(This is an original 16mm film produced at the time by Douglas Aircraft. It’s about 27 minutes in length and John Rumsey was kind enough to have it digitized and Ted Arisaka kind enough to share the film on YouTube. Thank you, sir!)
In 1959, Don Douglas chartered the 161′ schooner Goodwill to attempt a new record for the LA to Honolulu Transpac yacht race. Their goal was to be at Diamond Head in a better time than the 96′ ketch Morning Star had set in the 1955 race (9d 15h 10m). Many considered this record to be unbreakable, but not the crew of Goodwill.
The film starts with the crew getting the boat (and themselves) ready for the race. For instance, Ken Watts was responsible for a new 5300 sq. ft. mainsail, making a whopping 30,000 sq. ft. of nylon sails in total. Douglas Aircraft built two new spinnaker poles for Goodwill. Engineers performed wind studies to make the sails more efficient. The first work assignments for the crew began on March 14, much of that being the complete removal of lifeboats and other hardware not necessary for the race. What remained had to be completely overhauled and maintained. The crew understood well that the key was preparation.
Shakedown cruises and trial runs now commenced, many of them to Catalina Island and continuing through April, May and June as the crew melded and learned to become one with the big schooner.
On June 25, Goodwill went into dry dock for final preparations. For instance, the propeller was removed to eliminate drag.
On July 4, the morning of the race, all the weeks of work were at the point of culmination as the gun fires and the 2,300 mile race to Hawaii began! With dying winds to the east of Catalina, the steering committee makes the tough decision to go to the west of the island. Disappointingly, she averaged only about 7-1/2 kts that first day or racing, covering 182 miles but 13 miles behind the pace she had set for herself.
But by the end of the second day, the Goodwill had taken the lead. Averaging about 11 kts, she was well ahead of her 1953 position.
The third day out, July 7, optimism remained high as the yacht was 88 miles ahead of her 1953 position and almost even with the Morningstar‘s record run.
The morning of July 8 began as a low pressure area moved in, an ominous portent of what was to come. The main topmast snapped, flinging itself repeatedly into the mainsail. Terry Bruden and Len Smith volunteered to go aloft for damage control but it wasn’t until 10:30 that the broken mast could be lowered to the deck.
On July 10, in direct contrast, the sea was glassy and the wind virtually non-existent. 10,550 of high canvas sails had been lost due to the broken top mast, reducing speed to about 7 kts under the pull of the ballooner. Now far behind, the steering committee decides to risk it all by heading south in search of better winds. It was a gamble, but her only hope.
On July 11, with Diamond Head about 700 miles away, there was little chance of besting Morningstar record, but there was a slim possibility of winning the race ahead of Chubasco. Even with the re-engineered rigging, Goodwill often exceeded 14 kts.
On the evening of July 14, 1959 in the midst of a heavy squall, Goodwill scudded across the finish line. In spite of all her difficulties and over 30 hours of light win, she crossed the finish line first! Coming in second, almost ten hours later was the Chubasco.
Crew included Ralph Larrabee (owner who for years lived on West Bay Ave. in Balboa), Don Douglas, Jr. (sailing master), Bud Gardiner (Starboard Captain), John Hurndall (navigator), William “Bill” Slater (Port Captain), Littleton, etc. Cameramen for the film were Ben Marble and Bill Gibson. Narrated by Preston Foster.
The tragic fate of Goodwill
Sadly, this was the last time the Goodwill would participate in the Transpac and, in fact, less than ten years later on she ran aground near Ensenada, Baja California, broke up and sunk with all ten* souls lost, apparently on the night of 25 May 1969. The boat was reported missing along with owner Ralph Larrabee, 67, and nine other souls. She had left the port of Cabo San Lucas on 21 May and intended to stop in Ensenada but was overdue.
The wreckage and bodies were found in the vicinity of Sacramento Reef (about 110 miles south of Ensenada) and (for young Tim Smith) in the water off nearby Isla San Jerónimo. Amongst those lost were Bernard Stark, Gerald Comstock, Edward Henderson, and Walter Zeiss, all of San Clemente: John Cole Jr., of Long Beach; Tim Smith (16), Carrie Graybehl (alternately reported as having been 15 or 16) of North Hollywood and her aunt Patricia Nienhauser.
This was the second time she had run aground in Mexican waters, having done so initially in 1955 at Isla Cedros. With the assistance of the US Coast Guard and cooperating tides, she was refloated with minimal damage.
Sources
*Newspaper reports are conflicting about the number of persons on board. Most say eight persons with conjecture about two Mexican men who came aboard as crew in Cabo San Lucas. In fact, the last newspaper report I found said that ten souls had sadly been lost.
Learn more about the USS Palomas on Wikipedia and on Sailing Anarchy.
More about the history and the wreck can be read on this archive.
4 June 1969 Desert Sun article “Long Romance With Schooner Over for Wealthy Sportsman”
An article on Latitudes and Attitudes by someone whose father was asked by Ralph Larrabee to be aboard the final, ill-fated voyage of Goodwill from Cabo to Ensenda and who felt that if he had been aboard the ship would not have grounded on the reef.
And if you really want more info on the wreck, pay to see a 3 June 1969 article “Little Hope for 10 in Luxury Yacht Wreck” in the Long Beach Independent here.
The July 1969 issue of Motor Boating article “Goodwill, With All Hands, Lost”
Oakland Tribune, CA. “Nine Missing Off Wrecked Schooner ‘Goodwill’ Sinks Off Baja Coast.” 2 June 1969