Conner Baxter
"The Mormaii Event was awesome. Great conditions, awesome competition, organized well – and excellent food at the awards!! Am looking forward to competing in this year’s Triple Crown."
Conner Baxter
2010 Mormaii Pai'lolo Express Race 1st Place Winner
Phil "Iron Man" Gregory
"In 2008 I heard stories of how good this Pai’lolo Channel is; they reckon it's 10 times better than Maliko Gulch. So, it’s now 2010, Sunday the 11th of July, the Mormaii 27 Mile (43 kilometre), Pai'lolo Express Race, otherwise known as the "Maui to Molokai Crossing", is on. This is a new race for the Hawaiian race series with big prize money (stoked). There were only 25 of us at the starting line with 3 being Australian; Courtney Grey, Fernando Grey and myself.
At the start, we all had to sit on our boards in a line, which was super fair. When the green flag went up. it was GO! The wind was on your back at 25 knots or so, and there was a good 3 feet of ocean swell. You could see the corduroy lines of chop up ahead then, all of a sudden, you’re in this big trough and the trough turns into a nice glassy bit of ocean. I guess you’re so far down in the trough you’re out of the wind & you’re just surfing this ocean swell for BULK. At this stage I’m just lovin it! This Pai’lolo channel is everything I expected. Tell ya what, didn‘t I have a smile from ear to ear! Like you’re in the trough and I’m standing as far back as I could get on my SIC 17’6’’ Bullet... like I say I’m in the trough standing as far back as I could stand on the Bullet just surfing the board from rail to rail, maybe giving a stroke of my Quick Blade paddle with the big 10’’ inch head every 10 or so seconds just to stay down in the trough. The Pai’lolo channel runners are just all time. I was catching runners for like one minute, I’ve never experienced runners for this long ever. I’m thinking - man if I tell the guys back home in Australia I was catching runners for like one minute they’d think I was lying.
At the finish of the race I asked Conner Baxter, "How good where those runners mate? I was in them for bulk.” Connor says, “Yeah Phil, I was in them for like a minute”, I was so stoked to hear Connor say that. I had to ask Dave Kalama, “What would you rate that run Dave?” he said “Phil 5/10”, I said to Dave, “imagine 9/10“
Congratulations to Connor Baxter for taking out 1st place in 3 hours 29 minutes and four thousand dollars. The Hawaiians want to make the Pai’lolo channel the new Kaiwi Channel, (Molokai to Oahu crossing), as the new Molokai race as it's just way more convenient for competitors to compete as you don’t need to pay for expensive support boats, no 30 knot head wind near the finish line & the Molokai ferry is right there at the finish line (stoked). Competitors could save themselves around $2,000 dollars easy.
This was a fantastic event put on by Handsome Bugga Productions. Thank you Rodney. You Handsome bugga you! I have told so many Australians about this Pai'lol Race. I guarantee within the next couple of years there will be 200+ competitors at the starting line of the Pai'lolo Express Race. See Ya in 2012 Rodney you handsome bugga you (can't wait)!
Australian Phil Gregory
Ekolu Kalama
"The Mormaii Honolua Bay to Molokai race course is arguably the best down-wind run in the Hawaiian nation, if not the world, and is sure to attract more and more participants each year. Its a wave riding experience that will keep you coming back for more. Aloha!"
Ekolu Kalama
2010 Mormaii Pai'lolo Express Race 2nd Place Winner
Mark Rapphorst
"Last year was a great event. Pai'lolo conditions are far superior compared to the Ka'iwi channel.
Big glides, navigation, camaraderie; plenty of excitement.
The affordability of this race is a plus as well, (under certain conditions. no escort boat is required).
And a lot of top finishers even got prize money awarded! Glad you guys are doing it again.
Even expanding it into part of the Triple Crown. Looking forward to meeting more competitors during the July races. Mahalo and Aloha!"
Mark Raaphorst
2010 Mormaii Pai'lolo Express Race5th Place Winner