Pacific Paddler is A MAGAZINE FOR PADDLERS BY PADDLERS: to bring the excitement of outrigger paddling to a larger audience. Pacific Paddler covers all facets of paddling and outrigger racing including OC6, OC1, OC2, V1, O6, V6, OC4, SUP, Surfski, Canoe Surfing and more from all around the world! Our Focus is on paddling and the active lifestyle that goes with it. Paddling is a sport for everyone, any gender any age from 6 to 86. We want to encourage novice paddlers to join clubs and older paddlers to try it out.Have you ever wondered what the polar bear clubs endure?
We thought the canoe was a total loss. But we put a “jig” to reform the canoe and miraculously its shape came back.
Basically, the frozen water expanded like just like frozen water expands in a pipe which can force a pipe to burst. In our case, the fully rigged canoe kept the middle section, seats 3 and 4, tight and intact. So when the frozen water expanded, the gunwales and hull were forced to bend.The picture of the upside-down canoe that’s straightened below is the fixed canoe. We thawed out the canoe and used large clamps to return it back to its normal shape. Originally we thought it was a total loss!Lesson learned: check on canoes regularly and bailout rainwater. Use good canoe covers, if the canoe is not going to be used often – store it upside down to be safe.
Category Archives: Outrigger canoe
Pacific Paddler, August, 2017 Vol 22.3
This year I made a commitment to help coach the kids at our club and also to get back into the wa’a and race.
Our kids wanted to paddle and I wanted to be a part of that.
The last time I raced was about 13 years ago, so technically I could paddle Novice A.
Lahui O Ko’olauloa
Instead of just taking photos, I was back in action and having a blast. I even forgot how old I was. Coaching is rewarding. Making sure our kids are having fun is key to getting them to try as hard as they can. Our young paddlers have been doing great. The crews that qualified for the HCRA States, held in Maui this year, are excited to compete amongst Hawaii’s best paddlers. To every paddler and coach who made it to the ‘States’, congratulations on your achievement. You’re representing the State’s best.
Pacific Paddler is A MAGAZINE FOR PADDLERS BY PADDLERS: to bring the excitement of outrigger paddling to a larger audience. Pacific Paddler covers all facets of paddling and outrigger racing including OC6, OC1, OC2, V1, O6, V6, OC4, SUP, Surfski, Canoe Surfing and more from all around the world! Our Focus is on paddling and the active lifestyle that goes with it. Paddling is a sport for everyone, any gender any age from 6 to 86. We want to encourage novice paddlers to join clubs and older paddlers to try it out.
Fai 3x V1’s
Take your training up a notch affordably.
Tiger Canoe is bringing in entry level Fai 3x V1’s from Tahiti.
V1’s are perfect for individual training and lend themselves to improved paddling technique, power application, and improved feel for the wind and water.
Va’a will be hand laid polyester/E-Glass, sturdy and flexible at a fantastic price.
World champion paddlers and crews train on V1 canoes and the results continue to show year after year.
See what all the fuss is about… put your order in now. They won’t last long.
Contact tiger@tigercanoe.com for more information.
Tiger Canoe has teamed up with the Fai Va’a team to manufacture Fai Va’a’s 3x V1 design. Fai Va’a’s designs are some of the best in the world, and they have entrusted us to build their exclusive canoes in Hawaii.
Pacific Paddler is A MAGAZINE FOR PADDLERS BY PADDLERS: to bring the excitement of outrigger paddling to a larger audience. Pacific Paddler covers all facets of paddling and outrigger racing including OC6, OC1, OC2, V1, O6, V6, OC4, SUP, Surfski, Canoe Surfing and more from all around the world! Our Focus is on paddling and the active lifestyle that goes with it. Paddling is a sport for everyone, any gender any age from 6 to 86. We want to encourage novice paddlers to join clubs and older paddlers to try it out.
Going The Distance
As we progress into the long distance season, training runs and races are getting longer and more intense.
