Queen Lili’uokalani Canoe Race
Course: 18 miles open water
Weekday practices (Tues, Thurs): OC6 goes 6-8 miles or drills
Saturday/Sunday practices: OC6 goes 7-12 miles until July. August-September OC6 goes 15-21 miles.
OC1: 6 mile time trial. To race in the 18 mile race, you must complete 6 miles in 1:10 hour (can be done anytime but you must submit your tracking information) You may use the Crew Nerd or Strava app to log your time.
V1: 6 mile time trial. To steer the Queen’s race, you must complete 6 miles in a V1 in 1:18 hour. (can be done anytime but you must submit your tracking information) You may use the Crew Nerd or Strava app to log your time.
OC6: All Kona paddlers must steer an OC6 for 4.5 miles by yourself (we will have an experienced steers in seat 5 to help in case of emergencies)
Additional requirements:
- Practices will start no earlier than 8:15 am to adjust to the heat.
- You MUST learn how to paddle with some sort of hydration system.
Club OC1 can be loaned DURING club practices or anytime a coach or board member is available to be nearby. If you do it during practices, please make arrangements with the coach running practice and you MUST BE DONE BEFORE club practice ends.
Alenuihaha Crossing: Alenuihaha Channel is a channel that separates the islands of Hawaii and Maui in the state of Hawaii. It is an incredibly difficult 60 mile crossing in the 2nd most dangerous channel in the world that requires 2 full crews to participate. The entire journey will starts at 3a and could last anywhere from 8 to 15 hours. The following requirements are still pending but they will roughly be as show below. If you cannot qualify for the 18 mile Kona race, for everyone’s safety, you will not be able to do this crossing. Even though we don’t do moving changes during this crossing, if you cannot do a MOVING change by yourself, you will NOT qualify.
Required Mileage per week: 18 miles (We will practice moving changes every Sunday practice)
*Initial Deposit due: $50 due July 19, 2025
*Final Deposit due: $TBD due August 9, 2025
*non-refundable
Race Fees
| Race | Regular Cost |
| Saturday – 6 Person Iron | $420.00 |
| Saturday – 9 Person Glass | $585.00 |
| Sunday – Double Hull | $420.00 |
| Thursday – OC4, 8 Person Relay | $200.00 |
| Insurance | $10.00 |
IMPORTANT DATES
| July 12, 2025 | 10 mile practice | |
| July 19, 2025 | 12 mile practice | |
| July 26, 2025 | 14 mile practice | |
| August 2, 2025 | 16 mile practice | |
| August 9, 2025 | 18 mile practice | |
| August 16, 2025 | Change practice and 20 miles at Lake Pleasant | |
| August 23, 2025 | 12 mile practice | |
| Wednesday, August 27, 2025 | Arrive in Kona | |
| Thursday, August 28, 2025 | LIMU RESTORATION WORKSHOP | Thursday – 10:00 a.m. through 11:00 a.m. |
| Hulakai OC-4 8 Person Relay | 12pm Race Meeting at the Hulakai tent on the pier | |
| Sponsor of the Thursday relay, Hulakai, will provide canoes to the registered crews. | 1pm Race Starts in Heats (more than one race and requires a huli each race) | |
| Classifications include Open Men, Open Women and Mixed. Held at Kailua Pier. | ||
| INTERNATIONAL PADDLERS’ RECEPTION | Thursday- 6:00 p.m. through 8:00 p.m. | |
| Friday, August 29, 2025 | Talk Story | Friday – 4:00 pm King Kamehameha Hotel Luau grounds |
| COACHES’ / STEERSPERSONS’ MEETING | Friday at 5 pm at the King Kamehameha Hotel Luau Grounds | |
| Saturday, August 30, 2025 | ARTS & CRAFTS AND FOOD BOOTHS | Saturday and Sunday |
| BLESSING AT OPENING OF RACES | Saturday at 6:00 am on the beach fronting the Courtyard Marriott King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel. | |
| AWARDS | Saturday Awards Presentation – Luau Grounds – 3:30 P.M. | |
| makai of Courtyard Marriott King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel after the finish of the Kane Race | ||
| TORCH LIGHT PARADE | Saturday at 7:00 pm at Hale Halawai County Pavilion. | |
| Wa’a Kaukahi, 18 Miles | 6:00 a.m. Blessing of canoes and paddlers at Kamakahonu | |
| Wahine & Mix 50+ & Mix 60s+ Races – Kailua Bay to Honaunau Bay | 7:30 a.m. – Wahine Iron crews start | |
| 7:35 a.m. – Wahine Unlimited Canoes start | ||
| 7:40 a.m. – Wahine OC-9 (Escorted Divisions), Mix 50+ and Mix 60s+ Iron start, all Women’s Hololo (Unofficial) Crews | ||
| Kane Races & Mix Open & Mix 40s – Honaunau Bay to Kailua Bay (start times subject to change) | ||
| 11:45 a.m. – Kane Iron crews, Mix Open and Mix 40s start | ||
| 11:50 a.m. – Kane Unlimited Canoes start | ||
| 11:55 a.m. – Kane OC-9 – Escorted Division start, all Men’s Hololo (Unofficial) Crews | ||
| Bus Shuttle Schedule for Race participants and supporters – $10.00 EACH WAY | ||
| Saturday Races Only – Race participants and supporters are REQUIRED to pre-register and pay to use the bus shuttle | ||
| 8:30 am – Depart from the front of the Courtyard Marriott King Kamehemeha’s Kona Beach Hotel to Pu’uhonua o Honaunau | ||
| 11:15 am – Depart from Pu’uhonua o Honaunau, return to the Kailua Pier | ||
| Sunday, August 31, 2025 | Sunday – Teen Single Hull, Double Hull, OC1/OC2, SUP | |
