FIELD NOTES: ACROSS THE KA'IWI

In the world of prone paddleboarding, no race carries more weight—or demands more grit—than the Molokai2Oahu Paddleboard World Championships. A 32-mile gauntlet across Hawaii’s Ka'iwi Channel, it’s as much a mental crucible as it is a physical test. This year, FLORENCE’s Test Pilots—Jack & Emily Bark, Toa Pere, and Lachie Lansdown—lined up for the 26th edition with very different backgrounds, boards, and motivations, but one shared goal: absolutely send it across the channel.
Photos by Shane Grace, Mike Ito & Johnny Prehn (Molokai2Oahu)

“You’re at high output for 5 to 8 hours. You’re sunburned. You’re smoked. And you're still pushing."
—Jack Bark, Florence Test Pilot - 2nd Place, Unlimited Division

For Jack Bark, returning to the Ka'iwi Channel after an eight-year hiatus felt both like coming home and jumping into the unknown. “The channel makes you feel really small,” he said. “There’s this verticality to it—you’re looking down on your boat on a swell, then the next second, looking up from a trough. It’s so different from anything in California.”
This year, Jack stepped up to the Unlimited Division on a board design he and his dad had refined—a 15’6” shape based on Kanesa Duncan’s legendary template. “It’s a board that’s been proven in the channel,” he said. “And paddling it while Kanesa’s out on a boat watching, commentating… it kind of brought things full circle.”

"Paddling across the Molokai channel is super exhausting—physically, mentally, and emotionally. You're paddling hard, you're racing, so physically you're at high output racing for 5 to 8 hours. And you're getting sunburned. I think that's one of the biggest differences between Catalina and Molokai—it's the heat. I feel so much more drained after Molokai for a few days just because you're sunburned and you're just in the heat for so long. I mean I was catching runners and I'm dropping down a swell and I'm splashing myself to try to cool down because the heat there, the water and the sun are just so different.
Mentally and emotionally, when I want to give up and slow down, I think about how many 4 a.m.s I woke up to swim in the pool, or paddle 20 miles. How much effort I put in to be here. Time, money. It's like, I'm not going to let that go to waste. You think about that a lot. At least I do. It's what you sacrificed to get there. So when you're feeling smoked, it's like, hey, just dig a little deeper. I've sacrificed for this. I want to make it count.

The race went really well for me. I'm really stoked with how I paddled. I paddled my heart out and raced the race I wanted to race. The first two, three miles were pretty flat. It felt like we were at Cali for the most part and then we slowly started getting in the bumps and by mile five, up until mile probably 18, that middle 15 to 18 miles were really, really good. The bumps were perfect size where you catch the big ones and get all the small ones that really take you a lot further. I had a great time. The board went really well. I felt good and then we hit the tide switch around mile 19 or 20 and that's where the bumps got harder to catch and you're just feeling the race a lot more. Every time you catch a bump, you're kind of deciding—do I sprint for this bump and catch it to get the advantage or do I rest because how far am I really going to go with how much energy I put into catching this bump?
Towards the end, it's a toss up. Catching some of those big ones, you really have to ask yourself if you're willing to put that effort in or not."
“It felt like a 32-mile sprint.”
—Toa Pere, Florence Test Pilot - 2nd Place, Stock Division

At just 16, Toa Pere is already shaping his own place in the history of this race—and his family’s. “My dad won this race in ’97 and ’98,” he said. “Now he’s in the escort boat, and I feel like he’s on the board with me. It’s crazy.”
Toa returned to the Stock Division this year after already being the youngest-ever finisher in 2023 and 5th last year. But nothing came easy.
“Right from the start, it was me, Harrison Stone, and Ethan Story—1-2-3, battling the whole way like a sprint,” he said. “Then at mile 18, I bonked hard. I was sore, cooked. I didn’t know if I could keep going.”

"It was a really good race for me. It was a huge grind and very breezy winds. Straight off the start, it was me, Harrison Stone and Ethan Story. All one, two, three. Battling with each other the whole way, kind of like a 32-mile sprint. And it was insane and super gnarly. We battled all the way to China Walls and probably about mile 18 I started to bonk. And I crashed pretty hard. My dad just told me to focus on catching one bump at a time and stay as close to them as possible. I fell back a little bit, probably about 100 yards.

