Maui Pai'lolo Express Race 2011

G'day All You Downwid Paddlers.
For those interested in going to the beautiful island of Maui July/August 2011 for some Downwind Racing
check out the Triple Crown for Downwind Paddling Races
www.handsomebuggaproductions.com
Sunday 3rd July Mormaii Triple Crown
Race 1 Maliko Gulch to Kahului Harbour 9.54 miles
Sunday 10th July Mormaii Triple Crown
Race 2 Maliko Gulch to Honolua Bay 21 miles
Saturday 16th July Mormaii Triple Crown
Race 3 Honolua Bay Maui to Kaunakakai Molokai 27 miles

Here are a couple of more races if you're keen to spend the month of July 2011 on the beautiful Isaland of Maui.
Sunday 24th July Maui International Paddleboard Race Maliko Gulch to Kahului Harbour 9.54 miles
Sunday 31st July Molokai Channel Race Kaluakoi to Hawaii Kai 32 miles

Hansome Bugga emailed me today & asked if I could write a press release for their blog.

So I wrote the following

In 2008 I heard stories of how good this Pai'lolo Channel is, they reckon its 10 times better than Maliko Gulch. So it's now 2010 Sunday 11th July the Mormaii 27 Mile = 43 kilometre Pai'lolo Express Race, otherwise known as the Maui to Molokai Crossing is on. This is a new race for the Hawaiian race series with big prize money (stoked). There were only 25 of us at the starting line with 3 being Australian, Courtney Grey, Fernando Grey & myself. At the start we all had to sit on our boards in a line which was super fair. When the green flag went up it was GO. The wind was on your back - 25 knots, good 3 feet of ocean swell. You could see the corduroy lines of chop up ahead then all of a sudden you're in this big trough & the trough turns into a nice glassy bit of ocean. I guess you're so far down in the trough you're out of the wind & you're just surfing this ocean swell for BULK. At this stage I'm just lovin it, this Pai'lolo channel is everything I expected. Tell ya what didn't I have a smile from ear to ear. Like you're in the trough & I'm standing as far back as I could get on my SIC 17'6'' Bullet. like I say I'm in the trough standing as far back as I could stand on the Bullet just surfing the board from rail to rail, maybe giving a stroke of my Quick Blade paddle with the big 10'' inch head every 10 or so seconds just to stay down in the trough. The Pai'lolo channel runners are just all time I was catching runners for like one minute, I've never experienced runners for this long ever. I'm thinking - man if I tell the guys back home in Australia I was catching runners for like one minute they'd think I was lying. At the finish of the race I asked Conner Baxter, I said to Conner “how good where those runners mate I was in them for bulk”, Connor says “yeah Phil, I was in them for like a minute”, I was so stoked to hear Connor say that. I had to ask Dave Kalama “what would you rate that run Dave?” he said “Phil 5/10”, I said to Dave “imagine 9/10“. Congratulations to Connor Baxter for taking out 1st place in 3 hours 29 minutes & 4 thousand dollars. The Hawaiians want to make the Pai'lolo channel the new Kaiwi channel (Molokai to Oahu crossing) as the new Molokai race as its just way more convenient for competitors to compete as you don't need to pay for expensive support boats, no 30 knot head wind near the finish line & the Molokai ferry is right there at the finish line (stoked). Competitors could save themselves around $2,000 dollars easy.This was a fantastic event put on by Handsome Bugga Productions. Thank you Rodney. You Handsome bugga you! I have told so many Australians about this Pai'lol Race. I guarantee within the next couple of years there will be 200+ competitors at the starting line of the Pai'lol Express Race.
See Ya in 2012 Rodney you hansome bugga you (can't wait)
Aussie Phil Gregory