(07-26-2007) - (July 25, 2007) Going south late in the 44th Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii has paid off dramatically in battles between classic boats of the old and modern eras. Over a period of 24 hours Steve Calhoun's Psyche won a battle of Cal 40s, and a bold move by John Kilroy Jr.'s Samba Pa Ti
apparently put Morning Light's rival Transpac 52 deep in arrears with only a day's sailing to go Wednesday. Meantime, Hawaii-based On the Edge of Destiny, sailed by five young men comprising the youngest crew ever to sail Transpac---average age 19.8---finished in the light of a bright three-quarter moon floating low on the horizon just after 1 a.m. Wednesday to claim a third-place podium finish in Division 5.
But it was Monday's brash call apparently by Samba Pa Ti navigator Nick White that caught everyone---especially the young Morning Light team and its shore supporters---by surprise. In Tuesday morning's roll call position reports, Samba Pa Ti was so far south that knowledgeable observers thought its posted location at Latitude 19-21 east of Hilo on the big island was in error. Nope, just a desperate but well-calculated end run to shake off Morning Light by sailing farther to gain leverage in stronger winds south of the usual path to Diamond Head. By Wednesday morning Samba Pa Ti, sailing two knots faster at 11.6, had gone from 31 nautical miles behind Morning Light to 19 miles ahead. -- For the complete Wednesday report:
http://tinyurl.com/2em8pj
-- Look for the ETAs from the yachts as they near Hawaii, the actual Finish Reports, and then the Daily Standings at http://www.transpacificyc.org
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