In a paddling version of chase master, the Lanikai Canoe Club was uncatchable yesterday.

Lanikai mastered the Moloka'i Hoe for the second consecutive year, winning the 41-mile race across the Kaiwi Channel in convincing fashion.

"I don't know if anybody thought we could run away with it like that, not even ourselves," paddler John Foti said.

Lanikai completed the course from Hale O Lono Harbor, Moloka'i, to Duke Kahanamoku Beach, Waikiki, in 5 hours, 17 minutes.

Tui Tonga came in second, nearly 10 minutes later at 5:26:51. Outrigger was third in 5:28:26, followed by Ra'i of Tahiti in 5:30:54, and Team New Zealand/Hawai'i in 5:33:45.

The race is considered the world championship of long-distance outrigger canoe paddling, and 107 crews entered yesterday. Lanikai has won it six times, including five since 1995. Only Outrigger (16 victories) and Waikiki Surf Club (12) have more wins in the 54-year history of the race.

"I think our experience in the ocean, in that channel, makes a difference," Lanikai paddler Mike Pedersen said. "We do a lot of practice runs out there, and the experience we've gained over the years makes it easier."

Paddlers in the winning crew were Kai Bartlett, Peter Binney, Ka'ai Bruhn, Kekoa Bruhn, David Daniels, Jim Foti, John Foti, Mike Judd and Pedersen. All nine paddlers were also on the winning crew last year.

The Foti brothers and Pedersen have been on all five Lanikai championship crews since 1995. The ages of this year's crew ranged from 27-year-old Ka'ai Bruhn to 42-year-old John Foti.

"You can't buy experience," John Foti said. "And it worked last year, so why not stick with it?"

Last year, Lanikai fell behind early in the race, and rallied to victory. Yesterday, there was no doubt.

"In the past, we'd kind of relax at the start, knowing we were going to make a move somewhere down the line," Pedersen said. "But we didn't want to get lost this time. We wanted people to chase us."

Conditions across the Kaiwi Channel were "sloppy" so the times were generally slow.

"It was very difficult to drop into the bumps because of the current," Bartlett said. "So we were just trying to get into some little ones and keep our momentum going."

Jim Foti steered the Lanikai canoe for most of the race. "The beginning was good and the end was good," he said of the conditions. "But there were two to three hours in between where it was just rough and sloppy."

In addition to its winning experience, Lanikai relied on teamwork. John Foti, for example, relieved his teammates by alternating in all six seats of the canoe during various stretches of the race.

"We knew we had the lead, but we were never comfortable," John Foti said. "When you have that feeling, you do what ever it takes to win."

Tui Tonga's runner-up finish was the best showing for a team from the Big Island. All the paddlers are from Kailua, Kona: Nick Agorastos, Bruce Ayau, Mike Field, Kafoa Halalatu, Ikaika Hauanio, Nate Hendricks, Thibert Lussiaa, Lyle Palakiko and Nue Youderian.

"We were shooting for top five and we got second," Ayau said. "We're ecstatic with that."

The Tui Tonga paddlers prepared by practicing in the rough ocean off the remote north coast of the Big Island.

"Lanikai is the world champs — they proved it again," Hauanio said. "But we showed a lot today. We're happy to be second to them."

Outrigger defeated Lanikai in two of the "warm-up" races off O'ahu last month, but they got too far behind yesterday.

"We were kind of following (Lanikai) on the same north course, but they just had more speed than us," Outrigger steersman Karel Tresnak Jr. said. "It was their day."

In the other divisions: