Paddling the treacherous, wild Kaiwi Channel that divides the Hawaiian islands of Molokai and Oahu is for serious paddlers only. And the Molokai Hoe is the most serious race of them all.
The 41.7-mile outrigger canoe paddle across open water, 20-foot swells and the always-on trade winds define the Hoe, now in its 57th year and with more participants than ever.
“It’s the sea and it’s always changing. It is a very difficult race,” said Philippe Bernardino, coach of the Tahitian team, Shell Va’a, which won Sunday’s Hoe race in just less than 4 hours and 30 minutes, averaging 15 mph. It was the fourth consecutive win for the Tahitians.
That’s no surprise. The Tahitians and Hawaiians took the first five spots and understandably dominated not only the Hoe, but the sport of outrigger canoe racing, with the Molokai Hoe its Super Bowl.
The history of the event dates to the travel among South Seas islands by canoe, but now paddlers from several countries converge on the sleepy island of Molokai each year to make their way across what most consider to be the most dangerous channel on Earth, the Kaiwi.
“It’s different every day. The weather and elements are the biggest fears, and the waves that stack up,” said Sonny Bradley, master canoe builder and student of the channel.
The Hoe has become an event and has grown to include women, kayaks, solo outrigger canoes and even stand-up paddling. Sunday, there were a record 111 canoe teams, more than 1,000 paddlers.
New techniques — such as shorter, quicker paddle strokes totaling about 70 per minute — along with advancing technologies and sleek new canoe designs built from lightweight materials are taking the sport to new levels.
“The sea doesn’t always do what it’s supposed to, so paddling is becoming an art form — with GPS, revolutionary new paddling techniques and scout boats checking currents for a ‘following sea’ like a tailwind,” said Dolan Eversole, a seven-year race veteran.
Yet most of the strategies incorporated in the Hoe, and most other competitive outrigger canoe races, still rely on the sage advice and experience of older watermen such as the 68-year-old Nappy Napoleon, whose “feel” for the open seas and their nuances is invaluable.
“I was 17 for my first crossing in 1958. Hawaii’s king and queen were there,” Napoleon said. “Now, we have a masters division for 60-year-olds and over, and (one) for 12-year-olds and under. We use high-tech, and boats are lighter and faster. But knowing the ocean still is most important.”
Knowing how to surf the mammoth swells of the channel can shave precious minutes off a team’s time, an age-old strategy that can be the difference in winning. With nine paddlers rotating in and out of the six-man boat approximately every 15 minutes, speed, endurance and sheer nerves count.
“We used to train only in lagoons. But we learned from the Hawaiians how to paddle in open water and surf the waves,” Bernardino said. “The challenge with the Hoe is to steer through the biggest waves. With heavy waves, currents, head-on trade winds, we check the weather well before the race. But it is a very difficult race.”
