WOMEN AND MEN TO COM-
PETE IN U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP
OUTRIGGER CANOE RACE
The Catalina Channel Cross-
ing, U.S. Championship Outrigger
Canoe Race, will be held Saturday,
Sept. 8 and Sunday, Sept. 9.
On Saturday, the women paddle
the 45-foot long Polynesian outrig~
ger canoes from Newport Beach•
The first canoe will cross the fin-
ish line at Casino Point at approxi-
mately 1 p.m.
Like last year, orgaedzers ofthe
event have been given city permis-
sion to store the competitors' canoes
at South~Beach over night, In addi-
tion, this year's event will have live
entertainment by the Kaiama Broth-
ers and awards ceremony at Wrigley
Stage on Crescent Avenue at 3 p,m.
The men's race will begin on Sun-
day at 10 a.m. at Lover's Cove.
The Grand Marshalls this year
are Bobby Puakea and his son-
Johnny who are both renowned
• canoe builders from Hawaii.
The event started back in 1959
when a Catalina Channel paddle-
board race winner, Tom Zahn, talk-
ed to Hawaiian canoe race promot-
er Toots Minvielle about having an
outrigger race in California.
It was to be the first of many
crossings in these canoes. Island res-
ident and merchant Reyn-Mcullough
was also involved with the race. He
went on to form his aloha shirt cloth-
ing line Reyn Spooner.
Go to ecatalina.com to view a
short video of the 1959 race and
catalinacrossing.org for more of
this year's race information.
A scene from a previous outrigger channel crossing leaving Avalon on its way
to the mainland. Courtesy photo
MAN TO 'FLY' WATER-POW-
ERED JETPACK TO ISLAND IN
HONOR OF INAUGURAL, CEN,
TENNIAL FLIGHT
BY DENNIS KAISER
Flying across the channel to
Catalina became a reality in 1912
when Glenn Martin piloted his
self-built biplane to the Island.
In celdbration of that original
flight and in an effort to make it
into the Guinness Book of World
Records, Dean O'Malley plans to
"fly" over to the Island from the
harbor at Newport Beach, via a
water-powered jetpack, to Avalon
on Sept. 29.
O'Malley is the president Of
JetLev Southwest, the firm that
has been named the southwest dis-
tributor of the recently developed
water-propelled jetpack. No, ladies
• and gentlemen, the jetpack does not
turn water into some kind of hydro-
electric engine, nor water into wine,
but it does push enough water from
a floating pump that-runs behind
the "pilot" as he cruises above the
water at heights of up to 30 feet.
The JetLev R200 is a recre-
ational jetpack designed for the
novice with safety, stability, ease-
of-use in mind. According to a pre-
pared statement by JetLev South-
west, operators of the jetpack can
learn to take off, fly, turn, hover
and land in a matter of minutes.
O'Malley's channel .crossing
will stretch the unknown limits of
the device. "We will be setting a
new record for distance traveled
in a v~ater-powered jetpack, and
potentially, time spent flying one,"
O'Malley said. "My goal is to cov-
er as much ground as possible, as
quickly as possible, while still be-
ing safe."
O'Malley said he hopes the trip
will only take one tank of gas,
about 22 gallonS. A full tank is
expected tO take the pilot and the
device about 80 miles - more than
enough to cover the approximately
26 miles across the sea to Catalina
and Avalon.
However, the Crossing will de-
pend on the ocean's conditions dur-
ing the flight. For examplei O'Malley
said the jetpack could fly up to a top
• speed of 30 to 35 miles an hour•.•
in the right conditions• However, he
will fly at about half that speed, due
to the wind and sea condition• He
will also fly at a lower height to cross
as quickly as possible•
The trip across is expected to
take about two hours, weather
permitting. It could, however,
take up to three hours. To that
end, O'Malley has arranged to be
able to re-fuel the jetpack during
the crossing• Other factors that
O'Malley said concern him about
the flight include potential equip-
ment failure, sharks, physical fa-
tigue, and rough water•
However, he said he's in it all
the way. "It would take a lot for us
to cancel," he said. "And I'm feel-
ing pretty confideat."
The public will be able to see
O'Malley demonstrate JetLev
Southwest's jetpack during the
Catalina Island Air Show that will
be held the same weekend.
• Will he set the record and suc-
ceed inhis flight, like Glenn Mar-
tin did 100 years ago?
Cautiously optimistic, O'Malley
said, "It's an attainable feat ... But I
will be happy once it is done and be-
hind me." He added that he will be
happy when they can move past the
. ,, . , ,,
unknown state to what s next.
Dean O'Malley demonstrates the water-pow-
ered jetpack above.
Courtesy photo
/~ ,i~'~ f
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THE CATAUNA ISLANDER September 7, 201217
