Transpac Profile: Greg Dorn and ‘Favonius 2’

Favonius 2 is the extension of a dream to pursue competitive offshore sailing in its purest form. My journey started with a Jeanneau 39 family cruiser that I raced with a few of the current crew in various short-distance offshore races. As it became increasingly clear that a higher-performance boat would be required to pursue the longest West Coast offshore races, I chose the cruiser/racer hybrid that is the Dehler 46 (Favonius) with a performance carbon rig and keel. The boat performed admirably in its class in two Cabo races and two Transpacs (both ’21 and ’23), including a number of inshore races. We pushed that boat to its limits and it is through the process of reaching Favonius’ potential that I realized we needed a fully dedicated no-compromise racing platform.

After much analysis I settled on a 2006 Cookson TP52, which had an excellent reputation. We named her Favonius 2 to emphasize the racing journey we are on, as this is our second evolution. Many of the crew moved from Favonius (aka F1) to Favonius 2 (aka F2). We spent the majority of 2024 fitting out and learning F2. And as is well known to all experienced owners and program managers, the fitting out and upgrading of the platform was much more extensive than anticipated; also, we broke things. I was not discouraged by the additional improvements and repairs required because by fully upgrading, breaking and fixing, and servicing the vast majority of the systems, we will now have a boat that is ready to go for the 53rd edition of the Transpac.

The next stage in our team journey will be sailing the boat to its potential. I have every intention of racing this boat for many years, and so we are targeting 2027 or even beyond to reach the highly competitive level of offshore boat handling we expect of ourselves. We are focused on process, and it is through the rhythms and rituals of sailing that we intend to drive the boat to its potential. Our key principles are excellent team dynamics, deft handling, highly reliable systems, and robust safety protocols. There can be no rushing the journey toward the outer frontier of TP52 offshore performance, and I hope the F2 campaigns become personally revelatory for all involved.

The current crew heading to sail with Favonius 2 for Transpac includes: skipper/owner, Greg Dorn (SFYC/ StFYC); bow, Nick Dorn (SFYC/StFYC); trimmer, Matthew Sessions (SFYC); pit, Cam Tuttle (SFYC); trimmer, Ryder Easterlin (StFYC); trimmer, Rowan Fennell (SFYC); boat manager, Ashley Perrin (SFYC); helmsman, Merf Owen (SFYC); mast, Jared Lathrop (Willamette Sailing Club, Portland. OR); and tactician, Sylvain Barrielle (UK Sailmakers).