Bernard Debbasch and Team Prepare to Sail the 2026 Pac Cup
With 2026 being a Pacific Cup year, Latitude 38 is working to highlight as many as we can of the 2026 Pac Cup racers who will be sailing to Hawaii this summer. Today’s Pac Cup profile focuses on Bernard Debbasch and his team aboard Med Viking II, a Jeanneau 519 that he will be racing under the Pacific Cup Yacht Club (PCYC) burgee.
Latitude 38 (L38): What is your name?
Bernard Debbasch (BD): Bernard Debbasch.
L38: What is the name and make of your boat? What burgee are you racing under?
BD: The boat is named Med Viking II, and is a Jeanneau 519. We’ll be racing under the PCYC burgee. “Med Viking” is not the name of a doctor. It comes from me, French from the Mediterranean and Christina, my wife, who is from Sweden.
L38: What inspired you to sail in the 2026 Pac Cup?
BD: The tagline “The FUN race to Hawaii” says it all!
L38: Is this your first crossing?
BD: This will be my third crossing and the second with Med Viking II. The first one was in 2014 on Med Viking, a Beneteau 411.
L38: What is your favorite Pac Cup or Transpac memory?
BD: Ironically, my favorite Pacific Cup memory is not a racing story. It is about catching my first mahi-mahi on the way to Kaneohe Bay in the 2014 race. More recently, in 2024, we were very proud of being ahead in a division that included Paul Cayard. That position only lasted a few hours at the start of the race and we were quickly pushed to the bottom of the fleet, but we still brag about holding that position! The best repeat memory is the welcome we always get at the Kaneohe Yacht Club. Club members and volunteers spend a lot of time and energy to make the arrival and the stay at the club a wonderful experience.
L38: What is your background as a sailor outside of ocean racing?
BD: I am originally from France, where I raced and cruised (Greece, Italy, Corsica, Tunisia, Balearic Islands) in the Mediterranean for many years. I also raced in Brittany while I was attending college. I raced with people who were much better sailors than me and learned a lot from them. That includes Olympians (when the Star was still an Olympic class) and other high-ranked sailors. I was not in a position to challenge them and this is why I was welcomed on board! I am 75% cruiser and 25% racer; this is why we still fish when racing to Hawaii!
The crew of the 2026 Pacific Cup will practice in the Newport-Ensenada race in April and we will extend the return trip to get our 150 nm qualification trip for the race to Hawaii.
L38: Who will you be racing to Hawaii with? Can you tell us a little bit about them?
BD: Marc Marois will be the navigator. He already had that role in 2014 and 2024. Marc was the only one with offshore experience for our 2014 crossing, having sailed from Newport Beach to Australia a few years earlier.
Andrea Stuart is Marc’s girlfriend (there are rumors about that relationship to be confirmed later). With no offshore experience, Andrea joined Marc for our 2024 crossing. She kept the three of us that were driving the boat well fed and kept her cool despite the numerous squalls we encountered.
Kathy Panzl is a longtime and experienced sailor, She sailed the first Baja Ha-Ha in 1994 and extended that trip to the Sea of Cortez. Like Marc, she is a skipper at the Oasis Sailing Club in Newport Beach. She enjoys racing and just being on the water as “[T]here is always something new to learn on the water.”
David Chong recently did the “not as fun race to Hawaii” (Transpac) on J/World’s Hula Girl and is now looking forward to a more relaxed crossing. David is also a member of the Oasis Sailing Club.
Paul McIntyre is my dock neighbor at Cabrillo Way Marina in San Pedro. Unlike me, he is not afraid of height, but like me, he loves playing with his tools. Both skills are very valuable on a long crossing.
L38: What are you most looking forward to in the crossing?
BD: As a cruising boat with white sails on furlers, solar panels and fishing gear, we have modest expectations. With a larger crew and a new A4 spinnaker we are hoping to shave a few hours off our previous race time. We are also strongly wishing for [fewer] squalls than we had in 2024. As I see it, any boat that arrives in Hawaii with the same number of sailors that left San Francisco is a winner.
Want to have your Pac Cup team highlighted before the race in July? No problem! Just fill out this form and send some pictures of your boat and team to [email protected].
Want to meet crew to possibly sail the Pac Cup with? Come to the 2026 Latitude 38 Spring Crew Party this Thursday at Golden Gate Yacht Club. Buy tickets here.