Long Beach learns
how to handle race

The smaller, slower boats in the fleet -- 33 in all -- had their start off the Southern California coastline on Monday, while the majority of the fleet began the race yesterday.

A final start will come tomorrow, when the largest and fastest boats will hit the starting line in this 2,225-mile granddaddy of all blue water races.

By using a six-day-long staggered-start, organizers expect most of the fleet to arrive in Hawaii between July 24 and 28. But what will they find when they get here?

For nearly 50 years, the 500-row of slips at Ala Wai Harbor has been known as "Transpac Row," where boats were berthed in the order of their finish.

These slips have always been available because the boat owners who rent the slips year-round have been required to relocate their vessels for a week or so every odd year at Transpac time.

This allowed the individual aloha welcoming parties -- and the media -- to easily move from one boat to the next and it often turned into one long block party. Sadly though, this year things are different.

Because so many slips in the harbor have been condemned or demolished (primarily due to inadequate maintenance by the Boating Division of the Department of Land and Natural Resources) this year's fleet will be scattered around the harbor.

In fact, had it not been for the Waikiki Yacht Club's generous donation of a number of floating docks to the state, it's doubtful the whole fleet could have even been accommodated.

This year especially, one can't help but marvel at the dichotomy in priorities and planning between our state and the City of Long Beach.

Long Beach decided to create a "Transpac Village" at its downtown Rainbow (no relation to UH) Harbor, near the historic Queen Mary and the Pike Amusement Park.

By offering Transpac skippers free moorings and publicizing their presence prior to the race, the city hopes to make Transpac Village the crown jewel of its annual Sea Festival celebration.

"For many of us, sailing is a part of our lives, and now we can share it with the community and our visitors," said Drew Satariano, president of the Sea Festival Association.

Along with having the Transpac yachts on informal display in the harbor, which is surrounded by shops and restaurants, a Transpac Walk of Fame has been created to honor every winner since 1906.

As I have noted before, Honolulu's unique aloha welcome has always been a special part of Transpac's appeal to sailors, and I'm sure, thanks to many wonderful individuals and companies, it will remain so.

But, can aloha alone make up for our state's obvious disregard for its recreational boating facilities? I imagine the differences between Long Beach's new Transpac Village and the Ala Wai's marginal marina will not go unnoticed.