Na Pali Challenge
I didn't give this it's just due - this was a phenomenal race along the Na Pali coast in Kauai that not only served as part of my taper plans for the TransRockies Run but also stoked my interest in outrigger races off my usual radar. Big races in beautiful places; a festival of tattoos with broad, chiseled backs roaming the streets; clubs I've never heard of from cities and countries I've never been to.
I hadn't been to Kauai since I was maybe 13 and on an extended family reunion with my Mom's side of the clan. Mostly I remember listening to The Vapors "Turning Japanese" on my Walkman ad nauseum, playing in the water falls and trying to be teenage cool. So when the opportunity came to go to Hawaii to paddle with my club, though it was right after my trip to Bhutan/India and less than a week out from my trip to Colorado, I jumped at the chance.
People speak about Hawaii water with a wide-eyed and yet dreamy glance. I wanted Hawaii water. Maybe not Molokai water - the premier race from Molo to the Big Island that sees a good deal of big, big water - but some nice, medium Hawaii water.
And that's exactly what Kauai served up - blue, blue waters, big, slow rollers, a spectacular view of the Na Pali coast, sun, new competition and a race format I'd never done before. 6 men paddle together for 30 minutes then get out while 6 women jump in the boat and paddle for 30 minutes. So all-women crews paddle together and all-men crews paddle together making it interesting to see how you stack up. Maybe a women's crew is the stronger crew of the 2 and makes better headway during the women's 30 minutes of paddling or vice versa.
We fared well - I think 7th overall out of 36 and 6th in the Open division. So not only spectacular scenery and fun water, but a strong showing to make all the post-race beers feel deserved. It was a paddler vacation in paradise and perhaps that's why it took me so long to get back - I just needed a reason.
Special shout out to Galen and Alicia who let a handful of sandy, salty paddlers crash at their family's most amazing pad on top of a cliff, at the water's edge, at the tip of Kauai on the north shore even though Galen had to pull out of paddling at the last minute. This in and of itself, was so decadently and deliciously Hawaii I could've spent the entire time there. The lanai, the ocean breezes flowing throughout the house, the roosters roaming around the lawns, the outdoor showers (my dream feature in any house!) fresh-picked avocados from just outside - it was almost surreal.
When do we start planning for next year?
I hadn't been to Kauai since I was maybe 13 and on an extended family reunion with my Mom's side of the clan. Mostly I remember listening to The Vapors "Turning Japanese" on my Walkman ad nauseum, playing in the water falls and trying to be teenage cool. So when the opportunity came to go to Hawaii to paddle with my club, though it was right after my trip to Bhutan/India and less than a week out from my trip to Colorado, I jumped at the chance.
People speak about Hawaii water with a wide-eyed and yet dreamy glance. I wanted Hawaii water. Maybe not Molokai water - the premier race from Molo to the Big Island that sees a good deal of big, big water - but some nice, medium Hawaii water.
And that's exactly what Kauai served up - blue, blue waters, big, slow rollers, a spectacular view of the Na Pali coast, sun, new competition and a race format I'd never done before. 6 men paddle together for 30 minutes then get out while 6 women jump in the boat and paddle for 30 minutes. So all-women crews paddle together and all-men crews paddle together making it interesting to see how you stack up. Maybe a women's crew is the stronger crew of the 2 and makes better headway during the women's 30 minutes of paddling or vice versa.
We fared well - I think 7th overall out of 36 and 6th in the Open division. So not only spectacular scenery and fun water, but a strong showing to make all the post-race beers feel deserved. It was a paddler vacation in paradise and perhaps that's why it took me so long to get back - I just needed a reason.
Special shout out to Galen and Alicia who let a handful of sandy, salty paddlers crash at their family's most amazing pad on top of a cliff, at the water's edge, at the tip of Kauai on the north shore even though Galen had to pull out of paddling at the last minute. This in and of itself, was so decadently and deliciously Hawaii I could've spent the entire time there. The lanai, the ocean breezes flowing throughout the house, the roosters roaming around the lawns, the outdoor showers (my dream feature in any house!) fresh-picked avocados from just outside - it was almost surreal.
When do we start planning for next year?
Comments