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Water Ways Ray Pendleton |
Sailing world to converge
on Kaneohe BayYears ago, I was crewing aboard a boat in the annual Newport Beach, Calif., to Ensenada, Mexico, race when the skipper made an amusing observation.
"First, man invented sailboats -- one of the slowest ways to commute," he said. "And now we come along and try to race them."
Everyone within earshot laughed at the time because were attempting to coax a heavy, 70-foot, wooden-hulled cutter towards the finish line in an almost nonexistent breeze.
Now, his words come to mind whenever I watch those pocket-rockets called International 14s skipping across Kaneohe Bay. Sailing, slow? I think not.
For those unfamiliar with the I-14 dinghy class, there are fleets in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, as well as the U.S.
It is known as a "development class" as its design has, and will continue to undergo changes and innovations under its international rules.
Currently, the I-14s' carbon fiber hulls measure 14 feet at the waterline, but with their retractable spinnaker poles extended, they measure 25 feet in length overall.
They also have 25-foot-high carbon fiber masts, so the I-14s are able fly some 550 square feet of combined main, jib and spinnaker sails. And the boats have two-person trapeze setups to allow their crew to hike out to balance that huge sail area.
With that much power potential on a craft that only weighs about 165 pounds and has hydrofoils to lift it above the water, you have a boat that on a normal trade wind day becomes a blur across the water.
If you haven't seen these I-14 boats in action, next weekend will offer a perfect opportunity to check them out.
The Kaneohe Yacht Club will be conducting its third biennial Pacific Rim I-14 Championships Saturday through Monday, followed by the Hawaii State I-14 Championship Race on Tuesday.
Race organizer Andy Bates reports there are five boats being shipped in from Australia, two from Japan and 13 from Seattle, San Francisco and Long Beach. Those 20 will compete with the six boats based here in Hawaii.
Bates is quick to point out how important the sponsorships of the Horizon and Maersk/Sea-Land Lines have been by providing free shipping for the visiting competitors' boats.
Another appreciated sponsor of the event this year, Bates said, is the Global Sports Alliance (www.gsa.or.jp), a Japan-based, environmental activist group connected with the Sony Corporation.
GSA seeks to unite the world's over one billion sports enthusiasts in solving global environmental problems and will be providing "Eco-flags" for every boat in a show of support of activities that promote clean air and water.
Bates also notes that both shipping sponsors are keenly aware of their responsibilities regarding the environment and are excited to be associated with and in support of those efforts.
A third sponsor will be West Marine which will provide the trophies and prizes for the winners.
Races for these go-fast dinghies will begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, but advanced Junior Sailors and prospective buyers can go out for a test sail from 10 a.m. to noon on Sunday.
The final two races will begin at noon on Monday and the State Championship race will begin at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Ray Pendleton is a free-lance writer based in Honolulu.
His column runs Saturdays in the Star-Bulletin.
He can be reached by e-mail at raypendleton@mac.com.