Fleet work

The Cook Islands national squads and individual paddling clubs have been turning up for weekly working bees in the limited free time they have outside demanding training regimens to ready their canoes for Vaka Eiva.

Paddlers have been fixing seats and amas, re-wrapping rubbers and checking their surf skirts repairing their broken zippers and securing the Velcro used to secure them ahead of the week-long oe vaka festival.

There are about 20 V6 canoes on Rarotonga at the moment seven belong to Ngakau Toa Vaka, eight to Te Tupu O Te Manava and three to Live Free. Island Craft has been shaping new kiatos for the V6 which need them.

More than 40 V1 and OC1 are ready for use in the singles races. Thirty-two OC1 are available for tomorrows race, and all will be spoken for and about 10 or 12 V1 will be entered into each of the three individual categories.

Most local and Tahitian individual paddlers will be using V1, while Australian and Kiwi paddlers have said they intend to continue using OC1.