MAUI — The Hawaiian Sailing Canoe Association kicked off the start of the 2009 sailing season on May 29 with the Kahalui to Ka‘anapali north shore coastal race. Even with imperfect conditions, the participating teams were ready for the challenging
MAUI — The Hawaiian Sailing Canoe Association kicked off the start of the 2009 sailing season on May 29 with the Kahalui to Ka‘anapali north shore coastal race. Even with imperfect conditions, the participating teams were ready for the challenging adventure.
With light winds a constant factor, getting a quick start out of the Kahalui harbor proved to be one of the defining moments in the race. Team Olukai in the Kamakakoa canoe picked up where they left off last year and took the early lead.
The winds proved to be too much for over half the fleet and only five canoes managed to complete the course. Team Olukai, consisting of Marvin Otsuji, Noe Auger, Jason Dameron, Scott Wagner, Kai Bartlett and Peter Konohia finished the 37-mile course in a time of 3 hours, 10 minutes.
The second leg of the season was held on May 31 from Ka‘anapali to Haleolono. This race was once again held in light wind conditions. Team Olukai, now competing with new team member Tyson Kubo, was tested by Tui Tonga from Kaua‘i. The two teams were cleary the elite squads competing and were able to distance themselves from the pack within the race’s first hour.
After battling for 30 miles, the two teams were still within shouting distance of each other. However, just two miles later, Team Olukai pulled away and ended up being the only team able to complete the race without being towed.
