NAWILIWILI — Chris Jordan, the stick handler aboard OZone, wants the Nawiliwili Yacht Club fleet participating in the Shoreline Series to get their RaceQ’s working properly.
“Of the eight boats in the Gene Wells Memorial Race No. 3, only four got their RaceQ’s working properly for the GPS record of the race,” Jordan said. “Hopefully, we can get all the boats to use it because one can learn a lot by re-living the race on the computer.”
Fast Company, despite dropping the start to Kato, finished with its third consecutive race win Thursday at the race that unfolded in 12-to-15-knot winds out of the north-northeast.
“Kato had a good start in front of Fast Company,” Jordan said. “When Fast Company tacked early to the breakwater, the other boats followed, and the close battle for first place between Kato and Fast Company continued over the course of the race that spanned 5.92 miles with another two outside legs and an inside lap.”
“Kato, who had been in front of Fast Company for the entire race, was unlucky at the green 11 buoy near the Coast Guard station,” the OZone skipper said. “They had a slow spinnaker takedown and, rounding the G-11, Fast Company stayed outside of them, going fast before passing them on the last leg to the finish line.”
Bonjolea II with Bonnie Tiffany on the helm took line honors on a 1 hour, 5 minutes, 49 seconds elapsed sail. But with the corrections, the Sydney 36 settled for 1:10:50 PHRF and third place overall.
Fast Company, sounding the finish horn 24 seconds ahead of Kato at 1:09:35, corrected to 1:10:01 PHRF for top honors, just 36 ticks ahead of Kato (1:09:51 elapsed, 1:10:37 PHRF).
Karen Cole, piloting Iwa, an Oceanis 41, topped the club class after crossing on a 1:25:04 elapsed sail and correcting to 1:06:08 club.
Weatherly, with its teenage crew continuing to have good starts and impressing the fleet through its weekly battles with OZone, finished second in the class when Carl Andersson drove the Olson 30 to a 1:12:11 elapsed sail and corrected to 1:06:19 club, ahead of Speedy (1:17:14 elapsed, 1:07:23 club).
The fourth race of the seven-race Gene Wells Memorial Series takes place Thursday, with the first flags flying at 5 p.m. at the Nawiliwili Harbor mole viewing area.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
