PHOTOS: Maui to Molokai Outrigger/SUP Race

By Madeline Ziecker

M2M participants getting ready to launch from Fleming Beach Park. Photo by Damien Trovati.

Over 150 paddlers gathered on Saturday, April 28 to participate in the Maui Canoe and Kayak Club’s Maui to Molokai (M2M) signature annual paddle race.

The race began in the morning at Maui’s Fleming Beach Park and finished in the late afternoon at Molokai’s Kaunakakai Harbor.

A fleet of boats lined up on the west Maui coast on the event day to watch a sea of standup paddle boards, surf skis and outrigger canoes launch to tackle the 26-mile stretch of the Pailolo Channel – one of the most gratifying downwinders in the islands.

Paddlers of varying skill levels from all over the globe competed against teammates in the relay division or tested their personal limits by taking on the iron course at their own pace.

The awards ceremony was held at the Moloka’i Yacht Club, where tired and content race participants got to grind on local cuisine from the Wa’akapaemua Canoe Club as they were recognized for the day’s notable accomplishments.

M2M 2012 final race results can be viewed here.

Photo by Damien Trovati.	Photo by Damien Trovati.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD Over 150 paddlers make the trek from Maui to Molokai via Pailolo Channel. Photo by Damien Trovati.	Photo by Damien Trovati.
A three-man outrigger canoe team making their way across the channel. Photo by Damien Trovati.	Arriving at Kaunakakai Harbor in Molokai. Photo by Damien Trovati.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD Canoes making the home-stretch into Molokai's Kaunakakai Harbor. Photo by Damien Trovati.	The race comes to a close as participants enter Kaunakakai Harbor. Photo by Damien Trovati.