Skipper born to lead

Race strengthens mom-daughter bond

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When captain Lindsey Anne Austin, a 22-year-old North Shore resident, invited her mother, Donna Austin, to be part of the women's crew competing in the Transpacific Yacht Race, Donna insisted that her daughter needed "younger blood" on board.

But Lindsey took charge. "You're my most important person!" she told her 52-year-old mother, who is serving as Lindsey's watch captain from California to Hawaii.

"I was really flattered," said Donna. But it's not entirely sentimental; the partnership works. Even in the most extreme circumstances -- on deck in a storm in the thick of night with 18- to 20-foot swells crashing over them during a three-week sail -- Donna said they "don't really need to talk to each other." An inherent understanding of what needs to get done provides ample communication. And efficiency.

Lindsey and her female crew, along with boat owner, navigator and Honolulu resident William Myers, started yesterday with the first wave of cruiser-class vessels. Look for Cirrus, their Standfast 40, to arrive at the Waikiki Yacht Club 10 to 13 days from now.

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LINDSEY Anne Austin is not your average 22-year-old. The Hawaii resident is on the ocean right now, leading a crew in the Transpacific Yacht Race, making her one of the youngest skippers ever -- rivaled this year only by the crew of Roy Disney's Morning Light.

Her adventure started when boat owner William Myers ran into trouble trying to deliver Cirrus, his 40-foot Standfast, from Hawaii to California. Austin offered to help. "He liked my sailing style," she said. When she finished the job, she asked him if she could race Cirrus in the Transpac, from Long Beach, Calif., to Honolulu. The 72-year-old veteran of 14 Pacific crossings agreed, and offered to navigate for the women's crew.

It's no wonder Myers trusted her abilities. Fifty years his junior, she's already sailed across the ocean 10 times.

Because Cirrus is based in Hawaii and the race starts in California, Austin and her mother, Donna Austin, along with Myers and another crew member, spent a grueling 21 days transporting the boat to Long Beach. Lack of wind, limited fuel and frightening weather prolonged the trip to the point where provisions were reduced to canned food and rice. After a few days of rest, they began the 2,225-mile journey again yesterday, when the cruiser class started the race.

"I feel prepared," Lindsey stated with confidence as she considered the responsibility on her shoulders.

For good reason. Both her parents are passionate about sailing, and Lindsey spent much of her childhood on her father's 80-foot steel-hull research vessel as they traveled through the Central and South Pacific counting fish and birds. She also raced dinghies in the junior sailing program at Waikiki Yacht Club from age 8 to 16. When she reached high school, Donna began home-schooling her.

By 17, Lindsey had obtained her ship captain's license from the Hawaii Maritime Licensing Center, as well as her U.S. Coast Guard captain's license -- achievements that require two years of accumulated time at sea along with skill and knowledge usually obtained much later in life.

Though she has never raced the Transpac, she has accrued experience delivering racing boats for people who prefer to sail them one way across the ocean.

"Nobody wants to sail a boat to California, because that's the hard way," she said. "It's like running uphill."

IN THE PAST, crossing the ocean has been everything except a competition to Lindsey. But last year, her mother completed her first open-ocean race from San Francisco to Hawaii, motivating Lindsey in ways she had not anticipated. "It had never occurred to me to do a race; I saw her training for it, and it was really inspirational."

Asked about the dynamics on board, with daughter in charge and living quarters tight, Lindsey laughed. "We get a kick out of it," she said. "There are no issues about the role reversal. We both trust each other's judgment."

Donna pointed out that mutual faith is essential because on open ocean crossings, "you don't call 911," she said. "But Lindsey's smart and technically savvy when it comes to sailing in a way that I'm not. My daughter's a really unique person, and it's not a surprise that she's doing this. It's kind of par for the course."

Lindsey lives on the North Shore of Oahu and works every other month as a flight attendant for a family with a private jet. Though she could not reveal the family's name, she said they, too, are avid sailors, have been enormously supportive of her commitment to this event and made efforts to accommodate her training schedule along the way.

Lindsey and her mother harbor several goals beyond finishing. One includes starting a scholarship fund to help underprivileged children attend camp to learn to sail (Donna already teaches women to sail on a volunteer basis because she believes the sport helps build confidence).

Until then, said Lindsey, "We hope to have a lot of fun, have a safe crossing, place in our category and maybe inspire some younger women sailors to try it."