Transpac race
at starting line

Star-Bulletin staff

The 39th Biennial Transpacific Yacht Race begins tomorrow as seven cruising class boats leave Point Fermin, Calif., and begin their 2,223 nautical mile trek to Diamond Head.

During the first week of July, small boat, big boat and multihull class vessels will join the race. A total of 40 boats are registered.

The elapsed time record for single-hull boats was set in 1977 by the 67-foot sloop Merlin. It completed the course in eight days, 11 hours, one minute and 45 seconds.

In the last Transpac in 1995, trimaran Lakota, an "invited guest" boat, set a multihull race record of six days, 16 hours, seven minutes and 16 seconds. Cheval '95, a 69-foot sloop, was first to finish.

Beginning July 1, information about this year's race will be available at (808) 946-9061, or on the Internet at http://www.kenwoodcorp.com/transpac97/. Daily position reports will be made available, so spectators will know when to look for finishers from the Diamond Head lookouts.