DOWNWIND TO HAWAII

First raced in 1906, the 2,225 nautical mile race from Los Angeles to Diamond Head in Honolulu is one of the classic ocean races, alongside the Fastnet, the Sydney Hobart and the Newport to Bermuda.

This July, in the record fleet of 100 boats, there will be two British-campaigned boats among the favourites, as well as some notable others with strong British connections. There are, of course, some non-Brits with victory plans of their own.

The chance to sail in the 50th anniversary edition of this race has proved a big attraction, bringing in the numbers, however 75% of the skippers are doing the race for the first time.

Transpac spokesman Dobbs Davis, himself a five-race veteran, explains some of the allure of this classic, which has seen so many great moments in ocean racing over its 113-year history. “It seems that living on the US west coast, many-a-sailor looking out to the Pacific