Competitors can choose to race on either a traditional paddleboard or a Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP) as a solo paddler or as a 2-man or 3-man team. Solo paddlers can choose to paddle in either the unlimited class (no size limit and with a movable rudder system) or stock class (12 feet or under for paddleboard, 14 foot or under in SUP with fixed rudder). ALL 2-Team Relays are on STOCK BOARDS. For 3 person teams, athletes may be Stock or UL Boards with divisions notes below. Foil is an open category. NO WIND FOILS.
Classes Recognized:
- Men’s Solo Unlimited Prone Paddleboard
- Women’s Solo Unlimited Prone Paddleboard
- Men’s Solo Unlimited SUP
- Women’s Solo Unlimited SUP
- Men’s Solo Stock Paddleboard
- Women’s Solo Stock Paddleboard
- Men’s Solo Stock SUP
- Women’s Solo Stock SUP
- Men’s Team Paddleboard
- Women’s Team Paddleboard
- Mixed Team Paddleboard
- Men’s Team SUP
- Women’s Team SUP
- Mixed Team SUP
- Men’s Foil
- Women’s Foil
- Foil OPEN Team
- 3-person team PB and SUP OPEN Team
If you have any immediate questions please contact the race director at info@molokai2oahu.com
ALL 2-PERSON TEAMS ARE REQUIRED TO USE “STOCK” EQUIPMENT. EXCEPTION in the FOIL CLASS. STOCK SUP IS DEFINED AS 14 FEET OR UNDER WITH FIXED KEEL/FIN/RUDDER STOCK PADDLEBOARD IS DEFINED AS 12 FEET OR UNDER WITH FIXED KEEL/FIN/RUDDER ALL PADDLERS ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR THE OFFICIAL RACE JERSEY. EACH TEAM NEEDs to have a boat escort. Be sure to line up your boat early.
COVID-19 Safety Protocol
The event organizers will provide a safe and enjoyable race weekend experience for all attendees and our local communities. Covid-19 guidance and mandates will change between time of registration in March and race date July 24, 2022. We are prepared to make adjustments and follow all guidelines presented by the State and County officials. For this reason, the event will provide specific guidelines to registered participants as we lead into race weekend.
General Race Rules
Any VIOLATION OF RACE RULES may result in disqualification or time penalty.
- All paddlers must wear official event jerseys (provided at no charge) during the entire race, failure to do so will result in an automatic disqualification. Escort boats and boards must have race number stickers. (to be picked up at REGISTRATION)
- Race packets which include race jerseys, race numbers and stickers must be picked up at Registration at Duke’s Waikiki. If you cannot make it please advise the race staff at info@molokai2oahu.com.
- Teams may only use ONE board.
- No drafting after the first 15 minutes of the race. Drafting is defined as being in the wake of a craft or fellow paddler for more than 1 minute in any 5 minute span.
- Any assistance from boats other than athlete exchanges will result in automatic disqualification. The escort boat must be in neutral for all team athlete exchanges. NO APPROACH to boat by paddlers with propeller/engine facing the athlete. At NO time during the race can an athlete touch his escort boat. Relay changes are made in the water and never from the boat. This rule is in place for both safety and a no tolerance rule for intentional wake riding. VIOLATION will be a 10 minute penalty for each infraction observed or documented. There will be 6 Official Safety Boats on the water.
- JETSKIS or Personal Watercraft are acceptable escort boats for the Blue Water Hawaiian Classic. They all must be equipped with VHF handheld radios. The race will also have permitted PWCs for official race timing and safety.
- Team Relay Paddlers must stay with their escort boat at all times, even in the event of the boat having a mechanical failure. Any attempt to complete the race without an escort boat will result in an automatic disqualification.
- Safety of all participants is the top priority. All team athletes and boat waivers must be signed and suggested safety precautions must be reviewed.
- Escort boats cannot fish while escorting. Paddler will be disqualified.
- All paddlers should be securely tethered to their boards.
- Stand up paddlers must complete the entire race standing up. Kneeling or sitting for more than one minute at a time will result in a time penalty to be determined by race officials.
- TEAMS may switch boards in the event of an equipment failure; however you may not change equipment class. In the event of equipment failure, the broken equipment must be presented to race officials to verify the failure, and a time penalty may be assessed.
- The race may be canceled if ocean conditions are deemed too hazardous by race officials (no refunds on entries).
- All paddlers must attend the pre-race briefing on July 24th, 2022 at 8:00 am after check in at the Makai Pier Starting Line. .
- Check in Opens at 7 am on race morning.
- Team PADDLERS must stay with their escort boats at all times and Escort Boats must stay with their paddlers at all times – EVEN if the boat breaks down. ANY ATTEMPT to complete race without a boat will be an automatic disqualification and potential ban from future events.
- ALL escort boats must have ship to ship radios (VHF). No handhelds will be allowed. ALL radios must be mounted. RACE officials must be notified at least 24 hours in advance of any escort boat changes. ALL BOATS MUST HAVE CURRENT REGISTRATIONS. DOBOR will be making random checks race day.
- Any TEAM paddler whose boat has not checked in prior to race will not be allowed to start the race.
- If you withdraw from the race you must radio the HEAD OFFICIAL BOAT on VHF 72 and let them know that you are withdrawing from the race. If your escort boats’ radio is broken, then physically check with the HEAD OFFICIAL BOAT, which will be stationed at Port Lock Point after the first finisher comes in. At race registration we will also have confirmed numbers for head timer and official that can be notified at anytime of a withdraw from the race and or exit race course.
- Paddlers must keep the red and green buoys marking the Honolulu Harbor main shipping channel to their right. The head official boat will be posted near the turn into Sand Island along with a buoy that paddlers must keep to their right.
- In the event of a large surf the event may opt to shift the final finish entry to the larger boat channel next to Sand Island. Mandatory meeting and pre-race communication will highlight any safety changes prior to race start.
- Any Paddler that has not rounded Diamond Head by 1400 after 5 hours will agree to be picked up by their escort boat and brought to the finish line. Anyone that drops out of the race must have their escort boat notify the head official boat.
Start Information:
- Have your escort boat check in on VHF channel 1 by 7:00 to let the safety team know they are present. Remind them of this at when you get your stuff on board.
- There will be two starts. The paddleboard (solo and team) start at 9:00 am, the SUP (solo and team) and foil start will follow in wave starts. The race starts between two buoys just from shore. The start boat will raise a red flag about 2 minutes before the start. He will lower the red flag. The race starts when he raises the green flag.
- Race Prayer will be at 8:30 after the pre-race meeting.
- Paddleboard athletes need to have equipment off the beach and on their escort boats before 8 am on race morning. Escort boats will wait off to the south side of the starting area.
- After the paddleboard start at 9:00am, the escort boats will follow behind the final paddler until 30 minutes into the event or until the HEAD OFFICIAL boat gives the OK. The escort boats are then free to support their paddlers.
- SUP athletes will follow the same protocol as first wave with the team escort boats follow behind the final paddler until 30 minutes after the start or until the HEAD OFFICIAL boat gives the OK. The escort boats are then free to support their paddlers.
- FOIL Solo and Team start will follow after SUP with final start time TBD.
RACE ORGANIZERS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE ANY VESSEL AND / OR BOAT CAPTAIN IN PARTICIPATING IN THE EVENT. DUE TO SAFETY REASONS THE RACE OFFICIALS HAVE PULLED VESSELS OFF THE COURSE.
Any VIOLATION OF RACE RULES may result in disqualification or time penalty.
