Sometimes size doesn’t matter. Papa‘au, the smallest boat in the Sunburn Series race, took first place yesterday at Nawiliwili Harbor. “We had a good start,” Papa‘au skipper Terry Wells said. “We also didn’t yell at one another.” Papa‘au claimed a
Sometimes size doesn’t matter.
Papa‘au, the smallest boat in the Sunburn Series race, took first place yesterday at Nawiliwili Harbor.
“We had a good start,” Papa‘au skipper Terry Wells said. “We also didn’t yell at one another.”
Papa‘au claimed a time of 53:55.
The Nawiliwili Yacht Club’s third race of five during the annual Sunburn Series kicked off with strong winds and near-perfect race conditions.
“It was really nice out there,” O Zone crew member Alison Scarbo said. “It’s just amazing to be out there. I don’t know another feeling quite like it.”
Scarbo, a Koloa Elementary School librarian/counselor, said she tries not to miss a Thursday race.
“We just have a great crew,” she said. “We all work together so well.”
O Zone (Chris Jordan, Jessie Townsend, Claire Curly, Scarbo, Bill Evslin, Steve Mitchell and Dan Ray) managed a third place finish with a corrected time of 54:26.
Bonojolea, captained by Doug Tiffany, earned second place, tallying a time of 54:21.
Malihini (Doug Gibson, Peter Frederick, Rick Schunk, Tony Schunk and Bruce Raymond), despite crossing the finish line first, grabbed a fourth place showing (55:50).
Coyote, captained by Karen Cole, rounded out the top six with a time of 61:26.
Papa‘au, a crew used to winning, didn’t go through the race without some mishaps
“Our spinnaker got a rip in it,” crew member Ryan Chadwick said. “It got snagged, but we didn’t let it get in our way.”
Last week, Papa‘au came in fourth, which was a surprise for its team members.
“We just had a bad week,” Eric Wing said. “But we bounced back this week.”
Wing said being out on the boat is quite a feeling.
“It’s a cleansing out there,” he said. “It’s a break in your life. You don’t think about nothing else, including your wife or girlfriend.”
After the race, the group gathered at the Nawiliwili Yacht Club’s clubhouse for “Yacht Dawgs,” hamburgers, beverages and fellowship.
The Nawiliwili Yacht Club utilizes the Pacific Handicap Racing Fleet.
“It’s a fairly simple system,” Wells said.
The fourth Sunburn Series race is Thursday at 5 p.m.
For more information, contact vice commodore Dick Olsen at 822-5092.
• Duane Shimogawa Jr., sports editor, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 257) or kauaisports@kauaipubco.com.
