It’s dark when we head outside to rig the
canoes. I can’t see the nervousness and excitement on everyone’s faces, but I
can feel it. The pier is buzzing with
paddlers. Rigging, bailing, setting up drinking systems. A last hug. Hands held
for the pune. The mist rises over Mauna Kea; I hope the weather gods are kind
to us today.
Amanda carefully rolls away the green cover
protecting our canoe. Annett attaches the spare blades and finds a spot for the
bailers. Our partner crew, the men from Puna Canoe Club, come alongside
protectively to look after their club’s first Koa canoe, carved in 1978 by Rev.
John Hauanio.
The sun rises over the horizon and together
we hoist Ali’I Kai onto our shoulders
and carefully maneuver her along the pier, down the ramp and into the warm
water. This is real canoe respect.
 |
| Alli'i Kai enters the waters of Kailua Bay, Kona, for the start of the Queen Lili'uokalani Race 2015 |
We’re in. Shuffling about to get
comfortable. My toes grip the wax on the wooden floor. Plenty of time to relax,
feel the water and how the canoe reacts.
More and more crews come out to meet us. The clouds remain, providing a
barrier against the heat. We grab a few photos of us and the crews around us. A
drone buzzes unnaturally overhead.
 |
| Early morning race start, Kailua Bay, Kona |
There are 123 women’s canoes racing this
morning. It’s awesome. We can’t see the other end of the start line. Jetski’s
parade in front, trying to hold the line. Luckily we can see the flags. Yellow,
red, green… digging deep we build up our start. And keep going. Ali’I Kai moves
gracefully, pulling ahead of the crews around us. Amanda is urging us on. Yeahhh!
Let’s race.
Drone’s eye view of the race start
The coastline sweeps alongside us as we
head south, and we sense the green slopes and volcanic edges, but we don’t get
much chance to appreciate the details of the scenery. We’re feeling for a
steady rhythm. Looking for the odd bump, but there’s not much out there. We’re on the leeward side of the island,
protected from the trades and the swell, so it’s solely up to us today to get
us to the finish line at Honaunau Bay, 18mi away.
 |
| Queen Lili'uokalani race course 2015 |
It’s hot. 32 deg C and we’re all thankful
for a few clouds. We keep cool by splashing each other every 10min, and I’m so
grateful every time Nic sends a cascade of water over my back. There’s a point we’re aiming for in the
distance. It creeps towards us. The crew feels strong. We’ve worked out Ali’I
Kai’s sweet spot and keep her ticking over at a steady rate. It’s a great
feeling.
Not many boats are ahead of us and we can
still see the lead cruiser with the yellow flag. We can hear the unlimited canoes coming up
behind us. Amanda negotiates the wash around a final headland and we turn into
Honaunau Bay.
 |
| Ali'i Kai in the turquoise water of Honaunau Bay |
We’re greeted by a shoreline of beautiful
palms, and lush tropical trees on a volcanic shoreline. What a wonderful place
to finish! The water is a beautiful turquoise colour, and I immediately jump
out to have a cooling swim; grabbing a passionfruit that floats past.
An epic, but very special race. Great work
PDs; Mahalo Ali’I Kai for staying true, Puna Canoe Club for trusting us with
this special canoe, and Kai’Opua Canoe Club for hosting the event.
 |
| At Honaunau Bay - Nic, Jas, Kath, Amanda, Annett & Shell |
We hear over the loudspeaker that we’ve
come 21st across the line, out of the 123 crews that started from Kailua Bay, Kona. We find out later that we were the 7th Open
Women finisher (out of 54) and first in the Open Women’s Koa Class!
 |
| Men's turn to race back |
But now, it’s time for the men to race back
to Kailua Bay, and for us to find the other PDs crew, rest and celebrate.
 |
| We watch the men in the distance, as we hitch a ride together in the back of a pick-up back to Kona, finishing the race together |
Congratulations
PDs
Pacific
Dragons Orange: Michelle Hone, Nicola Frowen,
Kathleen Burrows, Jasmin Keick, Annett Happich and Amanda Wyllie
2:23:23
– 21st Overall, 7th Open Women Division; 1st
Open Women Koa Class
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