Quote:
The Molokai Hoe tests the limits of physical and mental strength and endurance, courage determination and teamwork, and paddlers must also battle nature's most extreme elements.
Each year over 1000+ paddlers from around the world compete in the Molokai Hoe, the men's world championship in outrigger canoe racing. This year marks the Molokai Hoe's 57th crossing of the treacherous Ka'iwi Channel. |
Hey! This sounds like something I would do!
Random Pics from google:
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg35-kg1YPo
Starts at Lono, south shore of Molokai (near where the camera icon is) and ends at Waikiki, Oahu (right corner of middle camera icon below Oahu).
Basically the best of the best fly in from around the world to race in this World Championships event. It is 42 miles long and across some of the roughest and most dangerous ocean waters in the world. It is raced 6 people to a boat at a time (with relay team members following on power boats to switch out frequently throughout the race). Food, drinks, massages, first-aid and navigational aid is provided on/by support boat as well.
"Pussies, the lot of them. I bet I can do it alone in a one-man canoe with no support boats and minimal training." 
I managed to snag a boat ride on a 26' Glacier Cat out to Molokai (island southeast of Oahu) on Saturday. I also brought along my wife's old beater one-man (OC-1) carbon-fiber canoe. 20 ft, 20 pounds and not the most watertight/reliable thing.
At dawn yesterday, Rob and his friend Chris kicked me off the boat (or at least helped me onto my wife's one-man canoe) just as a group of OC6 paddlers showed up. Rob was escorting in today's Molokai Hoe race/providing support for one of the teams. EPIRB, compass, 3.5 liters of water, GPS, phone and food. CHECK!
I paddled out of Lono Harbor and aimed for Oahu with the wind at my back.
"Hell, yeah!"
I got to the southwest point of Molokai, and after admiring, and imaginary surfing the decent-sized waves that were peeling there, I went past the point to find the wind was blowing head on.
"Hell, no!"
My GPS gleefully reported that I was only managing about 2 MPH and that I wouldn't even make it to Hawaii Kai (nearest possible arrival point, but not the full Molokai Hoe course which ends at the Hilton in Waikiki) until after 11 PM.
"****! Should I call Rob (boat captain) and see if I can be picked up without disqualifying his team? Hmmm... Nah, maybe I should just turn around and camp out in the bush for a few days. The winds are supposed to die down again in just a couple of days, no? Hmm... Wait a minute, I don't have enough food or water to do that. (I typically eat 4,000-5,000 calories a day)
Ah hell, let's keep going."
9 hours and 36 minutes later, I glided across the finish line in front of the Hilton in Waikiki. None of the other Molokai Hoe team racers were there, so I knew I won!
Nah, I'm kidding. The real teams did the race in just a few hours and had already left by the time I got there.. Only my wife was there, waiting for me.
Anyhow, it's pretty certain that I am the first deaf person ever to complete the full course. Jennifer, my wife (Waikiki Beach Boys crew) also thinks I there is a good chance I am the first person ever to solo the Molokai Hoe full course as well. Maybe, maybe not. I'm kinda skeptical, but shes pretty convinced after asking around today (she was running team support for the Molokai Hoe today at the Hilton). Anybody know?
The weather sucked overall. Overnight it rained on me and my sleeping bag a few times. Then when I got past the southwest point of Molokai, I was greeted by that stiff headwind and I then climbed about a mile north and upwind of everybody so I wouldn't get in anybody's way before crossing which cost me at least a couple of hours. It rained on me twice during the crossing as well, and with the decent NW swell, and strong northerly angle to the wind, there were no bumps I could surf to make good time/save energy. Just a mess that pounded me and the canoe non-stop. I was hoping for a more easterly angle to this wind so I could surf the bumps across the Kaiwi Channel as that's what I seem to be decent at with my strong surfing background.
It was not to be, and I actually had to paddle across the entire messy, bumpy, blown-out channel, something I was seriously worried I would not be able to do with nearly no training under my belt.
I've only been on a canoe 4 times before, and only did downwind runs (longest ever was 7 miles) and surfing on it.
But I'm Paul right?
In the middle of the channel, a monster mahi came flying up to me riding a large approaching wave. I thought it was a shark at first, hell-bent on ramming me, but it turned at the last minute and I got a bright flash of vibrant blue and neon-green. It circled me once, then swam alongside for about 15 seconds while eyeballing me and trying to figure out if I was small enough to eat. Must have been at least 50 pounds.
No life out there other than wandering birds and flying fish.
Many hours later, and with only 13 miles to go (about 6 miles off of the Lani Lookout), my left forearm started cramping bad. It was quite concerning to sit there bobbing in the overhead swell watching the muscles under my skin writhe and move like snakes without moving my arm at all. After a while, it stopped, only to start again if I even lightly touched the skin on my forearm. I was pretty concerned that this would result to my needing to abort the attempt. I gave my body a 10 minute break to get it's act back together, and then resumed with no further issues.
Rounded the bend and off of Hawaii Kai, my GPS said I would arrive at 5:30 PM. However, the wind also swung more easterly thanks to the land mass, and I was finally able to surf some of the bumps and in just a hour, I was able to shave a full hour and half off of my ETA, rolling across the finish line at a little past 4 PM.
Okay, that's one more thing checked off my big-*** list of things I want to accomplish in this thrilling ride we all call life. What shall I do next?
-Paul
What I did last Saturday and Sunday (Paddling the Kaiwi Channel Solo) 
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