The course was A-B-E over 5.92 miles with 8-10 knots of wind. Papa Au was able to replace their frayed wire shroud so that they could race. But Fast Company didn’t race and since they usually set the starting pin the race committee instead had to use the G-5 buoy as the pin end of the starting line.
And the G-5 buoy was the favored end so all the boats started up in that area. Ozone, Bonjolea II, Speedy, and Double Espresso were close to the pin and started at about the same time. Weatherly started a little later about one third off the way down the line. Papa Au was late but did start at the pin.
Bonjolea II was the first boat to tack back towards the breakwater but they had to duck Ozone who was temporarily in the lead. Speedy tacked next as did Weatherly. Ozone kept going and when they tacked back they had to duck the very fast Bonjolea II with Bonnie Tiffany on the helm. But Ozone was able to now clear the end of the breakwater saving 2 tacks and the distance those two tacks would have cost them. Bonjolea II was a little upwind of Ozone and they gained on their way out to the Ninini Lighthouse Buoy. Double Espresso was upwind of Speedy and Weatherly was a little behind them. Papa Au followed.
After rounding first, Bonjolea II took off downwind. Ozone rounded next and then it was the youngest Kauai Association kids on Double Espresso with Stella Fornari steering rounding in third. Speedy was next, then Weatherly and Papa Au. The race continued downwind under spinnaker to the G-11 buoy by the Coast Guard Station and the fleet positions remained the same. The next upwind leg required rounding the Kalapaki Buoy to starboard before heading out to the Ninini Buoy. The wind in there gets very flukey, often changing direction and speed. Double Espresso was able to stay higher than Speedy in better air at the mark rounding and they gained. Weatherly also passed Speedy here in the mixed up wind.
At the second rounding of the Ninini Light Buoy it was Bonjolea II in the lead followed by Ozone, Double Espresso, Weatherly, Speedy and Papa Au. The downwind leg under spinnaker now required a couple of spinnaker gybes in order to round the G-7 buoy. It looked like no one messed up. The final lap was upwind to the Kalapaki Buoy leaving it to port followed by a downwind spinnaker run to G-11 before finishing upwind. Bonjolea II rounded first followed by Ozone, and Double Espresso. But Weatherly and Speedy were low of the mark and they both had to do two extra tacks to make it around the buoy which allowed Double Espresso to gain.
At the finish line it was Bonjolea II taking line honors once again with Ozone finishing 3 minutes and 33 seconds behind them. Ozone wondered if on corrected handicap time they had beaten the usually unbeatable Bonjolea II. And they had! By a mere 4 seconds. Double Espresso finished third in the PHRF Class with 12 year old Stella Fornari having steered the entire race.
In the Club Class it was Speedy in first place, Weatherly with Zoey Huntley on the helm in second place and Papa Au took third. The third race in the Gene Wells Memorial Series will take place on Thursday 9/15/22 with a 5 pm start. The public is invited to watch the races from the Nawiliwili mole parking area.
-Chris
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Club Racing page.