Same Ending, A Much Different Start

Eight boats were at the start line for the second race of the Gene Wells Memorial Series. The winds were gusting to 20 knots from the ENE, but only one boat elected to put a reef in their sails. That was Lelele, a Wells 30 designed and built by Terry Wells, son of Gene Wells, the past local sailor and boat builder to which this series is dedicated. The fleet barreled across the start line within moments of the start horn with all the boats heeling with their lee rails awash. Speedy had the best start but thinking that they were over early they circled back and restarted. A minute after the start horn the leader was Bonjolea II then Fast Company, Papa a’u, Ozone, Speedy followed by Weatherly, Trinity, and Lelele. At three minutes after the start, the intermediate life line gave way on Fast Company putting three crew members over the side. The remaining crew on board Fast Company doused the jib, and circled back to recover their crew. Speedy diverted their course and remained in the vicinity until everybody was safely back aboard Fast Company. Both boats then set off with the rest of the fleet on their way out to the lighthouse buoy.

The boats ate up the 5.8 mile course in no time and the Race Committee at the end of the Kalapaki Breakwater flagged in boats, coincidentally in the same order as the last week’s race: OZone in first with a corrected time of 1:04:49 (1:04:43 elapsed), Bonjolea II in second with 1:06:04 corrected (1:02:00 elapsed), and Papa a’u in third at 1:07:33 corrected (1:10:34 elapsed).

Trinity took Club Class first place with 00:58:49 corrected (1:02:48 elapsed) with Weatherly second place (1:03:44 corrected, 1:10:06 elapsed) and Speedy third place (1:04:56 corrected, 1:13:56 elapsed).

The public is invited to view the second race of the seven-race series on Thursday from the Nawiliwili Harbor jetty wall area. First flags fly at 5:00 p.m.

Kevin Arndt

Click here for photos by Charlotte