Pacific Paddler magazine - April 2012 - (Page 9)

taking on the challenge of racing from maui to oahu, a group of women paddlerS Show that they are made up of more than Suger and Spice WE ASK ANNA MATHISeN FROM TEAM HANAIAKAMALAMA ABOUT THE OLAMAU ExPERIENCE WHAT WAS UNIqUe ABOUT THIS eVeNT COMPAred TO OTHerS? The Olamau Race covers 90-miles in three separate races. The race allowed 9-crew members and had no restrictions on canoe design or weight. A similarly staged three-day Hawaiki Nui race in Tahiti only allows men to compete in the 3-day division. WHAT INSPIred YOU TO dO THIS rACe? The love of open ocean paddling was at the heart of our desire to go. All of us seek long distance mental and physical endurance adventures. The longer the race and the more complicated the logistics and course, the greater the reward. It’s hard to pass up the opportunity to be a part of the buzz and excitement of a new race of this scale. It was also important to have the opportunity to use a light canoe. The opportunity came through Ryan Pogue, and his Pogue Sports built our Bradley Lightning 209-pound hull. HOW dId YOU WOMeN FINd eACH OTHer TO MAKe UP THe TeAM? We already had a nucleus from the previous two Pa’a ‘Eono races. We had so much fun, and we knew that we could do two-days back to back, since we ironed Pa'a Eono in 2011with a 400 lb. canoe. We just had to find a few more women that had the time, A three-day, three-island race photo by Katie Stephens money and desire to go without hesitation. The team grew over a few months from four committed team members to nine. The crew was: Amy Young, Sharon Balidoy Katie Stephens, Aulani Hall, Jojo White, Sarah Gilman, Brenen Guyol, Anna Mathisen and Tayte Brock. WHAT Were THe CONdITIONS LIKe dAY 1, dAY 2 ANd dAY 3? Typically these courses are down wind runs. Not the case for Olamau 2012! As if a 3 day stage race wasn’t enough of a challenge, we were faced with the obstacle of gnarly winter weather. Day 1 – Thursday - It rained, no, it poured non-stop while rigging and during the entire race. We had rough coastal conditions, with huge backwash and often no visibility. We had to rely on our escort boat for navigation to avoid ending up too close to land, because we couldn’t see it! The squalls combined with a big NW swell made surface conditions very rough. The NW swell also made finishing at Fleming pacificpaddler.com - April 2012 9 http://www.gillespiepaddles.com http://www.pacificpaddler.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pacific Paddler magazine - April 2012

Contents April 2012 - 16th Anniversary edition
Kanaka Ikaika - around Mokapu Peninsula
Olamau - a 3 day race
HHSAA Champs - photos by Peter Caldwell
A new canoe design - Steve Blyth
Maui Canoe & Kayak Club
A voyage to promote poi
March Madness in Vancouver
Stretching is bad for you?

Pacific Paddler magazine - April 2012