Fast Company Challenges for the Lipton Challenge Cup One

Fast Company skipper Jim Saylor and crewmembers Bruce Raymond, Thor Temne, John Ross, Colby Curtis, and Kevin Arndt were in Honolulu during the April 22th weekend participating in the Lipton Cup. They warmed up by competing in the Hawai`i Yacht Club Friday Night Beer Can Race that featured a staggered start and a race out to the Diamond Head buoy and back. The race had a large fleet and we walked away with second place (and a credit of two pitchers of beer at the HYC bar, not yet collected on.)

The Lipton Cup started on Saturday with the race course off of Waikiki Beach. The conditions had gusty, shifty winds which presented a challenge to the four boat fleet. The defending champion, Waikiki Yacht Club’s Humboldt 30 High Tension was the boat to beat, but after gear failure that sent two crew members overboard on the first leg of the first race, it became apparent that there could be a change in venue for the trophy cup. Along with bring their best crew and gear, they must have brought a shipping box with them because Kane`ohe Yacht Club’s Hobie 33 Yellow Dragon sailed a flawless regatta scoring four first place bullets and elected to retire for the fifth race. Fast Company performed well and it was heard from the spectator boats that our impressive teamwork was a force to be reckoned with! The crew of Fast Company was honored by the hospitality of WYC, the efforts of the Race Committee, and the comradery of racing amongst the best crews that Hawaii has to offer.

– Kevin Arndt

2017 Lipton Cup Challenge One Results
1st Place – KYC Yellow Dragon, Hobie 33, 9 pts.
2nd Place – HYC Mayhem, Hobie 33, 11 pts.
3rd Place – WYC High Tension, Humboldt 30, 13pts.
4th Place – NYC Fast Company, Olson 30, 18 pts.

Click for more Day 1 and Day 2 photos by Charlotte Ross