Pacific Paddler April 2016 - (Page 34)

Escort Boats Hawaii At your service Since paddlers started racing across the Kaiwi Channel, there have been escort boats. They were usually fishermen who knew the waters or one of the paddler's friends. In the early years, there wasn't a need for a lot of escorts compared to today when sometimes races have over a hundred OC6s racing and each one has an escort boat or two. In the mid-70's two paddlers, John Benson aka LJ and Fred King aka Fritz decided the canoe seat was getting too small for them (said LJ) and instead they would escort crews. In the late 80's, Wayne German was running Kanaka Ikaika. Wayne 34 PACiFiC PADDLER APRIL 2016 would use LJ, Fritz and other boat drivers out of Kaneohe who he trusted to keep things safe on the water and to escort paddlers. "LJ was very reliable. I could ask for something and he would do it," said Wayne German. "It was my idea to start a business to limit liability and provide safety on the water." In 1989, LJ and his friend Fritz started Escort Boats Hawaii with financial backing from Wayne. Wayne's aim was to take Kanaka Ikaika to the next level. He wanted to bring international paddlers to Hawaii to build prestige with racing in Hawaii's waters. He had a new sponsor, Bank of Hawaii, and he wanted to keep them happy. "The bank expressed concerns for safety in the channel; they didn't want it to be a free-for-all," said Wayne. "We already had a couple of issues out on the water. There was an escort boat collision, and one of our escort boats was a sailing canoe - and they lost a guy. He couldn't turn around to pick him up, so someone else picked him up. After that I was kind of salty about it." Wayne talked to LJ about coming up with a plan to offer safety boats that were reliable. They developed a 'Float Plan' that was integrated with Coast Guard regulations. One issue was that the Coast Guard wanted paddlers to wear a PFD (personal flotation device). For Wayne German that wasn't part of the plan. "LJ and I took a wrecked canoe and showed it to the Coast Guard. "[I told them] even if I break this thing into three pieces, these pieces will float - that's our flotation." The Coast Guard agreed. For foreign paddlers coming to Hawaii, it's very reassuring for them to trust their boat drivers so they can be free to focus on their race. "The race promoter gives them a number, and it's taken care of. It's done," said Wayne. "You call one number and you're taken off." LJ and Fritz recruited other fishermen to help with escorting paddlers. Their first choice was fishermen out of Kaneohe, on the wind-ward side of Oahu, who they knew were used to rough water conditions. "I wanted to make it safe and give the visiting paddlers a fair shot at the race," said LJ. "We wanted to offer them someone with local knowledge of the waters not some guy they found on Craig's List." When LJ was growing up, he remembers a race broadcast live on the radio. "We heard that a paddler had been propped and it stuck in my mind." The mishap got LJ interested it water safety. He joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary to become an instructor who can preform safety checks and help in search and rescue. His boat is available if the Coast Guard needs help in this area, and he is also certified to work with a helicopter from his boat in case someone needs to be evacuated to safety. The boat captains who Escort Boats Hawaii uses are brought up to speed on proper etiquette while escorting. Fritz said they work with the escort boat driver first. "We ride with them a few times, run their boat and make sure it's a safe boat ... with no sharp objects. We're not going to recommend an unprepared driver." LJ added, "My partner and I, Captain Fritz, have our captain's license, so whoever we bring onto the scene we need to know they know what they are doing because if anything happens on our watch, it will reflect on us." Escort Boat Hawaii also holds classes on things to do and not to do out on the water. They cover boat handling skills around canoes and other escort boats. "The idea of the training program is to teach responsibility. We will train with them alongside a canoe, showing them how to escort and what to do when it's time to make a change," said LJ. Their courses cover boat prepa- http://www.fotibros.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pacific Paddler April 2016

Epic Kayaks Makapu'u Dash
KIRA SUP Hi Kai to Magic Island
Kona Brewing Co-Maui Jim Waterman Challenge
The Allstate Oahu Championships 16
PAA Koa Nui
Kauai Hoe Wa' a
Keizo Gates on OC-1 design
Escort Boats Hawaii
What's shaking on Hawaii Island
Koolauloa Canoe Paddling
Aloha 'ohana hoe wa'a!
20 Years of New York Paddling
Fitness secrets for paddlers
How to improve your paddling
Dates for your paddling calendar
On my Bucket List

Pacific Paddler April 2016

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