Volunteers prepare an Aloha welcome in Hawaii

by Rich Roberts on 9 Feb 2005 Of the three venues for the Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii, Los Angeles where it starts, 2,225 nautical miles of Pacific Ocean and finally Honolulu where it finishes - the latter lies somewhat under the radar until the first boats arrive in July.

An army of more than 300 volunteers on about 20 committees is already preparing to meet each member of the fleet with the warmest welcome in sailing.

Traditionally, an assigned group of 5 to 20 hosts, depending on the size of the crew, greets each finisher at Ala Wai Yacht Harbor in Waikiki with full Hawaiian hospitality of food, drink, music and sometimes hula girls, no matter what time of day or night its arrival.

With 37 paid entries already filed - almost halfway to the record of 80 boats in 1979 - this year may be a challenge.

‘It's getting harder,’ said Don Brown, the 2005 Honolulu chairman for the race, ‘but the tradition will go on as always. The aloha spirit endures. Every boat will have the usual party.’

Santana, whose most famous of several illustrious owners was the late Humphrey Bogart, is the first boat to sign up for the ‘Transpac Centennial Celebration,’ a parade and exhibition start of vintage boats on the day the largest racing boats start on Sunday, July 17.

Bogie, who owned the boat with Lauren Bacall from 1945 until his death in 1957, never raced it to Hawaii, but it was sailed by W.L. Stewart Jr. in the 1936 Transpac as a 55-foot schooner, then returned in 1961 under W.L. Nickell as a yawl and in 1965 as a cutter. This year also marks the 70th birthday of the boat, which was designed by Olin Stephens in 1935. Although it has had several owners, it has always been known as ‘Bogie's boat.’

Paul and Christine Kaplan of Alameda, Calif., have owned it since 1998. He said, ‘The boat has so much history in Southern California that we thought it would be fun to do some of the wooden boat regattas down there, and we're also going to do the Newport-to-Ensenada [race] in the Ancient Mariner class.’

The boat was sunk in port for a couple of days late in 1997 when a bilge pump check valve stuck open. Kaplan and his wife bought it nine months later after it had languished into disrepair and brought it to their boatyard. Then he dug into its past and created a Web site with the boat's history, including photos and profiles of its famous Hollywood owners:

http://www.thesantana.com/history.htm

‘I never knew the boat had started life as a schooner,’ Kaplan said. ‘I only knew it as a yawl. I've always preferred schooner rigs because I think they're kind of pretty. We knew the boat was going to need a major refit, so we elected to put it back in its original configuration. It's been a delightful way to spend untold sums of money.’

Ragtime, a Transpac icon for its low, graceful lines and stunning and successive Barn Door victories in 1973 and '75, has been purchased at auction by three Southern California sailors who plan to race it to Hawaii again this summer.

Alan Peterson, 39; Chris Welsh, 41, and Jon Richards, 41, made a winning bid of $120,500 at the Jan. 21 event that drew some enthusiastic bidders, along with many observers simply concerned for the boat's future.

‘If you see Ragtime once, you know she's a special boat, even if you are a plastic boater,’ said Peterson, who is commodore of the Wooden Hull Yacht Club and was the designated bidder for the group. ‘For me, she's a dream. I'm a sucker for sentimental heritage and legacy and nostalgia. My first passion is sailing, and sailing on classic wooden hulls.’

The boat last sailed Transpac in 2001 under charter to Trish Steele, a Maui resident who recently bought another icon, Merlin, and also will do the Centennial race. Thus, the two boats will maintain their tie for the most Transpacs at 13.

Ragtime needs some minor restoration, much of which the new owners will do themselves.

Welsh said, ‘Anyone who is concerned about clichéd stereotypes of wealthy buyers is welcome to call us.

'We have spots open in sanding, bilge cleaning, check writing and jib trimming, but she will definitely be ready to do the Transpac,’ Peterson said.



All information: www.transpacificyc.org