Many paddlers may be starting to develop back pain after a long practice or even worse…while they’re in the boat!
There are many potential origins of back pain in canoe paddlers, but two of the most common are low back muscle strains and lumbar disk injuries. Muscle strains occur when imbalances in the back and hip muscles and core weakness cause repetitive stresses to the lower back. Lumbar disk injuries occur from long periods of sitting in the canoe while repetitively flexing the spine forward, pushing the lumbar disk out of place. Not good. . . especially if the pain starts acting up during a race.
Just because you may be experiencing back pain, doesn’t mean you have to endure it throughout the rest of the season. Here are a few exercises to keep your back healthy and keep you competing at the highest level.
Prone Press Up:
Keeping hips pressed against the floor, extend your back by straightening your arms. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat 3 times. This exercise is great for lumbar disk health and can reverse the results of repetitively flexing the lumbar spine while paddling.
Figure 4 Stretch:
With knees bent to 90 degrees, cross right leg over left and pull left leg towards your chest. The stretch should be felt in right hip hip area. Hold for 30 seconds, repeat 2 times.
Hamstring Stretch with strap:
With knee slightly bent, pull leg towards head using a towel or strap. Hold for 30 seconds, repeat 2 times. This exercise is great for your back health because having good hamstring flexibility decreases low back strain.
High Prone Plank with Opposite Leg Lift:
Keeping your body and legs as straight as you can, alternately lift legs holding for about 5 seconds. Complete 10 each leg.
High Side Plank:
Keeping shoulder, hip, and ankle aligned, hold position for 30 seconds. Work your way up to 1 minutes holds.
These are great exercises for your back health, but if your symptoms persist or worsen don’t hesitate to come and see us at Jaco Rehab. We are passionate about helping you compete at the highest level! See you in the Kaiwi Channel!
Tim Chang, DP
Pacific Paddler is A MAGAZINE FOR PADDLERS BY PADDLERS: to bring the excitement of outrigger paddling to a larger audience. Pacific Paddler covers all facets of paddling and outrigger racing including OC6, OC1, OC2, V1, O6, V6, OC4, SUP, Surfski, Canoe Surfing and more from all around the world! Our Focus is on paddling and the active lifestyle that goes with it. Paddling is a sport for everyone, any gender any age from 6 to 86. We want to encourage novice paddlers to join clubs and older paddlers to try it out.Kamanu Composites V1, Ka’iwa
What is a V1?
V1 stands for one-person va’a. The Tahitian term va’a is used to differentiate it from an OC-1 (one-person outrigger canoe). V1s are traditionally defined by an open cockpit and no rudder.
Is it hard to paddle?
Because you have to steer with your paddle, the V1 has a much steeper learning curve than the OC1. If the wind is blowing hard from the side, you may have to take 100 consecutive strokes on one side to compensate. When you’re trying to catch a wave, it can be really difficult to simultaneous apply explosive power while turning the nose in the direction you need to go. And then when you drop in on the wave, you need to put all of your focus into keeping the canoe straight. But, the challenge and purity of steering with your paddle is also what makes it so rewarding.
What conditions do V1s work best in?
The direction and speed of the wind determines whether a V1 is suitable. Because the hull is more efficient, an experienced V1 paddler can be faster in flat water and upwind than they would be on an OC-1. In straight downwind conditions, V1 paddlers are generally only slightly slower than their counterparts on an OC1 just because the canoe can be harder to connect between waves. As the wind comes more from the side, V1 paddling gets progressively more difficult because the canoe will always want to round up into the wind. Novice V1 paddlers should not go out on windy days or downwind runs until they have spent a lot of time on the canoe.
How do V1 designs differ from OC1?
We believe that the beauty of the V1 comes from the connection between the stroke, the canoe, and the ocean. To maintain control without a rudder your stroke is being continuously formed by the ocean. And va’a design is forged out of this interaction between the paddler and the water. What makes a canoe go fast doesn’t make it go straight; what makes a canoe go straight doesn’t make it responsive in the surf; and what makes a canoe responsive in the surf doesn’t make it go fast. Rudderless design is a balance between these three competing features.
