NAWILIWILI — Characters from the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” closed off the Nawiliwili Yacht Club’s racing calendar in style. Frank N. Furter led the group as it worked OZone, coming from out of the pack to wrestle the lead away
NAWILIWILI — Characters from the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” closed off the Nawiliwili Yacht Club’s racing calendar in style.
Frank N. Furter led the group as it worked OZone, coming from out of the pack to wrestle the lead away from Fast Company, the Olson 30 loaded with jailbirds and a “Sexy Sheriff,” Jakki Nelson, Saturday night before a full parking lot at the jetty area of the Nawiliwili Harbor.
“The OZone crew stayed late at the clubhouse following one of the Minnesota Fats Series races and watched the movie,” said Sharon Gibson, the NYC scorekeeper. “This is when they put their plan together, and a good one it was.”
Delayed slightly by the departure of the visiting cruise ship Zaandam, Fast Company somehow managed to stall the yacht just long enough to slip into the lead at the horn, the move eliciting a screech of delight from Gibson.
But the jailbirds were no match for Furter’s crew as OZone capitalized on the dead air leading into the far can at Kalapaki Bay to slip into the lead.
Fast Company pulled out its spinnaker to no avail. OZone, sailing through the entire three short laps with no spinnaker, stayed just ahead of Fast Company to finish on a 57:57 elapsed sail.
With the correction, OZone posted a 58:02 PHRF to lead the pack of six boats through a course spiced with navigating through a full field of weekend fishermen enjoying the harbor on Halloween night.
Fast Company followed with a 1:05:25 elapsed sail, but with the PHRF correction of 1:05:31 was relegated to third place below Papa‘au (1:06:35 elapsed) whose crew posted a 1:03:44 PHRF time.
Speedy (1:13:15 elapsed, 1:13:22 PHRF) and Coyote (1:19:34 elapsed, 1:14:31 PHRF) rounded out the field with Coyote taking first in the Club class following its 1:023:05 Club adjustment over Speedy (1:06:30 Club).
Malihini, whose crew was decked out in white T-shirts and wigs, was beset with air problems from the onset as it wallowed back of the pack at the start and lost its position in the first turn, stuck in a pocket of dead air and getting passed by Coyote on the inside. The 35-foot catamaran posted a DNF (did not finish).
Following the win, the crew of OZone also pocketed the Best Theme Boat award at the post-race party at the NYC Clubhouse which, according to Gibson, was well attended with everyone having a grand time.
“I’m not really familiar with the Rocky Horror Picture Show movie, but now that I’ve seen all of these crazy characters, I plan to see it,” Gibson said.
Fast Company was awarded the second prize for that competition that set the stage for more contests such as Best Witch’s Cackle and Best Wolf’s Howl.
Gibson said following the General Membership Meeting in November where next year’s officers will be elected, and the Year-End Trophy Awards Dinner Party, NYC will host the annual Christmas Boat Parade of Lights on Dec. 13. Staging will take place at 6 p.m. with the parade starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Nawiliwili Harbor.
Anyone in the community with a power boat or a sailboat can join the NYC fleet for this event, Gibson said.
There will be cash prizes of $75, $50 and $25 for the best decorated boats, and must be registered for the parade to be eligible for a prize. The NYC committee will also allow non-registered boats to participate, but they would be ineligible for prize consideration.
For more information on the Christmas Boat Parade of Lights, call Bill Georgi, event chairman, at 639-0587 or 332-0057.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
