Southland Sailing : Pacific Cup Will Start July 4 Off San Francisco

Yachtsmen who hanker for a race to Hawaii every year--instead of every other year in the biennial Transpac from Los Angeles to Honolulu--have that chance because of the Pacific Cup, which is sailed on even-numbered years.

The Pacific Cup, originally called the Kauai Transpac, is scheduled to start off San Francisco July 4 and is expected to draw upward of 75 entries, many from Southern California.

Unlike the Transpac, sailed on odd-numbered years, the Pacific Cup will have four divisions: International Offshore Rule (IOR), Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF), a doublehanded division, and for the first time, a special “maxi” class with boats rating up to 80 feet under the IOR.

“This broadens the appeal of the race to different types of boats and crews,” said Ingrid Haubrich, Pacific Cup administrator. The race is run under the auspices of the Ballena Point Yacht Club.

The Pacific Cup is new in name only. Under the name Kuai Transpac the race has been sailed biennially since 1980, attracting yachting enthusiasts primarily from the Bay Area. It is the only Transpacific race originating in San Francisco.

Forty-six yachts raced in the 1980 race. The winner was the 67-foot Merlin, veteran of many Southland races to Honolulu and Mexico. Merlin, skippered by Ben Choate III, was first to finish with an elapsed time of 9 days 7 hours 48 seconds for the 2,250-mile crossing. A number of yachts broke down in that first race.

In 1982 the race showed a marked improvement in the quality of boats and preparation.

In 1984 a new element was introduced--a specially cast cup for any boat that breaks the all-time San Francisco to Hawaii speed record. According to sailing archives, the record passage is 6 days 17 hours, set by the clipper William G. Irwin in 1881.

The Pacific Cup will not be the only major yachting activity in Hawaii this year.

Many Southland and Northern California yachts will soon be pointing their bows westward--some in the Pacific Cup--to be on hand for the biennial Kenwood Cup, formerly Pan Am Clipper Series, which gets under way off Waikiki Aug. 2.

This will be the fifth year of the popular biennial series which is confined to IOR ratings. The new sponsor is a Japanese electronics firm. The races are run by the Royal Hawaiian Yacht Club.

Ben Mitchell of Los Angeles, chairman of the U.S. Yacht Racing Union’s offshore committee, said three U.S. teams will be selected for the series which consists of three inshore races out of Waikiki, one overnight race, and the 700-mile Around the State of Hawaii race which encompasses all of the Hawaiian Islands.