After the Na Wahine O Ke Kai was canceled in late September for just the second time in the nearly 40 years since the women’s edition of the 41-mile Molokai-to-Oahu race was launched, the defending champion Waikiki Beach Boys were left longing for finality.
The race was nixed due to hazardous surf and weather conditions, and in addition to leaving Waikiki high and dry on Molokai, the Beach Boys ended the 2015 campaign with nothing tangible to show for the countless hours invested in building one of the top female squads in the world.
“It was really hard after The Channel was canceled; to train so hard and dedicate so much time then the race doesn’t even happen,” said Beach Boys steerswoman Chelsea Bizik. “We all needed some rest (in the offseason), but this race forced us to get it together quickly and it helped us get back in that rhythm.
“We needed something to make us hungry again, and the Liberty Challenge was it.”
The Beach Boys regrouped for the 2016 summer sprint campaign, which continued with Saturday’s Na ‘Ohana O Na Hui Wa‘a Lokahi Regatta at Keehi Lagoon, and also participated in one of the world’s most unique long-distance challenges.
The Beach Boys women claimed the 20th Annual Hawaiian Airlines Liberty Challenge on June 11 in the unpredictable waters of New York Harbor. The race spanned 15 miles as crews of six paddlers apiece navigated a picturesque yet potentially dangerous course that took the athletes alongside the World Trade Center, Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty.
“It was good for our team, as we’re getting back into paddling after taking a few months off,” said Bizik, who participated in the Liberty Challenge for the first time. “It was an early push to start getting ready for the distance season with a 15-mile race. We trained for that, so it gets us in better shape than we would be in if we were just training for the regatta season.”
The Beach Boys claimed gold in the women’s unlimited division under the banner of Team Kamanu Wahine and bested runner-up Dana Outrigger (from Dana Point, Calif.) by nine minutes and 17 seconds. Bizik was joined in the victorious canoe by Dana Gorecki, Lauren McDowell, Lindsey Shank, Eko Lapp and Rachel Bruntsch.
In addition to fending off competing crews, the Beach Boys and their counterparts also had to manage the rough waters and harsh currents within the harbor while dodging commercial shipping vessels and ferries.
“They actually stopped the race with a red checkered flag because a ferry was coming through,” explained Bizik. “Five minutes into the race, we had to stop; it was definitely something different to deal with.”
In Saturday’s action, Na Keiki O Ka Mo‘i — winners of five of the last six Hui Wa‘a championships — claimed the AAA Division (25-42 crews entered) via 74 points. Manu O Ke Kai (62 points) remained within striking distance throughout the day and Kaneohe (59 points) rounded out the large division.
Ka Mamalahoe notched 50 points to claim the AA Division trophy and bested the Waikiki Beach Boys, who are five-time defending champions in the medium division.
“The endurance training we gain from distance races always helps us in regattas, because in shorter races you have that energy and the reserve to use down the stretch,” said Bizik. “The Liberty Challenge really helped us get stronger because you really have to use your strength, especially up current in the harbor when you have to work together to move the canoe.
“It’s nice to have the regatta season as a lead-up to the distance season because it really gets you amped up and excited to paddle.”
The A Division (6-12 crews entered) went to Windward Kai (26 points), while Lokahi (20 points) and Kamehameha (18 points) kept things close in the small division.
Hui Wa‘a returns to action on Saturday at Maili Beach for its Na Keiki O Ka Mo‘i Regatta. OHCRA continues its summer racing season on Monday with its annual Walter J. Macfarlane Regatta, an Independence Day tradition, at Waikiki Beach.
