The first Steinlager Kauai World Challenge one-man outrigger canoe relay race was held Saturday under Sunday skies and excellent racing conditions. Overall winners of the event – which started at Wailua Beach, made a relay stop at Hanama’ulu Beach and
The first Steinlager Kauai World Challenge one-man outrigger canoe relay race was held Saturday under Sunday skies and excellent racing conditions.
Overall winners of the event – which started at Wailua Beach, made a relay stop at Hanama’ulu Beach and Kalapaki, with an additional relay stop at Po’ipu Beach and a finish at Salt Pond Beach Park at Hanapepe – are Kai Bartlett and Aaron Napoleon from Honolulu.
The men took home $2500 of the $20,000 in prize money.
Overall women’s winners are Lauren Spaulding of Maui. and Noe Sawyer of Kaua’i; Sawyer is an employee at Duke’s restaurant, which is located adjacent to the Kalapaki Beach relay spot.
Race director David “Kawika” Goodale of Kilauea said the event came off well and race organizers are hoping to stage it again next year.
He said relay teammembers drove from one spot to another to catch up with their teammates in the relay race.
“Paddlers came from Australia, New Zealand California, Guam and the Cook Islands,” Goodale said, with Tahitian paddlers unable to make it on time to the race.
He said one of the Cook Islands from Rarotonga was a winner of a drawing for a canoe paddle.
“The first two legs were very challenging,” Goodale said, with tradewinds hitting the side of the paddlers.The third and fourth legs found more downwind conditions, allowing paddlers to surf along with the wind.
“The first leg was really fast, faster than I expected,” he said. “The second leg, paddlers had to work out from Hanama’ulu to Ninini Pt. into Kalapaki. The third leg was a lot longer, but once past Carter’s Point, just before Kipukai, the tradewinds went side behind, and the last leg had the tradewinds right behind you and it was fun”.
Goodale said 63 teams competed, some with only two paddlers competing, others with four paddlers, for a total of 144 competitors. “The event came off really well,” Goodale said “It was so neat to be there and have some of the top paddlers in the world.”
“It was really fun, I’d love to do it again next year,” he said of future plans.
