Nearly three weeks after winning the famous Molokai Hoe race in Hawaii for the third straight year before an international audience, the Shell team won the 17th Hawaiki Nui Race at home before an enthusiastic local crowd.

Crossing the finish line after 4 hours 12 minutes and 45 seconds of paddling the 58 kilometers (36 miles) separating the islands of Taha'a and Bora Bora, the Shell Va'a team became only the second outrigger canoe team to win the Hawaiki Nui five times.

Their first victory was in 2002. They then won in 2005, 2006, 2007 and now 2008. The only other team to win five times since the three-day, four-island, 129-kilometer (80.2-mile) race began in 1992 was the "Piroguiers de Faa'a") (the Faa'a Outrigger Canoe Racers). The Faa'a team won in 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1998.

Despite Thursday's disappointing fourth place finish in the 26-kilometer (16-mile) second leg from Raiatea to Taha'a inside the large lagoon that both islands share, the Shell Va'a team won the overall race with its two first place finishes in the first and final legs. Thus, it repeated the trend it set three years ago of winning the first leg, a 44.5-km (27.7-mile) course from Huahine to Raiatea, and then winning the third leg from Taha'a to Bora Bora.

The Shell team's biggest rival this year, the EDT (Electricité de Tahiti) team, finished a disappointing third Friday in the third leg after having finished second in the first leg and first in the second leg. The EDT team had to content itself with an overall second place this year.

The Matairea Hoe canoe finished second in Friday's final leg, its best showing this year after having finished third in the first two legs.

Whereas Shell won Wednesday's first leg in the final 10 minutes over the final 500 meters by only 1 minute and 2 seconds, a new Shell team won Friday's final leg by leading the last three kilometers and crossing the finish line in Bora Bora's lagoon with a comfortable lead of 5 minutes and 17 seconds over the Matairea Hoe canoe.

But the real battle in the final leg was between the Matairea Hoe and EDT canoes. Matairea Hoe crossed the finish line with a third leg time of 4 hours 18 minutes 2 seconds. That was only 1 minute 28 seconds faster than the EDT canoe's time of 4 hours 19 minutes 30 seconds.

Friday's final leg began at 7:18 am in front of the village of Patio on Taha'a. The 85 senior men's canoes set out with the EDT canoe leading in the overall standings with a two-stage time of 5 hours 30 minutes 28 seconds. It was followed 29 seconds behind by Shell (5h 30mn 57s), then Matairea Hoe (5h 31m 36s), Paddling Connection (5h 34mn 43s), Era'i Va'a ((5h 37mn 31s) and Bora Bora Va'a (5h 38mn 51s).

As the canoes headed for the Papai de Tiva pass in the surrounding coral reef, the Tamarii Punaruu canoe from Tahiti was in the lead, followed by Bora Bora Va'a, Matairea Hoe, EDT and Shell Va'a.

But once outside the pass, the Shell team took the lead, followed by Tamarii Punaruu, Bora Bora, EDT, Tiare Tahiti and Paddling Connection.

After 90 minutes of racing, the canoes split up into two groups. The Shell, Tamarii Punaruu and EDT canoes chose a course towards Bora Bora's Turiroa Point. The Bora Bora Va'a and Pirae Va'a canoes preferred a course towards Maupiti.

Far behind were the five overseas teams in this year's race. Kamanu Hawaii was in 60th place, Team Hawaii was in 65th place, Fréjus of France was in 75th place, Waitakere of New Zealand was in 77th place and Italy was in 80th place.

After 2.5 hours of racing, the Shell Va'a canoe was clearly in the lead, 500 meters in front of the Matairea Hoe canoe that was in a battle for second with Era'i Va'a and Tiare Tahiti Va'a.

Around 10:30 am as the canoes approached Turiroa Point, the Shell Va'a canoe had a 17m 14s lead over the Matairea Hoe canoe, which had the EDT canoe, the Shell Va'a B team canoe and the Paddling Connection canoe on its heels.

Thirty minutes later the Shell Va'a canoe went through the Teavanui coral reef pass and into the Bora Bora lagoon, followed by Matairea Hoe, EDT, Shell Va'a B team, Paddling Connection, Bora Bora Va'a and Tamarii Punaruu.

With three kilometers of paddling left, the huge crowd that had gathered along Matira Beach knew that the Shell Va'a canoe was making Hawaiki Nui Race history. And the Shell team confirmed that when it crossed the finish line at 11:30 am.

Article and Photo Source-  Tahiti Presse

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