Race Format: 

1. Race will start at Hanalei Bay promptly at 8 a.m.

2.     The starting area will be in front of the Hanalei Beach Park Pavilion.  (Officials will indicate starting area).

3.     Men's (women's) crew will begin the race. 

It is the intention of the founder to have men start this year 8/14/11

4.    All canoes will be on the beach; men (women) crews will be out of the canoes in an area designated by the officials.

5.    At the start, the crews will run to their canoe, push out or carry their canoes into the water, enter their canoe and begin paddling.  (Le Mans type start).
For the care of the canoe, Steersman will hold canoe in the ocean at water's edge. All other paddlers will be in the canoe at the signal of the start of the race.

6.    Changes will be every 30 minutes.

7.     The first change will take place at 8:30 a.m.

8.     A full crew change must take place within the next five minutes.
(Officials will determine if infractions take place during the change).

9.    The six- man (women) crew will exit the canoe and the six (women) man will enter the canoe to continue the race.

10.  Official boats will fly a yellow flag when the women are to be in the canoe and a red flag when the men are to be in the canoe.

11.  To assist crews, both flags, yellow and red will be flying during the 5-minute change window.  It will be the responsibility of the team to adhere to the timed changes.

12.  The second change will take place at 9:00 a.m. and the men (women) crew will take over by 9:05 a.m.  (Officials will determine if infractions take place regarding changes outside of the five-minute change window and will assess a 10-minute penalty for those changes made before or after the designated time).

13.  Two buoys will mark the end of the race.

14.  The last buoy will be passed approximately ¾ mile from the finish line buoy.  No changes are to be made after passing this buoy regardless of the time.

15.  After the finish of the race, crews may beach their canoes under the direction of the Race Safety Director.

16.  Trailers may be parked directly adjacent to the beach for easy loading access. 

*Only GICRA safety boats with designated race officials will be allowed in Hanalei Bay, prior to the start of the race.  All escort boats will wait outside of the race diamond. 

Official Boats: 

1.   The lead safety boat will stay at the head of the pack.

2.   Two or three boats will flank the pack and monitor crews and canoes for safety. They will also help to designate changeovers.

3.   The safety boat in the rear of the pack will monitor crews and canoes and provide the race officials on land and sea of the progress of these paddlers.

4.   The Official Safety Boats have the authority to direct crews and their escort boats to specific areas, courses, or actions that they may deem necessary for the safety of the crew.  (Not adhering to the directives of these personnel will result in disqualification). 

Canoes: 

1.  Canoes must be outfitted with canvas.

2.  It is recommended that each crew have a harness and a towline available for emergency use.

3.  In case of a downed canoe, the escort boat must be able to carry all paddlers in addition to other passengers and have required Coast Guard gear.

4.  The Na Pali Challenge is a sanctioned race by the Garden Island Canoe Racing Association (GICRA).  As such, GICRA rules apply in their entirety.
·       Check-in is at the Hanalei Pavilion Park from 4pm – 7pm on 8/12/11.
·       The Pre-race meeting will begin at 7am on 8/13/11 and steersmen, coaches and boat captains must attend.
·       Teams registering in the morning may do so from 6am to 7am, however, you will be assessed an additional late fee of $50.00. 

Good things to know.....
The Na Pali Challenge is an entire day on the water. Be sure to stock plenty of water, sunscreen, a dry-bag for a change of clothes and most importantly SLIPPERS for the end of the race. It is usually very hot and dry on the West Side.