July Downwind Month in Hawaii

SUP Racing started in Hawaii. Namely on Mauis north shore at the famed Maliko Run. During the big days of SUP in Hawaii the world met on Maui during the month of July. There was a race called the Maui Paddleboard Race, the M2M and the traditional M2O. These were the races that counted in the competitive SUP world as much as the big races in Europe now days. If you wanted your name out there you had to cross a channel. This went all away with the sport shifting more in the direction of canoe and flat water competitions. The excitement in Hawaii over foiling also did contribute to SUP Downwind racing almost going extinct. The SUP pioneers became foil and wing pioneers, doing Maliko Runs in half the time they did on SUPs.

Watch this video from the M2O from 2018 when we first saw foils added in the race:

Despite the fact, that the Hawaii SUP Downwind races became irrelevant to the competitive SUP World, the excitement for downwinders is unbroken. There is nothing more exciting than the combination of paddling and the technically skill to read and navigate bumps. If you are a true SUP Lover and never done a real downwinder you have missed out. Paddling in 20 – 30 km/h winds is extremely fun and keeps your mind occupied seeking the best bumps while paddling like crazy.

July will be an action packed month with 2 channel crossings and one Maliko Race. We will have big names in the sport pushing the limits on what is possible on a foil and we will reunite with some old friends from the big Hawaiian SUP days.

The big story will be if we are going to see new all time records in the Kaiwi Channel. At the first official SUP Foil Crossing at the M2O in 2018, Kai Lenny set the time at 2:52:58 more than 20 minutes ahead of Nathan Van Vuuren. Then in 2019 he finished in 2:29:38, but this time he was only a few minutes faster than Jeffrey Spencer who almost won if he had not fallen off his board at the last stretch of the race. Then Covid put an end to the to all the races in Hawaii. The story of 2023 at the M2O will be who can beat Kais time. The number of Downwind SUP Foil Athletes has grown in the last years and this brand new division of SUP is just getting started.

The M2Molokai Challenge or Molokai Holokai will open up the Downwind Trilogy on July 14^th. This race is not only a great testing ground for all the people arriving in Hawaii to race, it is also a great experience to spend 2 days on Molokai and get to know some locals and share great ocean activities with them. The 27 mile run is across the Pailolo Channel is know as the best downwinder on the planet and if conditions are right racers will catch bumps of a lifetime.

The logistics of the M2Molokai are easy: You can show up for the race in the morning and still be back on Maui the same evening with memories of the best 27 miles you ever paddled or foiled. Everything is taken care of an you can book all logistics directly on the event website. If you are an experienced ocean paddler you don’t even need an escort boat.

The weekend after we are all looking forward to the paddle IMUA. This race has been going for over 10 years and benefits the IMUA Family Services, a charitable organization that organizes camps for special needs kids. At this race the Maui community come together for a great day of ocean paddling and downwind foiling and even sailing. If you are on Maui or a water enthusiast looking to spend some time in Hawaii, the weekend of the 22. July will be the time to come.

Here are some fun memories from 2017

We are looking forward to cover all three events. Other than the M2O we will participate in all the races and have pictures and stories from the race course for you guys.

So stay tuned for an epic month on Maui., Molokai and Oahu.