Paddle On
Photo by Lawrence Tabudlo
It’s exciting times for Carleen Ornellas, former president of Nā Wāhine O Ke Kai, and Luana Froiseth, race director for O‘ahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association, as the Moloka‘i Channel World Championships are finally back following a four-year hiatus.
The paddling world is looking excited again and that can only mean one thing: Its signature races are back.
The Moloka‘i Channel World Championships — which kicks off with the women’s Nā Wāhine O Ke Kai race on Sept. 29 and is followed by the men’s Moloka‘i Hoe on Oct. 13 — will be celebrating its 72nd crossing of the Ka‘iwi Channel this year. The races, which begin at Hale O Lono on Moloka‘i and finish in Waikīkī on O‘ahu, are approximately 42 miles in length.
These races are considered the Olympics of canoe paddling, according to O‘ahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association race director Luana Froiseth, with individuals from all around the state and beyond coming together to participate in this prestigious occasion.
“Everybody wants to paddle in those two races at least once in their paddling career,” Froiseth says. “We will have crews from Tahiti, from Brazil, from Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan (and) we have an inquiry from Rapa Nui, from the Cook Islands. So, the best from wherever you come from always wants to come and compete in these two races.”
Presented by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, the championship races welcome participants in various age groups. Whether it be a 15-year-old novice in the junior division, or seasoned paddlers in their 70s, Nā Wāhine O Ke Kai and Moloka‘i Hoe showcase how individuals from different generations can come together to compete in a sport they all love.
“We’re hoping for the women that we get at least 75 to 85 crews. For the men, hopefully we get up to 100 crews,” Froiseth says. “As a Hawaiian, you always wanna give that aloha feeling to everyone. So having people come here to paddle in those two races, and seeing them mingle with each other on land, talk with each other … that’s what it’s all about.”
Originally suspended in 2020 due to the pandemic, the event was postponed again last year due to concerns over the Maui wildfires.
“(Moloka‘i residents) were all working really hard last August to start preparing Moloka‘i for Nā Wāhine O Ke Kai when the fire hit and they had to stop,” explains Nā Wāhine O Ke Kai former president Carleen Ornellas. “They got called off … and they all had to leave and go help Lahaina.”
Froiseth adds, “It’s very important that these two races go on. Everybody in the paddling community can’t wait to get back to Nā Wāhine O Ke Kai and Moloka‘i Hoe.”
If there’s one thing Froiseth and Ornellas have in common, it’s their love of paddling. Both come from families who love the ocean. So although paddling is a vigorous activity, it should come as no surprise how passionate these women still are for the sport.
The duo was instrumental in creating a separate race for women to cross the Ka‘iwi Channel and paddled together with a crew made up of multiple clubs in an all-female Ka‘iwi Channel crossing in the 1970s. Their success led to the inaugural Nā Wāhine O Ke Kai race and the rest was history.
“It was the first time that women were actually even given the chance to paddle from Moloka‘i to O‘ahu, and a lot of people doubted the two crews that did do the crossing,” Froiseth explains. “But just paddling that channel — whether it’s rough or whether it’s calm — it’s a huge accomplishment. That’s 42 miles that you have to cross and it’s not for everyone. But in life, things are challenging. I was so happy that I got to do it.”
Adds Ornellas, “It was a race for women by women. I think we’re just thrilled that it’s still going on and it’s come as far as it has. So that’s our mantra, ‘The race has to go on.’ And as long as we can make it happen, it’ll happen.”
Earlier this year, Ornellas decided it was time to pass the Nā Wāhine O Ke Kai torch — or, in this case, paddle — to Froiseth and OHCRA.
“At the end of the day, we want the same things. We want (the) success of the race to keep going,” Ornellas says. “It’s really fabulous and amazing that it’s still going on and how big it’s become. It’s really exciting because the paddlers are excited for it.”
Froiseth and Ornellas share a close bond and have actually known each other since they were teenagers.
“We went from being rivals on the course to (having) each other’s back as the years went on, as we got older and wanted to do distance (racing),” Ornellas shares.
Froiseth adds, “We were teammates in the first race, but prior to that, we were competitors against each other. We competed in the novice category together so we’ve had a lot of competition against each other as we were growing up in different divisions.”
Froiseth and Ornellas agree that as with an sport, staying fit, training year round and keeping up a good diet are important for paddlers.
“Paddling is not an easy sport. It’s a friendly sport, but it’s not an easy sport,” Froiseth says. “You gotta give your heart and soul. I advise other people out there that read this, you should jump into paddling. You’d be surprised what you can learn from the culture itself. You will definitely enjoy the experience that you go through in canoe paddling.
“There’s nothing compared to it when you’re in a canoe,” she continues. “In a canoe, there’s five other people with you and the steersman chooses the direction — and not necessarily it’s always the right direction — but the thrill of it is what’s most important. Crossing a dangerous channel with five other people in the canoe is the best feeling you could ever have.”
According to Ornellas, race completion times can vary based on ocean conditions.
“You have to be ready for anything. The average is about six hours for the winning crew,” she explains. “It can take you eight hours depending on the crew and the conditions. So you can come in six hours one year, and the next year, you could come in seven hours or eight hours.”
Ornellas and Froiseth have always seen the ocean as their backyard and understand the cultural significance of canoe paddling.
“That’s how we all got here. We got here on the canoe, our ancestors came on the canoe,” Ornellas shares. “When you really think about it, we’re continuing what the ancient Hawaiians did.”
In addition to paddling, Froiseth, who has participated in more than a dozen Nā Wāhine O Ke Kai races, also coaches for Waikīkī Surf Club, which was founded by her parents.
“I like coaching kids and novice paddlers,” she says. “OHCRA has given me so much in the paddling world that I felt that it’s time for me to give back to the association that gave me so much.”
OHCRA invites the community to partake in family-friendly festivities at the Moloka‘i Channel World Championships finish line and an awards ceremony at Hilton Hawaiian Village Lagoon. Froiseth notes that there will be a large video screen on-site for people can watch the event. Both races will be broadcast live on KHII and livestreamed on khon2.com so families and friends can tune in from home.
To learn more about the event and organization, visit ohcra.com.
