What a fun ride, aboard Gene Wells 35, Mapuana. Tony & Susan Lehoven dedicated with a kind heart a safe passage from Ko Olina, Oahu to Nawilliwilli Kauai for Mojito.
Mojito was in the Kalaheo doggy hospital for eating some foreign matter that made him not able to eat or drink, he was immediately put on an IV to keep him alive. The thought of surgery was a consideration because as days passed he still had something stuck in his belly. The vet knew I was to do the race across the channel and told me to leave Mojito in his care and we can make a decision upon my return.
Tony & Susan dedicated the race to Mojito before we left the harbor, at the start we had a light wind & perfect weather with spinner dolphins escorting us out to sea. . 
A few hours into the sail we hit the dull drums and thought of Mojito still clogged up. Boats pointing in every direction indicating they all were in the same hole. The wind line was in view, so close but yet so far out of our reach. As we tried to make the wind line, the other boats were running away into the wind. Finally, a break, Mapuana hit the wind line and we thought of Mojito’s clog going free. 
Mid Channel between Kauai & Oahu, we were fortunate to have some bottle nose dolphins passing by in the opposite direction. The passage took us about eleven hours, twenty minutes. As we approached Kauai in view, we tried to call the vet before they closed and had no phone signal. We waited till we got within 13 miles of Kauai’s coastline and were able to reach 
Mark, to find that Mojito was released around 9 am, just after our no wind zone. “What a beautiful thing”! we just wanted to celebrate at that moment.
At the awards ceremony Saturday evening (pictured above) Tony announced the dedication to Mojito to the crowd and had them in stitches. Poor Mojito, as Tony accepted the award in his honor.
Mojito is home, doing mighty fine and now has a clear passage! Yeah!
Click on any of the thumb size images to see larger images and the news article to for race details�
