Kialoa

Engraving of Kilroy on the WWII Memorial in Washington DC; Kialoa's Transom Ensign.

Kialoa was a maxi yacht campaign founded and led by Jim Kilroy spanning from 1956 to 1989.

Kialoa I was a 50-foot yacht remodeled by Kilroy, which won numerous races in California, Mexico and Hawaii.

Kialoa II, a 72-foot aluminum-hulled yacht designed and built to Kilroy's specifications, sailed to victories in California; along the Atlantic Coast of the U.S.; across the Atlantic to Ireland; in the Tasman Sea, from New Zealand to Tasmania; and many other races.

Kialoa III was built as a 78-foot racing and cruising machine. It held the Sydney to Hobart record for around 25 years and had numerous victories across the world.

Kialoa IV was a contemporary of Condor of Bermuda; and a record contender in the tragic 1979 Fastnet race

Kialoa IV in 2010.

Kialoa V was a German Frers designed maxi; and fierce competitor to Condor, Nirvana, and Sovereign.

Kialoa IV and Kialoa V were world Maxi Yacht Champions 5 of the 8 years they raced from 1981-1989.

Race wins include: Onion Patch, Transpacific, Queen's Cup, Tasman Sea, Hawaii, Block Island, Sardinia Cup, S.O.R.C. (Southern Ocean Racing Circuit), Kenwood Cup, San Francisco Big Boat Series and the Maxi World Championship.

In his memoir about racing, life and business, Kilroy describes in detail the evolution of each Kialoa, as well as how he came up with the name after hearing that the Hawaiian word, roughly translated, means "long, white canoe".

References

"Dare to Win," by Jim Kilroy