Sydney 40-T on target to win Transpac

by Martin Thompson on 10 Jul 2001 Tense wait for maxi racer Pegasus, as Sydney 40-T threatens Transpac
handicap win.

Philippe Kahn’s 75-foot light displacement downwind flier Pegasus
stormed home in the 2225 mile Transpac (Los Angeles to Hawaii race.)
today. Pegasus beat the other two 70 footers Pyewacket by half an hour
and Chance, by two hours.

The question now is can Pegasus take the coveted Transpac sweep: Best
elapsed time, First in class and First overall on corrected time. That
last happened back in 1993.

There appears to be only one boat, that can stop it happening.
Californian’s Seth Radow's Bull, a Sydney 40-T leading in Division III.
Bull needs to hold her current speed of just under 10 knots over the
last 350 miles, finishing by dawn on Wednesday to beat Pegasus on
handicap time.

As the trade winds closer to the Hawaiian Islands are blowing steadily
in the 15-knot range, the little 40 footer is a still a chance of taking
the handicap prize, so it will be a tense 36 hour wait for Philippe Kahn
and his Pegasus team.

Sydney Yachts CEO David Kellett is delighted with the excellent
performance of the latest Sydney 40 to come from the Australian factory.

‘We are all hoping the wind holds in for the last 300 miles for Seth
Radow and his crew, but regardless of the outcome, it is particularly
pleasing that this brand new boat, whose mast only went in two weeks
before the start, has performed so well in her very first race, a 2,225
mile ocean classic.

We’ve been working hard to make sure that all the Sydney Yachts are
ready to race and win, straight out of the box. This kind of performance
has been happening regularly with our fastest selling design the Sydney
38 OD. It’s this construction quality and care that has made Sydney
Yachts the largest volume yacht builder in the Southern hemisphere.“

Bull’s performance is all the more impressive because the Sydney 40’s
are not light displacement sleds but all purpose Sydney to Hobart and
offshore boats.

Andy Dovell from Australian designers Murray Burns Dovell is keenly
following the race.

“Even in Turbo configuration, the Sydney 40 is better suited to the
heavier going typical of her home turf than the light airs of Southern
California. The changes we have made with the keel have allowed her to
hang in there in the lighter going. Now with the wind strength building
in the late stages of the race I would expect Bull to really step out.
Our fingers are crossed here at MBD. “