Maui club cruises
to win

Good conditions usually lead to good results.

But average winds and swells led to a record-breaking day as Hawaiian Canoe Club won yesterday's Dad Center Women's Long Distance Canoe Race from Kailua to the Outrigger Canoe Club in Waikiki.

The Maui club's time of 2 hours, 55 minutes and 48.5 seconds is the best time since 1986. While records couldn't be confirmed, race officials acknowledged Hawaiian and second-place Lanakila of California (2:57:33.5) possibly have the best times in the 25-mile race's history.

"We like the bumps and stuff and there wasn't much out there," said Noelani Auger, who steered for Hawaiian. "For us to do what we did is great."

Hawaiian is comprised of members from several islands who don't usually train together like other clubs.

"You try to not to put pressure on yourself," Cherisse Kelii of Hawaiian said. "But at the beginning, before we got into the boat for last-minute prep, I (was) a little stressed out about, 'Are we going to have good timing today?' "

Hawaiian got off to a slow start before catching up to Lanakila and the Waikiki Beach Boys about 30 minutes later off Waimanalo.

"We kind of got into a jam on the start," Auger said. "They (Lanakila) looked like they were going good on the start. We were trying to find a rhythm."

Hawaiian led thereafter but felt the pressure of Lanakila the entire way to Waikiki.

"They never caught us, but they never went away," Auger said. "They were like a minute behind us probably the whole time. I don't know where we gained the two minutes. They were right there beating down our backs and I noticed they had a battle going on. They were pushing hard, but I can't see where they are, so we had to really keep the intensity up. We had to stay on top of it."

"Paddling with the talent that we have, everything starts to click," Kelii added.

Also on the winning crew were Lauren Spalding, Dane Ward, Kelly Fey, Jenni Horner, Theresa Felgate, Margie Kawaiaea, Darcie Gray and Alesa Kneubuhl.

Lanakila's crew was one of several the club is sending from California for canoe regattas. It will have crews at this weekend's Queen Liliuokalani Long Distance Canoe Race in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island and the Henry Ayau Memorial Race next month.

The Dad Center race served as an indicator for next month's Na Wahine O Ke Kai from Molokai to Oahu, which will be paddled by the same crew as yesterday.

Lanakila's Jill Schooler said it's always a challenge to race in Hawaii since the local clubs already know the course and her crew is playing things by ear.

"It was challenging because there's so many obstacles," Schooler said. "We had to go through a reef area we didn't know anything about and some points we didn't know anything about. Everything was sort of new for us."