It’s a Fautasi Filled Flag Day Celebration

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Lt. Governor Lemanu P Mauga, the co chair of the Flag Day Committee provided details of the fautasi race at yesterday’s cabinet meeting.

He explained that there will be two fautasi heats -on Tuesday, April 12  and this will determine the 6 boats with the best time to row for the finals .

The guest fautasi  from Manono, Samoa will have an automatic berth as the 7th boat for the finals.

The championship heat is set for  Saturday, April 16th at 8:00AM weather permitting.

It has been confirmed that a total of 14 boats have been registered for this year’s race, the largest number recorded, according to Secretary of Samoan Affairs, Mauga T. Asuega.

A meeting for all the fautasi skippers will be held at 8:30 this morning at the Office of Samoan Affairs.

The meeting will iron out any issues on  how the race will be conducted and to pull the lanes for the two heat.

Samoan Affairs Secretary Mauga, who co-chairs the Flag Day Committee with the lt. governor, and is also chairman of the Fautasi Race Committee, said he will take charge and be responsible  for any problems that will arise during the race.

Referring  to a continuing problem of boats rowing before the gun is triggered, he said fautasi, unlike vehicles on land, are in motion in the water and cannot be kept still. 

Saving others from being blamed for an unfair race, Mauga said he will have the final say should any problem come up  during the fautasi race.

The ASG fautasi, the Sinapioa, the Fono’s Iseula o le Moana and Faleniu village’s Tama o le Muaau are first time entries in  the Flag Day race
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Lt. Governor Lemanu, who is the skipper for the ASG boat, did not mention the prize money  for the fautasi race nor any word on how much the administration is spending on this year’s Flag Day festivities.

When KHJ News about the Flag Day budget , Lemanu said that they have not sat down to look at the cost of the 2016 celebration.

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