Ninety years after her launch, Dorade will compete in the 3570-mile race from Los Angeles to Tahiti, beginning May 28, 2020. Organized by the Transpacific Yacht Club, the Transpac Tahiti Race was last staged in 2012 and has been raced 15 times since its first edition in 1925.
Matt has had his eye on this race for years. “The Tahiti race has always been on my bucket list. It’s a very significant race, and I love long, substantial, challenging bluewater races.”
The other four entries to date range from Pyewacket and Zephyrus, two modern speedsters at 70 and 77 feet long, the Class 40 design Nacira and a Morgan 38.2 Dad’s Dream. The Offshore Racing Rule (ORR) will be used to handicap the boats using a custom wind matrix for the different conditions expected across the thousands of miles the fleet will sail.
Matt acknowledges that the competition will be significant. “If we complete the 3570-mile race in good order, we’ll have accomplished something.”
Sailing with Matt in the race will be many of Dorade’s regular roster, including Matt Wachowicz, Kevin Miller, Eric Chowanski, John Hayes, and Mike Giles. Steve Branaugh, will be joining the crew, several of whom were aboard when Dorade won the 2013 Transpac between Los Angeles and Hawaii.
The finish for the race, in Papeete, Tahiti, is organized by Archipelagoes, which promotes “nautical tourism and the maritime economy in French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and the South Pacific.” Completing the race amidst one of several South Pacific island groups fits with Matt and Pam’s vision for Dorade.
“One of our goals,” says Pam, “is to do races in places where people may never have seen Dorade—different audiences to see the boat is competitive after all these years.”