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I had the great privilege this last week to race outrigger canoe in Hawaii. Kona, on the Island of Hawaii/Big Island, to be specific. Paddling this season has been a very special part of my life as I have been exposed to beautiful culture, coastlines, competition, and companionship. The trip out there was a culmination of it all.

We arrived Wednesday night, September 2nd. We were greeted by Dan (aka ‘Coconut’, aka ‘Eh Brah’, aka ‘RiceCooker’) and his wife Kim (aka ‘radical wahine who supports our club more than I will ever come to realize’) who came bearing malasadas (donuts) and smiles. What a great way to start the trip. We headed to our house for the week known as Honu Hale (shown below, view from the lanai) because of its proximity to swimming turtles (honu) just feet away. Our oceanfront home was great for 11 of us as we shared kitchen, cleaning and miscellaneous duties, and let us bond together as we geared up for the race. Wednesday night, after Costco and grocery shopping and a spaghetti dinner, we settled down to sleep to the very loud sound of crashing surf which kept us pleasantly awake throughout the night.

Thursday morning, myself, the lovely wife Stefanie and Bong (That is my teammate Joe’s nickname, and not its not from too much 420. Shown above with back to camera) all headed south on a mission to find more malasadas that we had enjoyed three years prior when Stef and I honeymooned in Hawaii. We cruised south to the town of Kealakekua and found the “bakery with the squeaky spring screen door” where we talked story with the local owner and drank the best coffee I have had in years. From there we went to Captain Cook monument and snorkeled. Bong had equipment issuse but managed to rent a new snorkel and join us in the water. Nothing epic underwater except a cool eel and puffer fish. There we headed further south and went to Pu’uhonua o Honaunau. Place of Refuge.

Talk about sacred and hallowed ground, this was a fantastic place to learn about Hawaiian culture and should be visited by everyone who cares about how Hawaiians used to live. The area was sanctuary for fallen but losing side warriors and those to who broke society’s rules or offended the Ali’i (Hawaii royalty). If the person could make it to Honaunau before the warriors caught him, he or she would be spared their life. And reintroduced into society or the army of warriors. But if they fell short, they would be put to death. Think of it as playing a game of tag and home base…but with your life on the line.

Another reason this place was special this trip was because our races ended and started there. The women raced from Kona to there. The men swam to the canoes and then raced back to Kona. So as we lined up to start the race, us men need only look around and realize we were in a very special place. And we should be honored to be there paddling. Taking a painting class in the Sistine chapel, playing baseball in Yankee stadium, and recording a song in Abbey Road studios would be similar honors in my opinion.

After visiting the sacred grounds, and seeing a very old koa (wood) canoe that quite possibly carried King Kamehameha himself (the king who united the Hawaiian islands), I gathered the mana within to bring with me for the upcoming race. We did some more snorkeling, and then headed north to the registration rooms back in Kona.

Thursday night was pretty uneventful in terms of exciting stories. That night we had a bar-b-que at the house for friends and teammates of other canoe teams, and then settled into another night of crashing surf to lull us to sleep.

Friday, pre-race jitters starting to find me now, was more registration, canoe unloading and rigging. My training the last month, long distance paddles and race starts every mile that Coach Gus has graciously subjected us to, was great for the physical part, but my fluttery insides were unprepared to seeing canoes, paddlers and legends everywhere I looked. Some folks walking by me had paddled this race 30plus times. Others had won medals here. Others used it as a warm-up for even more challenging events in their lives. Me? I’m just some skinny blond haole who’s been paddling for 7-8 months or so. I felt naked and exposed where ever we went as a green paddler, but everyone there also had aloha, and that really trumped any ego that could have made me feel small. In fact, because of the aloha everyone there had, by the end of the day, my paddle and chin were held high as I further realized how lucky I was to be a part of this community. The town of Kona was taken over by a smiling, paddle wielding stoke. And me and my Ikuna Koa teammates were a part of it!

That night, I didn’t sleep so well. With the alarm set for 4am, thoughts of logistics, shuttles, canoe preparation, and of course the race itself with its inevitable pain dominated any space a dream might otherwise occupy. A very full moon rose over the ocean in front of me by the time my alarm went off.

That morning we found our canoe. There was a beautiful tea leaf lei on it that Stefanie and Kim had made the night before. Sometimes things just suddenly feel very special. At that moment, seeing the canoe…seeing the lei…the sky starting to break with sunlight and the moon still visible. I had arrived at the right place.

Canoes are very special. They are a vessel. They are historically a way to provide for one’s family. They carried warriors. They carried royalty. They carried the first Hawaiian’s to these island long ago on a journey that rivals any. Canoes (wa’a in Hawaiian, pronounced vah-ahh) carry the mana and soul and spirit of everyone who has ever paddled in it. They personify our ancestors, regardless of culture. I took the time that morning to spend time with the canoe, to place my hand along the manu; to trace the gunnels. I felt the coarse rigging against my fingers. The canoe pulsed. The lei continued to hang on the front of the canoe. A slight breeze shifting it in the wind.

Our crew eventually completed the morning time together as we helped the women’s team (who would soon be paddling/racing down) prepare the bailers, the seats, the rigging. The sun was up, we went over to our own Ikuna Koa wahine crew and their canoe. They were preparing as well. They had the same look of nervousness as I felt. Our hugs of good luck to them were heartfelt. Our Ikuna Koa team gathered to hold hands and form a lei around their canoe. Our Hawaiian pule (prayer) asked the gods of the land (aina) and sea (kai) for blessing was spoken slowly and sincerely. Our women pushed off. We headed to the shuttle which would take us to their finish line. To our beginning. As the wahine canoes pulled out, “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas was being played over the radio (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXtCTixWR3g&feature=related). That song will always be special.

(to be continued…)

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 12th, 2009 at 8:39 pm and is filed under Recreation, Travels. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.