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Outrigger canoes were developed in the SE Asian area and spread out to the Pacific islands. Outrigger canoe racing spread around the world from Hawaii and Tahiti.

I first saw these canoes in Hawaii where tourists can experience the thrill of riding a wave at Waikiki Beach. But it was years later that I experienced this thrill myself when I took up paddling with the Mooloolaba club for 3 years.

In Australia, especially on the east coast, regattas are held regularly during the season. The boats are fitted with covers during races but we always trained without them. This made for some exciting times when we paddled out in big seas and strong winds.

The boats are long, narrow and heavy with a single outrigger and a crew of six. They are steered by the paddler in the rear seat who shoves his paddle down one side. The difference between a fast crew and all the rest is how well they can paddle the same stroke at the same time. Mooloolaba is a strong club and has several world champion crews.

Races range from sprints lasting a few minutes to the more common marathons of 1 hour and more. Regattas last 2 or 3 days.

Scanned photo, sharpened plus a little saturation.