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Transpac Starts in Light Conditions

The Calgary, Canada-flagged Hobie 33 Dark Star is the smallest boat in the 2017 Transpac.

© Sharon Green / Ultimate Sailing

The first three divisions of 17 entries started the 49th biennial Transpacific Race on Monday; more divisions will depart for Honolulu today. Monday’s fleet set sail under sunny skies and light winds at 1 p.m. bound for the 2,225-mile-distant finish at Diamond Head in Honolulu.

Two Cal 40s, Sequoia, which owner Fred Cook restored and refitted over a two-year period at Berkeley Marine Center, and Rodney Pimentel’s Alameda-based Azure, started with Division 7 on Monday. Azure is currently leading the fleet for line honors.

© 2017 Doug Gifford / Ultimate Sailing

Today’s second wave of 16 starters will get underway from the Point Fermin starting area at 1 p.m. You can follow along by virtue of the tracker at https://2017.transpacyc.com, where you’ll also find details about the race and more photos from the startline.

Monday’s start off the cliffs of San Pedro in Los Angeles. The boat that appears to be winning the start is Hiroshige Ikeda’s Osaka, Japan-flagged XP44 Draconis.

© Doug Gifford / Ultimate Sailing

Another Pacific Ocean race starts today from San Francisco. The Great Pacific Longitudinal Race (LongPac) has 13 entries, of which a dozen are singlehanded and only one is doublehanded. The fleet will sail out into the ocean for 200 miles, turn around, and sail back. The singlehanders will thus qualify to enter next year’s Singlehanded TransPac.

Yet another race to Hawaii, the 20th Pacific Cup has 38 signups, the organizers of the 2018 race from San Francisco to Kaneohe Bay on Oahu reported yesterday.

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