The
2007 Kauai Channel Race went off with flying colors
Click
here for results and
here for pix.
By Dennis Fujimoto
Capt. Andy’s is not normally known for its racing skills,
but the 56-foot catamaran “Manu Kai” skippered by Andy Evans
reaped first-to-finish honors Friday. The Manu Kai was racing in the Nawiliwili Yacht Club’s O‘ahu Channel
Race. “We were a little light going out,” said Louie Abrams,
one of the crew aboard the Manu Kai, which crossed the
Nawiliwili Harbor finish line in 8:19:38 elapsed time. “We
might not have broken the record, but we didn’t break
anything else,” Abrams said. Leaving Ko Olina at 7 a.m.
Friday, the fleet of 15 boats navigated the O‘ahu to Kaua‘i
channel, ending at the entrance to Nawiliwili Harbor. “They
were racing in three different classes,” said Sharon Gibson,
the NYC scorekeeper. “Once the adjusted times are applied,
we’ll see where the boats end up.” The Manu Kai was the
first to capture a special recognition award being the first
multihull to finish. This award is presented based on
elapsed time with no ratings applied. Second across the
finish line was an NYC regular, the “Malihini,” a 35-foot
catamaran captained by Doug Gibson. Both Kaua‘i boats took
early leads from the onset and maintained their lead
throughout the race. “We were light coming out, and the next
thing you know, Doug was on our tail,” Abrams said. “We
decided to break out the spinnaker, and we made good time.
We hit some 20-knot winds that moved us along pretty good.”
“Boomerang,” a Sydney 41 that pulled in first-to-finish
honors in last year’s race, filled in the third berth,
making the crossing in 8:43:39. That finish earned “First
Monohull to Finish” honors based on elapsed time. “We saw
the boats with their spinnakers up while we were flying
over,” one of the Boomerang supporters said. “It was a
pretty sight. This is our third year watching the races.”
But she arrived long after Boomerang crossed the finish line
and settled for cheering on the “Hoku Kai,” a Jeanneau 40,
which filled in the 10th berth on a crossing of 11:12:09
elapsed. “Cowabunga,” racing in the Americap Class with
owner/skipper Mark Denzer at the wheel, was presented first
monohull honors based on PHRF corrected time of 9:37:28
(9:49:01 elapsed). Cowabunga was also the recipient of the
PHRF B Class award based on her corrected time. “Siesta,”
racing in the PHRF A Class with owner/skipper Curtis Collins
at the wheel, earned its award on a corrected time of
9:50:37 (8:53:28 elapsed). Malihini was the recipient of
first multihull honors based on corrected time, Doug
Gibson’s crew stopping the clock at 9:02:59 PHRF. “Fast
Company,” an Olson 30 racing for the NYC, filled in second
(10:00:00 PHRF), followed by “Speedy,” another NYC Olson 30,
at 10:45:11. “Mapuana,” a Wells 35, was third (10:51:11
PHRF) followed by “Hoku Kai” (11:16:19 PHRF) and “Colloquy”
(12:36:01 PHRF). Following the race, everyone gathered for a
post-race party Saturday night. “We plan to be around for a
couple more years of racing,” Abrams said.
Thank you to all of our generous sponsors
Ko
Olina Marina,
Ko
Olina Resort,
King
Auto Center
First
Hawaiian Bank,
Wal-Mart,
Keoki's Brewing and
Hilo
Hatties