Thank Goodness for Livestream

The Na Wahine O Ke Kai canoe race is a special time for Molokai residents and paddlers from around the world.  This epic sporting event where wahine (women) cross the Kaiwi channel between Molokai and Oahu in outrigger canoes is held annually and is considered the Super Bowl of paddling.  Each year it is a treacherous feat, but this year the wahine faced especially difficult circumstances at the start.

My family and I arrived at Hale O Lono harbor around sunrise to watch the start of the race.  When we arrived we watched as 8-10 foot swells came rolling into the mouth of the harbor.  Never before have we witnessed such daunting water conditions at the start of this race.  The women who were about to embark on this journey seemed surprisingly calm and collected.  

When they were given the green light to start heading out, the canoes raced to the mouth of the harbor.  With over 70 boats rushing to get to the starting line, the chaos began.  Residents tried to navigate the boat traffic telling paddlers when to rush out and when to hold back to avoid getting caught in the unforgiving sets.  Unfortunately, some of the crews were not as lucky as others and found themselves climbing waves as tall as their canoes.  One can only imagine what was running through their minds in that moment.

As an onlooker I felt hopeless watching canoes get tossed around in the waves as women battled to keep their canoe afloat and their fighting spirit alive.  It takes a tremendous amount of training and funding to get to this race and their preservation was admirable.  One canoe got swamped, but the girls paddled in their boat, bailed it, and rushed out in time to get out of the harbor for the race.  My heroes!  It made me wonder if I would have had the energy to continue.  

It came at great relief that only one boat was damaged and a set a bruised ribs resulted from the mornings events.  The onlookers were obviously shaken up. 

My sister was one of the strong wahine that battled water conditions all day in what turned out to be close to an 8 hour race for her and her novice team.  After such a scary start, we rushed home and turned on our computers and followed the women through the channel by subscribing to the live stream hosted by Ocean Paddler TV.  Thanks to this technology our minds were put at ease knowing that the conditions they faced at the start tapered as they continued their journey across the channel.  

While watching the live feed I was amazed at how many others were tuned in.  At one point there were over 900 people watching the event.  Technology provides accessibility to things that I wouldn't have imagined 10 years ago.  I was sure thankful for the Ocean Paddler TV crew for allowing me to watch many friends reach the finish line safely.