Aug 9 - "Wailea wins men’s, women’s distance races" - Maui

Article courtesy The Maui News - 8/10

MAALAEA — Wailea Canoe Club exploded into the long-distance canoe paddling season Saturday, grabbing the top two honors in the men’s and women’s divisions, at the 13th Annual Dutchy Kino Memorial Long Distance Classic.

The event, which was hosted by Hawaiian Canoe Club, featured Wailea’s 1-2 finish in the 10-mile women’s race from Launiupoko Beach Park to Maalaea Harbor and a 1-2 finish by the Wailea men in the 18-mile race from Maalaea Harbor to Hanakaoo Beach Park in Kaanapali.

The race was open to six- and nine-member crews, with different age group divisions, from keiki to 55 and older.

The women’s race started with 16 boats, but only 12 finished, including five from Kihei.

‘‘The conditions were definitely the most radical that I’ve experienced in the seven years that I’ve paddled in this race,’’ said Wailea’s Sarah Van de Vanter, who steered her crew to a second-place finish in 2 hours, 8 minutes, 25 seconds. ‘‘We huli’d (flipped over) at Ukumehame going into a gail-force wind.’’

Van de Vanter, who steered Wailea’s freshman women and junior women to gold medals at the state championship regatta last week, said the conditions were so rough that after they were able to rightside the boat, four of the six crew members had to bail water.

‘‘And still the boat kept getting swamped,’’ Van de Vanter said. ‘‘We thought at any second the officials were going to call off the race.

‘‘What that race was all about was overcoming the elements. It was just survival out there.’’

Van de Vanter’s team of Michelle Lussier, Kawena Cramer, Deborah Robinson, Malika Wiezbowski, and Barbara Luerry was in first place before being flipped. By the time they were back in the race, they were trailing Wailea No. 2 and Hawaiian.

Then, between McGregor Lighthouse and Maalaea, Van de Vanter’s crew encountered a Hawaiian paddler, who was watching her crew get tossed onto the rocks and then turned toward Lahaina.

‘‘We were going going to pick the girl up, but she said she was all right and was going to get back in her boat,’’ Van de Vanter said.

Wailea No. 2 won in 2:03.59 with a team of Kelly Uderitz, Kerri Workman, Kelli Keahi, Robyn Singh, Carly Mitchell and Colleen Ford. Hawaiian finished third in 2:13.19.

Wailea’s men finished its 18-mile race in about the same time it took the women to go 10 miles. Wailea’s winning ironmen were clocked in 2:09.40. Stroker Jacob Abeytia and steersman Kekoa Cramer were bookends to James Love, Geoff Bogar, Tony Calderon, and Will Estes.

Posted by keizo on Tue, 08/12/2003 - 8:53am

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