By Kyle Terwilliger
Variety News Staff

IN both the short and long course offshore OC1 races, the OC2 canoes continued to lead the fields, even when powered by women over all men or mixed crews. In Sundays Coco’s Challenge MOC1 race Imua paddlers, Leilani Appleton and Jubilee Estes would take the fastest overall time on the short race, with the Mixed crew of JoeJohn Mantanona and LeeHanna Wonder taking second, and another all lady crew Poksai paddlers Nat Calvo and Annie Gayle took third.
On the long course around Coco’s Island MPRA paddler Colin Smith teamed with Imua’s Tom Strohmeyer to dominate the field, finishing over 7 minutes ahead of the next paddlers.
SPG hopeful Annie Leon Guerrero would take second overall on the long race and first woman finisher only inches ahead of Shuka Landin who was the first overall male. Another Poksai female crew of Michele Cerizo and Catia Garell were only two minutes behind Landin and dominated the W/W field. Conditions were perfect for the race with the initial heat of the short course racing from the Merizo Pier to Coco’s Island and back.
The paddlers were given a handicap start, with the slower competitors going out up to 5 minutes ahead of the rest of the field. This was to give all the paddlers a chance to finish at about the same time to make for an exciting end to the race. Newcomer Sparky Bartee was sent off first due to his supposed inexperience, but he actually stayed ahead of the field for the entire race.
Other crews closed on him dropping him to fifth overall, but he would not let anyone actually pass him. Appleton and Estes closed to within 30 seconds of Bartee, but could not get by. The OC2 ladies managed to get a few bumps to ride back to the pier on the return trip and that was the difference in the race. The first solo paddler in was Kristin Winford, winning the Open Woman division, while Bartee won the Open Male. Another SPG paddler Donna Cruz of Guahan Flyers was the 1st Masters Woman.
On the long course around the island, the paddlers’ line across the reef was the topic of discussion before the race and where to take their chances on the swell and get to the deep water and the downwind surf first. Smith and Strohmeyer took a mid range line and though swamped in the surf managed to recover and get to the swells first.
Cerizo and Garell went the farthest out, but were so strong on the way around the back side, it didn’t matter. Leon Guerrero and Landin took the fastest but most dangerous line right next to the island saving close to a quarter mile of paddling. Their head to head race would be the closest and best of the day with never more than half a boat length difference between them from the start to the finish.
Veteran OC1 paddler Dick Soriano won the Masters Men, while newcomer Dan O’Keefe would finish a very respectable sixth and taking second in the Open Man.