With the return of the Molokai Hoe World Championship presented by the Hawaii Tourism Authority following a four-year hiatus, a slew of fresh competitors will join veteran outrigger canoe paddlers on Sunday in what has become the sport’s “Super Bowl.”

The 68th running of the men’s world championship race ends a four-year streak of cancellations caused by factors out of the control of race organizers and competitors. From 2000 to 2022, the race was halted out of an abundance of caution around the COVID-19 pandemic; in 2022, a modified race was held on Oahu to allow more time for the Molokai community to prepare for its hosting kuleana. Last year, the race was called off to allow those affected by the devastating Maui wildfires an opportunity to grieve and start the recovery process.

According to registration data provided by race officials on Monday, 75 crews will make the 41-mile trek from Molokai’s Hale O Lono Harbor to Duke Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki on Sunday, including squads from Hawaii as well as teams from Arizona, California, New York, Brazil, Hong Kong, Japan and Tahiti — including two-time defending champion Shell Va‘a, which has won 12 of the past 14 Molokai Hoe competitions.

“I’m looking forward to the overall experience out in the water with so many people who share the same passion,” said 18-year-old University of Hawaii freshman Brandon Nicolas, who will be competing in the Molokai Hoe for the first time as a member of Imi Ola Canoe Club’s junior (15-18 years old) squad.

“I’m a part of one of a few crews that are represented by all kanaka and kama‘aina of Hawaii in this race that really perpetuates the culture of our home, and it’s truly a privilege and an honor to participate.”

Competitors in the ultimate test of strength, endurance and strategy will face unpredictable winds and waves in addition to the varying currents throughout the treacherous Kaiwi Channel.

Wednesday’s National Weather Service forecast called for a south swell to arrive on Thursday and possibly linger into the weekend, producing potentially “sticky” conditions as paddlers navigate the vast channel.

Shell Va‘a set the course record in 2011, finishing in 4 hours, 30 minutes and 54 seconds — nearly eight minutes faster than the previous record, which it also held. After claiming its eighth straight Molokai Hoe crown in 2013, some Shell paddlers remarked that they would continue chasing the outrigger canoe paddling world championship “until we die.”

However, Shell’s run for nine straight titles was denied in 2014 when Tahitian competitor EDT Va‘a, which paddles under the banner of a competing energy company, claimed the Molokai-to-Oahu crown. After Shell Va‘a reclaimed the Molokai Hoe in 2015 and 2016, Red Bull Wa‘a emerged in 2017 to best the two-time defending champions by 31 seconds as the Kona-based crew blended a crew with paddlers from Hawaii and Tahiti.

Following its trend, Shell Va‘a bounced back in 2018 and took its anger out on the competition en route to winning its unprecedented 11th title in 13 tries by nine minutes and five seconds ahead of runner-up Red Bull Wa‘a. Shell then racked up win No. 12 in 2019, the final running of the race before the four-year pause, in runaway fashion, besting Team OPT of Tahiti by nearly 13 minutes.

A “refreshed” Shell Va‘a crew features four returning paddlers from the 2019 championship squad, including Iorama Teahu, who chuckled along with his teammates on Monday at the prerace registration gathering as paddlers from other crews joked that Shell “needs to share” the championship as the Tahitians entered the room.

“We’re very excited to be back, and we want to win this big race,” Teahu said. “It’s an honor to race in the Molokai Hoe, it’s legendary. This is the Super Bowl of the sport.”

Lanikai Canoe Club still holds the distinction as the last crew comprised completely of paddlers from Hawaii to win the Molokai Hoe after triumphing in 2005. The competition continues to evolve as more crews from around the world attempt to conquer the battle in the channel.

“We’ve been training all year for this and tried to find similar conditions at home to practice in. Now let’s see what will happen,” said Vigo Khoury, a member of Brazil’s Sampa Canoe Club, who is competing in the Molokai Hoe for the first time.

All participating canoes are outfitted with GPS trackers that allow supporters to track friends and family along the journey at pseresults.live; the website also features real-time results as canoes cross the finish line.

