Cherisse Kelii was elated after crossing the finishing buoy at Ala Wai Harbor during the Starbucks Kaiwi Channel Relay.
Locals win tough
Kaiwi race
Bartlett and Dolan win the men’s
OC-1 and Sawyer-Auger and
Kelii the women’s
About as tough as it ever gets.
That is how the best paddlers in the Starbucks Kaiwi Channel Relay yesterday described the channel that is recognized as one of the most grueling stretches of ocean to cross anywhere, even on its nicer days.
"Of any channel race, this is by far the worst one I've ever done," said Karel Tresnak Jr., who was part of the winning one-person (OC-1) men's team last year and has won numerous crossings in different crafts over his paddling career.
Ninety-four teams began the 40.2-mile trek from Molokai to Oahu that is considered the relay world championship, the majority of them in OC-1s (teams of two, with one paddling at a time and the other in an escort boat), though some opted for two-person OC-2 crafts (teams of four) and surfskis (teams of two).
With little to no wind blowing and barely any surf in the Kaiwi Channel, the first teams arrived about an hour later than expected.
Winning the open men's OC-1 in 5 hours, 48 minutes and 27 seconds was the Hawaii team of Kai Bartlett and Patrick Dolan.
"You're never happy with flat conditions, but we knew we were in the hunt with the calmer conditions because no one really has an advantage," Bartlett said. "Karel is an outstanding surfer, but without the surf he couldn't really pull his magic. He pulled some magic and came up on us -- it was unbelievable -- but we were able to hold up."
Kai Bartlett and Pat Dolan won the 40.2-mile Starbucks Kaiwi Channel Relay.
Bartlett won the open OC-1 division with Aaron Napoleon in 2002 and '03, but teamed for the first time with Dolan, still only 16 and a junior at Maryknoll.
"It was a dog fight, for sure," said Dolan after picking up his first win in his second attempt at this race. "This feels great."
Second and third place were also snared by Hawaii teams, with Kea Paiaina and Thibert Lussiaa finishing at 5:49:32, and Tresnak and new partner Jimmy Austin at 5:50:31.
Paiaina and Lussiaa dedicated their race to former Team New Zealand/Hawaii crewmember Bo Herbert, who recently passed away and with whom they paddled to victory twice in the Molokai Hoe (six-person canoes).
At 6:46:52, Hawaii's Cherisse Kelii and Noelani Sawyer-Auger won the open women's OC-1 division. The Hawaii team of Jessica Eames and Kelsa Teeters (6:49:45) finished in second place, while California's Jill Schooler and Jeane Barrett (6:50:48), who led as late as Hanauma Bay, finished in third.
"Ten years of paddling on a one-man, and doing six-man paddling and stuff, and this is the first time I've won a crossing of the channel," an emotional Kelii said afterward. "This is unreal, the best day of my paddling career. ... It was a battle almost the whole way. This was the toughest (crossing) I've ever done, but it just shows what hard work can do."
Despite the strength of the California duo and a hard-charging Eames/Teeters, Kelii and Sawyer-Auger took a lead they would not relinquish at Portlock Point in Hawaii Kai.
"I've only won this race once (before), and that was with (Olympian) Lauren Spalding, which says it all," Sawyer-Auger said. "This was a huge accomplishment for us, not to mention the conditions."
Other division winners included: Kehau Lau, Lorey Bode, Denise Darval-Chang and Lois Wise (6:34:06) in the women's OC-2; J.P. Millbauer, Mark Shimer, Tony Calderon and Nabill Vogela (5:45:56) in the men's OC-2; Katie Slocumb, Jason Ignacio, Shien-Lu Stokesbury and Doug Loke (6:02:20) in the mixed OC-2; and Paul Casken and Jack Roney (6:45:52) in the open men's surfski.
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