NAWILIWILI — Sixty eight paddlers turned out for Kaua‘i Hoe Wa‘a’s third annual Kaua‘i Island Championship race last Sunday sponsored by Starbucks Coffee, Quiksilver, Steinlager, and the YMCA of Kaua‘i. Race conditions were ideal and provided good wind and bumps
NAWILIWILI — Sixty eight paddlers turned out for Kaua‘i Hoe Wa‘a’s third annual Kaua‘i Island Championship race last Sunday sponsored by Starbucks Coffee, Quiksilver, Steinlager, and the YMCA of Kaua‘i.
Race conditions were ideal and provided good wind and bumps from Kalapaki to Port Allen.
David Beck, who paddled in the State Championship on O‘ahu on Saturday, placing 5th overall, came home to paddle in this last race of Kaua‘i’s season placing first in a time of 2:27:18, making him the men’s season’s points winner for 2004. Steve Cole and Butch Keahiolalo came in at 2:27:19 and 2:27:20 respectively.
Noe Auger dominated the women’s division finishing in an impressive 2:47:16. She also took top honors with the women’s season’s points for this year.
Katy Curtis came in second in 2:53:55 followed by Margie Goodno in 2:55:33.
Curtis and Goodno are gearing up for the Molokai relay race on May 2nd, and show promise of being a competitive women’s team to contend with.
Surf skier Wes da Silva came in 10th overall with a time of 2:42:12 and Laurie Denton came in at 2:58:43.
In the short course, Bret Deblin took top honors coming in at 12:12:04.
Gaylord Wilcox, who is in the 60-plus age group and from O‘ahu, came in second with a time of 1:12:13. Steve Baker wasn’t far behind in 1:12:41.
In the women’s division, Cindy Grover paddled to a first place finish in 1:27:30. Laola Aea and Kimberlee Stuart finished second and third with times of 1:29:53 and 1:30:04. Surf skier Darcy Gray (Wilcox’s daughter) came in first overall with a time of 1:12:02.
Kaua‘i Hoe Wa‘a’s season finale will be the 2004 Steinlager-Pahio Resorts Kaua‘i World Challenge, the largest outrigger canoe and surf ski relay race in the world, featuring a $20,000 purse and Olympic-level athletes from around the globe.
Nearly 60 teams of OC1 and OC2 paddlers and surf skiers will race along more than 30 miles of Kaua‘i’s shoreline, switching off at five locations. The race is sponsored by Steinlager, Pahio Resorts, the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, the Kaua`i Visitors Bureau, Starbucks Coffee, the County of Kaua‘i, and YMCA.
The OC-1 and OC-2 divisions will have teams coming from Australia, New Zealand, Rarotonga, Brazil, California, and our neighbor islands, along with returning winners from last year. All Kaua‘i residents and visitors are welcome.
The race will take place on Saturday, May 8 at 9 a.m. starting at Wailua Beach with changes at Hanama‘ulu Beach, Kalapaki Beach, Sheraton Beach in Po‘ipu, and finishing at Salt Pond in Hanapepe.
For more information on this race, or Kaua`i Hoe Wa`a, call Tom or Mary Bartlett at 826-5503, e-mail mailto:places@hawaiian.net, or go to http://www.ocpaddler.com.