By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Dawson Jones heads into Maunalua Bay,
unsuccessfully trying to catch Mick Dibetta.
Dibetta mo’ betta
on paddleboard
The Australian crosses
By Cindy Luis
the Kaiwi Channel first in the
Molokai-to-Oahu race
Star-BulletinPerfect eight-foot swells and a dolphin left little doubt that the Que Molokai to Oahu Paddleboard Race is THE premier international event of its kind. Ask Australian Mick Dibetta who, just minutes after crossing the Maunalua Bay finish line yesterday, proclaimed the 32-mile race "the hardest thing I've ever done. It's the best race in the world. I'm planning on bringing as many Australians as I can the next time."
Dibetta stroked, surfed and skidded across the Kaiwi Channel in 5 hours, 22 minutes and 48 seconds. Along the way he encountered waves unlike any he has seen Down Under, a dolphin that jumped over him during one ride and a very tough challenge from Hawaii's Dawson Jones that lasted until the pair came around Portlock and into the Kuapa Channel.
By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Mick Dibetta got a friendly welcome as he
paddled up to the shore at Maunalua Bay yesterday.
"Dawson pushed me the whole way," said Dibetta, a winner by 113 seconds over Jones. "It was tough the entire way. Everyone who comes in today is a winner for finishing."Of the 35 invited competitors who began the race, 15 individuals and seven two-person relay teams completed the course that began off the Kaluakoi Hotel on Molokai. The first team to finish was Dale Hope and Charlie Walker, in 5:36:05, fourth overall; Guy Pere the first on a stock (12-foot, no rudder) paddleboard, in 5:42:04, fifth overall; and Buzzy Kerbox the first masters division (40-over) finisher, in 5:45:33, sixth overall.
By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
First place finisher Mike Debetta of Australia gets
interviewed while second place Dawson Jones
gets a hug from wife, Dussy.
The only female team of Tasha Ho/Lori Tanaka finished 28th overall in 7:39:29. Malia Luebbe, the only female individual entrant, was last in 9:32:50.Gene Rink, a veteran distance paddleboarder and four-time Catalina Challenge winner, was third overall in 5:30:51. His stamp of approval came in the form of respect.
"It's a whole different ball game than Catalina," Rink said, comparing the two 32-mile events. "I'm stoked to be here and glad to be back on Oahu. It's one of the rougher conditions I've ever faced. I'd like to get all these guys to come to California for our race.
By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Mike Dibetta flashes a "thumbs-up" as he approaches the
finish line with Koko Head in the background.
"I expected the swells. I'll rack up (finishing third) to experience, this being the first time I've done the channel. What would I do differently? Just do it again. It's an awesome event."Jones knows what it's like to test unfamiliar waters. Last summer, he finished second to Rink in the Catalina race after being unaware of a strong current that met racers in mid-channel.
Yesterday, he felt his knowledge of the local conditions, particularly those coming around Portlock, would be to his advantage. Dibetta reached Hanauma Bay first, then the two tag-teamed the lead around Portlock until Dibetta caught two waves.
"I thought I had a slight chance (off Portlock) because Mick's course was taking him right into the wash off the rocks," said Jones. "My brother (Olympic canoeist Wyatt) was on my escort boat and he kept telling me to sprint. I was going as fast as I could."
"I thought Mick might wipe out on a wave and that was going to be my chance. We were dueling the whole way. He's an unreal competitor.
"This gives me confidence to do Catalina again but this is THE race now. It's the top race anywhere, much more challenging than Catalina. And we've got it here in Hawaii."
The top four finishers used open-class boards, over 12-feet with steering rudders. Pere decided he would use the classic stock 12-footer.
"These boards are hard to come by but I wouldn't have done it on an open-class board," said Pere. "I just wanted it to be me and the board. You steer it with your feet, no rudder. You're controlling the whole thing all the way."
By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Buzzy Kerbox, who finished sixth overall and won the Open
Masters, kisses his son, Kody, who is held by his mom, Kirsten.
Pere competes in various races across the Kaiwi Channel, from kayaks to outrigger canoes to sailing canoes. He called yesterday's event "the best race of my life.""I try to do the channel two-three times a year," he said. "You get more and more used to the channel but it never throws the same thing at you twice. Doing it so many times, I just know what can happen."
And also what doesn't. Kerbox fell victim to a course that was designed to take advantage of the current that -- if the timing and tide is right -- gives quite a push around from Sandy Beach to Maunalua Bay.
"It was there," said Kerbox, a re-knowned surfer who was third at Catalina last August. "I had five people tell me that that was the way to go but I had to fight the current for the last hour.
"It's hard to think about next year's race but I'd like to see paddleboarding become more popular. It's a great way to stay fit."
