100th Entry in Transpac
The 50th Transpac Race to Honolulu will start from Los Angeles this July, but the 100th entry came from the San Francisco Bay Area. Chris Welsh’s classic Spencer 65 Ragtime, out of Point Richmond’s Brickyard Cove, will be racing her 17th Transpac. That’s more editions than any other boat has done. Welsh has owned Ragtime since 2004. Since then, he’s raced her in the 2005, 2007 and 2009 Transpacs, the 2008 race to Tahiti, and the 2008 Sydney Hobart Race.
With her sleek, hard-chined hull, Ragtime began her life in 1963 as Infidel. John Spencer built her of plywood for the race car driver Tom Clark. Beating the legendary Windward Passage in 1973, she set a course record. She won the Barn Door Trophy again in 1975. She has seen different configurations of keels, rudders and rigs come and go. In preparation for this summer’s racing, Welsh is outfitting her with a new, lighter engine and new winches. He expects to have a shot at the King Kalakaua Trophy for the overall winner on corrected time.
After the Transpac, Welsh plans a 2020 East Coast tour. For those adventures, he intends to add a new, lighter carbon mast.
Yikes. That’s a lot of participants…..I daresay….over the top. Where are all these boats supposed to dock after a 2,000+ mile ocean crossing? Rafted out 4 boats deep? I know the really big boats with deep drafts go to the Honolulu harbor, but what of the rest? How will the planners possibly find the volunteers to man the lighthouse finish line for every boat finishing, which happens throughout the nights? How are all these crews and their supporters going to be accomodated? I’m having visions of chaos. But damn- we wish we could go, too! But not this year- have to wait until Pac Cup ’20.