SALT POND — With the hot sun beaming on the south side of the island, some of the planets best canoe paddlers braved the challenging conditions at Salt Pond yesterday during the Kaua‘i World Challenge canoe and kayak paddling event.
SALT POND — With the hot sun beaming on the south side of the island, some of the planets best canoe paddlers braved the challenging conditions at Salt Pond yesterday during the Kaua‘i World Challenge canoe and kayak paddling event.
The relay race started at Wailua Beach at about 9 a.m., and made transitions along the way to the finish at the county’s Salt Pond Beach Park. The course ran past 34 miles of shoreline altogether.
This was the second running of the Kaua‘i World Challenge event, and a number of international paddlers traveled to Kaua‘i to compete in it.
Paddlers faced varying condtions, including calm waters on the East Side, followed by strong Kona headwinds and high seas on the South Shore and approaches to the Westside.
The race was hosted by the Kaua‘i Hoe Wa‘a. Events included: one-man canoe (OC1), two-man canoe (OC2), and surf ski association.
Hundreds of spectators watched the race, which featured world-class paddlers, including acclaimed international surf ski paddlers Oscar Chalupsky, Dean Gardiner, Marshall Rosa, Mark Sandvold, and Kula, Maui’s Lauren Spalding, who is set to compete in the Olympic Games this summer in Athens, Greece on the U.S. Kayak Team. One hundred and one teams, 16 international, 11 U.S. Mainland, and the remainder from Hawai‘i, of OC1 and OC2 paddlers and surf skiers.
The OC-1 and OC-2 divisions included teams from Australia, New Zealand, Rarotonga, Brazil, California, Kaua‘i and other Hawaiian Islands.
Many paddlers described the final 24-miles of the race as brutal, tough and ugly.
Aaron Napoleon and Kea Paiaina from O‘ahu placed 1st overall in the OC1 Men’s category and in the Men’s 30-39 age category in a time of 4:55:28. Napoleon came in first last year as well. Mike Judd and Tapa Worthington came in second overall in the OC1 Men’s category and first in the 15-29 age category at 4:55:31. Steve Cole of Kaua‘i and Mark Riggs placed first in the Men’s OC1 40-49 age category with 5:10:02. The local team of Cappy Sheeley and Hanalei Civic Canoe Club legend Nick Beck, who competed in the 50 and over age group, came in first in their division with a time of 6:04:50.
Former member of the Australian Olympic kayak team and winner of the 2004 Starbucks Kaiwi Channel Relay Lisa Curry-Kenny and Robyn Saultry dominated the women’s category finishing in an impressive 5:52:01. Spalding and Cherisse Kelii came in second in 5:56:26.
Brothers Oscar Chalupsky and Herman Chalupsky from South Africa placed first in the surf ski division and were the very first team to cross the finish line with a time of 4:12:22.
Gardiner and David Kissane came in second at 4:24:02. In the Mixed OC2 division, the team of Brian Carter, Beth Carter, Cheryl Villegas, and John Husak finished first in 5:13:01. Cindy Grover of Kaua‘i, Jeffery Scott Weiss, Deb Robinson, and Vincent Robinson came in 2nd with a time of 5:30:26.
