Team members: Yota Kano
Hometown: Prince Rupert, BC, Canada
Race vessel: Rockpool Kayaks Taran 16
LOA: 16′
Human propulsion: Paddle
Connect: instagram, youtube
Team Rainy is Yota Kano, and if you’re picturing a grizzled soloist white-knuckling his way to Ketchikan on protein bars and spite, start over. Yota is not here to defeat the ocean – he’s already in a long-term relationship with it. He paddles because paddling is what he does: to work, for fun, in races, in dreams. Forged in Japan, weathered in Prince Rupert, Yota isn’t a racer so much as a slow-moving coastal myth with a paddle.
The Race to Alaska Podcast
Episode 4: Team Darwin’s Interns, Team Calorically Dense, Team Rainy
→ Listen on Spotify
→ Listen on YouTube
→ Listen on Apple Podcasts
What’s your team’s origin story?
In Prince Rupert, there is no one who is completely addicted to paddling like me who sea kayaks to commute, uses SUP for work, surfs the local tidal rapids “Butze Rapids” in Prince Rupert whenever the tidal exchange is good, enjoys downwind paddling in summer and competes in paddling races. I paddle mostly solo in Prince Rupert. Same as in Japan, I mostly trained canoe slalom alone. Therefore, I am comfortable with racing solo. And I feel very connected to water when I am on water alone. It is natural for me to race solo.
What’s the one piece of advice you’re absolutely going to ignore?
My inner voice of calling for give up or stop racing while I am exhausted. In that case, I just rest a bit and calm down, and listen to a positive inner voice. Any other advice, I will listen to.
Confidence Level (%)
60
Luck/Skill Ratio
40/60