Ads by Google Ads by Google

FUAO – VATIA \LE MANU FE'AI\ PROVES EXPERIENCE ONCE AGAIN WINS THE DAY

With the final results in hand, the Department of Commerce Ocean Challenge Fautasi Race announced the winner of the race that took place Wednesday at noon, with the Fuao from the village of Vatia captained by skipper Gaoteote Palaie Gaoteote taking first place, in a race that had both Le Manu Fe'ai and the Paepaeulupo'o II of Aua, vying to slide into first place right up to the end.

 

This was the third annual DOC Ocean Challenge Fautasi Race and in all three years the Fuao has swept the field.

 

All monetary awards to the participants go to cleaning their local coastal areas and village streams through the help of village aumaga.

 

The Race Results are: #1 Vatia, #2 Aua, #3 Fagasa, #4 Faga'alu, #5 Nu'uuli

 

As Wednesday’s final heat started the Fuao and Paepaeulupo'o II immediately broke away from the rest of the pack keeping it tight from within harbor all the way out to the turning point, the green buoy at the harbor’s entrance.

 

The two east side competitors looked like they had been waiting for this moment for a long time, and the buoy turn — as predicted by many fautasi insiders — became the key to the race.

 

As noted by Fagaalu skipper Siaupiu Vaovasa in an interview with Samoa News, the design of the stern of the hi-tech fautasi, which allows for a sharp turn radius, is a key component for a “win” in a race course that is completely in the harbor, as opposed to starting in the open ocean and making a straight shot for the end of the harbor.

 

Although it was a fight for first place between Aua and Vatia from the start – the more interesting race was between the Fealofani Samoa III, Fetu o le Afiafi, and Nu'uuli, as these three competitors had a hard time breaking away from each other from the start of the race.

 

When the three fautasi reached the tank farm, Faga'alu was sandwiched between Fagasa and Nu'uuli – but the slack between the Manulele Tausala and Fetu o le Afiafi gave the Fealofani Samoa III the opportunity to break away, as it surely did, and luckily, they found their pace heading towards the turning point.

 

Meanwhile the battle for First and Second was being defined at the green buoy, when turning to head back — around the buoy — toward the finish line, skipper Utaifeau Leonard Liufau and the Paepaeulupo'o II crew made the perfect cutting edge turn to take first place from the Fuao, as Vatia seemingly struggled a bit resulting in a wider turn – and everyone thought this was Vatia's first mistake of the race, and last, meaning second place had come a-swimming.

 

But, this is where skipper Gaoteote proved experience is everything — with the Fuao's wider turn, they were now closer to the shoreline heading back to Pago Pago, while Utaifeau and his crew were on the verge of reaching the marker behind the now defunct Rainmaker Hotel.

 

The Fuao now made its move, cutting the Paepaeulupo'o II off at an angle behind the hotel marker, which provided them a straight path towards the finish line.

 

And that left the race all up to the strength, stamina and the ‘one-mind’ experience of the Fuao crew — who took off — with Le Manu Fe'ai flying as they ditched the Paepaeulupo'o II by half a fautasi length to finish in first place.

 

Noted is the three other competitors had a very hard time making their turn-back into the harbor, and they knew any mistake would tip their vessel over and they would be handed last place.

 

Fealofani Samoa III kept their pace and finished in___ third place, with Faga'alu's Fetu o le Afiafi coming in fourth, and the Manulele Tausala from Nu'uuli came in fifth.

 

(More photos in slideshow)