While it took its time getting started, Tahitian outrigger paddling powerhouse Shell Va’a provided yet another master class on world-class canoe competition and finished with its familiar combination of blazing speed and smooth power to dismiss the competition.
Shell Va’a turned in another awe-inspiring performance to add to its remarkable string of success to claim its third consecutive Molokai Hoe World Championship presented by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority on Sunday. The gray-red-and-gold clad Tahitians made a statement in their iconic white canoe dubbed “Lightning” by crossing the finish line in 4 hours, 35 minutes and 7 seconds and claiming its unprecedented 13th victory in the last 15 Molokai Hoe races.
Wailea Canoe Club (4:48:39) of Maui finished second, well over 13 minutes behind the champions. Rounding out the top five, and finishing with sub-five-hour marks, were Team Oceania (4:52:09), racing under the banner of Keaukaha Canoe Club; Popora Te Hoe Mamu (4:54:44), representing Bora Bora, Tahiti; and Lanikai Canoe Club (4:58:07) from Oahu’s Windward side.
“We’re very happy, and we look forward to coming back and try to win again,” said Shell Va’a paddler Iorama Teahu, one of four returnees from the 2019 championship team.
Joining Teahu in the winning canoe were Charles Teinauri, Sly Ly-Sao, Raihere “Isidore” Tevaearai, Erimereta Tautu, Keoni Sulpice, Brice Punuataahitua, Vairoa Teraiharoa and Raihiti Marere.
Sunday’s 68th running of the men’s world championship race ended a four-year streak of cancellations caused by external factors. From 2000-2022, the race was shuttered out of an abundance of caution amid the COVID-19 pandemic; in 2022, a modified race was held on Oahu to allow more time for the Molokai community to prepare for its hosting kuleana. Last year, the race was called off to allow those affected by the devastating Maui wildfires an opportunity to grieve and recover.
The race field on Sunday featured 75 crews that made the 41-mile journey from Molokai’s Hale O Lono Harbor to Duke Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki, including squads from Hawaii as well as teams from Arizona, California, New York, Brazil, Hong Kong, Japan and Tahiti.
Light winds, and manageable waves made for ideal conditions as paddlers jockeyed for positioning throughout the morning and into the early afternoon as they passed through the unpredictable Kaiwi Channel.
According to accounts from race officials and paddlers, Shell Va’a was behind after a slow start, but eventually powered ahead, taking the lead as canoes passed La‘au Point at Molokai’s southwestern-most tip.
Shell Va’a sprinted away from the field, opening a one-mile lead over Wailea with nearly 10 miles to go. Five miles away from the finish, Shell had expanded its lead to two miles, and rode some of the larger waves around Diamond Head to help make the last-mile push toward victory.
“I’ve been paddling against Shell for the last 15 years and they’re a super team, much respect to those guys and their program,” said Wailea steersman Kekoa Cramer. “We’re just happy to represent Maui, Wailea and Hawaii, and we’re super pumped. The Molokai Hoe is the best race in the world and it’s a privilege to paddle from Molokai to Oahu. We want to keep it running so our kids can paddle and everyone else can experience this special race.”
Wailea’s runner-up crew also included Triston Kaho‘okele-Santos, Dane Dudoit, Kevin Dudoit, Joshua Kekupa‘a Nae‘ole, Nalu Sampson, Alfred Santos, Kainoa Tanoai and Chase VonNordheim.
Shell Va’a won its eighth straight title and set the Molokai Hoe record in 2011, finishing in 4 hours, 30 minutes and 54 seconds – nearly eight minutes faster than the previous record, which it also held.
Shell’s run for nine straight titles was denied in 2014 when Tahitian competitor EDT Va’a, which paddles under the banner of a competing energy company, claimed the Molokai-to-Oahu crown. After Shell Va’a reclaimed the Molokai Hoe in 2015 and 2016, Red Bull Wa‘a emerged in 2017 to best the two-time defending champions by 31 seconds as the Kona-based crew blended paddlers from Hawaii and Tahiti.
Following its trend, Shell Va’a bounced back in 2018 to win its unprecedented 11th title in 13 tries by nine minutes and five seconds ahead of runner-up Red Bull Wa‘a. Shell then racked up win No. 12 in 2019, the final running of the race before the four-year pause, in runaway fashion, besting Team OPT of Tahiti by nearly 13 minutes — a margin that it improved upon Sunday en route to claiming the three-peat victory.
“The conditions out there were fun today and the waves were small enough where we could keep the canoe moving, and it was tit for tat with Bora Bora all the way across,” said Team Oceania captain and veteran paddler Mario Mausio. “We were fighting the whole way and tried to close the gap with Wailea but they just made too much ground on us. Shell has an unreal fitness regimen and training program, but they’re beatable – we knew that they lost a couple of races in Tahiti. But they just got into a groove and dominated today.”
Third-place Team Oceania also included Mitch Zandstra, Tyler Makaiwi, Jordan Lee Loy, Pharrel Grbic, Jose Lizardi, Rusty Crabbe, Eric Deane and Ali‘i Youderian.
Lanikai included a familiar roster that has helped the club improve over the years in the long-distance season. Karel Tresnak Jr., Moehau Paie, Raven Pokini, Igor Sobreira, Nick Foti, Manny Kulukulualani, Aaron Norris, Jimmy Austin and Sean Havens represented the green-and-white Lanikai team that is seeking its first Molokai Hoe title since 2005 — the year prior to Shell Va’a starting its momentous run.
“You always want to do your best in this race, and the guys left it all out there today, but it’s frustrating,” Tresnak Jr. said, reflecting on the five-hour race that his team spent the last year training for. “We can get there, it just comes down to guys training morning and night for a bunch of years … and focus on building those skills — it’ll take years to really get close and have a shot.
“Shell is at a different level; they make mistakes, but when you’re that fit and strong, it makes power look easy. Sure, catching them is do-able, not next year, but maybe in five or 10 years with the best guys, sure, you give yourself a chance. That’s all you need, the channel is crazy, so you just need a shot!”
