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 Welcome to the transcript of our first ever live coverage of an event. We were talking to the escort boats and race organisers as the competitors made their way across the channel.
The experiment worked pretty well - we had nearly 350 people watching the site at the finish and took over 10,000 hits on the story. It was great fun - and we'll be doing it again.
Times are Hawaii local time (South African time was 12 hours ahead!)
15h20
Here are the top 15 places:
- Lewis Laughlin (Tahiti) 5:20:6.85
- Hank McGregor (SA)
- Dawid Mocke (SA)
- Oscar Chalupsky (SA)
- Clint Pretorius (SA)
- Zsolt Szadovszki (USA)
- Ash Nesbit (Aus)
- Kurt Dierckx (Belgium)
- Tepa Leopold (Tahiti)
- Bevan Manson (SA)
- Steve Kelly (USA)
- 1st OC1 Kai Bartlett (USA)
- Thomas A Gallagher (USA)
- Jordan Purdey (?)
- Karl Treacher (Aus)
And that's it - I'm packing in! Over & out & goodnight!
15h00
Trying to get some times. Ash Nesbit was around 6th or 7th; Kurt Dierckx was up there too. Bevan Manson as well.
Still no OC1, and we're over 6 hours now.
14h50
That's the slowest time for a Molokai crossing since 1979! That's amazing. In 1991 & 1992 the times were 4:30 and 4:49 respectively. This was close to 5:20...
14h45
Oscar came in 4th. He said that it just wasn't his day, the worst conditions ever! His previous longest race was 4h15, this was 5h20.
Clint has just come in, in 5th position. No sign yet of any OC1s but I'll hang in till some finish!
14h31
There are 332 people online right now - no wonder the editor has got so slow! I'm going to stay online for another 20 minutes or so and then I'm going to have to crash - it's 02h31 here in South Africa & I have my real job to go to tomorrow!
Thanks to all those who have come along with us for the ride, it's been a lot of fun.
14h30
Dawid said he hit the wall about 4km out. "It was just a bridge too far," he said, "that was an absolutely brutal, brutal race."
He said he took the gap when he caught a few little runs, "perhaps a little too early, but I had to take it".
"I'm really happy with the race, and very pleased for Lewis. He's such an awesome paddler, very humble, couldn't be a better person to win."
He added that he was afraid of Lewis from the beginning - saying that Lewis gets stronger after the first 30km.
Interestingly Lewis said that he's been practicing in these exact conditions in Tahiti - and he was expecting this from the race.
Hank just said that Lewis was just too strong - "it was a long hard race but hey, this is Hawaii and it doesn't get much better than this!"
14h20
It was Hank who came in second; Dawid is in third.
14h17
Lewis is being interviewed.
Says he trained in the right conditions. No help from waves/wind. Can't hear him too well.
14h15
Cheers are ringing out at Lewis comes in - he's got a big wide smile on his face. He's looking great, had a good stroke coming in. Dawid is powering in on a big swell, will be in, in about two minutes.
14h13
Someone's coming through the channel, there's no bad wave at the moment. "You've really got to pick your time coming in".
It's Lewis coming in first. Dawid is still out of sight.
14h12
There are so many boats - surfers, helicopter, rescue boats, where are they?
14h10
What's happening??? Jodi, talk to me...! They're wide out, trying to avoid the surf... The chopper can see them...
14h06
I can imagine Dawid putting in the extra push to try to catch Lewis. But what will happen in the surf as they round the buoy to come through the channel. Anything could happen if a set comes in at the same time...
14h05
I'm talking to Jodi Young Wilmot at the finish. The guys are close - Jetski calling in...
Lewis Laughlin is off Diamond Head - is coming in - should be about ten minutes or so.
Dawid is apparently second at this time.
14h00
This is the last of Oscar's positions...
 Oscar's position at 13h55
Stand by for the finish...
13h55
Just heard from the finish line that they're about 10 minutes out.
13h50
Well, it might have been a raging downwind Molokai, but it's clearly been one heck of a tough race...
I hope no-one gets crunched in that surf.
I'll be calling the finish in the next 5 minutes... the guys should be visible soon from Diamond Head...
13h45
At the finish they've heard that it's Lewis Laughlin ahead on the inshore line... Where is Dawid?!
13h40
Oscar's position at 13h30:
 Oscar's position at 13h30
(Neither Brandon's nor Heather's phone is being answered!)
