What better way to start a Sunny October Saturday than with three OC6s out for our early morning training session.

Follow this up with everybody mucking in with the end of season boat maintenance, cleaning and tidying the equipment and food as usual was on all the paddlers minds.

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However before an awesome feast of Churipan and an Argentine grill accompanied by Chimichurri

 could be demolished we needed to bless our new OC6 "Puai" and welcoming her into our ohana.

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As we all congregated around Puai the ceremony began with Pa'akai (sea salt) being passed to all and put under to go under your tongue.

Salt is a symbol of purification and prepares the witness to be pure in thoughts and feelings for the ceremony.

A lei is placed on the manu ihu of the canoe during the prayer. A prayer to ask the ancestors presence is then offered.

The canoe was then blessed with a blessing and honour chant. Noho 'Ekahi carries the offering. After the blessing chant is completed and the manu ihu is consecrated (with the pouring of 'awa and salt and water over the nose), the paddlers may recite a prayer, chant, or do a haka. Offering The paddlers get into the canoe and paddle out to make the offering. Paddle straight out a ways. Make a left turn. During the turn, the offering is dropped into the water. Canoe then heads straight back to shore, nose first. The paddlers get out of the canoe and stand beside it for the final prayer. Closing the Ceremony The paddlers get out of the canoe and stand besides it for the final prayer. The paddlers will push the canoe back up on the beach with the nose facing out. The ceremony is ended

While all the paddlers congregated around Puai Suzy lead a traditional Tahitian prayer followed by a short paddle and the 

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2017 has been an amazing season for the Royals with plenty of racing, trips to foreign water and lots of fun.