This article ran on the front page of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin on October 17, 1940.

Gene Smith, husky Oahu surfboard champion, arrived at Nawiliwili bay at 9:55 last night after making the first Oahu-Kauai surfboard trip in history. His time in the water was 30 hours, during which he covered nearly 100 miles. He struck a west wind in the channel midway between Oahu and Kauai and was forced to fight a choppy sea. Otherwise, he he said today, the trip was uneventful.

Smith left Kaena point, Oahu, Tuesday afternoon at 3:45 on his voyage to Kauai.

Local yachtsmen said today the distance from Kaena point to Nawiliwili is 82 miles. They estimated that Smith was aided by the wind and current to the extent of 20 miles, leaving 62 miles that he would have actually paddled in still water.

A.K. Powlison, local yachtsman, said that Smith had trained for about three months for the trip and that he often saw Smith paddling his board in rough water from 10 to 12 miles off the coast of Oahu.

Two years ago, Smith paddled his board from Molokai to Oahu, about 30 miles, in eight hours.

Smith had a special board shipped here from the Mainland to use on the Kauai trip. The board was equipped with a compass and Smith carried a knife for protection in case he was attacked by sharks.

, escorted Smith on the Kauai trip and the surfman was provided food and water from the cruiser.

"GENE SMITH REACHES KAUAI ON SURFBOARD" HONOLULU STAR-BULLETIN (1940)

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