Tui Tonga No. 2 (1 hour, 43.42 minutes) was
second overall in the 18-mile race from Honaunau to Kailua Pier. Another Kona-area
squad, Team Livestrong No. 1, which competed in the new "non-traditional"
category, was first overall (1:43.16). The men's race featured 144 canoes.
"It was a good showing," said Livestrong's Masepa Tanoai.
On the women's side, Hui Lanakila No. 5 (2:18.39) was first overall, with
Waikiki Beach Boys (2:21.59) and a pair of Team Bradley canoes -- No. 1
(2:22.20) and No. 2 (2:24.38) -- rounding out the top four. The Kai Ehitu No. 2
(2:25.20) crew of Mel Kelekolio, Darcy Daniel, Tia Ulufalaulupe, Marjorie
Kahookele, Yuki Agoot and steersman Dondi Dawson was fifth overall and the top
Big Island women's team in the 18-mile morning race from Kailua Pier to
Honaunau.
"There were a lot of great competitors in this race -- we're happy coming in
fifth out of 141," said Kahookele, the only new member of the crew that finished
sixth last year as Team West Hawaii/Keaukaha. "You cannot complain about that."
Dawson, also the steersman for Keaukaha last year, said the team was pleased
with its performance.
"We started out fast and we kept it going good," Dawson said.
But they couldn't catch up to women's champion Hui Lanakila.
"They had a great start and got a good line," said Cherisse Agorastos, who was
in the third-place Team Bradley No. 1 canoe and, like the members of Kai Ehitu
canoe, had a bird's-eye view as the Hui Lanakila crew of Jessie Eames, Mikala
Bradley, Michelle Arnold, Arlene Holzman, Gail Grabowski and steersman Sarah Van
De Vanter took an outside line to Honaunau. "Our steersman -- Sarah (Van De
Vanter) -- picked a great course for us," said Hilo's Arnold, the only Big
Islander on the Oahu squad. "Without her, it wouldn't have been the same race."
On the men's side, the Tui Tonga crew of Hala Latu, Steven Mahelona, Keakuahanae
Nolan, Bruce Ayau, Mafua Teaupa and Lyle Palakiko recovered from a rocky start
and then held off third-place Outrigger No. 4 (1:43.51) the last couple miles
for second.
"We had a slow start -- we were in fourth or fifth place at the start -- but we
settled down," Hala Latu said. "We knew it was going to be a long race."
He said the team was cruising along at about 56 strokes a minute before kicking
it up a little bit when it passed the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort and Spa.
"When we got to Kona Surf (the former name of the hotel), we were at 59 to 60
strokes a minute and we held that the rest of the way."
Outrigger, though, almost caught Tui Tonga, coming within nine seconds of the
Kona squad.
"The last two miles it was a paddle between the two of us to the finish," Hala
Latu said, with his team just holding on. "It was a lucky day for us today.
We've got to thank the man upstairs for giving us strength, especially on that
last push."
They couldn't catch Livestrong, which became the first winner in the race's new
non-traditional category. However, the Tui Tonga-Outrigger head-to-head battle
wasn't lost on the Livestrong crew, which was pushed by the boats that were
closing in the Livestrong's canoe, Noa Noa.
"They were on us. We knew they were in a battle and that got them closer,"
Tanoai said. "They were on a mad, mad march."
He said the crew, which raced under the Livestrong banner to raise cancer
awareness, just kept stroking consistently and kept paddling toward the finish
line, finishing just 26 seconds ahead of Tui Tonga.
"We gelled really well together," said Tanoai, who dedicated his race to Shirley
Kanuha, who died from cancer in 2000. Kanuha was the wife of Tanoai's first
paddling coach, Zachary Kanuha.
"It was a great race," said Tanoai, whose crewmates included Thibert Lussiaa,
Ikaika Hauanio, Seth Campos and steersman Mike Fields. The sixth team member's
name was not reported.
Notes: The NAC Blind Siders, the vision-impaired paddlers from Newport Beach
Calif., bested their time by more than 15 minutes despite flipping their canoe
with about two miles to go in the race. "I was really surprised we beat our time
-- even with the huli," said the Blind Siders' John Chavez, who said it took the
five vision-impaired paddlers and their sighted steersman 10 minutes to right
the boat. "But we were happy -- and the best part is, we know we can do better
next year." The Blind Siders finished the race in 2:54.02. Last year's time was
3:10:42.