13h35
Dawid has taken an offshore line, he's "way out". Lewis Laughlin has gone inshore and is about 300m ahead of Hank.
Although the inshore line seems faster, Oscar seems to be keeping his current line - Zsolt's escort boat is visible but Zsolt has fallen back; Ash Nesbit has fallen off the pace and is out of sight.
Several escort boats have been seen carrying the skis of paddlers who have retired from the race.
Oscar's position is N21 14.823 W157 44.610
Has Lewis done the right thing - is he going to take his first Molokai victory?
We're about half an hour from the finish...
13h25
Just spoke to Jodi Wilmot at the finish - "conditions are really challeging here," she said, "there's head-high swell breaking on the reef, and the channel is closing out. They're going to have to time it really carefully to get in."
The wind is blowing 8-10kts WSW at the finish.
They're expecting the first boats to be in at about 14h00.
13h10
Here's where Oscar is right now.
 Oscar's position at 13h00
I'm going to try Brandon's number now...
13h00
Oscar's put his head down & has overtaken Zsolt again. Ash Nesbit is hanging in and is just behind Zsolt.
From radio talk, we know too that Lewis Laughlin has taken an inshore line. Dawid and Hank are somewhere in front of Oscar, out of sight.
Image of Google Earth position coming up (N21 14.356 W157 42.110).
Perhaps Lewis knows something that Dawid & Hank don't? One thing is for sure, Dawid & Hank will be having a battle royal up front.
12h40
OK, I'm stumped, I'm reduced to Oscar's escort boat. Here's what I'm going to do - I'll call them at 13h00, 13h30 and 14h00 and then I'll start calling the finish line to get the details of the guys finishing the race... Thanks for the support - it's been an interesting first try. I wasn't even sure we'd have mobile reception in mid-channel.
Oh man, but this is frustrating! Dawid, Hank & Lewis are somewhere out front... (Thanks for Jude's number, his phone is on voicemail!)
The race organiser's boat has gone to the finish and they're not going out again.
12h30
At 12h20, Oscar was at N21 13.73 W157 38.050, which is here:
 Oscar's position at 12h20
To put this in perspective, in a normal year, they'd be finishing at this time. They now have about 20km to go and a headwind of 6-10kts "just shy of raising whitecaps on the sea", said the escort boat's captain.
12h10
Oscar's escort boat can see only that Zsolt has overtaken Oscar and Ash Nesbit is just behind him.
They just dropped off more juice for Oscar - he said he's feeling fine.
But... as predicted, the guys are now going into a head wind... They've probably got around 2 hours to go. In ten minutes we'll get another position update.
Note to self: next year get more escort boat mobile numbers!
12h05
The position at 11h45 was N21 13.470 W157 34.536.
The guys had done about 34km, around 25 to go!
I'm really sorry - but the reports are going to be pretty sketchy from now on unless the lead escort boat comes back and even then it'll be pretty difficult because the boats are so spread out.
12h00
Here's the position of the leaders as at 11h45.
 Position of the leaders at 11h45
11h45
Dawid is definitely ahead now; Lewis Laughlin is second, with Hank, then Oscar and Zsolt. Bevan and Clint are out of sight.
No runs at all, Oscar seems to be looking around to check out which is the better line - he has the other four in his line of sight.
The field is so spread out that it's difficult to judge the relative lines and positions - and the rest of the field is not in view any more.
11h35
The race organiser's boat has had to go ahead of the race to the finish so they'll be out of the loop for a while on reporting. However, Vince was able to tell me that Dawid is in front at the moment, Oscar is lying second but has taken a line further to the north. Hank is roughly equal with Oscar but is on a line between that of Oscar & Dawid.
Behind them it's still Clint and Bevan.
There is no bunch at the front - they're all on their on lines.
Unfortunately the field is so spread out now that it's difficult to get reports on the guys further back. I do know there are a couple of double skis & OC2s who are paddling somewhere around mid-pack.
11h30
I'll try to get some info on the women and the OC paddlers - my info is coming from Oscar's wife, Clare who is obviously staying with the lead bunch, and the race organiser's boat - they've been picking up a couple of retirees who have been affected by the heat.
11h27
Just been asked about Hank's ski. There are two V10Es - one being driven by Oscar, the other by Bevan Manson. Hank is on a V10LE, the one & only. And it weighs about 0.5kg less than the V10E. They cost, if anyone has some spare change, about $6,500.
11h25
They've done nearly 25km now, nearly half way. Here's their position at 11h10 after 2:15.
