Clarence W. Macfarlane

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Clarence W. Macfarlane, photograph by James J. Williams

Commodore Clarence William Macfarlane (March 8, 1858 – September 15, 1947), was a businessman and yachtsman of Hawaii. He founded the Transpacific Yacht Race (Transpac) in 1906 by sailing from San Pedro/Los Angeles, California to Honolulu, Hawaii.

Life

Born on March 8, 1858, in

Liliuokalani's cabinet minister, Frederick W. Macfarlane and sister, Helen Blanche Macfarlane who married William H. Cornwell, also a cabinet minister during the monarchy. All were born in the island with the exception of Henry who was born at sea.[1][2][3]

During the

Liliuokalani. He later became a member of the Democratic Party of Hawaii after the islands became a part of the United States.[1]

Macfarlane engaged in business in Hawaii. He worked for the sugar plantation industry in the islands and worked in the

acetylene gas plant in Hawaii. He later went into a myriad of business including liquor, exporting and importing, and hotel management with his brother George. He managed the Seaside Hotel in Waikiki.[1]

Besides his work in business, Macfarlane became a sailing enthusiast. In Spring 1906 he sailed his 48-foot schooner, the La Paloma. from Honolulu to San Francisco in 28 days where he expected to join other San Francisco sailors in a race back to Honolulu. However, upon arriving in San Francisco on April 19, 1906, he was shocked to discover the devastating effects 1906 San Francisco earthquake that occurred the day before. He then sailed south to Los Angeles and enlisted sailors in Los Angeles Yacht Club to join him in the first transpacific (Transpac) LA-Honolulu race that started on June 11, 1906.[1][4][5] This transpacific (Transpac) race is still held every two years from Point Fermin off San Pedro, Los Angeles and ending off of Diamond Head in Honolulu, covering a distance of 2,223 nautical miles.[4] It also claimed he was the first Caucasian to master the traditional Hawaiian sports of

outrigger canoe. He was later admitted to the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame for his pioneering contribution to yacht racing.[6]

He died on September 15, 1947, and was buried in the Macfarland family plot in Oahu Cemetery.[7][8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Nellist, George F., ed. (1925). "Clarence William Macfarlane, Importer". The Story of Hawaii and Its Builders. Honolulu: Honolulu Star Bulletin.
  2. ^ "Death of E. C. Macfarlane On His Wedding Tour". The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Honolulu. March 4, 1902. pp. 1, 5.; "Dying On His Wedding Trip". The Maui News. Wailuku. March 1, 1902. p. 3.; "Death of Mrs. Eliza Macfarlane". The Pacific Commercial Advertiser. Honolulu. August 12, 1904. p. 1.; "Col. George W. Macfarlane". The Maui News. Wailuku. February 25, 1921. p. 3.
  3. ^ Young, Peter T. (March 27, 2015). "The Macfarlanes". Image of Old Hawaiʻi. Hoʻokuleana LLC. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  4. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8248-2121-0
    .
  5. OCLC 939710950
    .
  6. ^ "Clarence W. MacFarlane (Born 1858): Founder of the Transpacific Yacht Race (Transpac)". Hawaiʻi SportsHall of Fame. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  7. ^ Yachting. Los Angeles: CBS Magazines. 1947. p. 70.
  8. ^ Grave Marker of Commodore Clarence W. Macfarlane, Father of Transpac. Honolulu, Hawaii: Oahu Cemetery.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Clarence_W._Macfarlane&oldid=1195929497"