Finally time for a paddle! (Thursday 28 April)

Charmian and I joined the Hawaiian Paddle Club for their Open Women’s training session last night (Wednesday). We had heard great things about the club from Lehia’s Mum, Robbie, who mentioned the 50 year old club had won the HCRA State Championships, 8 out of the past 10 seasons.

Canoes as far as the eye can see - and a club house too!

It definitely lived up to expectations and meeting the club was a truly fantastic experience! In our enthusiasm we turned up a little bit early: around 3:30pm, for the 5:15pm session. Luckily we ran into Teresa, who offered us the use of her Pegasus for the hour before training. What a delight! With 20kt winds, the harbour was like a playground, and we took it in turns to race upwind to the entrance, then turn and surf back down. It was a great feeling to be back on the water after such a long time without a paddle in our hands.

Charms sets off for a lap of the harbour

After carefully returning the canoe, we joined our fellow 30 Hawaiian chicks outside their two storey Club House, overlooking 20+ OC6’s on the picturesque beach at Kahului Harbour. We tried to blend into the Hawaiian nonchalant style, but were a little daunted by the girls warming up by voluntarily doing crunches, chin ups and push ups. 

The session comprised a pyramid at 85% with “jogging” in between each effort along a triangular course in the harbour that incorporated downwind surfing, side swell and wind chop and upwind legs. I was in seat 2 in one of the 5 women’s canoes, and Charmian was in seat 4 in the coach’s boat. Charmian was motivated by the coach to take “big girl strokes” – a longer, deeper, slower stroke compared to our style and was impressed by the rigorous attention to detail he paid to the line the steerer took, and guidance on working the waves in the best course, "there's always somethig to catch". 

Hurtling down the runners on the downwind leg was awesome, and you almost forgot you were training. These guys get conditions like this every training session!! So jealous! It would have been great to have the rest of the PD Chicks there with us.

To compete the evening, we raided the club’s inventory of uniforms, and are now completely decked out in Hawaiian Canoe Club outfits!

Earlier in the day we had taken a walk to the centre of the earth – the Haleakala Volcanic crater that acts as the heart of the island. We walked down into the unusual moonscape like landscape, picking up a layers of red dust as we went. It felt like walking in a desert, where you could see an endless trail winding ahead, waiting for you to walk on it in an hour’s time.

 

 

Today (Thursday) we’ve had a very relaxing time, taking a catamaran out to Molokini Crater then on to the aptly named, “Turtle Town” for some snorkelling. The 80 year old inhabitants of Turtle Town didn’t disappoint, and hung out with us for an hour, guiding us through the coral covered lava ridges and posing for photos suspended in mid-'air'. It was like we were in Atlantis.

The inhabitants on the boat, like a few others on this trip, however, couldn't quite figure Charmian and I out. So far we've been asked if we were sisters, partners, and a gentleman today asked me if Charmian was my wife? Given our age difference, Charmian is quite chuffed that she has not yet been mistaken for my Mum.  I guess not everyone has a "paddling partner" to join them on Hawaiian adventures.

 

Tomorrow we’re off to Molokai to set up mission control and start getting serious about the race that’s coming up all too quickly (but also not quickly enough)

Day of Gluttony (Tuesday 26 April)

After the much excited anticipation of a long downwind OC2 paddle today, the Great Dane appears to have a temporary Achilles heel. Except it isn’t her heel, but her ear. And as she is intending to win the race this weekend, she has been advised to keep off the water, which we completely understand (especially Charmian given her hearing loss earlier in the year), and hope that she gets better soon. So unfortunatley, we won't be able to join her for an OC1 downwind Maliko run this week, but we can still join the women’s OC6 training tomorrow night, which will be great!

Somewhat sad, but never daunted, the intrepid pair took off on an island adventure of our own, in the car rather than canoe.

Any adventurer must start fully fuelled, hence first stop, shaved ice. And no, this had nothing to do with illicit street drugs, but a local delicacy that is exactly that. A block of ice, shaved into a cup and topped with your choice of syrup. I made an excellent choice of coconut and guava, whilst Charmian took a poorer option of mango which tasted disgusting.

Next stop,  Joy’s Kitchen. True to its name, it was Joyous. Stocked up with non-meat, non-diary, gluten free wraps we were set for the day.

A minor route aberration took us through the lava fields, where a glimpse of two gorgeous Adonis’ with a boot full of pineapples by the side of the road, brought us to a screaming halt. We retraced our steps to assess their wares (and them). Both turned out quite peachy, so we picked up a couple (of pineapples, alas) and continued on our way.

