For Ancient Hawaiians the ocean was their lifeblood. When the missionaries attempted to limit their ocean recreation the people felt as though they were denying their Polynesian identity.
In 1875 King David Kalakaua, who was a great lover of water sports, instigated the rebirth of canoe paddling & sailing. In 1908 the first ‘official’ canoe paddling club was founded. By 1910 there were 2 clubs and thus began the modern history of ‘canoe racing’.
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