i still remember watching the first foilers pass by last year during the Molokai to Oahu race. i was in awe… this year, there will be many more foilers. a total of 16 foilers, which 3 are Japanese. and one Japanese is a 13 year old kid name Shuri Araki! keep an eye on him!
as for Mao-san, it is her 2nd time doing this race. last year was prone, this year is SUP. Go-Mao-san!
being an escort boat, there are strict rules and guidelines. make one mistake, then your paddler gets disqualified. and since Molokai is such a sacred and protected island, there are strict rules made by the locals there. there will be over a hundred escort boats so imagine what will happen if there were no rules? yup, a rape of the ocean will occur. so i’m happy to see these kind of rules made by the people of the island of Molokai. i respect that just as much as i respect the people protecting Mauna Kea. it’s the exact same principle…
here are the rules. please follow…
- No fishing of any type within 500 yards of shore.
- No Opihi picking.
- No harvesting of lobster.
The shoreline area will be patrolled by 4 community boats. Any escort boats not complying with the protocol above will be recorded and its HA# will be passed to all race directors for all events that cross the Ka’iwi channel. All events have agreed to abide by these rules and ban any captains and their boats that do not respect the rules above. PLEASE respect the local lifestyle of subsistence fishing of Molokai.
