Channel Relay
continues to grow
Necessity may be the mother of invention, but boredom often has a hand in the birthing process.
At least that is the case for the Starbucks Kaiwi Channel Relay World Championship, which will mark its 14th crossing from Molokai to Oahu tomorrow. Back in 1990, race founder Walter Guild was looking for another way for paddlers to conquer the channel besides the traditional six-man outriggers and one-man canoes and surfskis.
The relay was born. Tomorrow, a record number of OC-1 and OC-2 teams are scheduled to leave Kaluakoi, Molokai, and head some 40.2 miles to the Ala Wai Harbor finish.
"We've got 115 teams so far, up from last year's record of 105," said Guild, who expects more entries today from neighbor island teams. "It keeps getting bigger every year. Fourteen years ago, we were just talking about wouldn't it be cool to do a team race."
As of yesterday, there were 111 two-person OC-1 teams and 14 four-person OC-2 teams for a total of 260 paddlers. The majority of entries are from Hawaii, with seven OC-1 teams from California and one OC-1 team each from Australia, Japan and the Cook Islands.
The conditions are ripe for a fast crossing and, with mostly southeast winds of 5-15 knots, a favorable tide, and a south swell, the potential is there for a new record time. Defending champions Kai Bartlett and Aaron Napoleon set the mark last year of 4 hours, 30 minutes and 26 seconds.
Last Saturday, the pair gave notice that they are in top shape after winning the inaugural Steinlager Kauai World Challenge. They finished the 34-mile relay race from Wailua Beach to Salt Pond Beach Park in 3:41:30, nearly three minutes ahead of Karel Tresnak Jr. and Maui Kjeldsen.
The race offered a $20,000 purse -- the largest ever for a paddling race in Hawaii -- with $2,500 each going to the top men's and women's teams. Lauren Spalding and Noe Sawyer, considered the favorites in tomorrow's race, won last Saturday's event in 4:23:26, over 20 minutes ahead of the second-place team of Dane Ward and Theresa Felgate.
Tomorrow, Ward is teaming with Mary Smolenski, who won this event with Nicole Wilcox in 1995 and also in 1997 with Wilcox and Lori Stewart when it was a three-person relay. Spalding teamed with Megan Harrington for the women's title last year and will be with Sawyer tomorrow.
Tomorrow's race does not currently offer prize money but Guild said he'll consider it for future races.
The first division to get under way is the OC-1 women at 8 a.m., the first of three staggered start times. The awards ceremony is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Ala Moana Park.