Honolulu's Doyle makes Transpac race
Advertiser Staff
Once again, tragedy struck Dan Doyle in his attempt to sail in the Transpacific Yacht Race.
Only this time, with the help of friends, the Honolulu businessman was able to get his 30-footer Two Guys on the Edge under way as the Division III and IV fleets set sail for Hawai'i from the Palos Verdes (Calif.) Peninsula start.
Four years ago, Doyle started the race only to see his boat sustain a broken rudder, forcing it to pull out.
Two years ago, he had to abandon his attempt because "I had sort of a business crisis at the 11th hour." Doyle replaced himself with Les Vasconcellos, who teamed with Bruce Burgess to outsail several larger, fully crewed boats.
That made yesterday's start of the 41st Transpac all the more meaningful for Doyle, president of a real estate investment firm in Honolulu.
"This has been a goal of mine all along," he said. "There is absolutely nothing that can stop me from doing it this time."
Or so he thought.
Moments after the four-minute warning gun had sounded, Burgess attempted to raise the headsail but found it wouldn't fit into the groove of the headfoil. He removed his lifejacket — required by Transpac rules to be worn for the start and finish — and slammed it to the deck. Then Doyle did the same, and they slumped together in the cockpit in despair.
Doyle told observers on a press boat, "We broke our headfoil the other day and ordered a new one, and the new one was the wrong size. We're finished."
Then, Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club member Kirk Wilson, who had brought his boat out to watch the start, pulled alongside Doyle's boat and offered a suggestion: raise the headsail by attaching it by the head and tack. Meanwhile, he and his crew would strip off their headfoil and cut it down to size to fit Doyle's Sonoma 30.
The maneuver worked, and though Doyle will likely be penalized for receiving outside assistance, he and Burgess were able to sail off with the rest of the fleet.
Doyle has a special purpose for sailing this time. He has dedicated his entry to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and has added an honorary crew member: 12-year-old leukemia survivor Natalie Frazier of Mililani. Frazier will monitor the race from her home via ham radio.
Doyle said, "It is hoped that the challenge of our shorthanded effort, along with being the smallest entrant in this year's race, will draw attention to the many individuals like Natalie that often face great challenges in the race against blood-related cancers. To see and feel the inspiration of Natalie makes one aware of how precious life is."
The Aloha Division fleet set sail June 25 and has been struggling in lighter-than-normal winds.
The largest boats in the race — Divisions I and II — take off on the 2,225-nautical mile journey today.
The three favorites to post the fastest elapsed time are Roy E. Disney's 73-foot Pyewacket, Bob McNulty's 74-foot Chance and Philippe Kahn's 75-foot Pegasus.
Pyewacket won the 1999 race in a record time of 7 days, 11 hours, 41 minutes, 27 seconds.
First finishers should be arriving in Hawai'i around July 9-10.
According to Daniel Weyant, rear commodore for sail at the Waikiki Yacht Club, the race is staggered "to try to compress the finish times. ... the point is to get here as fast as you can."
The first boats to start are cruising class vessels, not using spinnakers, Weyant said.
The second group is composed of fast race boats.
"Doyle's is an all-out race boat," said Weyant, who helped build the rudder on Doyle's boat.
The third group consists of "50-footers," Weyant said, "Those are the big race boats. Each one of those boats cost $5 million."
Weyant, who has sailed with Doyle for seven years, did not join him for the Transpac.
"I did the race before and have no desire to do it again," Weyant said.
Standings as of yesterday (by handicap ratings):
ALOHA DIVISION A
1. Seda (Ericson 41), Josef Sedivec, Bonita, Calif., 1,586 miles to go.
2. Willow Wind (Cal 40), Wendy Siegal, Sunset Beach, Calif., 1,567.
3. Shanakee II (Pedrick 75), Jim Warmington, Balboa, 1,426.
4. Bonaire (Moody 65), Gil Jones and Associates, Newport Beach, 1,497.
5. Sea Dancer (Ericson 35), Al Wheatman, Marina del Rey, 1,616.
6. Gecko (Tartan 41), Jim Fabrick, Laguna Beach, 1,611.
ALOHA DIVISION B
1. Axapac (Wylie 39), Barry Ruff, Vancouver, B.C., 1,511.
2. Stardust (Wylie 46), Peter and Patricia Anderson, Laguna Beach, 1,490.
Transpac spokesman Rich Roberts contributed to this story.
