Aussie wins Molokai to Oahu Race on production board
The statement above is a big deal for so many reasons in stand up paddling. Firstly, Travis Grant is an Aussie - a Hawaiian, or American paddler who spends lots of time in Hawaii usually wins Molokai to Oahu race. Except for the fact that Travis Grant won it in 2013, so this is his second time atop the podium. A huge deal, simply because it's hard to train for such a unique crossing like the Molokai Channel, without having the Molokai channel to train in! With insanely strong winds, epic sized swells and backwash to end all backwash as paddlers come to the finish line, it's unique to say the least.
Second, he beat the likes of Kai Lenny, Connor Baxter and Lincoln Dews, which isn't a stretch of the imagination considering the current performance by Travis in recent events. But a huge achievement none-the-less.
Third, he did it on a production board. Now while you may think that Connor and Kai were paddling typical Starboard and Naish downwinder boards, think again. These unlimited boards are actually custom shaped prototypes, or even in recent years, other brands boards that have been sanded back, painted in company colours and had a production deck pad applied to make it LOOK like a production board. Travis won this thing on one of NSP's new 17'10" x 24.5" unlimited production boards, shaped by Dale Chapman of DC stand up paddle boards. You can order one right now, but you probably can't win the Molokai to Oahu race, that takes a little more than a fast board!
Congratulations to Aussie stand up paddler Travis Grant, who just won the Molokai to Oahu stand up paddle race, over in Hawaii against the worlds fastest paddlers, for the second time.
Kew, VIC