Not much adventuring yet, but with both of us more spherically shaped than before, we were able to bounce down to the beach, like beach balls…for lunch, to masticate Joy’s joyous wraps.

With an inappropriately short time for our lunch to settle we took to the water for a swim and snorkel. There, round as a dinner plate was a sea turtle, grazing on the rocks. We followed him for a while, then, as he lost interest in us, we decided to continue with our day.

Taking our journey northwards along the west coast of Maui, we ended up in the artsy village of Lahaina, an old whaling town harbouring the USA’s largest Banyan tree. If you put a canopy, over its canopy, you could house a whole village, no kidding, it’s magnificent.

We gave in to icecreams on the wharf before window shopping along the main street, all the while conscious that we couldn’t buy anything larger than a postage stamp, as our bags are already too cumbersome to transport by canoe.

In keeping with the theme of the day, we snacked on Maui chips (bought solely for the picture of the outrigger on the packet) and returned to our lovely beachside condo to relax on the balcony and enjoy the remainder of the evening with the sound of the sea and the sight of the stars twinkling between the palm trees (oh, as we ate our dinner, of course!)

Note to selves: must exercise tomorrow, otherwise canoe likely to sink during crossing.

Sing me an ocean lullaby (Monday 25 April)

There’s nothing quite like being able to sit on your own balcony, listening to the waves of the Pacific Ocean “singing their own peculiar lullaby as they run up onto the shingle” <quote from Charmian>

We’ve made it to the island of Maui and the change in atmosphere has been dramatic. It’s finally time to relax and soak up some Hawaiian laid back vibes.

We had another car park meeting, this time with Lehia’s Mum, Robbie, who had come to meet us and take us to her sister’s condo where we are staying for the next few days. With insider knowledge, she was also able to take us to the local Whole Foods Market, where we stocked up on lots of fresh fruit & veg – a delight after a couple of days of touristy Waikiki food.

In stark contrast, this morning, with a healthy breakfast nowhere in sight, it was a shock to the system to get up at 6am (equivalent to 3am Sydney time) and walk up to the Lanikai Canoe Club where we were meeting with Jim Foti to pick up our canoe.

Charmian and I felt quite puny at the sight of all the local Amazonian-like women (though complete with two breasts) glistening with health and fitness and loading shiny new colourful Pueo’s onto the trailer.

Our “stealth grey” Hurricane on the top of Jim’s car somewhat blended into the grey sky. Indeed, if it’s misty on the day of our race, all you’ll see is a streak of orange flame bursting across the ocean. He also handed us some suspicious looking iakus. Images of Linda and Annett swirling precariously downwards into the Charybdis of the ocean after their broken iaku episode in 2008 captured our imagination.

Let’s hope that in our Odyssey the mend in the bend holds fast.





On a happier note, our first training run should be with the great Dane, and we are not referring to a dog, or the prince of Denmark, but the great Dane of Maui (Dane Ward), current reigning champion of the race we are about to complete. We’re waiting for this female Hamlet to contact us as we speak!



Charmian looks out to Molokai and
contemplates the warning on the sign



Glossary:

Homer’s Odyssey (Charybdis)

Shakespeare’s Hamlet (Prince of Denmark)

Wikipedia (Amazonian female warriors)



Aloha Hawaii! (Sunday 24 April)

Aloha! Charmian and I have arrived in Oahu! It’s great to have finally made it here after the build-up over the last few weeks and increasing anticipation on our all-too-long flight (which included an in-house clip on the Na Wahine O Ke Kai!).

Shopping in Waikiki

Waikiki is a bit like I expected – a mix of laid back island style, high-rise apartments and touristy shops selling Hawaiian shirts and trinkets. It does have a holiday feel, and if we didn’t have such a big goal looming on the horizon, then I’m sure we could easily kick back with a Mai Tai on the beach and soak up the sun and surf. It is also a paddlers delight! Everywhere you look there is a reminder that outrigging is very much part of the culture here – from the paddles hanging up in Starbucks to the OC6’s lying on the beach and the canoe surfers taking tourists out for some wave action.

But today we had things to plan! After a couple of voice messages we arranged to meet Brian, our support boat driver, at a closed gas station near the airport. Like fresh contestants on Amazing Race we leapt into our hire car and promptly completed two loops of the airport, but managed to remain on the right side of the road, and eventually made it to our rendezvous.

