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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