By Bob Krauss
Advertiser Columnist

Members of the Kane'ohe Yacht Club feel something like residents of Our Honolulu did about 1850 when the whaling fleet came into port. They're swamped by sailors from around the world.

More than 100 sea dogs from 19 countries have invaded the placid shores of Kane'ohe Bay. They speak 19 languages. Regatta chairman Tom Pochereva is busier than a cat on a hot tin roof.

The occasion is the world championship and Olympic qualifying competition of the Forty Niners, a type of yacht that's 4.9 meters long and can accelerate up to bursts of 30 knots tacking downwind with a spinnaker.

Six of the countries competing on Kane'ohe Bay will qualify for the Olympic Games. It's the first time a world-class event like this has been held on the bay, but it probably won't be the last.

John Reed from Hampshire, England, is the executive director of the Forty Niners governing body. He said they have never found better sailing conditions.

"Our races are short and sharp," he explained. "The local club ask us how long the race courses should be. Based on our experience in South America and the Mediterranean and the Baltic, we estimated 1,200 yards.

"But conditions are so good on Kane'ohe Bay that the boats travel faster than we've ever seen. They require more like 1,800 to 2,000 yards."

He said the Forty Niner originated in Australia about six years ago. Now there are 800 in the world. A crew from Poland drove their boat in a container to the airport and shipped it to Hawai'i at the last minute for the 49-team competition.

Reed said the concept of the Forty Niner was to produce the fastest possible sailboat. Stability went out the window. Lean over and you'll capsize. The two-member crew must be top athletes. He said the sailors competing for Olympic berths are the best in the world.

"These guys are out of a mold. They are superb athletes, very bright and capable of making a success in any field. All their communication is by Internet. This class of boat has no newsletter. News of an event like this spreads around the globe by word of mouth. It's the state of art in yacht racing.

"Many of the sailors are professionals who are hired to crew in prestige races for wealthy yacht owners. They take this event very seriously. The best passport to good jobs in this business is a berth in the Olympics."

Pochereva said he had no idea when he volunteered as regatta chairman that he'd be handling the biggest event in Kane'ohe Yacht Club history. Club members have been buoying channels and staking reefs. All this is in addition to 80 regular races a year.

The Forty Niners have been tearing up Kane'ohe Bay for about a month, a great inspiration to teenage yacht club members.

"The crews have been practicing since the last week in May," Pochereva said.