SAILING : Direct Route to Hawaii Not Fastest Way to Go

Hal Ward’s Andrews 70 Cheval ’95 stretched its overall lead in the Transpacific Yacht Race on Friday with the day’s best run of 239 miles.

D.J. Johnson’s 60-foot Final Approach, farther south than any of the other nine Division 3 entries, moved from seventh to first place with 189 miles.

The deep southern route well below the direct line to Honolulu paid off big with northerly trade winds of 14 knots, about three times stronger than those on the rhumb line.

Another dramatic switch was among the fastest-rated ILC 70s, where Larry Ellison’s Farr 78 Sayonara, with America’s Cup veteran Paul Cayard aboard, moved into second place behind Cheval ’95 by covering 234 miles, 98 more than Fred Detwiler’s 70-foot Trader, which was north on the rhumb line.

Rich DeVos’ 74-foot Windquest, sailing in the same breeze with Sayonara, enjoyed a 232-mile day to pull away from Neil Barth’s Whitbread 60 America’s Challenge, which made only 151 miles.

The nine ULDB 70s, or sleds, had a slow day with little wind but were so tightly bunched that there was no significant change in positions.

At the halfway point, Cheval ’95 was projected to finish next Wednesday, about a day and a half behind Merlin’s record of 8 1/2 days set in 1977.