2025 Transpac Fleet Crossing the Finish Line
As of this morning, the crowns on the winning boats appear to be firmly in place for almost all 10 divisions of the 2025 Transpac. The overall winner is a California favorite: Alli Bell’s Cal 40 Restless. After all the Tuesday starters edged south following the start, the Restless crew stuck pretty close to the rhumb line, with their symmetrical kites powering her to the winner’s circle.
Overall it was an interesting year for the navigators, who contended with a light-air patch in the middle of the course and somewhat lighter winds overall, spiced up by the usual squalls and shifts. The full moon lit the way for much of the race when not covered up by clouds darkening the sky.
After Lucky was able to break away from the mid-course light air, she roared along at 22+ knots to take the Barn Door Trophy, but it was Tom Holthus and the crew aboard his Botin 56 Badpak that took Boatswain’s Locker/Yanmar – Division 1.
John Raymont’s Kerr 52 Fast Exit II was the winner in Mount Gay – Division 2 ahead of Thomas Furlong’s Reichel Pugh 52 Vitesse. The West Coast TP52/52-ft fleet gained some more traction as a very competitive offshore class.
Greg Dorn of Favonius 2 commented on their approach to Hawaii: “Conditions are holding steady at 15 to 18 knots from 90 to 100 degrees. We’re sailing with a full main, spinnaker staysail, and our new A2. We’re set up on a port jibe and expect to hold this board for the majority of the remaining distance, with only a few jibes to starboard to set up the final layline. We are 180 miles to the finish. The past 24 hours have been marked by tight racing with Merlin, Grand Illusion, and Zero Gravity …. The final crossing saw them on starboard, forcing us to jibe away, an inshore-style crossing scenario playing out 2,000 miles into the race. Remarkable, and a perfect example of this sport’s singular nature.”
The Whittier Trust – Division 3 fleet was the home of the California sleds, and was finally taken by Jack Jennings and his crew aboard his Reichel Pugh 68 Pied Piper. It was Roy Disney’s team aboard Pyewacket that pushed them from astern and corrected out just over an hour behind.
In Cal Maritime – Division 4 it is Rich Festa aboard his Rogers 46 Groundhog Day who is standing out front, but the spoiler may be Steven Ernest on his J/145 Aimant de Fille who’s wearing the crown with 123 miles to go.
In Cabrillo Boat Shop – Division 5 it was 2023 class and overall winner Dave Moore’s souped-up Santa Cruz 52 Westerly that cruised to another class win in a class full of 50-ft California sleds from Bill Lee, and one from Alan Andrews.
Garmin – Division 6 had four J/125s facing off against Michael Mollmann’s Elliot 35SS Palby Marine, with Andrew Picel’s J/125 Arsenal taking top honors.
In Suntex – Division 7, Charles-Etienne Devanneaux and Fred Courouble doublehanded the modified Beneteau First 36 Rahan across the line to be the second boat to finish the 2025 Transpac behind the 88-ft Lucky. They were among the lucky starters in Tuesday’s Division 7, and carried the breeze from the starting line all the way to the top spot in the division and fourth overall. An amazing result for the only doublehanded boat in the 2025 Transpac!
In Pasha – Division 8 it was Mike Sudo’s Beneteau 47.7 Macondo that wore the crown most of the way across the Pacific and retained it until the finish line.
There’s a lot of excitement in Bridger Insurance – Division 9 as the Transpac Yacht Club rear commodore Alli Bell reaffirmed the legendary status of well-sailed Cal 40s by taking first in class and first overall!
The smithREgroup ORR Multihull fleet consisted of two unevenly matched catamarans, with Don Wilson’s Gunboat 68 Convexity2 up against a stellar performance by Jerzy Poprawski’s Moorings 4300 Kastor Polux. Nonetheless, it was the carbon Gunboat that showed her sterns to the starry twins Castor and Pollux.
There are 34 boats that have finished, 13 boats still on the course, and four boats that retired early with gear failure or injuries. Many others faced a long list of gear failures but have been able to sail their way to Hawaii. Greg Reynolds’ Nelson Marek 68 Bolt looks as if she’ll be next across the line.
Follow the rest of the boats finishing here.