner.

As of 7 p.m. PDT, 24 boats had crossed the finish line. All of the Class A boats and seven in Class B had finished.