===== Hilo report ===== **allipp01** \\ 03/16/17 #20843 Jill and I just got back from our all too brief one week Hilo visit. I managed to get in a race from Richardson's Beach to Hilo Bayfront. Ostensibly a downwind race……..it was actually a 2 mile upwind start, 7 miles of pretty good downwind,and then a 3 mile sidewind/upwind slog to the finish…….the long course became, for me at least, a battle of attrition, which I ended up losing. After a poor start, I reeled in many canoes on the downwind leg only to get passed back again on the final long slog. Enter Michael Medler. While I can't vouch that he's any faster after being in Hilo for 3 months, I can vouch that he's smarter! He chose to go short course, which didn't have the initial 2 mile upwind portion. He ended up fourth boat across the finish line in the short course. [[https://static1.squarespace.com/static/50b000fee4b091e2d1b0f9b0/t/58c8ecdaa5790a58d71084e7/1489562844079/East+Hawaii+Long+Overall.pdf|Long Race Results]] (//ED. - link seems defunct//) [[https://static1.squarespace.com/static/50b000fee4b091e2d1b0f9b0/t/58c8ed1bf5e2312e4c53bb85/1489562908005/East+Hawaii+Short+Overall+.pdf|Short Race Results]] (//ED. - link seems defunct//) Above are the long and short course results. As a point of reference, I was battling the lone surfski for a good bit of the downwind leg, though he did pull away from me at the end of that leg as heat took its toll on me! **allipp01** \\ 03/16/17 #20844 Oops, sorry Mr Medler, make that 5th across the line!