Bonjolea II, with Bonnie Tiffany on the helm, won all 5 Wahine races and they swept the series with 5 points. Ozone took second place with 12 points and Weatherly was third with 19 points. This last race in the series was 5.92 miles long with course B-E-A which had 2 laps out to the Ninini Lighthouse Buoy with a middle lap in between them around the Kalapaki Buoy. The wind was out of the East Northeast at 10 knots with stronger gusts.
Double Espresso with the youngest Kauai Sailing Association kids had a great port tack start with Maile on the helm as did Weatherly with Lily steering. Bonjolea II also on port tack was a little behind them but the larger boat soon caught up. But when Ozone met up with them on starboard tack yelling “starboard” both Bonjolea II and Weatherly had to tack away. Speedy started on starboard tack near the race committee on the mole and soon tacked away onto port. But Papa Au was right there coming down on starboard tack with rights so that Speedy had to tack back earlier than they wanted towards the mole again. The very fast Bonjolea II got out in front and tacked back towards the breakwater. They were followed by Weatherly. Ozone probably should have tacked to cover and when they next met up Ozone had to duck Weatherly’s stern. As they rounded the Kalapaki Buoy upwind to starboard, Double Espresso with the young sailors was making Ozone behind look bad. And Papa Au was able to round ahead of Speedy.
Bonjolea II rounded the Ninini Lighthouse Buoy in the lead, followed by the Double Espresso kids. But Double Espresso did not have enough crew to run their spinnaker downwind. Meanwhile Ozone put up their spinnaker but they were having trouble controlling it as they tried to stay up high to get into the harbor. Ozone’s spinnaker kept collapsing and making a lot of noise much to the delight of the Double Espresso crew. But as the boats entered the harbor and the wind got lighter Ozone was finally able to pass the spinnaker-less Double Espresso. And Speedy was also able to pass the smaller Papa Au as they entered the harbor downwind.
On the second lap to the Kalapaki buoy Ozone was able to stay closer to the mole upwind so that when they reached the breakwater and tacked they had the lay line to the Kalapaki Buoy and they did not have to make any further tacks. But Weatherly, a little lower, had to tack two more times so that Ozone gained. And as Ozone was rounding the G-11 buoy by the Coast Guard Station, Bonjolea II was already long gone, heading out of the harbor.
And the boat positions stayed pretty much the same, although Papa Au with Lisa steering decided to retire. So at the finish line it was Bonjolea II taking line honors and first place for the 5th time in a row. Great job Bonnie and crew! Ozone was in second place with Alison Fornari steering and Weatherly was in third place with Lily driving. Double Espresso was next with Maile steering and they did remarkably well without flying their spinnaker. And Speedy was fortunate to have Kriistina Chapman on the helm as without her they wouldn’t have raced. Fast Company stayed at the dock as skipper Jim Saylor is on the mainland playing in his RV. Believe it or not, we miss you Jim!!!
After the race an educational presentation was held at the clubhouse along with a potluck dinner. About a dozen Kauai Sailing Association instructors, helpers, and students spoke about what sailing and the Kauai Sailing Association means to them. From a 9 year old who loves sailing the new Ocean Skiffs to a 23 year old who spent 10 years with KSA and he is now studying to be an Able Bodied Seaman in Astoria, Oregon it was very moving to hear their stories and to hear about how much they love sailing. The next 4 races are called the Short Series with most of the racing done inside the harbor. This is not one of Bonjolea II’s favorites as they like the long legs out to the lighthouse where they can really get going fast. (So watch out Bonnie!!!)
The public is invited to watch the races from the Nawiliwili mole parking area where the race committee is located. The next race is on 8/3/23 with a 5 pm start. After the race Bill and Sea Peterson will be hosting.
-Chris
Click the link for complete results and the RaceQs replay of the race on the
Club Racing page.