With the 10 knot wind out of the North-northeast, the starting buoy was placed to weather of the G-5 buoy, closer towards the end of the breakwater. The 4.51 mile course was A-D-E with the first lap out to the Ninini Lighthouse buoy and the other 2 shorter laps inside the harbor around the Kalapaki buoy.
Ozone initially thought that they had a good port tack start by the race committee with Speedy and Bonjolea II close behind. But Fiasco was running down the pin end of the line on starboard and quickly tacked onto port tack when the horn went off and they nailed it. Great move! And Kato hit the pin end of the line and they also nailed their start. And both Fiasco and Kato made it out of the harbor on one tack from so far down the line near the pin end which surprised me. And the port tack boats that started by the race committee were now quite a bit behind them.
Kato had a full crew this week instead of only 2 and they rounded the Ninini Lighthouse buoy in the lead followed by Fiasco and further back Ozone, Bonjolea II, Speedy and Double Espresso. Double Espresso is training the wahines for when they race on Lelele and Kate was on the helm, I believe for the first time. Hopefully an adrenalin rush was included in her training!
After rounding the Ninini Lighthouse buoy the spinnakers did not go up as usual as the wind was so far north it was forward of the beam. And near the entrance to the harbor Bonjolea II was able to pass Ozone. But inside the harbor Fiasco had some spinnaker problems and Ozone passed them.
Bonjolea II now rounded the G-11 buoy by the Coast Guard Station in the lead followed by Kato, Ozone, Fiasco and further back Speedy and Double Espresso. Kato immediately tacked towards the breakwater after rounding and they were quickly followed by Bonjolea II. Ozone went further before tacking and Fiasco went even further. And while Kato appeared to get headed and fall back, Fiasco appeared to get a lift. Heading to round the Kalapaki buoy Ozone tacked too early, thinking that Bonjolea II had gone too far before they had tacked. But Bonjolea II made it easily around the buoy while Ozone had to do two more tacks. And Fiasco appeared to be on the lay line when they tacked to gain on Ozone but then they got headed and they also had to do 2 more tacks like Ozone in order to get around the Kalapaki buoy. But Ozone had set up the spinnaker for the usual port pole in our trade winds, but now the wind was so far north they should have had a starboard pole. And Ozone kicked themselves as they watched Fiasco pass them downwind and Fiasco rounded the G-7 gybe buoy just behind Bonjolea II as the boats headed for G-11.
At the G-11 buoy by the Coast Guard Station the first 3 boats, Bonjolea II, Fiasco and Ozone, all tacked very early towards the breakwater. And as they went back up and around the Kalapaki buoy and then the G-11 buoy on the final lap the positions stayed essentially the same. And at the finish line it was Fiasco taking first place with a corrected time of 58:28. Ozone took second place roughly a minute behind Fiasco with a time of 59:29 and a mere 10 seconds ahead of Bonjolea II whose handicap dropped them back to third place with a corrected time of 59:39 (even though they had crossed the finish line first ahead of all the other boats). Kato, Speedy and Double Espresso followed.
The third race of the Rum Series will take place on Thursday 4/10/25 with a 5pm start. There will be a get together after the race in the back of the old Nawiliwili Tavern.
-Chris
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