PADDLING FORWARD: PAT AND ANGIE DOLAN REACH THEIR BIGGEST WINS TOGETHER
Domie Gose stands alongside Kahu Kordell Kekoa at this year’s canoe blessing. “I credit a large part of my paddling and my love for the sport to Outrigger’s program. We’re very content with where we’re at today, but I feel like we were given this gift of knowledge that we want to pass on.” — Angie Dolan
“It felt really good, but there was so much unknown—seating, what the conditions were going to be, so we were hoping for top eight or top five going into it,” she recalls. “To be able to cross the line first and have that race go the way it did was really unexpected…but it was such an amazing experience to be a part of.” Angie’s connection to the Tahitian team began in October 2022, when OCC sent a crew to compete in the Hawaiki Nui. That’s where she first connected with Ihilani Vaia and formed the bonds that kept them in touch—eventually racing together in mul- tiple events. This year, after the team won tickets to compete in Na Wahine O Ke Kai, Angie and a few other paddlers were invited to join their boat. “We were just super stoked to be able to jump in and race with them and learn from them,” Angie says. “It was just a meant-to- be story.” Ihilani Vaia ultimately edged out the five- time defending champion Team Bradley by just 45 seconds—a margin that carried even more weight for Angie. During the Na Wahine O Ke Kai race in 2018, she faced a similar late-race push from Team Bradley. She still remembers the moment the two canoes converged off the Club at Diamond Head, and the memory resurfaced in the final miles of the 2025 race as the gap began to tighten once again. “We knew it was going to be close,” Angie recalls. She felt the familiar instinct to panic, wondering if history was about to repeat itself. But this time, she says, the dynamic of the crew changed everything. “It just feels like it was meant to happen with that team and in that way.” Just a few weeks later, Pat was on the starting line of the Moloka‘i Hoe as a guest paddler with Rurutu Hoe, ultimately helping the team secure a fourth-place finish. With Tahitian crews sweeping the top four spots, the race highlighted the exceptional level of competition Pat had been invited into. But the defining moment of his year had come earlier in the summer, when he won the Moloka‘i Challenge on the surfski, setting a new event record—a victory he had been pursuing for years. For Pat and Angie, these were milestones they had hoped to achieve before starting a family. Raising a 4- and 6-year-old, navigat-
ing the challenges of COVID-19, and balancing family life with training and pursuing their passions was no small feat—but it’s one that has made these accomplishments even sweeter. “I think being able to accomplish it and have them watch was a really big piece for us to make it worthwhile—and hopefully be something we can give them as a lesson about never giving up,” Angie says. “We set goals, we work hard at them, and let’s see what happens,” Pat adds. “That’s the goal for our kids—to find passions in their lives that they can enjoy and work towards.” Amid the demands of parenting, training, and
For the Dolans, time on the water is more than a fun family tradition—it’s a way to teach their kids how to set goals and stay the course.
striving toward their goals, the partnership between Pat and Angie became the anchor that held everything together. “You really need a partner who understands the sport,” Angie says. “We both had our individual goals and knew what it meant.” When motivation dipped or doubts crept in, each one knew how much the other wanted to reach what they’d been striving for—and that understanding kept them moving forward. In fact, winning the Na Wahine O Ke Kai was a goal Angie had been chasing for 20 years. A member of OCC since she was 14, she joined the Club to paddle. During her summers as a teen, she remembers being dropped off at 8 a.m. and picked up at 4 p.m. It was an oppor- tunity to spend the entire day immersed in the ocean, discovering new experiences, and learning from mentors at the Club. “Growing up here, there were so many opportunities and so many great waterwomen and watermen. They’re the ones who taught me to paddle, to surf, and to understand the ocean,” Angie reflects. “I credit a large part of my paddling and my love for the sport to Out-
rigger’s program. We’re very content with where we’re at today, but I feel like we were given this gift of knowledge that we want to pass on,” Angie says. As a way to pay forward the support he and Angie have received throughout their careers, Pat has begun meeting a small group of young paddlers before dawn for training sessions—sharing the les- sons he’s learned over decades on the water. He also has his sights set on continuing his own races in OC1 and surfski. This past November, he competed in the Shaw and Partners Western Australia Race Week, earning a seventh-place finish in The Doctor, the festival’s signature 27-kilometer downwind race. Pat and Angie’s 2025 season tells a story not only of elite athlet- icism, but of perseverance and partnership—creating meaningful moments for their young family to witness. Side by side, they’ve achieved the goals they long chased and are now quietly helping others discover what’s possible on the water.
22 AMA | january/february 2026
january/february 2026 | AMA 23
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