Conceived by a Wizard, Hatched in a Chicken Coop, Flying Fast and Fun, Merlin was born for the Transpac!
The Merlin Mission
The team was established in 2017 after Chip Merlin, a Tampa based attorney, purchased the iconic sailboat from Bill Lee, the ship’s creator. Chip Merlin has done quite a bit of east coast sailing, mostly in Annapolis, Maryland and Mobile, Alabama. His most recent program being the B-32 “Chips All In” sailing out of the Davis Island Yacht Club.
With the new crew, the boat sailed in its first race from St. Petersburg to Habana, Cuba, on February 26, 2018 and was first In Line Honours and first in its class.
Merlin Yacht Racing brings innovation and nostalgia to the sport of sailboat racing. With the boat weighing 24,000 pounds, a beam of 12 feet, and a sail area of 1,800 square feet, the hours of engineering that were spent to create the Merlin in 1977 made sailing a large ultralight-displacement boat something special – the motto “Fast is Fun” lives on.
Merlin represents the boundless enthusiasm of the seventies and the mystique of unconquered waters of today.
Recent News
Transpac Progress Report
July 21, 2019
Day 8 brings beautiful views and our first step on solid ground in over a week. Overall, we traveled 2382 NM over 8 days 3 hours 32 minutes 14 seconds.
Transpac Progress Report
July 16, 2019
Day 3 of the race and its been busy. Running under spinnaker now for several days means that in addition to sailing hard we have to continuously check the gear and fix any wear and tear.
Transpac Progress Report
July 20, 2019
Day 7 A key part of life onboard Merlin is routine, however as the race progresses some routines have strengthened and some have fallen by the wayside.
Transpac Progress Report
July 15, 2019
Day 2 of the Transpac finds Merlin in better breeze experiencing the conditions that this race is famous for.
Transpac Progress Report
July 18, 2019
Day 5 turned into an intense night after a few spinnakers went up and down and dodging little black clouds and intermittent showers.
Press Release
July 5, 2019
The world-famous sailing yacht Merlin is set to embark on the 50th running of the classic Transpacific Race from California to Hawaii on July 13.
Transpac Progress Report
July 17, 2019
Day 4 of the race and we are just starting to see some of the masts from boats in the prior starting divisions as we catch up.
Merlin Video
July 5, 2019
Conceived by a Wizard, Hatched in a Chicken Coop, Flying Fast and Fun, Merlin Shows She Was Born For The Transpac