RIO VA’A 2004 - 3rd year of South America’s largest race
[Photos] by Jean-Jacques Limbourg and Publius Vergilius
Rio Va’a 2004 makes Brazilian national television headlines (Rede Globo) with a mix of kids race, canoe blessing in Tahitian by IVF president Charles Villierme and tough competition between Ruahatu Va’a from France, Hawaiian Canoe Club from Maui and local team Claro Rio Va’a Clube.
Blessed with good weather and calm seas, Rio Va’a 2004 – in stark contrast with Rio Va’a 2003 Molokai Hoe conditions - set record times with a start to finish win by Ruahatu Va’a Club from Toulon, France (2h14min27s).
| Tahitian technique for flat water proved decisive as Ruahatu’s experienced team with Tahitian paddlers living in Toulon commanded a race that saw a 2 hour fight for second place between Hawaiian Canoe Club and Local team Claro Rio Va’a Club.
Claro Rio Va’a Club, steered by race organizer Nicolas Bourlon, invited tahitian paddler Adrien Maita, 54 to stoke, the team adopted tahitian changes and used home experience of local reefs in currents to outrun Hawaiian CC’s canoe steered by Paulo Simpson at Sugar Loaf point. For the first time in South America, two women’s teams were engaged in the race, one from Rio de Janeiro, the other from Florianópolis, state of Santa Catarina. The race was won by the visiting team from Santa Catarina, one of the fast growing paddling centers in Brazil. “To after the tahitians, who have been paddling together for years is a victory for us celebrated Fábio Santos, 44 from Claro Rio Va’a Clube. The local club also showed its policy of promoting integration and cooperation for the good of the sport by reserving 2 seats for invited paddlers from Bertioga and Santa Catarina. Before race start, a moment of emotion : with the teams forming a circle and holding hands, International Va’a federation President Charles Villierme blessed the race and 2 new canoes with Pacific Ocean water from the island of Hawaii in a traditional ritual celebrated in Tahitian. Many cheers from bathers, surfers and boat crews along Leme, Copacabana, Arpoador, Ipanema and Urca beaches created a prefect climate for the dispute. Under the hot sun, the carioca team Claro Rio Va’a Hui Hoe spent more than half of the race in 3rd place, Hawaiian Canoe Club. Knowledge of local currents and counter currents helped the Claro Rio Va’a Clube steersman command a spectacular passing of the Hawaiian crew at Sugar Loaf point, surfing the wave that forms as waters flow into the majestic Guanabara Bay. “Until Ipanema all was OK, but we were not much used to such calm seas. The team also felt the strong heat”, lamented Rodrigo da Silva, a Brazilian paddler who lives in Hawaii and competes with the Hawaiian CC. Leading the race from start to finish, Ruahatu Va’a with tahitian and metropolitan french paddlers showed all their class and force in the sport that is a popular in tahiti as soccer in Brazil. Based in Toulon on the french Riviera, Ruahatu is the oldest va’a club in Europe and organizes the international long distance race “La Porquerollaise”, Europe’s largest. “The race was very difficult because of the long distance and currents. The worst part was close to the end of the race, paddling with wind and sun in the face after 2 hours”, said Didier Bordes. The team from the São Paulo State city of Bertioga, Brucutus, who had won all races they participated in 2004 finished in 4th place. “We didn’t paddle what we could have, but it was worth the experience said Everdan Riesco, team captain and head of São Paulo State’s largest canoe paddling program. Men’s teams from Santa Catarina – Kanaloa Club and from Praia Vermelha Va’a Clube with paddlers from Botafogo soccer and rowing Club had great participations. The Praia Vermelha masters team, under President Clovis Racy's leadership, took the gold medal in front of Rio Va’a Clube masters and certainly will be part of Brazil's team at the 2006 IVF World Sprints. The novice race was won by the newly formed team of Rio de Janeiro Lifeguards (G-MAR) and steered by Carioca Va'a Club president Marcelo Depardo. This represents a potentially strong step for the sport as the GMAR has started using va'as for rescue operations (The GMAR canoe rescued 28 swimmers during a recent long distance swimming race along Copacabana beach. The women’s race was also one of the good surprises of Rio Va’a 2004, as this was a premiere in South America. The paddlers from Kanaloa (Florianópolis, State of Santa Catarina), champions and Rio Va’a Clube women with invited paddlers from Bertioga, Washington DC and Maui paddled strong to finish in style the 19 km course. “We didn’t know the course and never had succeeded in having a women’s only canoe. We decided our main objective was to complete the course and not look aside. And it worked out nicely !” said a happy Vanessa Bevilaqua, Kanaloa paddler. The V1 open men’s race on a 2 km course along the Sugar Loaf was won by Brazilian Olympic K1 and K2 paddler Sebastián Cuattrin, in front of Magno Matozo from Santa Catarina and Robert Maurirere, Ruahatu’s steersman. The master men’s division was won by Nicolas Bourlon and the women’s V1 gold went to Sara dos Santos from Bertioga, The first ever kids race was also a success highlighted by Globo on national prime time TV, with 3 teams from Rio County’s Navegar program competing. Kids from 2 low income neighborhoods of Paquetá island and Chapeu Mangueira will form the nucleus of the “Canoa Rio” paddling program for public school kids to be started in january by Rio Va’a Clube. Club President Nicolas Bourlon was happy to announce donations from Washington DC paddler Alma Santoso who first donated 3 paddles, then rounded up her friends to raise money for more kid’s paddles and then got so engaged in the Project that she decided to donate a V6 canoe for the program. One of the fun moments of Rio Va’a was the V1 race for 5 and 6 year old kids, Thomas Bourlon, Léon Bourlon and Loic Herniou showed that the future of the sport in Brazil is in good hands. Charles Villierme, President of the International Va’a Federation (IVF) followed the race along with race director Simone Duarte. In his speech at the awards ceremony held at the Rio de Janeiro Yacht Club pool, he proposed that Rio Va’a be included in the International Va’a Circuit. Charles also made the trip to Rio from Tahiti to discuss with Brazilian Olympic Committee officials and the Brazilian Va’a Federation the inclusion of Va’a as a demonstration event during the Rio de Janeiro 2007 Pan-American Games. “Va’a is part of the Pacific Games and it would be of great value for the promotion of our sport to be present during the PAN 2007 Games”, affirmed Villerme who returned to Tahiti vowing to come back for Rio Va’a 2005. IVF and The Brazilian Va’a Federation plan to jointly promote the development of the sport in South America. Rio Va’a 2004 was made possible by continued support from Claro cellular phone company, official support from the City Rio de Janeiro, Secretariat of Sports, the Rio de Janeiro Yacht Club (ICRJ), Copa D’Or Hospital, the France-Brazil Chamber of Commerce, the Tijuca National Park, the State of Rio de Janeiro Lifeguards, DBEnvironnement (Environment and communication consulting firm) and Vellox natural beverages. Check out www.riovaa.com for all the necessary information for teams interested in coming to Brazil for Rio Va’a 2005. Results – V6 (saturday, 12/18): WOMEN’S (19km) MASTER MEN (28km) =============================================== Results – V1 Open (friday, 12/17): Results – V1 Master Men (friday, 12/17): Results – V1 Women (friday, 12/17): |
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Posted by keizo on Mon, 01/03/2005 - 12:00am