Former Clarionite Lowry sails 2,000 miles in Pacific Cup race

At this time of year, many who are weary of Iowa winters start dreaming about summer—and the various beach and lakeside activities they enjoy at that time. If you are one of those thinking of days on the water, you may be interested in this story of former Clarion resident Mark Lowry, a sailing enthusiast who last year undertook his most difficult racing challenge so far: competing in the The Pacific Cup, a 2,070-mile race from the San Francisco Bay to Oahu, Hawaii.

Lowry spent his high school years in Clarion and then studied at Iowa State University, majoring in math and physics. He also earned his PhD in physics there. Though later years would bring him to California and the sailing opportunities there, he tested his first boat on Iowa waters. “We started racing seriously in 1978 with an M-scow—a 16-foot planing dinghy which we raced on Iowa lakes,” Lowry said.

Lowry and his wife, Deb, have been refitting their cruising boat, Chance, for five years. In preparation for the PacCup, the Chance had to be inspected for more than 100 safety requirements and also weighed to assign a handicap for the start of the race. But after all that, and multiple safety seminars and survival exercises for them and their crew, they were ready.

They set sail at 11 a.m. on July 12 from the San Francisco Bay, heralded by a pod of a dozen humpback whales. “What makes this race most demanding is that the course takes you very far from land, over 1,000 miles,” Lowry said. “If any kind of emergency develops, rescue would be far off, so one must insure that boat and crew are prepared to deal with any emergency without relying on any immediate outside assistance. Self-sufficiency is demanded.”

For the full story, see the March 30 edition of the Monitor.