Outrigger Canoe Ride in Waikiki - General Tiki

STCB Sabu The Coconut Boy Tiki Socialite Carson, California Joined: Aug 20, 2002 Posts: 2813	STCB Sabu The Coconut Boy Posted posted on Fri, Apr 16, 2004 1:45 PM Thanks for the photos, Al! One of the best things about being on an Outrigger Canoe team was the joy of riding big wave at the end of a race or the end of a day's practice. I was steersman (the man in the back of the canoe) for team Lanakila out of Redondo Beach for a few years. It was quite an experience. I've never seen so many Olympic-class atheletes who were also alcoholics in one place before. These men and women knew how to party and how to work and play hard. Three hours of practice every evening, a race on Saturday, and then a huge beer-soaked luau at the end of every race. Sometimes we got Sundays off, but usually we had to run 6 to 8 miles for time. At the end of a long evening practice, with the sun setting to the West, we would paddle the canoe up to the breakwall at the entrance of King Harbor and wait for a really big swell to roll in. As the wall of water rose behind us, I would give the command for my team to paddle and we would all dig in with every ounce of strength we had left. It was my job to keep the canoe perfectly perpendicular to the wave as it caught us. A little slanted to the right or left and the wave would turn the canoe completely sideways and the whole thing would roll over, dumping us into the ocean and possibly breaking the outrigger. This happens to every new steersman at least once until he gets control over his canoe. But when you mastered the trick, it was one of the most exhilarating experiences - roaring down the wave like a locomotive, all of us howling at the top of our lungs as we soared into the harbor. Beach races were tricky, because we had to launch into the pounding surf, but the bonus was that you got to ride a wave onto the beach at the end of the race. It was an experience I wouldn't trade for anything in the world, even though I had no social life at the time, outside of the canoe team. The final race of the season was from Catalina Island to Newport Beach. It took just over 5 hours. I wish they would make Outrigger Canoeing an Olympic sport - it really deserves it. Sabu

Thanks for the photos, Al!

One of the best things about being on an Outrigger Canoe team was the joy of riding big wave at the end of a race or the end of a day's practice.

I was steersman (the man in the back of the canoe) for team Lanakila out of Redondo Beach for a few years. It was quite an experience. I've never seen so many Olympic-class atheletes who were also alcoholics in one place before. These men and women knew how to party and how to work and play hard. Three hours of practice every evening, a race on Saturday, and then a huge beer-soaked luau at the end of every race. Sometimes we got Sundays off, but usually we had to run 6 to 8 miles for time.

At the end of a long evening practice, with the sun setting to the West, we would paddle the canoe up to the breakwall at the entrance of King Harbor and wait for a really big swell to roll in. As the wall of water rose behind us, I would give the command for my team to paddle and we would all dig in with every ounce of strength we had left. It was my job to keep the canoe perfectly perpendicular to the wave as it caught us. A little slanted to the right or left and the wave would turn the canoe completely sideways and the whole thing would roll over, dumping us into the ocean and possibly breaking the outrigger. This happens to every new steersman at least once until he gets control over his canoe. But when you mastered the trick, it was one of the most exhilarating experiences - roaring down the wave like a locomotive, all of us howling at the top of our lungs as we soared into the harbor.

Beach races were tricky, because we had to launch into the pounding surf, but the bonus was that you got to ride a wave onto the beach at the end of the race.

It was an experience I wouldn't trade for anything in the world, even though I had no social life at the time, outside of the canoe team. The final race of the season was from Catalina Island to Newport Beach. It took just over 5 hours. I wish they would make Outrigger Canoeing an Olympic sport - it really deserves it.

Sabu

Post #86607 by Sabu The Coconut Boy on Fri, Apr 16, 2004 1:45 PM