How do you keep the cockpit from filling up with water?
In rough ocean conditions, the cockpit will take in water. All of our Ka’iwa come with a footpump that attaches to the footbrace which will allow you to suck water out with every stroke. While the footpump will keep the canoe dry in most ocean conditions, it is possible to fill up the cockpit after a huli. The canoe will always have positive buoyancy (because bulkheads seal off the bow and stern), but it is important to practice recovering from a huli to make sure that you are able to partially drain the canoe by pushing the cockpit upwards as you flip it back over. Even with a footpump, it is important to always bring a bailer with you.
Where do people race V1s?
Other than Hawai’i, V1s are the dominant form of racing craft throughout Polynesia. They are also used exclusively in the IVF World Sprints and IVF World Distance Championships. There is also a growing contingent of dedicated V1 paddlers in Hawai’i who are entering each island’s OC1 series.
Why did you decide to make Ka’iwa?
We are always tinkering with improvements and we’ve been planning to update the Aukahi for a long time. Designed and released in 2009, it was our first V1. Because the Aukahi has very little rocker in the front, its long waterline makes it efficient in the flat water and its large midsection gives it the volume needed for rougher conditions. However, the volume and length also make it a bit unwieldy for many paddlers. While the long waterline through the nose helps gain speed and efficiency, it also gives the Aukahi a narrow window of control. The steering is stable for a 10-15 degree window, but once the bow of the canoe leaves that small window, the bow will often control the boat forcing you to either spin out or expend a lot of energy trying to hold it straight. Our goal with the Ka’iwa was to widen that window of control and to make a V1 that would be fast in all wind angles and ocean conditions.
What was the design process like?
Using our Pueo as a rough starting point, we modeled a hull that we knew was both efficient and could surf well. Then we started stretching it out to gain efficiency and control until our software based drag estimates stopped improving an appreciable amount. This left us with a length 6″ shorter than the Aukahi and many other V1s. Getting the same flat water speed out of a shorter length comes with the added benefit of making the canoe more maneuverable, having less windage, and being able to fit better into an open ocean trough. We were also able to move both the center of buoyancy and weight of the paddler forward, which enables the canoe to drop in easier without sacrificing speed. The final improvement was to tighten up all the features on the deck to give it a lower profile than the Aukahi, so it’s less affected by cross winds.
What’s been the response?
The Ka’iwa is the best rudderless we know how to build, and we believe it’s the best all-around V1 on the water. But we’re a bit biased, so don’t take our word for it! Get in touch with us to schedule a demo.
Do you offer V1 lessons?
Yes! If you live on O’ahu or Kaua’i, contact us at info@kamanucomposites.com to schedule a V1 lesson.
“Ka’iwa accomplished a few really good things. You have the control to squeeze out 3-4 more strokes to get into bumps than the Aukahi. And it feels much less mid ship float, so it can drop in way later than you’d expect. Like I thought I was too late to get in on a couple, but once the poke is pau, it can drop in on its own. It can also pound over bumps really well.” – Christian Marston
“Kamanu Composites said this was the second Ka`iwa V1 off the production line. I waited 8 months and sold 2 boats for this but it was soooo worth it!. On her maiden voyage yesterday I did a 14 mile upwind/downwind from Kaimana towards Hawaii Kai and back in light trades. This V1 is much easier to control than my previous one. Going upwind on a V1 is even better than an OC-1 because the nose pokes through the chop rather than up and over for a much smoother ride. Going downwind was super fun as I could steer and stay on the bumps without too much trouble with my limited V1 experience, which is saying a lot. Best of all is the satisfaction of riding something hand crafted with pride right here in Hawaii. As you can see it’s a beautiful and precise work of art.” – Jeff Chang
Pacific Paddler is A MAGAZINE FOR PADDLERS BY PADDLERS: to bring the excitement of outrigger paddling to a larger audience. Pacific Paddler covers all facets of paddling and outrigger racing including OC6, OC1, OC2, V1, O6, V6, OC4, SUP, Surfski, Canoe Surfing and more from all around the world! Our Focus is on paddling and the active lifestyle that goes with it. Paddling is a sport for everyone, any gender any age from 6 to 86. We want to encourage novice paddlers to join clubs and older paddlers to try it out.
