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Big race misses Hawaii

It's often been said there is safety in numbers, and there's perhaps no place where that old adage is truer than on the open ocean.

That is, I'm sure, why the largest numbers of visiting yachts to our state arrive as contestants in such mainland-to-Hawaii races as Transpac or the Pacific Cup.

It follows then that if an island or even several island nations wanted to attract world-cruising yachts to their ports, the best way would be to organize a race of some kind.

This is what the recently announced Superyacht Pacific Rally is all about I'm sure, and why Water Ways reader Bill Littell brought it to my attention.

"Shouldn't this be the kind of thing people in our state should be doing?" he asked.

The rally Littell was referring to is being promoted and organized by AYSS Superyacht Agents, in cooperation with the governments of Panama, Ecuador, French Polynesia, Tonga, Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand and Australia.

According to the rules, eligible yachts must have a minimum length-on-deck of 75 feet, but may be either sail or motor vessels.

The organizers claim the rally has been created in response to the growing interest owners of large yachts have shown in cruising the South Pacific, but they also mention it's hoped it will increase sustainable yacht traffic to the region.

"Special attention will be focused on eliminating unnecessary red tape and providing easy fuel and provisioning points throughout the Pacific," they promise. "Streamlined entry, exit and cruising permits will also be available."

Timed to miss the South Pacific's hurricane season, the rally's route will take the fleet -- which is limited to 25 vessels -- over a nearly 8,000-mile, seven-leg course that will begin in Salinas, Ecuador, on April 1, 2006.

The first leg will be 950 miles to the Galapagos Islands, followed by the longest leg -- 3,000 miles -- west to the Marquesas Islands, where they will arrive about May 1.

From the Marquesas, the fleet will head 750 miles south to Tahiti, then 1,350 miles farther west to Tonga on legs three and four.

On Aug. 15, the fleet will continue west on leg five for another 400 miles to Fiji and then steer southwest for 600 miles to New Caledonia to complete leg six.

Leg seven will consist of an 850-mile run south to Auckland, with the final 1,100-mile westward leg to Sydney finishing around Feb.1.

What is hoped to emerge from this Superyacht Pacific Rally is an increased awareness of both the South Pacific as a boaters' playground and the relatively close proximity of New Zealand and Australia's high-tech yacht service facilities.

The rally organizers state their goal is to ensure a safe, fun, hassle-free passage throughout the South Pacific region for both sailing and motor yachts.

Littell is right. Hawaii -- the Aloha State -- should be fostering similar goals for welcoming more visiting yachts to its waters.