Jennifer Henderson 1st Place at 2001 Aloha Classic
November 5 to 10 was the window for this years Aloha Classic. The first two days were dedicated to an open heat where anybody that donated a bag of rice and a grocery bag of canned goods for the Maui food bank was given the opportunity to sail in front of the judges. Only the best 10 men and 4 women sailors were then allotted a spot in the final elimination-round heats along the seated pros. These first two days were classic Ho'okipa conditions with 18 to 25 knots and head to mast high waves. For the remainder of the week the wind wound down as the waves kicked up to double mast high sets. Saturday being the last day in the window of competition the officials decided to proceed with winds ranging from 8 to 15 knots.
In the womens event were notable name such as Angela Cochran, Kelley Moore & Collette Guadagino. Light winds and over mast high waves was a formidable scene for the crowds of people lining the hillside to watch. Right from the start Jennifer showed who was the queen. Her forward loops combined with insane bottom turns on the moster waves were enough for her to win every heat she entered. Jennifer started the competition on her 4.3 Diva sail, then later switched to the 5.3 when winds dropped even further. In the final womens heat her 5.3, Hot Sail Maui, Diva rig weighing in at 14 lbs made it possible for her to shred the contest site while the rest of the competitors were scrambling for their gear in the white water.
In the final heat she ended up annihilating the competition by an unprecedented 180 points. Normally only a few points between the top riders decide judged contests.
Congratulations Jennifer on your win! We are stoked to have you as such an integral part of our womens line of sails.