Big Island Challenge - Round The Island of Hawaii Attempt Slated for June/July

The Kona Sailing Club (www.konasailingclub.org) located on the Kona coast of the Big Island of Hawaii is planning on making a record attempt this summer. The record will be for the fastest sail around the Big Island of Hawaii and will be sanctioned by the World Sailing Speed Record Council.

In addition to setting the record the goal is to promote the sport of sailing on the Big Island. They are also partnering with Hawaii Island United Way to raise money for local charities.

The attempt will be done on the Olson 30 “Fast Company” owned and skippered by Mitch Green, Commodore of the KSC. Joining him are David LeMignant, Drew Kerlee, Cort Sapin and Tom Fischer.

The platinum sponsors for this event are the Fairmont Orchid (fairmont.com) and G&M Maintenance Inc.

The attempt will be made in June/July depending on when a weather window opens up. One of the major challenges for the attempt is the diversity of the weather surrounding the Big Island. The Big Island has 266 miles of coastline on its northern coast, the Alenuihaha channel, which is considered one of the 10 worst channels in the world.

The southern most point is also known for it’s strong winds and short steep seas. Less than 50% of the route will be in reaching conditions. The Big Island sports the tallest mountain in the world, Mauna Loa, (measured from its base on the sea floor) and that produces an extremely large area of light winds, which is one of the other challenges facing the team.