| Races start at Kailua – turn at before Lyman’s – back to Kailua – note, times are subject to change | Please note that the following RACE ORDER and TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE, with start times potentially adjusted due to canoe availability. | |
| Wa’a Kaulua, 5 miles | 7:00 a.m. – Teen Girls / Boys / Mixed – OC-6 | |
| 8:45 a.m. – Kane / Teen Boy’s, OC1 , OC2 | ||
| Kai ‘Opua Canoe Club will provide two 4″ x 4″ lengths of wood. | 9:00 a.m. – Mixed Double Hull 40+ | |
| If you are rigging your own canoes, please use your own quick straps. | 9:45 a.m. – Wahine Double Hull | |
| If you are rigging Kai ‘Opua canoes, Kai ‘Opua will provide the quick straps. | 10:45 a.m. – Kane Double-Hull | |
| (There will be some extra line to lash two canoe hulls together if needed.) | 11:00 a.m. – Wahine / Teen Girls – OC-1, OC-2, Mixed | |
| 12:00 Noon – Mixed Double-Hull Open | ||
| AWARDS | Sunday Awards Presentation & Luau at Makaeo Events Pavilion – 2:00 P.M. | |
| Wrist bands will be provided to all participants and officials at the time of registration and will be required for admission to the luau. | ||
| Additional luau tickets for relatives and friends will be available for purchase at the Race Registration desk and at the door. | ||
| Alenuihaha Crossing | Canoes need to be unrigged and loaded onto trailer | |
| Tow canoes to Kawaihae Harbor | ||
| Meet at Kawaihae Harbor to rig canoes | ||
| Camp over or be back at the harbor by 3am Monday 9/1/25 | ||
| Monday, September 1, 2025 | ||
| Alenuihāhā Crossing 60+ miles | 10 + hours | |
| Load up the Fishing Boat | 3:00 AM | |
| Ship out towing canoes | 4:00 AM | |
| 6am ish Before sunrise | E Ala E | |
| arrive – 3:00 PM | ||
| 235 N Kihei RdKihei, HI 96753 | ||
| Tuesday, September 2, 2025 | West Coast Paddle with Napili | 106 Kaniau Rd, Lahaina, HI 96761 |
| Honokao’o Beach Park (Canoe Beach) with black and yellow canoes. | ||
| LUNCH possibly take out to head up Mauka | ||
| Kaiāulu Initiatives | 4:00:00 PM Meeting Point: Parking lot above the Lahaina Fire Station and Lahaina Courthouse, beside the Lahaina Civic Center (North side). Meet 15 minutes before scheduled time. Access: The site is just over a mile up a dirt road. A sturdy vehicle is recommended, but not mandatory. | |
| Wednesday, September 3, 2025 | Haleakala | The Summit of Haleakalā is accessible by Haleakalā Highway. Once you reach the gates to the park, the next ten miles to the Summit are slow, with twisting, turning, and lots of pull-offs. A door-to-door trip from most Maui resort areas can take 1.5 to 2.5 hours. If you do not have a vehicle or do not wish to drive, you can take a tour that provides transportation. |
| Local Tip: If you are driving yourself, ensure your car has a healthy brake system for the drive back down. Also, make sure you have a full tank of gas. | ||
| Visitors must purchase a recreational use pass before entering Haleakalā National Park. The non-transferrable passes are valid for three days, including the day of purchase. Park entrance fees for 2024: | ||
| $30 per private vehicle | ||
| $25 per motorcycle | ||
| $15 per pedestrian without a vehicle | ||
| Sunset Paddle on the South Coast with HOCVS (Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe Voyaging Society) | 235 N Kihei Rd, Kihei, HI 96753 | |
| Thursday, September 4, 2025 | Sunrise Paddle on the north shore with Lae’ula O Kai | Kanahā Beach Park behind the airport |
Havasu Heat (April 5, 2025)
Short course (4-5 miles) : Required Mileage per week: 6, you must complete a v6 tractor pull to set your standing in a crew. Times will be verified by a Speed Coach.
Long Course (10-11 miles) : Required Mileage per week: 12, you must complete a V6 tractor pull to set your standing in a crew and you must be able to do 4 miles in an OC in 45 minutes. If you’re a steersman, you must do 4 miles in 50 minutes. Times will be verified by a Speed Coach. The best 5 V6 tractor pulls in addition to qualifying OC1/V1 plus the best available and qualifying steersman will make a crew.
Race Fee due: $40 due 3/22/2025
SCORA Races
Short courses (5-6 miles in the bay) : Required Mileage per week: 8 miles, you must complete a V6 tractor to set your standing in a crew. Times will be verified by a Speed Coach.
Long Course (11-13 miles open water) : Required Mileage per week: 15 miles for long course paddlers
OC1 time trial: 4.0 miles 45 minutes for long course, steersmen will do a V1 time trial, 4.0 miles in 50 minutes. Times will be verified by a Speed Coach.
OC6 tractor pulls: 250m for short course. Top 5 + best available steers make the first non-adaptive crew, Top 3 adaptives make the first adaptive crew.
Once Long course crews are established, the crews need to do a time trial and finish 9 miles in 90 minutes or less or the crew becomes a short course crew. Times will be verified by a Speed Coach.
Crystal Pier Race Fee due: $35 due April 19, 2025
Long Beach Race Fee due: $35 due April 26, 2025
Kahanamoku Klassic Race Fee due: $35 due May 24, 2025
Iron Champs Race Fee due: $35 due June 14, 2025