Southland Sailing : Three Transpacific Races Scheduled This Year

The Pacific Ocean between the West Coast and Hawaii promises to be busy this summer, with three Transpacific races scheduled.

Long Beach Yacht Club has announced its first biennial race from Long Beach to Kauai starting June 25; Great American Media of Newport Beach will conduct an Open Transpac Record Run from Los Angeles to Honolulu starting July 1, and West Marine, Inc., will stage its first Pacific Cup race from San Francisco to Kaneohe Bay, starting July 4.

The LBYC race will be co-sponsored by the Nawiliwili Yacht Club on even numbered years and is designed primarily to get International Offshore Rule (IOR) yachts to Hawaii in time to compete in the biennial Kenwood Cup Hawaii Series starting July 28, according to Robert Kelleher, race chairman.

The race is also open to Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) ratings.

The Open Transpac is primarily for multihull yachts--catamarans and trimarans--hoping to set an elapsed-time record for the 2,225-mile race to Diamond Head on the island of Oahu. Promoter George Kolesnikovs said, however, that he hopes to open it to light displacement monohulls racing without handicaps or ratings.

The Pacific Cup will be for both IOR and PHRF ratings. It is co-sponsored by West Marine Products and the Pacific Cup Yacht Club. Instead of trophies, West Marine will contribute merchandise that can be used by sailors.

Sailing Notes

A. Victor Stern, veteran ocean racing catamaran sailor from Seal Beach, has announced that he will enter the Pacific 1,000 endurance race this summer in a NACRA 5.5. Stern, 64, will be in partnership with Steve Hansen, 31, in what they choose to call a father-and-son team. . . . John Nelson of Navy YC, Long Beach, was named yachtsman of the year by the Association of Los Angeles-Long Beach Yacht Clubs. Peggy Gregory, staff commodore of SCYA, was named yachtswoman of the year, and Catherine Ivey, Huntington Harbour YC was named junior yachter of the year.

Dick Landes, Alamitos Bay YC, is the new commodore of the Yacht Racing Union of Southern California. Paul Frazier, Dana Point YC, is the new vice commodore, and Gene Dowd, Pacific Corinthian YC, rear commodore. The organization named Dennis Conner, San Diego YC, yachtsman of the year, and Jonie Palmer, Mission Bay YC, yachtswoman. Yachting excellence awards went to Pete Jefferson, ABYC, and Mary Wagner, Newport Harbor YC. . . . Match racing among Capri-14.2 dinghies Saturday at California Yacht Club will be called the Mini America’s Cup series.