POIPU — The sun was up, the winds were blowing lightly and the swells were just right on Sunday. In others words, conditions were perfect for an estimated 150 outrigger canoe paddlers in the annual Paddle Fest race. “I’m glad
POIPU — The sun was up, the winds were blowing lightly and the swells were just right on Sunday.
In others words, conditions were perfect for an estimated 150 outrigger canoe paddlers in the annual Paddle Fest race.
“I’m glad the weather man was wrong,” Charmaine Moises said as she waited for her son, Shaydon, to pull into the finish line at Kukuiula Small Boat Harbor. “It was supposed to be cloudy today but the weather is just right because the sun is out.”
This year’s event, which has become a fundraiser for the Kukuiula Outrigger Canoe Club over the years, included three separate races that began at three different locations and ended at the Kukuiula Small Boat Harbor.
The longest race, a 15-mile course that was open to surf ski paddlers or outrigger canoe paddlers in individual, two-person or six-person teams, began at Kalapaki Beach in Lihue.
The shortest race, a 2.5-mile course that was open to stand-up paddlers, prone paddlers and outrigger canoe paddlers in individual or two-person teams, began at Poipu Beach.
Kukuiula Outrigger Canoe Club President Mark Jacobson said the decision to move the finish line from Poipu Beach Park added two miles on to the long course and created a new 4.5-mile course from Mahaulepu Beach to Kukuiula Harbor that was only open to expert stand-up paddleboard and prone paddlers.
This move, he said, provided more space for paddlers as they pulled into shore and add a small keiki course within the harbor to increase family participation.
Entry fees for the event were $30 for individual paddlers or $150 for a six-person outrigger canoe team.
An amount of money raised from the event was not available before press time.
As some of the first paddlers pulled into the harbor and towed their canoes to shore, nearly an hour and a half after the races first kicked off at 10 a.m., many talked about how the occasionally choppy conditions made for a good ride.
“It was great fun out there,” Namolokama O Hanalei Canoe Club member Mary Bartlett said as she washed down her outrigger canoe on the harbor shoreline.
“The waves out there really made it a fun ride coming in. If it was flat out there, I’d be coming in pretty grumpy.”
Shaydon Moises, a Niumalu Canoe Club member and the first person to pull into the boat harbor, agreed.
“It was a little windy but it was good fun,” Moises said shortly after he pulled into shore. “The wind kind of threw if off a little because it was blowing in your face, but it was still a good time.”
• Darin Moriki, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-3681 or dmoriki@thegardenisland.com.
