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Saturday, April 15, 2000
‘Level course’
By Linda Aragon
for tomorrow’s
championship
Special to the Star-BulletinOahu's top kayakers and canoe paddlers race for the title of Oahu champion tomorrow in one of the toughest events on the Kanaka I Kai Ka schedule.
The race includes division for one- and two-man canoes and kayaks. There is an 18-mile long course from the Makai Pier near Makapuu to Magic Island, and a 10-mile short course from Maunalua Bay to Magic Island.
"The (long) course consists of a short uphill and a pretty dramatic run around Makapuu,'' said Kai Bartlett, one of the favorites in the kayak division. "Some would say it's treacherous.
"It can really be a good rodeo (ride)."
The kayak division long course race begins at 10 a.m., followed by a five-minute delay for the canoe start.
The course hugs the south shore coast where paddlers travel upwind to Makapuu Point, fight the "washing machine'' around the point then head past Sandy Beach and Hanauma Bay.
"That's where it's another rodeo for about four miles,'' Bartlett said.
The long course continues around Portlock, where spectators can get a good view as many of the racers will be hugging the wall to catch inside waves.
The long course then joins the short course racers who start at Maunalua Bay. Depending on the strength of the winds, it could be a fast or flat downwind stretch to Magic Island.
The racers are expected to cross the finish line at about about noon.
"(This course) really pushes you to your level,'' Bartlett said. "It's one of the greatest legs this island has to offer,''
Because the course incorporates the various ocean conditions, paddlers get a chance to take advantage of their strengths and face some of the weaknesses.
"It kind of evens out the field a bit,'' said Kanaka I Kai Ka President Karen Kiefer.
For many of the top long distance kayakers and canoe paddlers, this weekend's race - followed by a slightly longer course at next month's state championships - build up to the 32-mile Molokai Challenge World Championships solo crossing race on May 28.
Last year's Oahu Champion and 6-time Molokai winner kayaker Kelly Fey will not be defending her title this year. Instead she has made the switch to the increasingly popular one-man canoes.
"It's a difficult change,'' Fey said. "I wanted to learn something new. There's different competition, and I'm meeting different people. I don't have too many expectations there is a lot of excellent paddlers out there and some excellent competition.
I'm chasing everybody (in terms of experience), but that's OK.''
Fey had a crash course in one-man ocean canoe racing when she agreed to team up with Big Island Paddler Cheryl Vilegas a few weeks before the Molokai Relay race last year. Fey apparently is a quick learner - she and Vilegas won the overall female division.
Tomorrow, expect one of eight racers from the Simple Green/ Outrigger Connection team to take the top men's canoe spot. The team just returned from California where they dominated the event, claiming the top three spots in the 39-mile Catalina Island to Dana Point relay.
The tandem of Bartlett and Andrew Penny took first. They were followed by Kea Paiaina and Raven Aipa in second place, with Walter Guild and Karel Tresnak Jr.