With an envelope of money in hand, we felt like covert operators meeting to make a deal. Instead of swapping the cash for a bag, we handed over our deposit, a paddling bag filled with enough spare parts to construct a full canoe, and a home-made PD’s flag for him to fly on his boat. We seemed to have passed Brian’s test for paddlers too, and he and his mates began giving us a few pointers for the race start. Our catch-up was quickly over, with smiles and promises to keep in touch during the week. It was a strange moment, but the bizarre has started to feel normal.

Hence it was no surprise when, after dinner, we happened upon the local ukulele group practice. Charms felt quite at home, likening the characters to her Balmain uke group at home. It wasn’t long before we had joined in an impromptu hula lesson and were holding hands with the group singing the farewell aloha. 

So that brings us to the end our second Easter Sunday. The first spent surfing the break at Long Reef with friends, and the second dancing the hula in Waikiki. I don’t even know what to expect for tomorrow, but am looking forward to it already!

So what exactly is this “Molokai” race you’re doing?

Many of you may have heard the phrase, “I’m doing Molokai”. To which you may have responded with a sincere nod of the head and knowing and respectful “ahhhh” kind of noise. “Doing Molokai” has legendary status, it’s known as one of the toughest and most exciting stretches of water to paddle, but what exactly is this race?

As it turns out, there are actually several Molokai races! All start from the island of Molokai in Hawaii and cross the Kaiwi (also known as Molokai) Channel, following the NE trade winds to the island of O’ahu approximately 50-70km away. Whist there are different formats for crossing the channel, each represent the premier long distance, open ocean race for outrigger canoeing in the world, in effect becoming a self proclaimed World Championship. The races attract an international field of top paddlers and crews contending for the prestigious titles.

There are 5 main Molokai races:

1)      The Kaiwi Channel Solo OC1 World Championship, which is a ~32 mile (~51 km) race starting from the western side of Molokai at Kalua Koi and finishing on the south eastern tip of Oahu at Koko Marina. This race is typically held in April/May each year, and in 2011 was run last weekend. Kai Bartlett was first across the line in 4:15, and Lauren Bartlett was the first female in 4:43.

2)      The Kaiwi Channel OC1 Relay, which is a ~41 mile (66 km) race also starting from Kalua Koi and finishing at Magic Island (just past Waikiki Beach) on Oahu. This is a teams/changes race, with a pair of paddlers taking turns to paddle an OC1. This is the race Charmian and I are entering! We’re hitting the water at 8:30am on Sunday, 1 May (8 sleeps away)!

3)      The Kaiwi Channel Solo Ski World Championship, was previously held in conjunction with the OC1 race, but recently has been moved to a separate weekend in May. Over the last 25 years, the ski race has been dominated by a few paddlers, including Australians Grant Kenny (5 titles) and Dean Gardiner (9 titles, and the course record of 3:21:26 set in 1997). In the Women’s division, Australian Jane Hall has won the titles 3 times.

4)      Molokai Hoe, refers to the 38 mile (61 km) Men’s OC6 changes race from Kawakiu Bay on the south western side of Molokai to Waikiki Beach on O’ahu. The race was first run in 1952 and is held in October

5)      Na Wahine O Ke Kai (Women of the Sea), is the Women’s version of the Molokai Hoe, and begun in 1979. The race is held in the weeks following the Men's race in October

Still a bit confused? Billy has put together a terrific map showing the different routes:

What makes a Molokai Crossing special?
Outrigger Canoeing is an integral part of the Hawaiian culture, and each crossing is significant from a traditional and cultural perspective as well as representing a physical and mental challenge of endurance to take on the unpredictable, varied and often turbulent waters of the Kaiwi Channel.

As far as conditions go, mother nature has put together the perfect downwind setting! Molokai and O'ahu are conveniently positioned so that a crossing of the channel between them captures the north-east trade winds, which for many parts of the year blow a consistent 15-30kts. To top it off, Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and so is just a small blip in otherwise unimpeded rolling ocean swell, built up by these aforementioned trade winds over thousands of kms. We all know that when the winds and swells align there is a lot of fun to be had!

Once the Channel is negotiated, however, there is skill in choosing the best way to tackle the coastal currents and tides off O’ahu. Luckily for Charmian and I, the tides are in our favour this year, with an incoming tide anticipated for the duration of the race (low tide at our start time of 8:30am and high tide at 3:30pm). This hopefully takes out one layer of complexity for us!

