Papa a’u finishes first in the Glen Hontz Memorial Series, race 2

Papa a’u with Ed Tschupp at the helm had timed it perfectly. The boat crossed the start line at the blast of the horn with plenty of speed and at the favored end of the start line. The spectators on the Kalapaki Breakwater who witnessed the start remarked that Papa a’u was more than a boat length ahead of OZone, the next racer.

Today’s course was an especially long one. With winds gusting out of the NNE anything could happen, as it usually does on race day for the Nawiliwili Yacht Club. A fleet of nine boats raced out of the harbor lead by Papa a’u. While Papa a’u cleared the end of the breakwater without tacking, the rest of the fleet had to tack a few times to get out into the ocean.

It was Papa a’u first around the Lighthouse buoy, then Bonjolea II, followed by Ozone. On the first return leg the faster boats finally passed Papa a’u. Bonjolea II and Trinity came in fast to Kalapaki Beach and around Red #2 buoy. A few boats experience severe wind shifts due to the bluff at the golf course and had their spinnakers collapse into their rigging.

The fleet sailed passed the onlookers on the breakwater in a show of colorful spinnakers and glistening hulls and quickly sailed the remaining distance on the 6.12 mile course. Trinity flashed across the finish line first with an elapsed time of 1 hour, 5 minutes and 52 seconds followed by Bonjolea II at an elapsed time of 1:07:09. But after applying the PHRF handicap correction, it was Papa a’u that took top honors with a corrected time of 1:08:44 and Fast Company finished second with a corrected time of 1:09:26. Kato wrestled third place from OZone on the last leg of the race by taking the inside course closer to the cruise ship while OZone went outside away from the shore. The two boats converged on the finish line with Kato ahead and finishing third with a corrected time of 1:09:45.

Coyote took top honors in Club Class with a corrected time of 1:01:36. The F-28 trimaran Trinity finished second in Club with a corrected time of 1:02:03, and Chaos took third with a time of 1:05:28.

Kevin Arndt

Click for photos by Pam Zirker and Kevin Arndt