It was with a sense of deja vu that I watched the weather forecast this week.  There's no way that Molokai could be flat  three years in a row... is there?

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Epic Kayaks presented the 1^st Annual Makapuu Challenge with an international field of paddlers.  The thirty-five surfski entrants represented Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, USA, and Hawaii - USA.

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Early on a Sunday morning last May, 133 international athletes gathered together on the edge of Molokai's western shore, held hands, and prayed for a tail wind to aid their progress during the 2008 Epic Molokai Challenge.

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During the first 30 years of Molokai - the unofficial World Championship of open ocean racing - the 55-kilometer channel crossing was defined by three men: Aussie Ironman turned Olympian Grant Kenny, who put the race on the map when he won the first of his five titles in 1979; nine-time winner and course record holder Dean Gardiner, and 11-time champ Oscar Chalupsky. Though the ultra-fit, two-time Coolangata Gold Ironman champ Guy Leach was first across a glassy channel in 1991, over the next decade-and-a-half the only winners were named Chalupsky or Gardiner. In 1995, Oscar crossed the line with his brother Herman, and Herman smashed the field for his first outright win in 2004. 

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The Global Financial Crisis has hit the Molokai World Championships!  The race reverts to previous format - read on for details.

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[Editor: here is some much anticipated and requested information about Molokai 2009 from Geoff Graf.]

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Earlier this year, a new TV show was launched in Hawaii - Ocean Paddler TV...  The latest episode features the 2008 Molokai Challenge presented by Epic.  This is a must watch show...

What a brilliant show!

Lewis wins Molokai 2008 (Hank McGregor behind) (Pic: Vince Bechet)

Two hours and forty minutes into the race he covets most, Oscar Chalupsky figured he had his 12^th Molokai title in the bag..

Molokai - the Holy Grail of surfski paddling! When the race organizers invited me to go to Hawaii to experience the race I leaped at the opportunity.  I had a great time and a terrible race... , learnt a lot about paddling in Hawaii - and about myself.

Yep, that's exactly how I felt! (Pic: Vince Bechet)

Oh, how I look forward to the Molo after-party. Eat what you like, drink what you like and go to bed...whenever. And of course, everybody has a story to tell. I started to tell mine to Rob before he said, I'm tired and I've got a long flight ahead of me - and I'm going to bed. But he asked me write about my race experience for surfski.info so here it is.

Dean Gardiner (Pic: Vince Bechet)