LILY BRIONES-FLYNN WINS THE THIRD WAHINE SERIES RACE ON WEATHERLY
Chris Jordan | Published on 7/16/2022
The wind was out of the Northeast at 10-14 knots for the third Wahine Series race. The 6 mile course was A-E-C with two outside laps to the Ninini lighthouse buoy and in between an inside lap around the Kalapaki buoy.
The start had Double Espresso and Weatherly on port tack by the race committee on the mole. But alas, the youngest Kauai Sailing Association kids on Weatherly were called “Over Early” by the race committee and it took them almost two and a half minutes to restart. With this handicap the kids had a lot of catching up to do. Ozone had a pretty good start at the pin end on starboard tack and Fast Company soon followed. Speedy and Papa Au rounded out the fleet of 6 boats. The Express 27 Papa Au is the only boat that is not an Olson 30 in this race.
Weatherly seemed to be a little ahead, but they went further than the other boats towards the Kukui lighthouse before tacking out of the harbor. The other boats all tacked earlier and gained some. At the Ninini lighthouse buoy rounding it was Ozone in the lead, slightly ahead of Weatherly. Fast Company, Speedy and Papa Au followed and behind them Double Espresso was slowly gaining.
Downwind Ozone had their smaller heavy air spinnaker up and Weatherly easily gained on them with their larger spinnaker.
Ozone was still able to stay ahead but it was close rounding the G-11 buoy by the Coast Guard Station. On the next leg inside around the Kalapaki buoy Weatherly was gaining and under spinnaker they were able to get side by side with Ozone. But Ozone was the inside boat as they approached the G-11 buoy again and Weatherly gave them the required room at the rounding so that Ozone was still barely leading. Meanwhile the kids on Double Espresso were also gaining on Fast Company on the downwind leg to G-11.
On the last leg around the Ninini lighthouse buoy Weatherly and Ozone were neck and neck. But downwind under spinnaker Ozone rounded up as they approached the Kalapaki bouy which allowed Weatherly to pass them. It also looked like Double Espresso might pass Fast Company, but it was not to be.
At the finish line it was Weatherly taking line honors and first place in the PHRF Class for the second week in a row. Lily Briones-Flynn did an outstanding job driving the boat. Taking second place 30 seconds later was Ozone with Alison Fornari on the helm. Did Ozone’s owner Chris Jordan cost her first place by not using the big spinnaker and because his spinnaker trim caused her to round up? (Fortunately she can’t make him sleep on the couch...) In third place it was Fast Company with Kara
Winter steering.
In the Club Class it was Double Espresso in first place with Dasha Allyn on the helm. They were only 4 seconds behind Fast Company and if tactician “Uncle” Carl Andersson hadn’t put them over the starting line early costing them two and a half minutes the results in this race may have been very different. Great recovery kids! Speedy took second place in the Club Class with Mavis Aiu steering while her daughter Victoria Aiu on the helm of Papa Au took third place.
The 4th of the 5 Wahine Series races will take place on Thursday 7/21/22 with a 5 pm start. The public is invited to watch the races from the Nawiliwili mole parking area.
-Chris
Click for complete results and the RaceQs replay on the Racing Page.