Malihini tops second Rum race

NAWILIWILI — Malihini, a 35-foot catamaran, slipped through the pack at the start to take the lead and capture the second race of the Nawiliwili Yacht Club Rum Series, Thursday.

Papa‘au timed the flags just right to take the lead off the clean start, but once Malihini was able to catch the East-Northeasterlies, no one was able to catch her.

Malihini slipped across the finish line on an elapsed sail of 1:06:12 over the 6.11-mile course and had enough of a lead to take the race on a PHRF corrected 1:07:52.

The lead on elapsed time was more than two minutes faster than Fast Company, which crossed at 1:08:30 elapsed and corrected to a PHRF 1:08:36 for second place, almost a minute ahead of OZone, which was able to correct a blown jib at the start and replace it with a different headsail.

OZone finished in third at 1:09:28 elapsed and corrected out to a PHRF 1:09:34.

Speedy (1:14:06 elapsed, 1:14:13 PHRF), Coyote (1:19:42 elapsed, 1:14:39 PHRF), Papa‘au (1:22:54 elapsed, 1:19:22 PHRF) and Bonjolea (1:23:54 elapsed, 1:20:40 PHRF) rounded out the field that battled in the waters of Nawiliwili Harbor, colored brown by runoff from the Hule‘ia stream.

Coyote topped the Club Open class standings on a Club corrected sail of 1:01:54, followed by Bonjolea (1:10:33 Club) and Papa‘au (1:13:19).

The public is invited to view the third race of the seven-race series on Thursday from the jetty wall area of Nawiliwili Harbor.

First flags fly at 5 p.m.