Hawai'i's dynamic sailing duo of Dan Doyle and Bruce Burgess won't go unnoticed in this year's 43rd Biennial Transpacific Yacht Race.

After winning consecutive titles in 2001 and 2003, the two Waikiki Yacht Club sailors are favorites in the Transpac's doublehanded division.

"We're hoping to repeat," said Doyle, whose "Two Guys on the Edge" yacht also won in 1999 with Burgess and Les Vasconcellos as crew. "One of the sailing magazines in San Francisco picked us to win. I'm sure that's going to be a jinx."

The Transpac — a 2,225-nautical-mile race that starts offshore Los Angeles tomorrow and finishes at Diamond Head, O'ahu — is considered one of the most prestigious ocean races in the world, routinely attracting millionaires, America's Cup skippers and top professionals.

Seventy-five yachts and more than 420 sailors representing 12 states and six countries are scheduled to participate in the race that is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

Doyle and Burgess will be one of seven entries in the doublehanded or two-person division. They will sail on a 35-foot sloop that will launch Friday because of the race's staggered-start format.

The doublehanded division is a grueling, two-person ocean marathon. Participants must be jacks-of-all-trades — chefs, watermen and troubleshooters — and be able to operate on a few hours of sleep each day.

"For us, the demands are substantial," Doyle said. "We spend two hours sailing, and two hours sleeping at night. When you get off watch, you go below deck, and you've got to navigate and cook."

The duo must also rig large sails, maintain radio communications and have great teamwork.

"From the start to the end of the race, there are only two sailors who are doing all of the things usually reserved for four, five or more people," said Bobbie Jennings, who has covered the Transpac for 36 years as a television, radio and print journalist. "These two sailors are really working all the time."

Some of the Transpac yachts have more than a dozen crew members and one, the Shanakee II, features hot water, interior air conditioning, a big screen television and a freezer. Doyle and Burgess prefer no such amenities, as the duo nearly went without eating utensils on one trip.

Doyle said such luxuries in open ocean racing "take the fun out of it."

"The fewer the amenities, and the more you're relying on you and your crew member, the more of a challenge it is," Doyle said. "The more satisfaction you get out of it."

During the race, Doyle and Burgess eat freeze-dried food because it's lightweight, and Doyle said they normally each drop 8 to 10 pounds from start to finish.

"Your appetite tends to go away halfway through the race because everything is kind of the same," said Doyle, who has eaten freeze-dried Thai chicken and pasta meals on ocean journeys.

This week, for the first two or three days of the race, yachts will race upwind, putting Doyle and Burgess at a disadvantage against heavy, fully crewed boats.

Doyle said he wanted to sail "up," or north, for the first few days, and then take advantage of downward, tailwinds the remainder of the race.

"We want to keep the boat 'up,' sailing at a higher course, usually a little bit higher than the direct line to Hawai'i," Doyle said. "If you get too far south — which is a real easy tendency for a lightweight boat — it makes it difficult to do well later in the race."

Doyle said the Hawai'i yacht should perform better after the sixth or seventh day because it will be carrying less food and less people.

"We have a 1,000-pound advantage on some of the other fully crewed boats," Doyle said. "That's when we come into our own. I would say if we finish in 10 1/2 days, I'll be pretty pleased."

Doyle said the seven yachts entered in the doublehanded division is the most the Transpac has fielded. This will be the fifth Transpac for "Two Guys on the Edge," and the third with Doyle and Burgess as teammates.

"The fact that Bruce and I have sailed so many thousands of miles together doublehanded will hopefully give us an edge," Doyle said. "We do have some tough competition. We're hoping the experience quotient tips things in our favor."

NOTES

The Transpac started in 1906 and ran every even-numbered year through 1936 except for 10 years during World War I, then changed to odd-numbered years in 1939 so it wouldn't conflict with the Bermuda Race in the Atlantic. ... Dan Doyle and Bruce Burgess have dedicated races to lymphoma survivors such as Natalie Frazier of Mililani, and Gary Jobson, a world-class sailor and ESPN commentator. ... The Transpac has entries from 12 states (Washington, Tennessee, California, Oregon, Texas, Michigan, Illinois, Alaska, Florida, Colorado, Maryland and Hawai'i) and six countries (Japan, Germany, Mexico, Canada, Australia and United States). ... B'Quest-Challenged America, a team of disabled sailors, will be racing in this year's race. Two crew members are blind, one is a quadriplegic, one is a paraplegic and two are leg amputees. ... America's Cup winner Russell Coutts is scheduled to sail on the Morning Glory.

Reach Brandon Masuoka at bmasuoka@honoluluadvertiser .com or 535-2458.

BARN DOOR TROPHY WINNERS

FASTEST ELAPSED TIME, MONOHULL

YEAR ENTRIES BOAT OWNER/SKIPPER TIME**

1906 3 LURLINE H.H. SINCLAIR 12:09:59*

1908 4 LURLINE H.H. SINCLAIR 13:21:31

1910 3 HAWAII SYNDICATE 14:03:23

1912 4 LURLINE A.E. DAVIS 13:17:03

1923 (S.BARB.) 4 MARINER L.A. NORRIS 11:14:46

1926 6 INVADER DON M. LEE 12:02:48:03*

1928 (BALBOA) 6 TALAYHA L. LIPPMAN 13:04:58:30