Maui Jim Ocean Shootout
The Maui Jim Ocean Shootout presented by Maui Jim Sunglasses is a unique two-day ocean event comprised of 10 individual sprint races and 2 co-ed relay races in multi-disciplined events.
Sprint races (~5-7 min each) took place in the waters of Ka’anapali Beach fronting the Ka’anapali Beach Hotel on June 3&4, 2017.
Participants competed in a series of individual races culminating in points over the two days for a $50,000 prize purse, the largest in the world of its kind.
Throughout the Ocean Shootout, teams and individuals competed in a wide range of international and Hawaiian-style competitive ocean sports, including sprint races in five major disciplines: surf-ski, OC-1, SUP, paddleboard and swimming.
A record number of over 100 participants tested their skills and challenged themselves in a series of individual races accumulating points over the two-days in their respective divisions. The Maui Jim Ocean Shootout is both a sprint and endurance race built into one event. Each of the 10 races are short distance sprints, but collectively by the end of each day, the participants needed to dig down to find their endurance to place well in the overall rankings.
This year again included the Team division and medley relays. Each competitor’s individual accrued points over the weekend was applied toward their Team points that was tracked throughout the competition. Top three teams earned prizes, and an Overall Waterman and Waterwoman was crowned after the Waterman Challenge final race.
With a deep heritage rooted in its home of Maui, the brand is proud to donate all event proceeds to five local charities including: Hale Makua Health Services, Imua Family Services, Women Helping Women, Maui Arts and Cultural Center, and the Maui County Junior Lifeguard Program.
Mark your calendar for next year’s Maui Jim Ocean Shootout set for Sat/Sun June 2&3, 2018 fronting the Ka’anapali Beach Hotel on Ka’anapali Beach, Maui. For full event rules, a race course map, accommodations, and a detailed schedule, visit MauiJimOceanShootout.com.
The Ocean Shootout is also the premier event in the newly launched Maui Jim Ocean Racing Series (MaJORS), which includes eight weekend events across four Hawaiian Islands. For more information on the MaJORS, visit http://mauijimmajors.com/.
By Dolan Eversole
[See image gallery at www.pacificpaddler.com ]
Pacific Paddler is A MAGAZINE FOR PADDLERS BY PADDLERS: to bring the excitement of outrigger paddling to a larger audience. Pacific Paddler covers all facets of paddling and outrigger racing including OC6, OC1, OC2, V1, O6, V6, OC4, SUP, Surfski, Canoe Surfing and more from all around the world! Our Focus is on paddling and the active lifestyle that goes with it. Paddling is a sport for everyone, any gender any age from 6 to 86. We want to encourage novice paddlers to join clubs and older paddlers to try it out.
Walter J. Macfarlane Regatta
Outrigger Canoe Club hosted the 75th annual Walter J. Macfarlane Regatta on July 4th.
Clubs from the Oahu Canoe Racing Association gathered at Waikiki Beach with their fiberglass canoes.
The race was named after Macfarlane after his death in 1943. At the time, he was the Outrigger Canoe Club’s president and a Territorial Legislator for Hawaii. Outrigger Canoe Club was already planning a 4th of July race at Waikiki as part of the Kamehameha aquatic carnival and decided to name it after him.
The races are held in front of the Royal Hawaiian and Moana Beach Hotels. When the race first began, they were the only hotels in Waikiki.
The 4th of July regatta is one of the most anticipated events of the year. It’s a time to celebrate our nation’s birth date plus a chance to compete in the surf. This year the waves were manageable with few hulis or interference with tourists on floaties. Jet skies patrolled keeping people off the course and the lone starter boat avoided the small sets coming in.
