TP 52c?

As an addendum to the story below, we just heard that the Andrews-designed Victoria 5 is going under the knife to put a canting keel on! I guess that pretty much queers their participation in the class, eh?

I spoke with Scott Dixon, project manager of V5 and he said Matt Brown, (see "CBTF" below) is doing the design work of the new canting keel, with the work to be done by Choate here in So Cal. They are hoping to make it to the Great Lakes for summer. This ought to be interesting as hell, and we'll try to get a feature on it as soon as we can. And while it's got to make the boat faster, it surely can't make the owners of the other TP 52's very happy - it is not exactly adding to the strength of the class.

Maybe they'll all decide to do it? Maybe not.

TP 52 Update

With the mostly dismal offerings in IMS, IRC or any other type of Grand Prix racing save for REALLY big boats, the TP 52 stands as a glimmer of hope for how big boat racing at that level should be done. Wicked fast, relatively simple, and a stable box rule format, this could be the model for future classes. We got an update from the class and wanted to share it with y'all - Ed.

Alta Vita (Davidson) & Yassou (Nelson) will be at Yachting Cup in San Diego May 2-4 for sure. Not sure about Victoria 5.(Andrews)

Flash (ex-J-Bird 3 and a great new owner named Mark Jones) is camped out in Ensenada until end of May doing the 90-day marina thing so count her out til then.

Rosebud (R/P) is currently doing a race from west coast of Florida to Isla Mujeres (Cancun). She will be moving on to Chicago to Mackinaw and then on to BBS.

Beau Geste (Farr) and Braveheart (Bakell-White) are still under construction. Beau Geste will be delivered to west coast in late may. Braveheart will show up in Sacramento area (don't ask) from New Zealand at end of August.

Pendragon 4 (Davidson) the orginal TP 52 will probably be at Yachting Cup as well.

Ken Read has a Client who is about 99% done on a new Transpac 52 for next year. So the fleet continues to grow slowly. As the world looks to the rule makers to come up with a grandprix rule, the market place seems to be solving the problem. Their are guys out there willing to spend $750k for a
Transpac 52 who are not waiting.

Four Transpac 52 will be doing the Encinal Yacht Club Coastal Race on June 14 that starts in San Francisco and finishes at Arrow Point on the west end of Catalina. (Alta Vita, Beau Geste, Flash & Yassou).

The Class is currently planning on having a private Hawaiian Islands Championship Series after the 2004 Pacific Cup. (why leave paradise to run home?) That would make as many as eight Transpac 52's in the Pacific Cup and following Hawaii series. Probably 5 buoy races, a middle distance 50 mile race, and a 140 mile Molokai Race all being run out of the Ali Wai in Honolulu. No around the State Crap or getting stuck in the lee of 12,000 tall volcanos. Stay tuned.

4/29/2003