Nā Wāhine O Ke Kai 2026

Date: 27 September 2026

Location: United States

Organizer: Oʻahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association (OHCRA)

Na Wahine O Ke Kai, the Women of the Sea, is the world championship of women's open-ocean outrigger canoe racing. Six-woman crews start in deep water off Hale O Lono Harbor on the west end of Molokai and paddle 41 miles across the Kaiwi Channel to a beach finish in Waikiki. Three relief paddlers ride the escort boat and rotate in mid-ocean, so nine athletes share each canoe over the crossing. The race was founded in 1979 by Hannie Anderson to give women the same channel championship men had raced since 1952, and it is organized by the Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association. The 2026 race is set for Sunday 27 September, capped at 125 crews, with entries from Hawaii, Tahiti, Australia, Brazil and beyond. Traditional koa-hull canoes race their own division alongside the unlimited fiberglass class. The Kaiwi Channel is genuinely rough water. This is an endurance event first, a spectacle second.

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