 Position of the leaders at 11h10
Let's see, 25km after 2:15, 60km is going to take them around 5:40. Oh boy, am I going to get any sleep tonight?!
This is an incredibly tough race.
11h10
Things are happening!
The group has split apart - no-one is riding slip any more. Oscar has powered ahead with Hank, taking a line even further north than Dawid. The guys are managing to catch the occasional very small run.
Lewis is hanging in, following Oscar's line; Clint is further south than Dawid, and seems to have fallen off the pace a little. Bevan is on Oscar's line, followed by Zsolt.
Ash Nesbit is following Clint's line.
Right now they're at N21.13.260 W157.30.068 travelling at about 7kts (about 13km/h) (My estimate of 14 earlier was a bit over the top!)
11h00
The conditions are taking their toll - there have been two retirements so far due to the heat.
The race organisers are estimating the last boats may only finish late this afternoon.
The signal to the lead escort seems to be fading as the fleet approaches mid-channel.
(200 guests! Awesome! Thanks for coming guys, makes it all worthwhile. I'm signing off for ten minutes - be back at the head of the hour.)
10h45
It's freezing here in Cape Town - I wish I was with the boys in Hawaii, but maybe on an escort boat today...
Towards the back of the fleet, Lisa Curry Kenny (Aus) is paddling an OC1. No sign of Heather Nelson, the ultra marathon paddler from Bellingham, USA.
Interesting to see the results of the poll - seems that Dawid is the favorite to win right now. I think it's too soon to call - Hank is really strong, is on the lightest ski in the fleet and is conserving energy in the pack.
What little wind there was has died away.
The paddlers are looking comfortable, not a flat out place.
They are beginning to catch the odd small bump here and there, the group is constantly changing but Dawid is still ahead, with Oscar, Bevan, Hank, Clint, Zsolt and Lewis who has made up the small distance he lost earlier.
10h30
Dawid has broken away and seems to be taking a line slightly further north.
Clint, Hank, Bevan, Oscar and Zsolt are now together in a bunch with Lewis Laughlin a little further back.
Dawid likes to be in front - he tried to break away in the SA World Cup in Durban last year only to be chased down by Hank McGregor. He did it again, successfully in New Zealand.
It's a difficult thing to do at this stage of the race though - the others will be riding each others slips, conserving energy. The guy who breaks away has to do it all for himself.
10h20
The guys have been paddling now for 1:20. The leaders are probably going at about 14km/h so they'll have covered around 18km. Their positions will be around here:
 Approx position at 10h20
10h10
Shun (late entry from Japan) lying around 20th.
Maui Kjeldsen is leading the OC1 pack at the moment around 25th overall.
Don Kiesling lying around 30th place.
Vince is whinging about being burnt already - hot sun, no wind, what must it be like for the paddlers?!
The escorts are flying the country flags.
Thibert Lussiaa, an OC1 paddler (People of Polynesia) is lying about 35th overall.
I can hear the crew of the escort boats shouting & laughing as they cruise past the pack.
10h05
The lead escort boat is about to drop a swimmer/photographer into the water to take shots of the lead boat. Should be awesome to see!
Lead guys coming past, Clint is pulling, Dawid next, then Hank.
Bevan is pulling Oscar.
Behind Lewis, Zsolt is still Ash, Steven Coulter.
Then there's Mark Fisher (Aus) in 11th place. Then Dean Beament, about 30m behind Ash Nesbit.
Richard von Wildemann going nicely in 13th place.
Steve Kelly (USA) in 14th
Stu Gaessner (USA) in 15th.
Mark Sandvold is lying about 18th. Sean Monahan with Mark. Karl Treacher (Aus) with them.
Dean Gardiner is not racing today.
There are some 60 surf skis & 60 OC1s on the water today.
10h00
In 8th place is Ash Nesbit about 100m back from the South Africans. With him is Steve Coulter.
Lead pack is staying the same at the moment.
09h55
Something seems to be happening - Bevan & Oscar seem to be together now, Dawid, Clint and Hank are heading a little further north. Bevan and Oscar are about 20m behind.
Zsolt and Lewis are about 20m further back.
Here's a link to Mark Sandvold's track from the 2006 race on Google Earth.
09h45
Some tiny runs going with the skis.
It's 30 degrees C; 85F.
Pack has split - Lewis and Zsolt are heading south
The South Africans are sticking together. The trailing two are about 50m behind now.
