The Official
Website of the
International
Sailing Federation

Based on the premise of 'the youngest crew ever to sail Transpac,' the film will chronicle the recruitment, training and performance of sailors as young as 18 through the next race in July of 2007. On their own, they will sail a Transpac 52 called Morning Light, the working title of the film. None will be actors. There will be no script and no preconceived outcome.

Full Aloha Treatment

After a nationwide search for the crew last year, the start of 2007 has seen the team receive the full aloha treatment in the 50th state. Honolulu Mayor Mufi HANNEMANN said, 'We welcome the Morning Light sailors back for training and we wish them all good luck and god speed in this summer's biennial Transpac race. Honolulu welcomes Transpac every two years, but the presence of the all-star team of young sailors who make up the Morning Light crew - including Mark TOWILL of Kaneohe - makes this one special.'

One of the team's first outings will be to see the Polynesian sailing canoe Hokule'a off on its momentous 7,000 mile cruise to Micronesia early Thursday morning. Master navigator Nainoa THOMPSON schooled the team in the ancient techniques of navigation during two days of sailing in November. Photos of that Thanksgiving weekend experience are available for download at www.papahui.com.

'I was impressed by their eagerness to learn about Polynesian sailing traditions and the many similarities with what they're doing today,'

Aiming For A Transpac Record

At race time, the average age of the 15 sailors will be 21.2 years, a full year under the record. But they will be doing it alone with no ocean racing veterans on board, and DISNEY - who simultaneously will be sailing the maxZ86 Pyewacket in his 16th Transpac - is going to make sure they are ready.

'Part of what we want to accomplish in this first session is the safety-at-sea business of handling life rafts, man-overboard drills, CPR and emergency medical procedure,'

Only four days of sailing are scheduled this time, starting on Saturday. Otherwise, they will be occupied learning the less glamorous but critical procedures from a team led by Chuck HAWLEY of West Marine, who has been conducting pre-race seminars for Transpac and other ocean races for years.

Also, Stan HONEY (USA), who charted ABN AMRO ONE's victorious course in the recent Volvo Ocean Race, will be drilling them on navigation, and Fuzz FOSTER of North Sails will teach them how to patch up torn sails at sea.

Determination of crew positions will come later.

DISNEY said, 'That's going to be an ongoing process. A few of the kids kind of know where they're going to be [on the boat], and there's a bunch who don't who are pretty good at many things. A lot of it is going to be determined by them as much as by us.'

Versatility Important

Versatility was a consideration in the selection process at Long Beach last August when the 30 candidates culled from 538 applicants were reduced to the 15 now in Hawaii.

'Absolutely,'

As DISNEY spoke on the phone from the Morning Light office atop the Hawaii Prince, he interrupted himself to make a sudden observation, 'We have an incredible double rainbow outside the window right now… just beautiful. It comes right down to here. I hope it's a good omen.'