The first race of the day was to honor the nation’s military. There were crews from the island’s five branches: the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. The winners will get their names on the USS Arizona Memorial Trophy.
About 1,450 paddlers took part in 42 events. Paddlers range in age from 8, Skylee Hashimoto in the Girls 12 from Waimanalo to Florence Apa, age 87, a Women Master (70) with Anuenue.
The winners of the most prestigious races of the day, Senior Men, will have their names added to the Walter Macfarlane Memorial Trophy, and got to drink champagne from it at the ceremony. Tradition holds that they share a round with second place finishers. This year Lanikai got to drink first from the silver cup then let Outrigger have a turn.
Now to be memorialized on the trophy are the crew of Nick Foti, Levi-Jordan Goeas, Manny Kulukulualani, Jack Roney, Igor Sobreira and Karel Tresnak, Jr. The top three finishers were Lanikai 11:07.75, Outrigger 11:31.46, and Keahiakahoe 11:40.43.
The Senior Women race for the Muriel Macfarlane Flanders Cup. The winning crew shares a champagne toast from the bowl with the second place crew at the awards.
This year Outrigger’s Jennifer Fratzke, Angie Dolan Giancaterino, Amy Lawson, Billy Lawson, Shannon O’Neill and Traci Phillips had the honors. Top 3 were Outrigger 12:14.95, Lanikai 12:26.83, and Healani 13:04.83.
Division Results
Division AAA (31-45 events): Lanikai won with 187 points, Outrigger 171, Hui Nalu 143, and Kailua 113. Lanikai took home 12 gold, 11 silver, and 28 bronze edging out Outrigger’s 11 gold, 10 silver, and 6 bronze.
Division AA (16-30 events): Keahiakahoe had 73, Healani 62, and Hui Lanakila 45.
Division A (0-15 events): Leeward Kai finished with 50, Waikiki Surf Club 39, Waimanalo 19, Anuenue 19, New Hope 17, Koa Kai 5, Kai Oni 4, Keola O Ke Kai 3, Makaha Canoe Club 3 and Ewa Pu’uloa 1.
[See image gallery at www.pacificpaddler.com ]
Pacific Paddler is A MAGAZINE FOR PADDLERS BY PADDLERS: to bring the excitement of outrigger paddling to a larger audience. Pacific Paddler covers all facets of paddling and outrigger racing including OC6, OC1, OC2, V1, O6, V6, OC4, SUP, Surfski, Canoe Surfing and more from all around the world! Our Focus is on paddling and the active lifestyle that goes with it. Paddling is a sport for everyone, any gender any age from 6 to 86. We want to encourage novice paddlers to join clubs and older paddlers to try it out.
Race Around The Hat
Nine years ago, Jeremy Cole began a mission to introduce the V1, a rudderless Tahitian-style one-person outrigger canoe, to Hawaii’s paddlers. In most parts of the Pacific, the canoes don’t have rudders. The paddler steers with his paddle. If Hawaii was to compete there, they would have to learn a new technique. One of Jeremy’s biggest supporters was Kamanu Composites. They would be instrumental in helping his association, the Hawaii Va’a Association (HVA), in providing a few rudderless canoes for those who didn’t own one. Back in 2008 there were not too many V1’s around. For a few years, the race organizers were able to award the winners a trip to Tahiti to compete in races there. Over the years the race has grown. This year there were about 88 competitors and a score more who turned up to try the demos. Many first timers were game enough to race. They were given a few pointers on how to control a V1 by Luke Evslin before climbing into their V1 to be sent off around ‘the hat’ (Chinaman’s Hat or Mokoli’i).
The strong turnout of young and novice paddlers was a hopeful sign for the future of the V1 here. Champion surfski and OC1 paddler Pat Dolan was one of the competitors. In the finals, he was hot on the heels (elbows) of the more experienced Manny Kulukulualani who won the race just seconds in front of Pat. Makana Denton was third. Full results at www.ocpaddler.com/results/2017/hva_race_around_hat_2017.
