Nina? Who wouldn't want Nina? Recall what Skip wrote about her and her skipper last year:
"Who are those guys?" says Butch to Sundance.
"Who is that guy??" says sleddog.
Robert MacDonald, aboard his Olson-29 NINA ("little girl"), is not listed in the 2016 SHTP Program.
This afternoon I was privileged to watch probably the most stirring and photogenic finish of a SHTP in many a year.
At my 200 foot cliffside elevation, I first spotted NINA inshore, up by Kilauea Point, 5 miles east of Hanalei. Through the binos I could see NINA, on port pole, was running fast in the 15-25 knot trades. I phoned Jackie down at Race headquarters in Hanalei to alert to NINA's approach. VHF radio reception in NINA's direction is notably unreliable.
NINA, coming down the beach, 1/2 mile offshore, was getting bigger real fast. In less than 10 minutes I could see NINA clearly, flying her white, black, and pink spinny.
5 minutes later I could see NINA's spinny pole was well forward, main boom skimming the wave tops, the bow wave as high as the hull, as Robert carried his spinny on the hairy edge of a round-up.
With NINA a mile off, my heart began racing. As dark gusts off the cliffs would catspaw downward onto the water, NINA would heel to leeward, the luff of the spinnaker quivering, the boat on the brink of control. Masterfully, Robert would bear off, never once losing it.
NINA, aligned with the white horses of the tradewind swells, would dip her bow in a curtsy, tip of the bow at water level. Then, whoosh, off she'd go down the wave, the forefoot fully clear back to the mast, the bow wave amidships at windward lifeline height.
iiii doggies.
NINA kept coming. She crossed the Hanalei Finish about 1317 hours HST at full pelt, spinnaker still on edge. Looking down at her stern wake as she blew by, I'm guessing NINA was averaging 10, with bursts to 14-16 as she'd accelerate down the ocean wave.
It appeared from a distance that Robert was having such a memorable ride, he kept right on going past the finish, towards Bali Hai in the distance
At the conclusion of a most inspiring demonstration of sailing virtuosity and helmsmanship, Robert blew the afterguy, the spinny came smartly down to leeward, and NINA turned to port to enter Hanalei Bay.
Aloha, Robert and NINA. Mahalo for the memories!
"Who are those guys??" indeed.
It's Robert and NINA.
Last edited by sleddog; 07-16-2016 at 07:03 AM.
