Na Wahine O Ke Kai 2025: Landmark Victory for Tahitian Team Ihilani Va’a!

Ihilani Va‘a secured a landmark victory at the 41st edition of the Na Wahine O Ke Kai, presented by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, becoming the first crew from Tahiti to win the prestigious women’s V6 championship.

The Tahitian squad completed the 41-mile Kaiwi Channel crossing from Molokai to Waikiki in 5 hours, 51 minutes and 4 seconds, narrowly edging out five-time defending champion Team Bradley, which finished in 5:51:49. Team TaiMana of Australia placed third (6:03:06), followed closely by Oahu’s Lanikai Canoe Club (6:03:13), Hui Nalu Canoe Club (6:09:59), and Hawaiian Canoe Club of Maui (6:12:26).

The victory marked a series of milestones: Ihilani Va‘a became the first non-Hawaiian crew since Australia’s Mooloolaba in 2004 to capture the title, and Vaimiti Maoni, serving as both coach and paddler, won in her debut crossing of the Kaiwi Channel.

The winning crew included Vehi Lanteires, Iloha Eychenne, Nateahi Sommer, Jenny Hoffmann, Naniloa Arai, Healani Rauhuri, Angie Dolan, Jenna Kalei, and Donna Kahakui-Ching. For Kahakui-Ching, who last won the event in 1992 with Outrigger Canoe Club, the result marked a return to the top after more than three decades.

Team Bradley, named after canoe builder Sonny Bradley and racing in a newly carved koa canoe “Momi,” fielded a lineup of seasoned competitors including Monica Esquivel, Kristin Foster, Alana Goo-Frazier, Ka‘ulupono‘okaleihua Lu‘uwai, Lori Nakamura, Lauren Spalding, Andrea Fisher, Claire Ing, Beata Cseke-Markin, and Mahealani Botelho. Despite falling just short of another victory, the crew extended its legacy as the most successful team in Na Wahine O Ke Kai history, with 13 titles in the past 16 editions. Team Bradley still holds the course record of 5:22:05, set in 2008.

This year’s race began at Hale O Lono Harbor on Molokai at 8:03 a.m. and concluded at Duke Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki. Thousands of supporters gathered under tents along the shoreline to welcome the competitors, while 73 crews representing Hawaii, California, Washington D.C., Australia, Tahiti, Japan, and New Zealand took part.

Since its inaugural running in 1979, Na Wahine O Ke Kai has faced interruptions only seven times: twice for hazardous ocean conditions (1980 and 2015), three times due to the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2022), and in 2023 following the Maui wildfires.

The women’s season finale sets the stage for the Molokai Hoe, the men’s equivalent event, scheduled for October 12 along the same course.