NAWILIWILI — Bonjolea II might have been first over the line, but Fast Company picked up the win by 32 seconds Thursday during the Nawiliwili Yacht Club Rum Series, Race No. 2.
Bonnie Tiffany piloted the Sydney 36 in winds of 15 to 17 knots out of the northeast to successfully negotiate the three-leg course for line honors with an elapsed time of 1 hour, 4 minutes, 20 seconds.
Fast Company, with Jim Saylor on the stick, followed at 1:08:17 elapsed. But the Bonjolea II first finish could not overcome its handicap, finishing at 1:09:14 PHRF, settling for second place after Fast Company posted a 1:08:42 PHRF correction.
“Fast Company had a good start yet again,” said Chris Jordan, the stick man aboard OZone. “Kato showed how eager they were to be back on the water by being over-early, and had to restart. Bonjolea II called on OZone to come up, but that would mean a hit on Kato.”
Bonjolea II snaked out of traffic and tacked early towards the breakwater, a maneuver that appeared to pay off as the Sydney 36 led the fleet out of the harbor and to the Ninini Point Lighthouse turnaround.
“On the second leg out to the lighthouse, Fast Company tacked back to the beach and appeared to get a lift,” Jordan said. “They were the second boat around the lighthouse buoy behind Bonjolea II. Kato tacked too early for this mark and came in too low. Correcting by tacking back into port challenged them by some oncoming right-of-way starboard tack boats, so the crew ended up doing a circle that slowed them down.”
Spinnaker woes during the final leg pushed Kato into third place, the Olson 30 crossing on a 1:09:06 elapsed sail, and correcting to 1:09:51 PHRF — just 27 ticks behind Bonjolea II, and 11 seconds ahead of OZone who crossed at 1:09:36 elapsed, and corrected to 1:10:02 PHRF.
Weatherly, recovering from a spinnaker wrap in the final leg, topped the Club Class on a 1:05:11 Club correction followed by Speedy (1:16:59 elapsed, 1:07:10 Club), and OZone (1:09:36 elapsed, 1:07:25 Club).
The NYC Rum Series, Race No. 3 takes place, Thursday when the first flags fly at 5 p.m. at the Nawiliwili jetty parking area. The NYC Race Committee invites people to view the action from the mole.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
