Oe Vaka Mania

It’s all about Oe Vaka Right About Now. The ’Funk Soul Brother’ is paddling up a storm in the V6 Masters Mens team and the team has been accepted into the Vaka Eiva Festival in Rarotonga in November.

The V6 six-man masters crews are lining up for the sprints over a 250m course, with races of 250m, 500m, 750m and 1km. Yes, that does involve doing turns at each end of the course, an impressive team skill indeed. Last year there were 800 paddlers from all over the pacific – it is an awesome and prestigious regatta.

As a warm-up event, the Aitutaki clubs organized an open day on the sandspit at Aketua. It was open to team entries in 5 divisions and anyone who wanted to have a go. Pacific Resort had three mens teams, a womens team and a tamariki-rikiriki team (small children). And we paddled all day! Michael and the Nga’s Snr and Jnr took the three kids out for a practice, and then Bailey & Jamie (much to Sienna’s disgust) teamed up with two other staff kids to win the Jnr-Jnr race. They were stoked!!

Carly and I were the only ‘staff’ women, so we recruited Poppy and Teara and a Pacific Resort guest Jill and we paddled all day – Open, Masters an Mixed races, heats and finals. It was awesome fun and quite exhausting. After we won our first race, we were all quite excited, and celebrated by collapsing on the beach mat for a wee snooze. From there forward, the paddling got a bit more ragged and a bit louder and funnier. After the 7^th race I was spent – my legs could hardly hold me up. It got a bit giggly then.

The men were more serious (go figure). The club masters race was the first one up and looked very impressive, with the crews developing so much momentum they were surging up the course. After that the business and family teams come out, and Michael and I paddled in the mixed races together. As a number 1, Michael set the pace of the paddling, and I can vouch for him being a hard task master. I think he forgot the amateurs in the boat sometimes! Paddling at number 1 is a hard job – I did it for one race and that was enough. Number 2 is good – no turbulence, and number 3 is also good, but you have to call the stroke change. That is, on the 9^th stoke you call ‘hup’ and then after the 10^th stroke you switch sides. It takes a bit of practice to remember the count, and extra puff to talk…..

Thank God that Sunday is a Day of Rest. So I did – flat on my back nursing a wheat-bag, which in 30 degree heat is like sitting in a sweat box. On the upside I could walk by the end of the day! Moan moan moan, but it was really awesome fun. There is another two open days scheduled for this month, so bring it on! Michael is training three times a week, and I am off for my first training tonight.

This last weekend we went out on the lagoon for the day. Shamefully, it was Michael’s first trip out (in a boat with a motor) since November. Shame! It was lovely, especially after several days of heavy rain. Blue, blue and more blue.