Many have tried. All have failed. So when word came to Kaua‘i yesterday that veteran waterman Chris Owens had left Sunset Beach on O‘ahu at 12:40 p.m. yesterday bound for Nawiliwili Harbor on his one-person paddle-board, reporters needed to take
Many have tried. All have failed.
So when word came to Kaua‘i yesterday that veteran waterman Chris Owens had left Sunset Beach on O‘ahu at 12:40 p.m. yesterday bound for Nawiliwili Harbor on his one-person paddle-board, reporters needed to take steps to make sure this was not a prank or hoax.
Apparently, it isn’t.
A film crew from KGMB news (channel 9, CBS) is aboard the escort boat, the Erika Marie out of O‘ahu, with Capt. Rick Stevens at the controls, according to reporters in the KGMB newsroom.
Known as one of the world’s top paddlers, Owens has done the Moloka‘i-to-O‘ahu solo paddleboard race several times, according to friend and fellow paddler Lance Fagerstedt of Lawa‘i.
But the Kauai Channel between Kaua‘i and O‘ahu is daunting, over twice the distance at over 100 miles as the crow flies, and with a history not only of repelling repeated attempted invasions by King Kamehameha’s warriors, but to turn back before fruition other attempts to singlehandedly paddle between the islands.
Despite the distance, Kaua‘i Fire Department Ocean Safety Bureau Co-Supervisor Kaleo Hookano said he wouldn’t count Owens out.
“I would say it’s about 112, 115 miles,” said Hookano, who said he hadn’t heard of Owens’ try. “These paddleboard guys today, they’re really hi-tech, they’ve got good equipment.”
Hookano said that the lightweight boards fly through the water, and allow paddlers to conserve energy.
“Most of the of the way he’s going to be catching waves,” Hookano continued. “If he’s as good as I hear, he can catch swells and ride them 200, 400 yards.”
During the first few hours of his trip, Owens was accompanied by dolphins, according to accounts Fagerstedt gathered from those on the escort boat.
Owens’ original estimate was that it will take 20 hours to paddle from O‘ahu to Kaua‘i. But larger-than-expected swells pushed him away from that estimate early in the paddle, so it will likely be between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. today, Wednesday, May 18, when he lands at Kalapaki.
“Just the challenge of it” is why Owens launched, Fagerstedt said. Owens has a desire in his heart. “He feels he can do it,” Fagerstedt said.
Fagerstedt grows anthurium in Lawa‘i, and is a marketing analyst with WorldLineHawaii. He is 52. Owens is 45. Fagerstedt plans to paddle out from Kalapaki and paddle in with Owens the last few miles, he said.
Not only does Owens have the drive and desire, he also has sponsors, including Buttons Hawaii, Haleiwa Joe’s, Yerba Mendo Mati, Jamstar, and www.soulsurfing.com.
He is aboard a 17-foot paddleboard.
- Paul C. Curtis, associate editor, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@pulitzer.net. Tom Finnegan, staff writer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or tfinnegan@pulitzer.net.