To find out more, check out the following links:

OC1/Ski race history

OC1 race details and results

Molokai Hoe race details and history

Na Wahine O Ke Kai race details and history

Testing out a new gadget

Last week I bought a GoPro Hero waterproof video camera to take to Hawaii. Thought it would be a good idea to test it out so took it along to the week's training sessions. 

Check out the clip on Youtube to see a typical training week in Sydney!

Turn right at the refinery

With most of the season’s racing complete it is time for Charms and I to dedicate our full attention to some OC1 kms!

Last weekend we decided to test out a new location and paddle down a 26km stretch of coast along the eastern suburbs, from Watson’s Bay to La Perouse. This was a route I had wanted to check out for a long time having spent considerable time running along the magnificent cliff tops between Clovelly and Bondi, and around South Head and the Gap.

It was a testing trip, with little swell to play with, but a consistent 10-15kt NE playing havoc with the ama and creating breaking wind waves that threatened to swamp you either first time around, or on their way back from reflecting from the clifflines. It is a spectacular coastline, however, and I made sure to tick off the well know beaches – Bondi took a while to appear, but then Bronte, Clovelly and Coogee went past in quick succession.

We stopped to test out our new Roctane Gu’s, purchased at DB Nationals the weekend before and with some extra energy and caffeine continued down towards Long Bay, where the wind moved behind us a bit more, and gave us a great stretch of runners.

Daylight savings had ended the week previously, and at around 4pm the sun was sitting low in the sky. We were starting to wonder if we had mis-timed our trip. It was unfamiliar territory, and we weren’t exactly certain how much further there was to go. Luckily, I had taped a map of our intended route to the deck of my canoe and after a quick consultation I promised Charms we just had to go “past that next pointy headland”. A little be further past the pointy headland, I caught a glimpse of the distillation columns at Caltex’s Kurnell refinery. We had made it! Turn right before the refinery.

All up, the journey took us about 3hrs to cover the 25.5km. It was a solid paddle, but we definitely feel ready for Hawaii now!

Hawaii - The journey so far

Charmian and I are about to embark on a Hawaiian adventure, with the aim of crossing the Kaiwi Channel on an OC1 as a relay team, and have some other great experiences along the way.

I thought this might be a good story to use as a starting point for this blog.

The journey so far

In about June last year after our time trial for the Macau DB Club Crew Championships Annett mentioned the prospect of joining her for the OC1 relay from Molokai to Oahu in Hawaii, held in May each year. It was an exciting idea, but I was tentative at first. I was still quite new to OC1 and there was a long way to go before I could even contemplate such a race.

Mandy and I celebrate finishing our
first downwind paddle with Annett

Over the next 6 months the PD Chicks really joined together to embrace OC1 paddling. We took up a couple of morning sessions each week and built up to doing a couple of 22km Pacifica races along the Northern Beaches of Sydney and the OC1 State Titles in Wollongong during November, followed by the 25km OC1 Nationals held at Coffs Harbour in December. (You can read about Mandy and my first experience of a downwind paddle here on the Pacific Dragons website).

After a Christmas break hiking in NZ it was back to paddling, and whilst there haven’t been any further OC1 races we’ve continued to build our OC1 skills and endurance.

Into the mix over the past month we’ve thrown in a very successful DB State Titles at Penrith, OC6 State Titles in Cronulla, DB Nationals in Canberra and a 26km downwind paddle from Watson’s Bay to La Perouse. It’s been a busy few months!

As it turns out, it will be Charmian joining me as my paddling partner, rather than Annett, and with exactly 1 week until we leave, we’re both brimming with excitement and anticipation.

The need to tell

Hugh Mackay, Australian psychologist and social researcher recently published a book, "What makes us tick?" outlining what he believes are our top 10 desires that drive the way we act (often irrationally). His list includes the need to be taken seriously, the need for my place, the need to connect, the need to love (and be loved), the need to be useful and the need for something to happen . I believe that as an expression of some of these desires is the need to tell a story.

Anyone who's struck up a conversation with me will know of my insatiable need to tell you my latest story. Whether it be the details of a recent paddling session, newly discovered breakfast cafe, interesting podcast or disaster/success in the kitchen you've probably been subject to the details - whether you've encouraged it or not!

But now you can choose whether to follow my everyday happenings! 

Welcome to the Stories of Shell.

(You can watch Hugh Mackay's address to the Sydney Institutue about his book here through ABC's Big Ideas)