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 When
you think of the history of Molokai, the unofficial World Championship of
open-ocean racing, you think of Oscar (11) and Herman Chalupsky (2), the
brothers from Durban
who have combined to win 13 titles, and Australians Dean Gardiner (9) and Grant
Kenny (5). The only other man to have won this storied race in the last two
decades is the young Springbok Clint Pretorius, who last year edged out Oscar
and two-time Olympic medal winner Clint Robinson of Oz.
But there’s
another, oft-neglected name that people forget about when discussing the best
paddlers ever to race across the Molokai Channel -- Oahu
native Marshall Rosa, who during the 1980’s finished second to Oscar Chalupsky seven
times. A contractor and one-time surf ski builder (his ski was called the Rose
ski), Rosa hung up his ski to concentrate on
work and raising a family. A few years ago, intrigued by the newer, longer
skis, he hopped on a Fenn and won the Oahu State Champs. It’s worth noting that
he was in his late 50’s at the time. And then, once again, he
disappeared from the racing scene.
 ... one time surf ski builder... Photo: George McCloskey
Incredibly, on
February 3 of this year, Rosa was back. Now
paddling an Epic V10, he won a 15-mile Kanaka Ikaika series race in a time
of 1 hr. and 56 minutes. No big deal? Rosa edged out perennial top-10 Molokai
finisher Stuart Gaessner, who at the age of 45 is 15 years younger than Rosa. Yup, Rosa is 60
and going strong.
Quiet and
self-effacing, a man who’d rather talk about anything other than his incredible
paddling resume, I asked his protégée and sometimes training partner Mark
“Sandman” Sandvold to give me the skinny on Hawaii’s all-time best ski
paddler. Sandvold, who finished sixth in ‘06 at Molokai, started paddling skis
under Rosa’s watchful eye when he was 15 years
old. The following year, at the age of 16, Sandvold did his first Molokai, finishing 10th.
"He's a very humble man and will not talk about himself or his
paddling ability," says Sandvold. The Sandman told me that he has been
approached by the papers and TV to do a story on him but Rosa always declines.
Rosa grew up in Hawaii
surfing and paddling outriggers canoes from the time he could stand upright. In
the late 1970’s he was part of the winning Molokai
six-man outrigger canoe team with the Outrigger Canoe Club. “When the
Australian surf ski invasion came to Hawaii in
the early eighties," Sandvold said, "Marshall learned the sport from Hayden and
Grant Kenny. When Marshall was 40 he raced
against Grant in the Molokai ski race. He
never beat Grant but he always gave him a good race till the very end. Then the
Big O came to Hawaii and much the same
happened -- with Marshall
being the only competitor to give Oscar a run for his money.”
Fittingly, from the rear window of his house at the water's edge in Hawaii Kai,
Rosa can watch the Molo finishers rounding the point along the cliffs of Oahu. Says Sandvold: “For as long as I can remember he
has always paddled his ski like clockwork up the wall three days each week.”
(The currents and rebounding water of these cliffs make for some of the most
dynamic paddling in Hawaii.)
“His current interest has been sparked by the arrival of newer faster skis like
the V10, which seems to have given him a reason to compete and race. He
is constantly pushing us younger guys when we train together. I'm
constantly amazed at his speed and surfing ability which allows him to pull
away from me when my heart rate is pegged at 175+ -- and me being 20 years his
junior.”
So, I asked, will Marshall race Molokai this year? Sandvold said: “I can't say for sure.
If the wind is blowing I wouldn't bet against it. He could easily break
the top ten and push the leaders if there is big wind and
surf." Oscar concurs: "He was strong the first time I raced him
24 years ago and he's still strong. He looks tough and paddles the same
way. He excels downwind; I would still say he is Hawaii's best."
 George's restored Rose Ski (Photo: George McCloskey)
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