Race is big business for canoe companies

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

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Starbucks Kaiwi Channel Relay What: 40.2-mile canoe race Where: Start at Kaluako'i Beach, Moloka'i; finish at Magic Island, O'ahu When: Start of women's division at 8 a.m.; start of men's division at 9 a.m. First finishers expected around 1:30 p.m. Format: Race is for one-person canoes and two-person canoes. On one-person canoes, two paddlers alternate paddling throughout the course (when one paddles, the other follows in an escort boat; they can change positions any time during the course). On two-person canoes, four paddlers alternate paddling.

The 40.2-mile race from Moloka'i to O'ahu is considered the world championship of relay racing (two paddlers alternate in a one-person canoe).

It is also considered a prime opportunity to generate business.

"This race, probably more than any other, is valuable to the manufacturers," said race director Walter Guild. "From that standpoint, a good overall finish becomes important because that's what's going to sell the (canoe) down the line."

Proof of the business aspect can be found in the entry list. The top contending two-person teams are formed more out of corporate sponsorship than friendship.

The defending champions, Kai Bartlett and Aaron Napoleon, represent Kai Wa'a. Among the other contending duos: Karel Tresnak Jr. and Maui Kjeldsen paddle for Outrigger Connection; Mike Judd and Mark Rigg represent Tiger Canoe and Kayak; Kea Pa'iaina and Andrew Penny also paddle for Kai Wa'a.

The top women's tandem, Lauren Spalding and Noe Sawyer, will represent Team Ocean Club and Hurricane canoes.

"It's a big business race and there's good and bad aspects to that," Bartlett said.

He should know. Kai Wa'a is his own canoe-manufacturing company. A successful 2002 season — he also won the solo world championship in addition to the relay championship with Napoleon — led to fruitful business.

Orders for his victorious Polaris canoe are still on back order.

"I've been so busy in the shop shaping canoes, I haven't had that much time to practice," Bartlett said. "So it's good for business, but at the same time it takes you away from what you love to do, and that's paddling."

Still, Bartlett and Napoleon enter as the team to beat tomorrow. They have already won two relay races this season, including the Kaua'i World Challenge last week.

"To be honest, we lucked out in both those races," Bartlett said. "And the (Kaiwi Channel Relay) is a whole different animal. It's so unpredictable."

The irony of it all is that most of the one-person canoes are designed in similar fashion.

"You could take the top paddlers, switch them to a different canoe, and come up with the same results," Guild said. "When it comes down to it, there's not much difference. But to say you have the winning canoe can go a long way."