The race will be broadcast live on KHII (Ch. 5) on television and khon2.com.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Several high-profile guests invited to a forum of Hawaii’s top women leaders canceled Friday because of the ongoing workers strike at the venue.

U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, was supposed to be inside the Hilton Hawaiian Village, speaking at the annual Wahine Forum.

She chose not to attend, saying she had to stand with striking hotel workers.

“I don’t care how great a conference it is in there — and it really is a great conference — but the future of Hawaii, to me, what we mean when we say we support workers and families, it’s right out here on the picket line,” Tokuda said.

Thousands of Local 5 unionized Hilton Hawaiian employees, everyone from housekeepers to restaurant workers, have now been on strike for nearly three weeks. They want wage and staff increases, and say they won’t give up until they have an agreement.

Related story: Striking Hilton Hawaiian Village workers could set standard for hotel industry

“How can we talk about elevating and supporting women and families when they’re right out here?” Tokuda said. “Right out here, marching and fighting for the most basic thing, like the fact that one job should be enough, but more importantly, for a hard day’s work, they should be fairly paid.”

Hawaii Business Magazine sponsors the forum. We’ve reached out for comment on the cancellations.

A group of invited guests who also skipped the event told us the fight for workers’ rights is also a fight for women’s rights.

State Rep. Della Au Belatti, D-Makiki, Punchbowl, said, “We must act in solidarity. We have only gotten here today as the state with the best health care in the nation because of what we did collectively.”

Deborah Zysman, Hawaii Children’s Action Network executive director, said, “We fight for families, and we fight for what’s important for all of our keiki, and we were not going to cross that picket line. I reached out to many, many others, and also told them to not go inside.”

Honolulu City Council member Radiant Cordero also joined the picket line to support the union and her family.

“Not only did I used to work at Sheraton Waikiki and the Royal Hawaiian, but my brother also works at Hilton Hawaiian and struggles to make a living,” Cordero said, choking back tears. “So he has struggles, not only just with the job he has, but also just being on strike.”

Hilton previously said that it’s “committed to reach a fair and reasonable agreement” for the workers.

The union’s supporters say it needs to happen soon.

Congresswoman Tokuda said, “It is about standing in solidarity with our workers and our labor unions, saying enough is enough, let’s get them back to work. Let’s get them a fair contract.”

Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Pau Hana Place is a restaurant that opened more than a year ago as a gathering spot for visitors and locals alike at the entrance to Waikiki.

Management is very concerned, however, that they may lose their lease.

Pau Hana Place general manager Bonnie Flemon says her company saw this area next to the Ala Moana Boulevard bridge as as business opportunity.

“We’ll go in, invest and be able to do what we need to do make it a nice Hawaiian place. And that’s what we planned,” she said.

Flemon said her group spent $700,000 sprucing the place up, building a wooden deck and a stage area with tents. She said that it’s been gaining momentum in the past year, with local entertainers providing music while patrons enjoy dinner.

“I think it’s a great effort,” said longtime local entertainer Kimo Kahoano, who’s been a regular. “I mean, people don’t understand that we always need to be sharing what is aloha. Sharing Hawaii. Sharing the music.”

“That’s really what they like, is that they get to intermingle with local people,” said Loretta Kilby, a singer who also is a frequent customer. “We bring them in.”

Flemon said business has fallen more than 50% since the state took away their parking spaces in June.

“Unfortunately it got rented and it’s not something we could do,” she said.

“The parking lot originally was packed,” said Kahoano. “Originally it was packed with a lot of people who came to watch the shows and partake of the wonderful meals that they serve here.”

Flemon said the state granted the establishment a revocable permit, “which we were told that’s not a problem because there’s many people that’s been on revocable permits for 20 years.”

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But the department’s Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation is set to make a presentation on the property’s future at the Friday Land Board meeting.

Flemon fears the board may not renew permit. Supporters are hoping for a compromise to help Pau Hana Placeregain its momentum.

“You know how Waikiki can be. There’s always other things to do,” said Kilbey. “But this is exceptionally wonderful.”

Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.