Hawaii crews
going global
Some say that the world is an oyster. For outrigger paddlers, the world is one big canoe.
It was Australia earlier this month for Hawaii crews, with the 20th Hamilton Island Cup. Tomorrow, it will be New York and the seventh Liberty Challenge.
Although Team Hawaii isn't returning to attempt a sixth consecutive men's open title, island crews are expected to continue to make a strong showing in the 16.3-mile race along the Hudson River and around New York Harbor.
"It's kind of a bummer, but all good things come to an end," said Walter Guild, the Team Hawaii organizer/paddler since 1998. "Maybe it's better to retire on top as champs.
"We would have liked to have gone, but it's a lot of work and a lot of money. We used to receive some money (between $10,000 and $50,000) from the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau for travel and to help promote Hawaii. But we didn't get anything this year. Plus, it was a quick turnaround from Hamilton."
The Hamilton Island Cup was held June 13-16 off Queensland. Guild won the OC-1 500-meter sprint race in the senior masters (45-over) division, one of eight individual (OC-1) victories and six team (OC-6) victories during the four-day, 73-race competition.
Among the victors was Team Hawaii-New Zealand, which successfully defended its open men's division in the blue-ribbon Coca-Cola Hamilton Cup 42-kilometer marathon OC-6 race. Team Hawaii won the senior masters (45-over) marathon division for the third consecutive year and also the women's masters (35-over) division.
"We're just like a bunch of kids playing in the old man's division," said Pat Erwin, a first-time member of the Team Hawaii senior masters crew. "We had a really fun time, had a great crew and a lot of experience in the boat.
"It's a fun environment, sort of a combination of the Catalina, Lahaina and Kona races. Molokai (Hoe) is still the big daddy, but this was a good time."
The Hawaii crew finished the 25-mile course in 3 hours, 43 minutes and 19 seconds, nearly four minutes ahead of Northcliffe from Australia. Splitting the $3,000 were Erwin, Kamoa Kalama, Greg Poole, Fred Delos Santos, Leighton Look, Bruce Lukas, Rocky Owens, and Chris and Jimmy Kincaid.
The open division men's race was much closer, with Hawaii-New Zealand finishing in 3:10:20. Rai, the defending Molokai Hoe champion from Tahiti, was second in 3:12:02.
That win was worth $6,000. The crew was comprised of Karel Tresnak Jr., Raven Aipa, Bo Herbert, Thibert Lussiaa, Rob Kaiwai, Kea Paiaina, Woogie Marsh, Andrew Penny, Bill Pratt and Thibert Lussiaa.
Tresnak, who steered the OC-6 to victory, was part of Team Hawaii-New Zealand's 500-meter OC-6 sprint winning crew. He also won the 16-kilometer OC-1 men's race by more than two minutes, finishing in 1:19:21.
Loretta Toth and Michael Beyer doubled up on gold medals. Toth won the 16K masters division and paddled for the winning 42K marathon crew. Her teammates were Carleen Ornellas, Lisa Livingston, Deneen McNichol, Cindy Razga, Theresa Felgate, Jen Horner, Pauahi Ioane and Margie Kawaiaea.
Beyer, a member of Outrigger Canoe Club, won the 500-meter sprint and the 8K open divisions.
Other individual winners were Dane Ward, women's 16K open division; and Paula Crabb, 8K senior masters division.
In the 500-meter OC-6 race, Hawaii crews swept. Team Hawaii-Wailea took the open division, Team Hawaii-New Zealand the masters division, and Team Hawaii the senior masters title.