The HVA is a non-profit organization created to foster international sporting and cultural exchange through the use of the traditional Va’a. Next year will be the 10th Annual on July 1st at Kualoa Regional Park.
[See image gallery at www.pacificpaddler.com ]
Pacific Paddler is A MAGAZINE FOR PADDLERS BY PADDLERS: to bring the excitement of outrigger paddling to a larger audience. Pacific Paddler covers all facets of paddling and outrigger racing including OC6, OC1, OC2, V1, O6, V6, OC4, SUP, Surfski, Canoe Surfing and more from all around the world! Our Focus is on paddling and the active lifestyle that goes with it. Paddling is a sport for everyone, any gender any age from 6 to 86. We want to encourage novice paddlers to join clubs and older paddlers to try it out.Pacific Northwest, Spring Into Summer
The Pacific Northwest has been coming alive this paddling season with the widespread introduction of the unlimited canoes that are now becoming more common at each race.
The 19 PNW-ORCA clubs and our Canadian friends to the north have seen a resurgence of excitement about learning a newer, more precise paddling discipline, and I can safely say that the stoke level is pretty high!
May and June saw our paddlers intermixed in a variety of long distance and sprint races. The long distance paddlers found themselves racing in Frenchman’s Bar for the Rusty Iron Race, Jericho, British Columbia for the Jericho Iron, and Burnaby, British Columbia for the Lotus Iron Race.
The sprinters stayed a bit more local to the greater Seattle area and were working hard to make sure they put in qualifying times for the 2018 World Sprints that will be held in Tahiti.
Looking forward, we have a busy July and August ahead of us. The Gorge has already been rocking with massive windy days making for some epic downwind conditions. The Gorge Iron race will be held on July 15th followed by a week of downwind surfing and the Gorge Downwind Champs held in Hood River, OR. The end of July will find paddlers up in the Seattle area racing at da Grind, in Bellingham at the Bellingham Bay Classic and finally getting ourselves ready to travel to Hawai’i for the Queen’s race, Pailolo and Moloka’i.
See ya on the water, Tyler Irwin
[See image gallery at www.pacificpaddler.com ]
Pacific Paddler is A MAGAZINE FOR PADDLERS BY PADDLERS: to bring the excitement of outrigger paddling to a larger audience. Pacific Paddler covers all facets of paddling and outrigger racing including OC6, OC1, OC2, V1, O6, V6, OC4, SUP, Surfski, Canoe Surfing and more from all around the world! Our Focus is on paddling and the active lifestyle that goes with it. Paddling is a sport for everyone, any gender any age from 6 to 86. We want to encourage novice paddlers to join clubs and older paddlers to try it out.
Solomon Islands Taumako Voyaging Canoes
What a day it was! On 4 June, for the first time in over 30 years, a tepuke voyaging canoe from Taumako Island arrived in Temotu Province’s capital on Santa Cruz.
Local residents turned out in droves to welcome the voyagers and help haul the massive vaka onto shore.
Children clambered eagerly over the hull, and older folks fondly recalled the days when dozens of these canoes plied Temotu’s waters and called at Santa Cruz.
“My grandmother arrived here on a tepuke,” said Wendy Laia. “I would like to sail in one myself to honor her memory.” She may soon have an opportunity to do this. Captain Ambrose Miki and his crew brought the canoe to Santa Cruz to demonstrate the Taumako people’s skills of building and sailing these traditional vaka, and to teach people of other islands how to revive their own canoe construction and sailing customs.
Having successfully finished their Holau Ndeni (voyage to Ndeni—Santa Cruza), Captain Miki and his fellow seafarers plan to sail to the Banks Islands in northern Vanuatu later this year, probably in early November. Anyone interested in following their progress or learning more about Taumako voyaging canoes can do so at www.vaka.org and “vakataumako” on facebook.
Story and photos by H. Wyeth and Dr. Mimi George
