One of the most prestigious women’s outrigger canoe races has been canceled due to impending weather and safety concerns.
Na Wahine O Ke Kai draws paddlers from across Hawai’i and around the world to Moloka’i, where the 41-mile race across the Kaiwi Channel to Oʻahu begins.
Race organizers at the Oʻahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association say they made the difficult decision to cancel the event, which was planned for Sunday.
“We couldn't be more proud of the women and how hard they've worked to get to this, and there's hundreds of hours that have poured into preparation and training,” OHCRA President Siana Austin Hunt told HPR. “But there's also countless people behind the scenes that helped to put this together. And first and foremost is everybody's safety.”
Organizers stressed the decision “is not a reflection of our paddlers’ ability to navigate the Kaiwi Channel.”
“These women are among the strongest and most accomplished paddlers in the world,” said OHCRA Race Director Kapuni Patcho in a press release. “Our responsibility, however, extends to everyone required to make this race possible—from our paddlers and escort crews to our officials, volunteers, partners and the Molokaʻi community.”
Austin Hunt said the race committee “held out hope” as long as they could but also didn’t want to wait too long to make the decision.
“As the weather modeling continued to predict the impacts of what this might look like, it wasn't just the Kaiwi Channel that we had to look at. We have our escort boats and our official boats that are coming in from the Big Island,” she said, adding that many escort crews have to cross the ʻAlenuihāhā, Pailolo or Kaiwi Channels before the race even begins. “That's just not something we're willing to jeopardize is people's safety. But also, to allow people a little bit of time to figure out what that means for their crews, if it meant don't get on a plane so that you end up on Molokaʻi and then we become a tax on a community that's also trying to prepare for a storm.”
Molokaʻi Canoe Festival’s Kulaia Hoʻolaulea celebration planned for Friday has also been canceled.
OHCRA is working with crews, vendors, transportation providers and Molokaʻi partners to coordinate what happens next. Teams are also in place to help secure all the canoes already staged at the starting area at Molokaʻi's Hale O Lono harbor from the approaching weather.
Na Wahine O Ke Kai was officially established in 1979, and has been canceled twice since then for dangerous conditions, in 1980 and in 2015.
Organizers say they do not plan to reschedule this year’s Na Wahine O Ke Kai because of logistical challenges. OHCRA is also preparing for the upcoming men’s Molokaʻi Hoe race across the Kaʻiwi Channel on Oct. 11, which is still expected to continue as planned.
