By now, everyone in the paddling community knows that the coveted 2025 Moloka’i Hoe—the World Championship of Paddling—ended with TEAM OPT winning and Tahitian teams taking the top four spots.
But there were many other races and teams, including the Men 40+ and Men 50+. In the 40+ division, Team ARE finished an impressive third. But as far as they were concerned, Bronze was as good as Gold.
“We had a great race with a truly international crew,” says Hussein Sayre, of San Diego. “Three paddlers from Tahiti, three from California, and three from New Zealand.” They all met each other the day before the race. But they paddled as if they had been together for years, braving the grueling 40-mile Ka’iwi Channel from Moloka’I to Oahu’s Waikiki Beach. They were flawless the whole way.
TEAM ARE shot out at the start and remained in the hunt throughout, with EDT VA’A, of French Polynesia, finishing first.
“Our steersman, Vatea Taraufau,“ says Sayre, “was instrumental in communicating what he needed from us—getting ready for bumps and speeding up our stroke rate to get on top of the wave and surf. There were times when the team caught long waves and screamed for joy with paddles above our shoulders!”
FORTY… FIFTY… AND COUNTING
As if a race across the 40-mile Ka’iwi Channel wasn’t challenging enough for a 40+crew, the TEAM ARE’s 50+ team also surprised everyone, including themselves. They finished sixth out of 50 crews. Their team included an unlikely combination of paddlers—from Cooks Island, New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii, the Philippines, even Iran.
Some things age well, including paddlers, in this case paddlers from around the world, all united by the common language of va’a!
To learn more about ARE TAHITI canoes, visit www.aretahiti.com. Or see what’s available at ShopOutrigger.com, your ultimate destination for everything a paddler might need, including canoes, clothing, and accessories.
