This was a three day race with three different legs including layovers @ Kaneohe Yacht Club & Koolina Resort. The fleet was composed of monohauls & multihulls. Our boat was (Bobsled) the F-31R Corsair Trimaran with full cruising interior. Our crew composed of local sailors –,Ken Watts, Bob Rossen ,Brad Wilcox,Tim McKeague,Jack Silas & my 17 year old son Joshua. We were racing against 5 other multihulls including a full-blown race boat “Illusion”- French built Formula 30 all Carbon Fiber Catamaran with professional mainland crew flown in & a custom Corsair 25C Trimaran. This was a boat for boat race with no handicapping.

The first leg was 10-15 knots of breeze with 2-4 foot chop. We all got off the starting line on starboard tack and short tacked upon the coast to Koko Head. Illusion had the lead by about a half-mile off Sandy Beach followed by Bobsled and the 25C. The wind swung North and lightened as the fleet approached Makapuu Pt. Illusion stayed out too far and Bobsled took advantage of the favorable Northerly wind shift by working the inside coast line. At Makapuu, Bobsled closed the gap on illusion and both boats were neck and neck followed y the F-25C about ½ mile back. Illusion and Bobsled cracked off the wind about 20 degrees heading for the slot off of Kaneohe Bay. Both boats set screechers and it was a drag race to the finish line with Illusion narrowly beating Bobsled by about 2 minutes. The F-25C and F-27 finished 3rd and 4th.

 The second leg began after an hour motoring off of Kaneohe Bay with a sail down the North Shore end with the finish line at Kaawa Point. We made the choice to take the inside line & Illusion took the outside. As time went by, we were on the more direct rum line with our GPS coordinates heading for the finish line with Illusion in pursuit. Wind filled in to about 15 knots out of the East at Kahuku Pt. As Bobsled was in the lead followed by the F-25C and Illusion. Illusion was able to pass the F-25C just past Kahuku and both Bobsled and Illusion played the inside coastline taking advantage of the stronger offshore header puffs on Port tack. The inside was also smoother with less current. The pace continued with Bobsled ahead of Illusion by about ½ mile. Bobsled covered Illusion jibe for jibe as both boats neared Haleiwa. The outside had more wind and Bobsled chose to protect that side of the course. Off of Haleiwa both boats jibed on to port tack heading for the shoreline. The wind began to lighten and swing to the West Northwest direction, picking up the sea breezes off the leeward side of the island. Bobsled and Illusion both jibed to Starboard with the wind shift. Bobsled transitioned quickly to the new breeze, dropping the kite and setting the screecher. Illusion held on to the kite too long allowing Bobsled to sail away higher and faster toward the finish line of Kaina Pt. Both boats proceeded up the coastline to the finish line with Bobsled covering and taking the race by about 2 minutes.

The third leg (Tie breaker) we left Koolina’s Marina resort & motored up to the starting line in front of the hotel. Upon the starting gun going off, all five boats in the Mulithull fleet were attacking the line on a Starboard tack. The F-27 “Makali” was the first to cross the line however we had more speed and were able to easily roll over the top of them. The French cat “Illusion” was just starboard of us & approx. 2 feet away on a starboard tack on a collision course attempting to barge in and was squeezed off by Bobsled forcing her to tack to Port with no speed. I asked their crew if they were having fun yet…they replied…”NO, not yet”. We closed the door on them thus making them shift tacks. When Illusion tacked back to Starboard, all 3 Corsairs passed them. Do to the ability of the other Trimarans to tack & point in the conditions the F-27 and F-25C “Cool” were both able to cross tacks in front of the catamaran “Illusion”. In a desperate attempt, Illusion pulled out the screecher and tried to sail upwind with it, but the movie just got worse for them. All 3 Corsairs short tacked up to Barbers Pt. Leaving Illusion behind. Bobsled cleared Barbers Pt. First, followed by the F-25C and the F-27. Some tacks were only 70 feet of the rocks inside the surf line in as little as 6 feet of depth. Illusion continued to fall back. Bobsled set the screecher off Barbers Pt. and sailed fast all the way to the finish without any additional tacking to take the race by 18 minutes, and the regatta. Illusion narrowly beat out the F-25C followed by the F-27.

This leg of race of part was particularly sweet do the the last time that we had raced the same course from Ko’olina to Waikiki the conditions were the very same however, last time the Catamaran Illusion was able to beat us by over 8 minutes.

Due to the tremendous talent of the local crewmembers & boat that rose to the occasion, we were able to win this race over a boat that owes us well over an hour in corrected time.

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