NAWILIWILI — OZone clearly won the first of the Nawiliwili Yacht Club shoreline series race, but the win went tumbling to last place Thursday. OZone, who earlier won first place in the NYC season opening trio of races Feb. 9
NAWILIWILI — OZone clearly won the first of the Nawiliwili Yacht Club shoreline series race, but the win went tumbling to last place Thursday.
OZone, who earlier won first place in the NYC season opening trio of races Feb. 9 peeled out with the leaders of the nine-boat fleet at the start of the Ward Hayward Memorial Series, Race No. 1.
Challenged by Fast Company and Papa‘au, OZone, according to Sharon Gibson, the NYC scorekeeper, “had this one in the bag from start to finish.”
OZone made the three-lap, 4.71-mile course on a 54:27 elapsed sail, correcting to 54:32 PHRF.
But following the race, it was brought to the NYC Race Committee’s attention that OZone had made a critical error on one of the laps.
OZone admitted to the infraction and withdrew, or “Retire After Finish,” to give her a score equal to the number of starters in the race.
The technicality moved Papa‘au to the top of the Hayward, Race No. 1, on a 57:43 elapsed sail, correcting to 55:15 PHRF, just a 15-second lead over Fast Company, which crossed on a 55:25 elapsed sail (ahead of Papa‘au), but corrected to 55:30 PHRF for second place.
Bonjolea (1:02:11 elapsed, 59:48 PHRF), Weatherly (1:01:00 elapsed, 1:01:06 PHRF), and Mapuana (1:04:23 elapsed, 1:10:16 PHRF) followed.
Mapuana also corrected to 55:00 Club for top honors in that class.
Speedy (1:01:34 elapsed, 1:01:40 PHRF), Coyote (1:13:14 elapsed, 1:06:35 PHRF), Trinity (1:01:36 elapsed, 1:11:16 PHRF) and OZone rounded out the standings.
Gibson said there is one throw-out in the six-race series.
This sets the stage for the Hayward Series, Race No. 2, Thursday when the yachts take the water with the first flags flying at 5 p.m.
The public is invited to view the competition from the jetty wall area of Nawiliwili Harbor, the first race drawing a good-sized audience, including several first-timers and a canvas-toting artist who took advantage of her boyfriend crewing on Fast Company to capture the excitement on canvas.
Earlier, OZone had topped the NYC season opening race on Feb. 9, finishing two of the three races in first place for an overall four points, just a point ahead of Papa‘aum which was able to capture one first place in three races.
Fast Company was a consistent No. 3 finisher, ending the day with nine points followed by Bonjolea with 12 points, Mapuana with 17 points, Speedy with 18 points, Lelele with 19 points and Coyote with 24 points.
Visit the website www.
nawiliwiliyachtclub.org for more information.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
