Canoe Alley
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➳ As a crew and a group of friends, I, along with two other experienced watermen, embarked on a journey to French Polynesia to race in the 2023 Tahiti Pearl Regatta. We entered the Holopuni division, thanks to the help of Polynesian Voyager and Holopuni World Champion Teiva Véronique-Gatata with his Holopuni sailing school. We met with the other crews in Huahine where we got our hands on Matari‘i, our canoe for the race. On our first day sailing we left the south of Huahine, and headed to Raiatea to the marae of Taputapuātea, where we were hosted by Tahitian priests and cultural practitioners for a welcome ceremony. The 36-mile crossing took us 6 hours in very light wind conditions. We ended the day sailing all the way to the other side of Raiatea, to top off the mileage at 47 miles. After a well-deserved day off—spent discovering the island, the local food and spending time with our local family—the first day of the race was upon us. It was a 31-mile sailing battle between the islands of Taha‘a and Raiatea. Unfortunately, we took the last place after some issues with our Holopuni and a total lack of knowledge of the local waters and race course. On day two, the winds died, and the 30- mile course was shortened by half. What was supposed to be a sailing race became a real paddling battle. We ended the day ranking in second place, just a minute behind Véronique-Gatata. At that point, we realized that our chance to finish second in the event was going to rely on our paddling advantage.
Three experienced watermen embarked on a journey to French Polynesia for the 2023 Tahiti Pearl Regatta.
Since day three was a total doldrum, the original course was modified from a loop around the island of Taha‘a to a 15-mile race up and down on the east side of the island. However, after 45 minutes into the race the commissioners informed all the sailing canoes that the race would stop after a short 5-mile battle due to the total absence of wind. We placed second, just a couple minutes behind Véronique-Gatata and his experienced crew, which secured us an overall second place win. This trip was definitely an experience of a lifetime for us. We covered more than 120 miles in five days, met amazing people who became friends, reconnected with family, were immersed in a new culture, and set a foot down in French Polynesia for future Holopuni races. At that point, we realized that our chance to finish second in the event was going to rely on our paddling advantage.
JULY / august 2023 | AMA 25
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