Michael O’Shaughnessy remembers the initiation in 1986: Aku Hauanio nominated him as the Puna Canoe Club president and Afa Tuaolo as head coach, and that was the start of a prosperous partnership in the Moku O Hawaii Outrigger Canoe Racing Association.
Under the pair’s watch, the combination of club harmony and strategic coaching has produced the last three Aunty Maile Mauhili/Moku O Hawaii championships, and the quest for a four-peat continued at Puna’s regatta on Saturday.
It was windy kite-flying, sunshine-soaked weather at Hilo Bay where O’Shaughnessy and his wife and paddling teammate, Susan, reminisced about all the good times with Green Pride, which captured their first Division A (15-41 events) title with 201 points while Kai Opua was second with 185 points.
Michael and Susan O’Shaughnessy both paddle together in the mixed 60 with Tweetie Anderson-Perreira, Mike Ben, Doreen Dagan, and Kerry Leong. The crew won the half-mile race in 4:38.05.
The other Puna married couple who paddle together is Tuaolo and wife Bev in the mixed 55 with Terry Andrade, Sheila Cadaoas, Kevin Thompson, and Dee Torres. The crew finished first in 4:14.63.
Michael O’Shaughnessy joined the club in 1980, and three years later started a Cal Ripken Jr. streak. He’s been paddling for 36 straight years and could easily pass for someone much younger than his age at 73 years old.
Susan also has found her fountain of youth in the water, where favorites memories were born.
“At this point in my life, paddling is therapy,” she said. “The crew and club are what keep me good. I like the charge at the start. It’s like a racehorse and just believing in my crew, and together it only gets better.”
She called 1991 her best year. Susan was on the masters crew (ages 35 and over at the time; now it’s 50 and over). The crew was undefeated, and she was five months pregnant with son Mikey.
“I didn’t tell our coach or crew,” she said. “We won first place at states. Bev was on that crew. That was the most memorable for me. And the beat goes on.”
All five of the O’Shaughnessy children (Dallas, Pulama, Kalae, Mikey, and Patrick) paddled in Moku O Hawaii. On Saturday, Pulama Downing competed in two races while grandson Ronan paddled in the specials (non-scoring) event, stretching the connection to three generations and continuing the drumbeat of paddling.
Dallas O’Shaughnessy is a well-known waterman and saved surfer Jimmy “Ulu Boy” Napeahi from a shark attack in 2013. Mikey O’Shaughnessy is a World Surf League pro surfer.
There’s also a nice father-son moment thrown in there, too. Michael and Dallas did the Molokai Channel race twice. In their last race, they finished ninth, the only father and son to place in the Top 10.
There to here
Michael O’Shaughnessy, who was an archaeologist, is from Massachusetts, lived in Texas and had friends who moved to Kauai back in the 1970s. He and Susan, who was a nurse, followed and eventually found their way to the Big Island.
His job took him around the state, so Michael had the opportunity to learn and paddle with different clubs and apply those lessons to Puna. O’Shaughnessy’s travels also led to World Sprint championships and to race events in New York, Canada, Australia, and the Catalina Island in California.
The last two years Michael and Susan O’Shaughnessy have trekked the Camino de Santiago in Spain. It’s a 600-mile pilgrimage, and the couple walked 350 miles the first year, and 150 miles last September. They’ve got 100 miles left.
Lifetime job
Michael is in his fourth year as the Moku O Hawaii race director, a job much like a club president: keep everyone paddling in the same direction.
“I keep saying that I’ll do something else,” he said. “Last year, I was in Thailand, and Aloha Mauhili (race secretary) said if I looked at the minutes I was elected as the race director. It didn’t matter if I was here or not.”
Just like the movies, Michael O’Shaughnessy can repeat a famous line: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”
As Michael looked out toward Hilo Bay, Aku Hauanio, who nominated him as club president long ago, was on the officials boat. There’s a permanent family connection, whether people are related or not.
“For all the clubs, it’s a pretty tight-knit community,” Michael O’Shaughnessy said. “I’ve made a lot of friends here. That keeps me going.”
