An Exciting Start to the 3rd Race of the Wahine Series

Winds were relatively light; the race committee decided to race one long loop, and two shorter loops to ensure the race would finish before dark. Once again, the spectators on the mole were treated to an interesting, tight race.

Only five boats turned out for the race (at least two boats were still waiting for repairs after last week’s race). The relatively light winds turned out to yield several substantial challenges. The first was a mass start…all five boats tried to cross the starting line at almost the same place. Fortunately, there were no collisions, but two protests were submitted to the protest committee, both stemming from the first minute of the race. Bonjolea II chose to do a 720 degree penalty turn to offset any slight they may have committed. This maneuver dropped Bonjolea II to the rear of the fleet.

Spinnaker handling is critical in light air, and this race was no exception. When Fast Company had problems setting their spinnaker, they seriously dropped back. Bonjolea II, due to larger size, managed to finish first, boat for boat.

A little over six minutes separated the first and last place boats in raw times. But this series is a handicapped series. The final result was even tighter, with only a bit over a minute and a half separating first and last place boats after handicaps were applied. And surprisingly, the overall PHRF winner was Papa A’u, which had finished last in raw time. They really beat their handicap. OZone and Bonjolea II rounded out the second and third positions, respectively. Kato and Fast Company were first and second in club class.

Wahine race #3 results (pending resolution of protests):

PHRF Class
1. Papa A’u
2. Ozone
3. Bonjolea II

Club Class
1. Kato
2. Fast Company

The final race in this year’s Wahine series will be sailed next Thursday, August 24.

-William Georgi, Rear Commodore

Click for results and more photos in the NYC Gallery