Friday, August 25, 2006

Newport Beach sailor

The idea is to assemble the youngest crew to ever sail in the Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Hawaii and make a film documenting the adventure.

From 538 applications, Roy E. Disney pared the list to 30 finalists who participated in a nine-day selection process off Long Beach earlier this month.

Fifteen made the team.

One of them was Graham Brant-Zawadski, 21, of Newport Beach.

"Just the lack of experience, I went in not really expecting to get past that week, but really wanting to," he said. "I was stoked to make it as far as the final and tried to make the most of it.

"I was pretty sure I wasn't going to get it so it was pretty much of a shock."

That's because Brant-Zawadski only has been sailing for two years, his experience paling in comparison to most of his teammates.

"Even if I hadn't (made the team), I had such a great experience of learning so much," he said.

He received coaching from some of the greatest sailors in the world. Each day included morning team-building exercises followed by an afternoon of sailing drills and racing in four Catalina 37s.

Brant-Zawadski said it was mentally and physically taxing.

For him, it was even more intense since he is taking four physics classes this summer at UC Irvine and was studying for the Medical College Admissions Test, which he took a week later.

"I had a lot of work to do," he said. "Most of my free time (during the trials) was trying to get my studying in."

How did he do?

"Not so well," he said. "Sailing was by far the priority. Like, I had a test in one physics class when I got back and the MCAT, and I definitely could've done better."

Worst-case scenario, he can make up the classes and retake the MCAT.

"Either way, it was totally worth it," he said.

"This is the greatest thing I could ever do."

Brant-Zawadski, who will be a senior at Stanford, will take off the winter-spring quarters and join the team in Hawaii for four months training on the Transpac 52 Morning Light beginning Jan. 2.

Eleven or 12 of the 15 will be chosen as the final team with the others serving as alternates for the race.

"It would be incredible," Brant-Zawadski said of making the final team and racing to Hawaii. "I can't imagine anything like it."

Disney to race, too:  Roy E. Disney announced his retirement after the last Transpac in 2005. But because of his involvement in the Morning Light film project, he decided to un-retire and enter the race for the 16th time.