Coming in towards Oahu, both Ethan and Harrison kind of went south and came in towards China Walls. My dad and my boat captain, Uncle Nalu, decided it would be better if we shot it inside and went closer to the island and rode along the wall. And it was. I ended up passing Ethan Story on that line and just got a second wind and was catching as many bumps as I could trying to close the gap to Harrison.
Coming into China Walls, Harrison had a 50 yard lead on me. Going around the point, I knew I wouldn't be able to get in if it was flat water trying to catch up. My only chance would be a wave. I just went through looking for waves and unfortunately there wasn't any for me. That was basically all I could do. So I just paddled in, finished strong, was stoked on the second place.

Physically it was really tough. My entire back and everything was sore probably around mile 18. I was just cooked. I didn't know what I was going to do. I wasn't able to keep going at that pace and at that rate. I would have had to pull out of the race if I did. So I ended up having to slow down. But when I did, everything kind of rejuvenated a little bit. I helped myself in my mind. My dad was cheering me on the whole time and helping me. And I was just thinking I gotta come back, focus, pull it all together, and run away with this second place.

It was really tough on my mind but my mind pulled it together and stayed strong and then my body followed through.
It felt amazing to cross the finish line. Being finished with the race and placing second was a huge thing for me. Being so close to first place was just insane. And I was really happy to get second place. The feeling of crossing the finish line is exhilarating. It's just like a sigh of relief. And you can only get it once a year—crossing the channel on a paddleboard. That's why you got to keep coming back for more."
“I knew I’d be happy no matter the result—as long as I gave it everything I had.”
– Emily Bark, Florence Test Pilot - 2nd Place, Womens Division
For Emily Bark, Molokai2Oahu wasn’t just a race—it was a long-held dream finally realized. Stepping onto the starting line for the first time, she carried years of anticipation, nerves, and preparation. “It’s wild to finally get on the starting line of a race that I’ve thought so much about,” she said. “I don’t know if you can ever feel truly ready for a race like this.”
Escorted by her father, Joe Bark— legendary paddleboard shaper and veteran of countless Molokai crossings—Emily had both experience and legacy riding alongside her every mile.
"Definitely a challenging race. At the start, everyone was hauling to get out to the wind line. It took a little to find some bumps and then they got better and quite fun from there. I was mid-pack for a bit and worked up to third. Then the wind was more on our side for the back half of the race and it was quite a grind. I tried to pick it up as we were approaching the wall with about 5 or 6 miles left. There were people cheering on China Walls, on boats, and paddling in the water encouraging me. I’ll never forget those last few miles—getting close to the end, feeling the water change, and pushing through the 30 miles I had just done.

The finish line feeling is the best! Getting second place was such an honor, I was super stoked and grateful. Racing, you always want to do well, but I had no idea what to expect here—Molokai2Oahu is so heavy and always has an amazing field of athletes. I knew that I would be happy no matter my result as long as I had given it my all. I’ve been training really hard and it was nice to see that show up in the race.
I learned how technical this race is. How you ride bumps, how you handle conditions, your line, your endurance—all of that is so important. I was stoked to have an incredible board from my dad to get me through it. Also just super honored to complete this iconic race. I was very inspired by Jack, Toa, and all the legends who have crossed this channel so well. And by all the badass gals out there!"
“Molokai is a puzzle you never fully solve.”
—Lachie Lansdown, Florence Test Pilot - 4th Place, Unlimited Division

For Australian paddler Lachie Lansdown, this year’s crossing was as cerebral as it was physical. “The channel will always humble you,” he reflected. “Even when you think you’ve got your line dialed, the ocean throws something new at you.”
“Molokai is never easy. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve done it or how prepared you think you are—the channel always humbles you. Even when you feel like you’ve got your line dialed, the ocean throws something new at you. It forces you to adapt in real time. That’s one of the reasons I keep coming back. There’s no perfect run, no formula that works year after year. It’s a puzzle you never fully solve.

This year I was on a 15’6” board that Jack and I both raced. It’s a bit different than what a lot of people are riding, but it fits my style and allows me to trust my instincts out there. When you’re linking bumps for hours, having that trust in your equipment is everything. The board let me stay light on the water when I needed to, and dig when the timing was right.
You’re reading the ocean the whole way—reading every bump like it’s a sentence. You’re constantly deciding which ones are worth chasing, and which ones you let go. It’s more than just pain management; it’s judgment, pacing, experience. There were moments I had to back off, moments I had to send it. That rhythm is different every year.
Molokai is such a unique test. You’ve got the vertical movement of the swells, the changing currents, the heat—it’s a full body and mind challenge. But if you can find that rhythm, even for part of the race, it’s one of the best feelings in the world. There’s really nothing else like it.” 🚩
For more watch our latest film on the Pere legacy in the Ka'iwi Channel, "Crossing Bones".
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