SOCC to paddlers: ‘Who’s up?’

After only recently completing the 42-kilometer trip from Saipan shores to the Tinian San Jose Fiesta grounds, the Saipan Outrigger Canoe Club has set its sights on a more daunting round-tripper and is searching for members ready to circumnavigate Saipan.

According to paddler Richard Sikkel, the SOCC is planning to hold its longest challenge in two weeks, when a dozen able-bodied paddlers take to the seas on June 4. None of the paddlers who have signed up for the journey thus far have made the trip before, and Sikkel said that everyone should be prepared for one heck of a day.

“We don’t exactly know what to expect. A lot of it will be pretty tough paddling, meaning rough water and headwinds. So what we are looking for is a crew of 12 serious paddlers, because I can assure you that it will not be a leisurely paddle. Being out there for six to eight hours is not something to be thought of lightly,” ‘said Sikkel.

Sikkel said that he expects the approximately 60-km trip will take between six to eight hours, and that he hopes that the community will show its support from the shores.

“Mark that day on your calendar. Even if you’re not planning to paddle, you can cheer us on from wherever you are on the island and we’ll pass by at sometime during the
day,” he said.

While the SOCC men’s team that is currently training for the Hamilton’s Cup in Australia has already committed to making the loop it is still in search of an additional six paddlers to swap in and out of the outrigger canoe along the way. While the invitation went out to SOCC members first, Sikkel said that there may be seats open to the other clubs on island.

“As a SOCC member you have preference over paddlers from other clubs but if we don’t find enough paddlers to join us, we might have to look at asking paddlers from other clubs. The other clubs might also be interested in paddling their own canoe around,” he said.

The paddlers are placing their safety above all else as they did on the Tinian trip by hiring out a chase boat to ensure that each of them will get plenty of rest after their hard work thanks to the pre-planned change out of two paddlers every 20 minutes.

“That means you will paddle an hour and then get 40 minutes rest on the chase boat. We just keep on rotating until we complete our journey,” he said.