A contingent of local paddlers competed against not only some of the best in the state, but some of the best in the world.
The 66th annual Molokai Hoe long-distance outrigger canoe race took place last weekend. Crews paddled about 41 miles on the Kaiwi Channel from Molokai to Oahu.
Among the three crews that represented Kauai, Kauai Wa’a was the fastest. The crew placed 12th overall and finished the course in 5 hours, 12.39 minutes.
“We hit our goal of top 10 (crews in Hawaii). We got 12th overall and I think fourth or fifth Hawaii crew,” said Kauai Wa’a paddler Christian Marston Jr. of Hanalei.
He added: “The time, we’re stoked with the time. We always want to keep it to around five hours. We’d like to be closer to five, but it was good. It was a hard year. The conditions were tough.”
The Kauai Wa’a crew members are: Marston, Parker Smith, Jody Simpson, Hobey Beck, Sebastian Romero, Tyrus Siale, BJ Aiwohi, Jesse Palumbo, Mike Frazier, Bronson Aiwohi and Mikey Thornton.
“On paper, it looked like it was going to be good conditions. There was light winds and a rising tide, which normally is good for the race. It pulls you into the island,” Marston said. “But for some reason, it’s the channel, so things were different.
“We were trying to get south the whole race at least to the run line, which is a straight shot, but the current pulled us higher than we were aiming for. But it turned out good for us.”
Another Kauai crew, comprised of members of local clubs Puuwai and Kukuiula, finished the race in 5 hours, 54.41 minutes and was 48th overall.
The Puuwai crew, though, was disqualified and didn’t place in the Masters 40+ division it entered.
“We had a bunch of mishaps during the race that took us out of contention from the start,” said Puuwai paddler Keone Miyake. “But our crew in itself, we made a lot of big comebacks. We had a good race itself, but from the start, we got taken out of contention for the 40s division.”
Puuwai crew members are: Miyake, Bryan Miyake, Jacob Akaka, Tim Self, Kawika Moniz, Joe Rapozo, Omar Mansala, Chad Cabral and Tyron Nicolas.
Miyake, of Anahola, said he was pleased with the team’s time and performance despite getting disqualified.
“I feel really good, to tell you the truth, about how our crew performed and how the actual race went. It was very good,” he said. “We had a battle with a Tahiti 40s crew the whole way to the finish, and we ended up coming on top. Because we were at the back, we pushed ourselves all the way. It was like a battle within a battle, which is very good for us.
Miyake added the meaning of “aloha” resonated with him throughout the event.
“Before the race, we had one of the kumus doing the pule. She mentioned the word ‘aloha,’ and she went into saying that it’s a strong word and we needed to be reminded of it,” he said. “She went into examples. We have to aloha the aina, the water, the people that make this race possible for us, our crews and our coaches. After the race, I remember that. That’s how I feel about this race.”
A Kauai team comprised of members from clubs Namolokama and Kaiola competed in the Masters 65+ division. The crew finished at 6 hours, 36.40 minutes and placed 87th overall.
Namolokama-Kaiola members are: Gene Lopez, Ata Chow, Kawika Goodale, Phil Morgan, Mike Kobayashi, Andy Reich, Jeff O’Hara, Tom Thompson, Tim Haentjens, Jack Edgehill, Jeffrey Estep and Roger Dunn.
Lopez couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday.
Ninety-eight crews took part in Sunday’s race.
Shell Va’a of French Polynesia placed first overall with a time of 4 hours, 35.16 minutes. Red Bull Wa’a of the Big Island was the top crew of Hawaii, placing second overall with a time of 4 hours, 44.21 minutes.
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Nick Celario, sports writer, can be reached at 245-0437 or ncelario@thegardenisland.com.