09h40
The front pack has pulled quite a lead on the rest of the fleet.
There are seven of them in a V-formation
Clint is pulling then
Dawid Mocke
Hank McGregor
Bevan Manson
Oscar Chalupsky
Lewis Laughlin
Zsolt Szadovszki
09h30
Front bunch of about ten - in addition to Oscar, Hank, Lewis, Bevan there's Dawid Mocke, Ash Nesbit.
Some of the skis are getting some nice little runs - are they from the escort boats?
In mid-pack there are names like
John Dingley (Hong Kong)
The OC-1's are being lead by Karel Tresnack jr who is lying about 15th overall.
Kai Bartlet is going north of the pack - does he know something the others don't?
09h20
Talking to Vince Bechet, race organiser. The escorts are allowed to move now & they're trying to find their respective paddlers.
Vince will give us a list of the front group shortly. The pack has already spread out - 9 in the front pack; 4 together 50m behind another 6 behind them.
In the front pack there are: Oscar, Hank, Lewis Laughlin, Bevan Manson...
09h05
Gib also said that in three hours time the wind is expected to shift to a light headwind - oh man, those poor guys.
08h55
And they're off - the front four have put a little distance on the rest of the pack - it's Bevan Manson pulling, Oscar and Hank McGregor sitting on his slip with one other ski at the back of the diamond (Dawid?).
I spoke to Clare Chalupsky, Oscar's wife - she's on Oscar's escort boat. She said it's quite a sight to see - the escort vessels are wearing the national flags of their competitors. They're all lined up to the left of the skis - and are only allowed to follow the skis in 20 minutes time.
For the first time there are jetskis following the race too - partly for safety/rescue but also to make sure the skis don't ride the wakes of the escort boats!
The start was in the water - the skis lined up about 50m offshore.
There's hardly a breeze over the water. The South Africans are using two juice bags - one on each ski and one on the escort boat. The change over will be done by swimmers who will jump off the escort boat to carry the spare juice bag to the competitor - probably somewhere around the 3 hour mark.
Oscar was just about the last paddler on the water.
I spoke to Gib too who said the conditions are "lake flat - as we say in Hawaii 'paper-thin and glassy'!"
Here's a photo of the the scene at the start of the 2006 race - just to give you a taste of what it's like over there...
 Scene at the start of the 2006 race (Photo: John Fitch)
08h30
Dunno what it must be like over there - I can feel the tension here, half a world away...
Dwight sent these photos in a few minutes ago. They show the view from Diamond Head, which is just before the finish - great day for surfing but not so good for paddling. There's a small swell coming in from the SW. Nothing to assist the paddlers. They'd better be carrying plenty of liquid.
 The view this morning from Diamond Head (Photo: Dwight van der Spoel)
Here's a shot of the finish as it looks right now! Looks like it's going to be a hot, hot day.
 The scene right now at the finish! (Photo: Dwight van der Spoel)
08h00
Still can't raise the guys on Molokai. Guess I'll let them be now until after the start. So who's it going to be? My money for the first three is on Oscar, Hank McGregor and Dawid Mocke.
The competitors will be strapping their juice bladders to their skis & getting into the water & warming up, the escort boats will be swarming off the beach. Apparently there's always chaos just after the start as the escort boats try to identify their charges.
Hope Dawid has his admin right - in Auckland at the King of the Harbour he accidentally loosened the rudder pedals and as he started the footplate & pedals shot forward two notches so he did the race hardly able to steer and not able to brace his heels properly against the footplate.
The conditions are perfect for one other competitor - Lewis Laughlin from Tahiti. He's won several big races in flat, hot conditions.
I was just called by a guy in Perth, Australia who demanded to know what had happened in the race... he'd got a little mixed up with the international date line! But it shows that interest is really high in this race...
07h00
Just spoke
to Jodi Young Wilmot, race spokesperson.
She's on Oahu organising the finish. She confirmed that it's going to be a long,
hot grind. "It's going to be a
super-clear day, light variable winds and a small swell."
"From
experience," she added, "you're not going to get good cell coverage in
mid-channel and we usually only regain contact about two hours into the race."
So we
may not have as many updates as we'd like. I haven't been able to contact the guys on Molokai yet, but I'm sure they're running around, busy
preparing for the start...
Wouldn't it be great if the skis carried some sort of satellite tracking device and we could display their live positions? You could watch a Google Earth map of the race course and zoom in to see the relative positions of the leaders in the race...
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