Waimea, Kauai » A mere 12 hours after the outrigger canoe paddling regatta season came to a close with the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association State Championship, a throng of dedicated paddlers was back in Kauai’s waters competing in a marathon affair.
Nearly 1,000 paddlers took part in the 16th annual Na Pali Challenge, a 39-mile race from Hanalei Bay on Kauai’s North Shore to Waimea Pier on the Garden Island’s southwestern coastline on Sunday. Eighty-three canoes — nearly four times the usual tally of entrants for this event — started the race, with participants from across the state enjoying light winds and manageable 1- to 3-foot surf.
The race featured crews of 12 paddlers — six male and six female — and the genders switched off every 30 minutes regardless of their position along the course. The wahine began the race, then changed out of the canoe and hopped onto an accompanying escort boat as the men took over. The process was repeated until the race finished at the pier.
Kauai’s own Namolokama O Hanalei Canoe Club used a brand-new Tiger-model canoe designed for Shell Va‘a — Tahiti’s top paddling crew regarded as one of the best in the world. Namolokama rode the "unlimited" boat — which weighs just 200 pounds compared to the usual 400-plus pounds of a traditional fiberglass racing canoe — to victory in 4 hours, 28 minutes and 10 seconds.
"I’ve never paddled in a canoe like that. You’re just flying in that thing," said Namolokama’s Brett Deblin. "It’s easy to get in and out of, and has a self bailer, so the boat constantly drains and stays dry. This is the future. Why would you race in anything else when you have a canoe like this that’s so enjoyable? It’s fun to win, too."
Unlike most races that begin with all crews launching from a starting line in the water, the Na Pali Challenge featured a Le Mans start. Five paddlers waited alongside the canoe in the shallow water just off the beach while each steerswoman ran 20 feet from a designated spot on the sand, and upon reaching the canoe, the entire crew jumped into the vessel and began the trek around the island.
Waikiki Beach Boys/Team Primo featured a combination of Hawaii’s elite paddlers representing two well-respected programs in Waikiki and Wailea, Maui — the banner under which Primo paddles. Waikiki/ Primo jumped out to an early lead, leaving a mass of competing boats — some of which bumped into one another and created a logjam in the bay — in its wake and made its way along the northern coastline. However, the crew competed in a heavier, slower traditional racing canoe, and was eventually passed by Namolokama and finished in second by a 5:08 margin.
"The Na Pali section was really nice. We had one run there towards the end that was great," said Kai Bartlett, a veteran paddler with Team Primo. "I’m stoked that we didn’t get that gnarly headwind that you can run into. We had to dodge a couple of sets as we came around to the west side."
Bartlett was joined by Tyson Kubo, Mael Carey, Will Reichenstein, Fili Gomes and Kekoa Cramer, while Dana Gorecki, Kaui Pelekane, Eko Lapp, Lindsey Shank, Jen Pulcer and Frances Lichowski represented Waikiki. The paddlers all raced less than a day after competing for their respective clubs in the state championship regatta.
"It’s a good way to start the distance season off after yesterday’s state race," Bartlett said. "Of course, after states you get together with a lot of your neighbor-island friends. Waikiki asked us a couple months ago to partner up, so it worked out."
The race marked the start of the long distance season, which immediately follows the state championship regatta, which Hawaiian Canoe Club of Maui won to claim its 10th HCRA title in the past 13 years. Clubs around the state will compete in a series of distance races until the season culminates with the de facto world championship of the sport: Na Wahine O Ke Kai and the Molokai Hoe — 42-mile races from Molokai to Oahu slated for Sept. 22 and Oct. 13.
"The top Tahitian teams are professional athletes for their teams, so it’s hard to compete with them at that level," said Bartlett, when asked about trying to match up with seven-time defending Molokai Hoe champion Shell Va‘a, for which the paddlers are paid as full-time employees with Shell.
"We’re living our everyday lives, paying bills and working at a job. The reality is we can get close, but we’ll never match up with them. We have too many things to take care of in our lives. We’re just trying to have more fun with it. That’s what paddling is all about."
