Na Wahine O Ke Kai, Molokai 2004

That's me in the middle  =)

I finally have one of the "big ones" under my belt and lots of stories to tell.  Like how we finished in just around 6 hours because we had a strong crew and good conditions.  And how we relaxed in a palace on Molokai the 3 days before the race.  And how we rode a nice wave to the finish line.  And how we took the North course so we could ride the bumps from Koko Head to Diamond Head.  And how we went canoe surfing the next day and got swamped, the guide was tossed from the canoe, and Wendy took over as steersman!

The Kai Elua Molokai crew on race morning
Kathy, Liz, Laurel, Julia, Jen, me, Kami, Wendy, Susannah, Carmen and Mark

What a great race and a great trip.  Kai Elua, my second paddling family in San Diego, welcomed me as they always have and let me join their crew to race Molokai.  I never took one moment of the trip for granted, as it was an otherwise 100 percent Kai Elua crew, and I knew it was special to be able to join them.  Thank you so much Wendy, Carmen, Julia, Liz, Susannah, Kami, Kathy, Laurel and Jen for making me feel so at home.  And thank you Mark and Mike for taking care of us so we could save our energy and focus strictly on the race, encouraging us, keeping our stress level down, carrying heavy loads so we wouldn't have to, handing us water and giving us massages during the race...

Approaching Waikiki Beach after almost 6 hours of paddling

The thing that strikes me the most is how great I felt for this race, both during and after, and after talking to the others, how great we all felt.  I think we were all well-trained, very relaxed after our stay at the palace, carb-loaded successfully, well-hydrated, had a great canoe (NONAME #57), a well-planned change chart, lots of encouragement from teammates in the chase boat, and all-in-all we had kick-ass ju-ju.  Kami and I were talking later and we recovered so well that we were tempted to ask "Did I push myself hard enough during the race???"  But the answer is definitely yes.

Our sexy canoe on the beach on Molokai

...and a playful moment...

One of the things that makes a trip like this is not just how the crew blends during the race itself, but also how well the crew blends the rest of the time.  And we blended really well.  We had serious "Big Chill" moments in the kitchen, cooking big meals with no plan or supervision, every job getting taken care of when needed, and no drama whatsoever.  Everything went smoother than goose poop.

Here are a few more pictures: