For the second year in a row, Shell Vaa won the Bud Light Molokai
Hoe, taking yesterday's 41-mile race from Molokai to Oahu across the
Kaiwi Channel.
And for the second year in a row, the Tahitian crew convincingly set
the record in the race considered the men's world championship of
long-distance outrigger-canoe paddling.
Shell Vaa finished the crossing in 4 hours, 40 minutes and 22 seconds
-- nearly 6 minutes better than the previous best time (4:46:04) it
established in 2006.
Shell Vaa again received $5,000 for the victory.
"We feel so happy to win again," Shell Vaa crew member Jason Ori
said. "We had a good fight up until about the middle of the race, and
then we advanced. We feel we are the best from our country, and this
year we win this again. Now we can talk about next year, and
(potentially winning) three times."
Said Shell Vaa head coach Gerard Teiva: "When you are engaged in
this race, you are not looking for the record; only to be the first (to
finish). For 25 years I have been in paddling and I dreamed
somebody could give me a good team in my hands. These guys are
not a dream team, but they follow all of my instructions and it's
easiest."
A record international field of 111 teams began the race at Hale O
Lono Harbor on Molokai, with the finish set at Duke Kahanamoku
Beach, Waikiki.
From the outset, Papeete-based Shell Vaa and fellow Tahitian entry,
Team OPT (Tahiti's postal team), set the pace for the lead pack. The
group included Team New Zealand/Hawaii, the former two-time race
winner almost exclusively made up this year of Hawaii paddlers
despite the name.
But after the first relief changes were made about an hour in, Shell
Vaa and Team OPT pulled away from the rest of the field. The two
Tahitian teams battled back and forth for the lead position for about
half the race, until Shell Vaa seized it for good around Koko Head after
shifting to a more favorable line to Oahu.
Still, it was yet another impressive showing for Tahiti overall, as Team
OPT also broke the previous race record in its first attempt at the
Molokai Hoe by finishing second at 4:43:15. Last year, Shell Vaa led a
Tahitian sweep of the top three spots. full story on starbulletin.com
2007 Molokai Hoe - 111 crews
1. Shell Va'a (Tahiti) 4:40:22
2. Team OPT (Tahiti) 4:43:15.
3. Team New Zealand/Hawai'i (New Zealand/Hawai'i) 4:56:59
4. Hawaiian-1 (Hawai'i) 4:58:44
5. Venus Va'a (Tahiti) 5:01:02
6. Pirae Va'a (Tahiti) 5:03:51
7. Lanikai-1 (Hawai'i) 5:05:04
8. Outrigger-1 (Hawai'i) 5:05:04
9. Team OPT-B (Tahiti) 5:06:26
10. Team Tiger (Australia) 5:10:28
11. Hawai'i Canoe & Kayak (Hawai'i) 5:13:33
12. Tui Tonga (Hawai'i) 5:15:20
13. Lanakila-California (USA) 5:16:01
14. Team Pogue (Canada) 5:18:19
15. Herberts On Tour (New Zealand) 5:19:25
16. Leeward Kai-1 (Hawai'i) 5:19:57
17. Outrigger-2 (Hawai'i) 5:21:35
18. Keahiakahoe (Hawai'i) 5:22:18
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