NAWILIWILI — Fast Company is aiming for the whole shot when the first flags fly at 5 p.m., Thursday for the final race of the seven-race Nawiliwili Yacht Club Rum Series.
Skippered by Jim Saylor, Fast Company claimed the latest win that was held last Thursday in the front cone of the Hurricane Douglas Wind Force graphics, or winds to a maximum of 20 mph blowing out of the northeast.
“Boats had their large No. 1 jibs up,” said Chris Jordan, skipper aboard OZone. “About three minutes ahead of the starting horn, OZone’s backstay broke, almost causing them to retire from the race. But the OZone crew quickly jury-rigged a repair, although they had to baby it so it would not break again. That caused OZone not to point the boat into the wind as well as usual.”
Bonjolea II, with Bonnie Tiffany at the wheel, came from the middle of the pack at the clean start and finished with top-line honors on an elapsed sail of 50 minutes, 52 seconds over the three-leg 4.63-mile course after grabbing the lead rounding the Kalapaki buoy on starboard.
Fast Company followed after Bonjolea II solidified its lead rounding the Ninini Point lighthouse buoy, and hung on to cross at 52:22 elapsed, and correcting to 52:41 PHRF to win the race on the correction, Bonjolea II settling for second place at 54:28 PHRF.
Kato followed in third place, sounding the finish horn at 54:17 elapsed and correcting to 54:52.
Weatherly, getting the best starting position, battled OZone throughout before finishing at 55:13 elapsed and correcting to 50:25 Club for top honors.
“Weatherly had the best start with the crew of teenage sailors showing throughout the race just how much they have come together as a team, and making Uncle Carl Andersson proud,” Jordan said. “OZone was to weather, and a little behind Weatherly, but by not pointing as well (due to the jury-rigged repair), they fell down into Weatherly’s bad air, causing her to fall even farther back. In the end, the Weatherly teenage crew beat OZone by a minute and six seconds to win the wager of a box of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers.”
Papa ‘Au crossed at 58:08 elapsed and corrected to 51:54 Club for runner up honors in the class with Dick Olsen and the Speedy crew taking third place on a 1:00:34 elapsed sail and altering to 52:51 Club.
The first flags fly at 5 p.m., and the public is invited to join the NYC Race Committee to watch the final race of the seven-race NYC Rum Series.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
