Father and Son Team Mike and Sean Mahoney Race in Pacific Cup

Mike Mahoney and his son Sean Mahoney are yet another family team participating in this year’s Pacific Cup. (We’ve already shared the stories of Heather Richard and her son Julian, and Erica Mattson and her stepdad Robin Jeffers.) Mike has done the Pac Cup twice, once with his father (2006) and later aboard a friend’s boat in 2018. This year’s race will be the first for Mike’s son Sean, and their first together.

“As it turned out, my father passed away just 14 months after the 2006 Pac Cup, so it became a bit extra-special. I just didn’t know it at the time. Now, I have the opportunity to pass this incredible experience down to my son (Sean Mahoney). He will be the youngest of the Mahoneys to ever do this race at just 18. And is now a fourth-generation S.F. Bay sailor.”

The Mahoneys’ boat is Story Maker, a Tartan 101 that they bought in 2018. Mike says they had three specific requirements for their boat. “I wanted a boat that had a wheel and I wanted to be able to stand up down below. My wife had a third requirement, which was ultimately the most important — it needed to be able to comfortably sleep all of us while vacationing in the Delta during the summer.” The Tartan appeared and met all their requirements. “It is a great race boat as well as a fun boat to bring to the Delta. We race pretty much year-round doing many of the Bay series, OYRA, and Big Boats.” The race to Hawaii will also be a first for Story Maker; her first time crossing the Pacific.

Over the last 18 months, Mike and Sean have been upgrading the Tartan to withstand the conditions they might encounter in the middle of the Pacific. “We have upgraded her rudder, added solar, extra batteries, and satellite communications equipment. So far, we are 95% through our inspection, with just an upcoming qualifying race left. Right now, the focus is mainly on food provisioning and practicing lots of spinnaker control with the whole crew.”

That crew will consist of Mike and Sean, and friends David Lively and Will McMullen, both of whom have sailed regularly with Mike over the last last six years. Eighteen-year-old Sean has been sailing since he was 6. He has competitively sailed in multiple Olympic-class boats, including the Nacra, 49er, and many others. Sean is Mike’s number-one driver and bowman and has raced with his dad since they bought the boat. “It will be the first Pac Cup for everyone but me,” Mike says. “Similar to how it was for our crew in 2006. Then, it was only my father who had done it. Five other crew were newbies to the puddle jump.”

Mike is a lifelong sailor (well, almost). He started aboard a Melody on the lagoon in Alameda, near his grandparents’ house. Then, as he grew up, he would sail with his father aboard his Catalina 30 and then 42. “We raced in the Estuary, in the Bay, and up and down the coast. I also sailed for UCSB. During college I also jumped on any boat I could race on, but one of the more memorable races was the Newport to Ensenada race. More so for the after-party!” Mike says he’s raced just about every boat you can imagine. “I’ve crewed in over a dozen Big Boat Series from Far 40s, Express 37s, Santa Cruz 50s, Swiftsure, etc. But in the end, there is nothing like sailing your own boat.”

When we asked, “Why do the Pacific Cup?” Mike’s response was fairly typical for a passionate sailor. “When I explain the Pacific Cup to friends, and how we typically only get three hours of sleep at a time, I’m usually met with ‘you’re crazy’ for wanting to do that race. I think it is hard to understand until you are out there and can truly experience the beauty of the open sea. It’s always an interesting question about two days after we hit Hawaii. Usually, my answer is ‘that is my last one.’ But, after the last one I said, ‘I likely have only one more in me and I’m saving it for my son.'” Mike has had mulitple other opportunities to do the Pac Cup again, but he wanted his next one to be special. “He [Sean] will have just graduated high school and will be departing for college just a couple of weeks after our return (ironically, to the University of Hawaii to study health science/kinesiology).

“And of course, we do it for the challenge, and most importantly, to have fun.”

The boat will have all the technology it needs; for example, the new Iridium GO! Exec. But Mike decided to forgo the newest kid on the tech-block, Starlink. “We considered Starlink for quite a while. However, it is a power hog. I’ve heard someone has figured out how to run it off 12V without an inverter, so that will make a big difference. And who needs to watch Netflix on a race to Hawaii anyhow? :)”

Story Maker also does not have an oven; she is a “true race boat,” Mike says. “We do have a small refrigerator, which will allow us some fresh food for the first several days. After that we are basically camping with a Jet Boil. The food is actually quite good.”

Perhaps someone can confirm Mike’s food story after they all arrive in Hawaii?