MOLOKA'I, Hawaii – It's dawn on the Hawaiian island of Moloka'i and the sun is rising on 48 outrigger canoes lined up on the sand of Hale O Lono Harbor.

Hundreds of women from around the world have gathered for a race called Nā Wāhine O Ke Kai – or “Women of the Sea” – that runs 41 miles across the Kaiwi Channel to O'ahu.

The race was held annually for decades until the pandemic put it on hold and was canceled last year after the deadly wildfires on Maui. This year it made a comeback.

The World Paddling Championships are a feat of physical endurance and mental strength.

Ten paddlers from the Wa'akapaemua Canoe Club in Moloka'i secure the tarps to prevent waves from flooding the hull, ensure the 'iako, or outrigger, is lashed and tie the ti leaf as a symbol of protection stuck to the bow.

Athletes stretch, hug their families and prepare to face an unpredictable ocean during a seven-hour paddle.

For many participants, it also has a deeper meaning: it is a celebration of Hawaiian culture.

Crew member Ka'ala English has crossed the Kaiwi Channel six times. She says she can feel her ancestors in the wa'a, the canoe.

“I go there to be with them. I can talk to them. I can feel them,” she says.

Juggling months of strenuous training as a mother is hard, explains English.

“You work all day, you go home, you still get homework, you get dinner, you have all these things, and then you go out (into the sea) and just feel one with the water.”

Each outrigger canoe is paddled by six women. A support boat accompanies each team during the race, with other paddlers on board. The team members switch off during the entire crossing during the so-called water change. They plunge into the open sea, lift themselves into the moving wa'a and continue paddling.

“Must be hectic, I have to hurry!” shouts Wa'akapaemua trainer Keola Kino as crew members jump from the support boat. “Girls, stay hot, stay hot!”

This year's conditions were moderate, but the Kaiwi Channel is notoriously treacherous. Sometimes the swell is so high that canoes fall over the 10- to 20-foot crest of each rolling wave, making water changes dangerous.

Paddlers navigate the open sea for hours, the course being set by the helmsman sitting at the back of the canoe. To keep up their energy, the Moloka'i crew eats poi – a Polynesian staple made from taro – dried deer meat and chilled watermelon – during the race.

Thousands of years ago, canoes served as a means of transportation and exploration for Polynesian cultures, and today's races honor that tradition. A men's competition, the Moloka'i Hoe, began in 1952, while women officially competed on the Kaiwi Channel for the first time in 1979.

Catherine Cluett Pactol /

In the early days of the men's race, coaches and officials doubted that women could handle the crossing.

Legendary Moloka'i paddler Penny Martin remembers her coach at the time saying, “No, the women will never do the canal.”

“Most of the women paddling back then, after doing all the regattas and watching the men channel, asked themselves, 'Why not us, right?'” she says.

In 1975, two women's teams completed the first crossing and four years later the Nā Wāhine O Ke Kai officially began.

Race director Luana Froiseth has paddled the crossing nearly 30 times and says it's about more than just the race.

“These two races, Nā Wāhine O Ke Kai and Moloka‘i Hoe – they are not only the Olympics of canoe paddling, but also the heritage of Hawaii,” she says. “Those races started on Moloka'i and Moloka'i won the first race from Moloka'i to Oahu. That’s our culture.”

Out on the water, the last 10 miles of the race are the most mentally demanding as athletes battle fatigue and fight to keep going. But the excitement is growing. Off Oahu's Waikīkī Beach, canoes approach the finish line from the open water as coaches and paddlers cheer from support boats.

“Push Gang, push!” urges Kino.

“Sit up and breathe!” Paddlers remind their teammates. “We worked hard for this moment, ladies!”

After the finish, Wa'akapaemua Canoe Club's Lili'uokalani Kapuni, who was completing her first Nā Wāhine race, was full of pride for her crew.

“Rely on your team, they have your back and you have their back. It was an incredible experience,” she says.

This year, the Moloka'i team placed in the top 20, with Team Bradley of Oahu taking first place for the fifth consecutive year.

When Nā Wāhine O Ke Kai is complete, the Moloka'i Hoe will take place on October 13, and a men's team will also compete in Moloka'i.

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