Tahiti Transpac in 2020
With a rhumbline distance of 3,570 miles, the Tahiti Transpac’s Los Angeles-to-Papeete course is more than half again the distance from L.A. to Honolulu, sailed biennially in the better-known Hawaii Transpac (2,240 miles). But that’s far from being the only factor that sets these two classic ocean races apart.
As announced at a media event on Friday at Los Angeles Yacht Club, plans are being firmed up for a new edition of the Tahiti Transpac, with the first start slated for May 28, 2020. As in years past, the course will run from San Pedro’s Point Fermin to Point Venus, on the outskirts of Papeete, Tahiti — so-named by Captain Cook in 1768.
In addition to the race’s eye-popping distance, the navigational challenges presented by sailing from the Northern to the Southern Hemisphere are substantial — with the vagaries of the equatorial doldrums thrown in as the ultimate weather wild card. Renowned offshore navigator John Jourdane explains:
“After the start, and rounding West End, you put up the spinnaker, and run for several days southwest past Mexico. Then the easterly trades build and you beam-reach in a lot of wind for a few days. Next, you have to find the narrowest area of the ITCZ (doldrums), where there will be little or no wind and lots of rain squalls.
“Once you cross the equator, the southeast trades will fill in and it can be a very windy, rough beam reach or close reach to the finish in Papeete. It’s a much longer race, and can be rougher, but it is well worth the adventure.”
The current record of 11 days, 10 hours, set in 2008 by Doug Baker’s Magnitude 80, seems impressive. But many veteran ocean racers in attendance at Friday’s announcement seemed to think that some of today’s ocean-racing thoroughbreds can beat Mag 80’s 13-knot average speed. For the first time, a multihull division will be offered, whose entrants will vie for a separate record and trophy.
Friday’s announcement signals a joint effort between the Transpac YC and the Tahitian event promotion firm Archipelagos. For more on the 2020 Transpac Tahiti Race, see www.transpac-tahiti.com. The official Notice of Race will be posted there soon.