NAWILIWILI — Jim Saylor’s Fast Company tamed the wild and wooly winds and monster swells to claim Fast Company’s third consecutive win during the Nawiliwili Yacht Club Phil Tanner, Race No. 3.
“Wild winds 20 to 25 knots out of the east-northeast, and huge waves out by the Ninini Point Lighthouse” as described by Chris Jordan, skipper of OZone who settled at sixth place, greeted sailors of the nine-boat fleet that tackled the three-leg, including two long outbound legs to the Ninini Point Lighthouse, course totaling 5.92 miles.
“Most boats had reefs in their mains, and their No. 3 jib sail up in response to the weather,” Jordan said. “Speedy appeared to have a No. 4 sail up, playing it safe, and OZone wondered whether they should have done the same.”
Fast Company battled from a No. 3 spot overall to round the Ninini Point buoy first.
“Fast Company was very close to the lee of Iwa at the start and we were concerned that if they rounded up in the heavy air, the legs of the hiking sailors could get crushed,” Jordan said. “Fortunately, that did not happen.”
“In the very heavy air off the Ninini Point Lighthouse, Fast Company and Kato put up their spinnakers,” Jordan said. “OZone, missing two of its foredeck crew, decided not to put up their small ‘chicken’ chute.”
Jordan described the wild ride inbound from the lighthouse buoy.
“Fast Company had a round up under spinnaker, and for a while, it appeared to us like they might have a meeting with the Nawiliwili mole,” Jordan said. “But skipper Jim Saylor and his crew were able to get the boat under control, and with the jib up, they came roaring into the G-7 buoy giving Kato, who was still under spinnaker, some grief.”
On the second leg out to Ninini Point, Bonjolea II rounded a little ahead of Fast Company followed by Kato, Weatherly, OZone, Papa A‘u, and Speedy.
“Bonjolea II loves this wind,” said Lois Andersson who watched the action where the flock of foil kite surfers pulled ashore to avoid any mixing with the yachts. “She’s a big boat and this wind suits her fine.”
More excitement churned the downwind leg when OZone attempted to catch Weatherly with its young crew and Carl Andersson at the helm.
“At the downwind G-11 buoy near the Coast Guard station, a close-to-the-buoy gybe by OZone’s Jordan ended up with him losing control and hitting the buoy,” the Olson 30 skipper said. “Some green paint on the hull and a bent portside stanchion resulted with most damage being done to the skipper’s ego. Following a penalty turn, the buoy was rounded correctly, but by then, Weatherly was long gone much to the delight of the young sailors aboard Weatherly who have now beaten OZone, three times in a row.”
Bonjolea II marked first-to-cross honors with an elapsed sail of 1 hour, 6 minutes, 32 seconds, but with its handicap, finished in fourth at 1:11:36 PHRF. Fast Company was second to sound the finish horn on a 1:07:27 elapsed sail and corrected to 1:07:52 PHRF for its third straight win in the Phil Tanner Series. Kato (1:08:25 elapsed, 1:09:10 PHRF) finished second, and Papa A‘u (1:14:16 elapsed, 1:11:25 PHRF) was 11 seconds faster than Bonjolea II for third place.
Trinty, the F-28 Trimaran, corrected to 1:01:22 Club for top honors in that class followed by Iwa, an Oceanis 41, taking second place on a 1:05:05 Club correction. Speedy, one of five Olson 30s racing, settled at third with a 1:06:07 Club correction.
The Phil Tanner Series, Race No. 4 continues on Thursday when the first flags fly at 5 p.m. Spectators are welcome to join the NYC Race Committee to view the competition at the Nawiliwili jetty area parking lot.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
