Moloka‘i-O‘ahu Through the Years: A History of the Moloka‘i Outrigger Canoe Race

The challenge, the drama, the people and the tradition of the the oldest and most prestigious outrigger canoe race in the world—The Molokaʻi Channel Race. Begun in 1952 for men and 1979 for women, the race currently attracts an international field of top crews and combines a colorful history with a rich tradition. Billed as the world championships of the sport, crews contending for the title must train and pre­pare for months in order to put themselves in the best position to win. The great intangible is the unpredictable Moloka‘i (Kaiwi) Channel that has a well-deserved reputation as one of the roughest interisland channels in existence. The outcome of the race generally hinges on how crews deal with conditions that can vary from water as calm as a lake to the most fearsome and turbulent, with extreme winds and huge waves. Once out of the channel, the next challenge and sometimes a crit­ical factor is trying to unravel the best solution to often complex coastal currents and tide facto