MI6 Reunion Tour Catalina / The Gorge / Vaka Eiva

A story has been unfolding under the radar since 2023 that only recently caught fire after a “News Flash” was received by CORA from the Cook Islands in November 2025. This story began decades ago back in 2000. The BC Mens Provincial team delivered a first for Canada in 2000. A crew of paddlers racing as “Team BC” from Jericho, Pemberton, and False Creek including Hugh Fisher, David Ross, Cam Fagrie, Mike Parks, Rick Nu’u, and Don Irvine would finish Spec 1st place Open and 1st place Overall in the 2000 Catalina Channel Crossing US Outrigger Championships – the best ever showing for an all Canadian crew at Catalina.

And then after a 20+ year hiatus, it was time to the “put the band back together again”. It started shortly after the 2023 IVF Samoa World Distance Championships ended in August 2023. A Vernon Morning Star article has noted that a team by the name of Pac Northwest consisting of seven Canadians (Hugh Fisher; Cam Fagrie; David Ross; Laci Bujdos; Bob Woodman; Gary Parsons; Tony Van Buren) and two Americans (Alan Lipp; Brian Kummer) would finish Unlimited Mens Golden Masters (60+) 1st place and 28th place Mens Overall in the 2023 Catalina Channel Crossing US Outrigger Championships in September 2023.

Fast forward to Summer 2025 when a team by the name of MI6 (Hugh Fisher; Cam Fagrie; David Ross; Laci Bujdos; Bob Woodman; Ronald (Nanaimo) Williams) would finish Unlimited Mens Golden Masters (60+) 1st place and 6th place Mens Overall at 2025 The Gorge Outrigger Canoe Race in July 2025.

MI6 did not attend every 2025 CORA Cup Series event, but every time that MI6 (Hugh Fisher; Cam Fagrie; David Ross; Laci Bujdos; Bob Woodman; Ronald (Nanaimo) Williams) did attend a 2025 CORA Cup Series event, MI6 would finish Unlimited Mens Golden Masters (60+) 1st place.

At the November 2025 CORA AGM, while Hugh Fisher was being recognized as the Hugh Town Memorial Builder Award 2025 Recipient, MI6 was away at the Vaka Eiva 2025 International Outrigger Canoe Festival in the Cook Islands enjoying the South Pacific. The MI6 Canadian contingent did very well in the OC1/V1 races with Hugh Fisher OC1 Masters 70+ Men 1st place, Laci Bujdos OC1 Masters 60+ Men 1st place, Ronald (Nanaimo) Williams OC1 Masters 60+ Men 2nd place, Cam Fagrie OC1 Masters 60+ Men 4th place, Tony Van Buren OC1 Masters 60+ Men 6th place, David Ross OC1 Masters 60+ Men 7th place, and Bob Woodman V1 Masters 60+ Men 2nd place.

The MI6 Canadian contingent raced together as a Mens Iron crew to the podium and teamed up with Fijian / Australian paddlers including world traveller Sandi Mitchell to race as a Mixed Changes crew to bring home Silver.