SOCC completes FIESTA at fiesta

While a number of people flocked to the docks over the weekend for a chance to catch a ride on the ferry and take part in the San Jose Fiesta on Tinian, 10 intrepid paddlers from the Saipan Outrigger Canoe Club made the trip the old fashioned way.

On Saturday morning, Joe Przyuski, Eric O’Malley, Ana Diaz, Dennis Chapla, Wayne Bramlett, Gil Birnbrich, Sonny Downer, Shelly Kremer, Jill Vanderkin, and Richard Sikkel rose before the sun and went to the beach to complete the SOCC’s 42-kilometer First Inter-island Extreme Saipan Tinian Adventure, or FIESTA.

While the conditions were near perfect for the journey, the crew had its fair share of challenges along the way, including huge swells in the channel, open-water changeovers, and an overturned canoe, or huli.

Members of the SOCC had tried the crossing once before but were forced to turn back, but this time they were supported by extra paddlers and the watchful eye of steely captain Brady Barrineau from Dive Ops.

Sikkel praised his fellow paddlers for a job well done and “who braved the 20-foot swells, the washing machine, the one huli, the change-outs, the near-death experience when the canoe comes crashing down on you from a wave when you’re in the water, and the grueling head winds to stand in line for food for two hours.”

The man whose brainchild got the other nine in the water put the trip into perspective by highlighting the distance traversed between the beaches.

“It was an experience and it’s been quite a while since the last group of people made that trip in an outrigger canoe. We managed to successfully cross the channel twice and totaled 70 kilometers, or 44 miles, this weekend with an average speed of a little over six miles per hour,” he said.

Bramlett said that the six-man crew’s training regimen is getting them aptly prepared for the big Hamilton’s Cup races Down Under, but that it would be nice to have the added paddlers that were available for the weekend’s channel crossing.

“I think we’re very much on track to having a strong race for the 10-mile race in Australia. The 26-mile race is doable. Our future training will determine how ‘painful’ it will be since we won’t have paddlers to switch out on this race,” he said.

Bramlett said that one of the reasons that the crew is able to do so well through training and during the crossing is their chemistry.

“We work really well as a team—managing the jobs that go with each seat, trusting each other to do his job, learning to read the canoe and water and adjust our style accordingly in rough water and calm water,” he said.

Przyuski echoed Bramlett’s thoughts and said that his highlights from the trip to Tinian and back included losing sight of the chase boat between swells during their return trip thru the channel, and feeling his team build confidence and increase its ability in the open seas.

Some three and a half hours after reaching the beach near the fiesta grounds, the paddlers set up camp and enjoyed the festivities before falling asleep under the stars, only to rise at the crack of dawn and paddle back to Saipan.

Despite a night of fun and frolic during which they ate all that the people of Tinian had to offer, the crew reached Saipan shores less than four hours after shoving off.

“It was my favorite experience yet in the Marianas. I couldn’t choose a better group of people to get stuck with in the middle of the ocean with nothing but sticks and an oblong canoe. Everyone worked their tails off and I came away with a good feeling about the team we’re taking to Australia,” said Downer.

Sikkel said that he has been contemplating rallying the troops to circumnavigate Saipan in the near future in the near future, but in the meantime the SOCC is focusing on prepping for the 2006 Hamilton’s Cup in Australia.

The Hamilton’s Cup is one of the largest paddling events in the world, and this year there’s $100,000 on the line that will be evenly distributed between the best of all the divisions. In addition to the top finishers, those who display the true spirit of paddling will walk away with $1,000 and the Charles Pene “Spirit of Aloha Award.”

The crew has been training since February by practicing every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, and recently received confirmation from the race organizers of their entry in the 1,000-meter, 16-kilometer, and 42-km races.

The cost to send the team is staggering, and the SOCC is looking to the community to help them compete with the world’s finest on one of the biggest stages.

“We’ve got a nice clean boat and we’re looking to put some decals on it. We’re looking for anybody to come out and sponsor our team,” said Downer.

Przyuski added that the team also has some “nice clean uniforms” that will be arriving soon and sponsors can add their names and logo to blank canvas by contacting their secretary via email at sonny.downer@gmail.com.