Transpac

2,225 Miles into the Trade Winds: What You Need to Know About Transpac 2027

Point Fermin, Diamond Head, and in between, the entire North Pacific to tame. From July 1st to 18th, 2027, the Transpacific Yacht Race will once again contest its century-old trophies on the Los Angeles–Honolulu route. With one major change: the switch to 100% IRC for the main classes.

A Single Rating to Refocus the Game

Gone are the mixed ORR/IRC cycles. The 2027 Notice of Race is clear: IRC will be the sole rating rule. The decision simplifies things for international teams and promises a more homogeneous fleet from a regulatory standpoint—even though, on the water, a vintage Cal 40 and a hot TP52 obviously have little in common.

That's precisely the magic of corrected time: in this race, everyone can aim for the grail.

For crews already in preparation mode, technical seminars kicked off as early as February 2026. Optimizing sail configurations according to the latest IRC 2026/2027 rating evolutions will be a decisive lever.

From 1906 to Today: A Monument of Offshore Racing

Transpac was born from an idea by Clarence MacFarlane in 1906. Since then, it has weathered two world wars, witnessed architectural revolutions, and never stopped attracting the offshore racing elite.

Its DNA lives in two legendary trophies:

• The King Kalakaua Trophy, created in 1886 by the King of Hawaii himself, rewards the overall winner on corrected time.
• The Barn Door Trophy—a massive carved Koa wood plaque—crowns the fastest monohull in elapsed time, without stored mechanical assistance.

In 1977, Bill Lee and his Merlin sparked the West Coast lightweight "sled" revolution. Forty-eight years later, their legacy continues to infuse the design of boats entered today.

The Pacific Corridor: Strategy in Three Acts

The course hasn't changed by a mile: Point Fermin (Los Angeles) → Diamond Head (Honolulu), a straight-line distance of 2,225 nautical miles. Reality is more complex.

Act 1—The California Escape. Coastal winds, often light and unstable, trap the impatient. Every mile gained here is paid for with patience.

Act 2—Hunting the Trades. Finding the ideal entry point into the northeast winds—not too far north (added distance), not too far south (risk of dead calm). This is where routing decisions are made and remade.

Act 3—The Molokai Channel. The final approach, with Diamond Head's crater taking shape on the horizon. A moment every competitor remembers for life.

Staggered Starts: The Race Within the Race

To keep the party going at the Honolulu finish, starts are spread over several days. The slowest boats head out first. Maxis and multihulls depart last and chase the fleet like wolves unleashed on the pack.

The result: compressed arrivals, tightening corrected-time standings, and tension that never lets up.

Forces in Play: Who to Watch in 2027?

Barn Door Hunters (Elapsed Time)

• Rio 100: This 100-foot Bakewell-White grabbed the trophy in 2015, 2017, and 2023. A machine calibrated for Transpac.
• Comanche: Holder of the absolute record—5 days, 1 hour, and 55 minutes (2017)—and a 24-hour burst of 484.1 miles, averaging 20.2 knots. The pure speed reference.
• Pyewacket 70: Roy P. Disney's team, a true racing dynasty, claimed the Barn Door in 2021 in 5 days and 16 hours.

King Kalakaua Contenders (Corrected Time)

Recent winners illustrate the fleet's impressive diversity:

• 2025: Restless (Cal 40)—proof that classic designs remain formidable
• 2023: Westerly (Santa Cruz 52)—a pure West Coast product
• 2021: Warrior Won (Pac 52)—modern machines dominating

Find entered boats and compare their characteristics on spencer.club.

Trophies at Stake

The distinction between Barn Door and Merlin Trophy dates back to 2009, when Alfa Romeo II became the first to use stored energy for hydraulic systems. Since then, purists and tech enthusiasts each have their grail.

Weather: The Real Boss of the Race

The position of the Pacific High will decide everything.

Dream scenario: High pressure locked in to the north, strong and steady trades, continuous surfing toward Hawaii. These are the conditions when records fall—like in 1997 and 2017, during favorable El Niño/La Niña cycles.

Nightmare scenario: Extended calm zone off California, fleet stuck for days. Or trades disrupted by a fickle El Niño, reshuffling the deck in favor of smaller boats that left early.

The 2027 navigators will need to prepare multiple routing scenarios. Tactical flexibility will trump raw power.

Safety: Autonomy as the Only Guarantee

At 2,225 miles from any serious assistance, Transpac imposes stringent safety standards. History reminds us: keel incidents, rudder failures, structural damage on high-performance boats—the remoteness of the course doesn't forgive approximation.

Pre-race structural inspections remain mandatory, and total crew autonomy is non-negotiable.

Heading for Diamond Head

Transpac 2027 returns to fundamentals with its IRC fleet while carrying the legacy of records that shattered the six-day barrier, then the five-day barrier. For amateurs on their Cal 40s as well as pros aboard 100-foot maxis, the goal remains the same: watching Diamond Head's silhouette pierce the horizon after an epic Pacific crossing.

Follow race updates and check the full calendar on spencer.club.