First Place: Outrigger Canoe Club - 5 hours 16 minutes
Second Place: Lanikai Canoe Club (three year title defender) - 5 hours 17 minutes
Third Place: Team New Zealand - finishing time unavailable
Fourth Place: Outrigger Australia - finishing time unavailable
Today, single-hulled canoe paddling is a popular sport that has grown over the years to encompass races throughout Polynesia. The Molokai Hoe is one of the most rigorous ocean races in the world. It starts at dawn from Hale O Lono Harbor on the western shore of Molokai, across the Kaiwi Channel that separates Molokai from Oahu towards Oahu, past Haunama Bay, Hawaii Kai, around Diamond Head along the shore of Waikiki and typically ends just before noon at Ft. DeRussy Beach in Waikiki, which is adjacent to the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
It spans forty-one miles of open ocean paddling with conditions that range between sea swells of seven to eight feet and tradewinds of 25-30 miles an hour on a good day to dead calm and no wind at its very worse. Over 30 canoe clubs and over 1,000 men participate.
Teams are typically organized in several crews of six that will rotate throughout the race. The strongest crews are assigned to begin the race and rotating periodically over the five or more hours of sprint paddling. Winners can quickly become losers if canoes are swamped or "huli" during the start.
Held annually toward the end of the Aloha Festivals celebration, the race is now a sport of international proportions. The comparable female challenge called Wahine O Ke Kai is held annually in mid-September at the beginning of the Aloha Festival.
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