Master Blaster Race Returns

The Ozzy Osbourne Wahines, shown here, were the first female crew to arrive at the Molokai Master Blaster Race last Saturday. Photo by Léo Azambuja

By Léo Azambuja

Molokai’s most fun outrigger canoe race returned last Saturday after a six-year break, bringing with it — besides drunken crews — a wide range of musical genres, from early rockabilly to American blues and heavy metal, with everything in between.

“It’s our 35th year of having this event,” said Liko Wallace, co-organizer of the August Rawlins Sr. Classic Race, also known as the Molokai Master Blaster Race.

“The Blues Brothers” were the first male crew to arrive at the finish line at Molokai Canoe Club. The “Ozzy Osbourne Wahines,” paying tribute to Black Sabbath’s former lead singer, were the first female crew. 

As both winning crews approached the finish line, the DJ on the shoreline played Queen’s “We Are the Champions” on the loudspeakers. But truth be told, everyone was a winner at the traditional race that hadn’t been organized since 2019. The event was cancelled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and hadn’t been held ever since. 

The finish line at the Master Blaster looked more like a party than a canoe race. Perhaps it was because it was really a party. 

Each crew dresses up accordingly to their chosen theme. The Blues Brothers’ crew looked like a bunch of Dan Aykroyds and John Belushis, and all the Ozzy Wahines wore black to honor the Prince of Darkness and heavy metal pioneer.

And then there’s the booze, a central part of the race and the reason the word “blaster” belongs to its title. 

Prior to taking off at the Rice Patch and tackling the six-mile course, each six-man crew is handled a six-pack of beer, and each six-woman crew is given a four-pack. This means each guy has a full beer, while the women share four beers among their crew. 

On their way to the finish line, each crew comes on shore four times to chug another round of beers; six for the men and four for the women.

“They start with a beer, and then they go to the next stop, and then the next stop, and then the next stop, and then they finish. There are four stops,” co-organizer Cindy Manauas said.

By the time the men arrive at the canoe club, each crew member will have had five beers. The women will have a little less because they share four beers among six of them on each stop. 

“It’s just a really fun race,” Manauas said.

There were 24 canoe crews in this year’s race; 14 in the women’s division and 10 in the men’s division. As the crews arrived, many would jump out of their canoes on shallow water and start dancing, especially the women. The DJ blasted old rock and roll songs by Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and many others. 

The race is the only fundraiser for the Molokai Canoe Club. Manauas said the entry fee includes a plate lunch, a T-shirt, “and all the dancing they can do.”

“This race carries us financially throughout the year,” Wallace said, adding that because of the funds from the Master Blaster, the canoe club doesn’t need to ask merchants for donations.

The event goes back many years. It started with Manauas’ and Wallace’s uncle Walter. He and his crew used to paddle in the afternoons. They would come to the shack at Molokai Canoe Club after practice, put their money together and buy beer. 

“So, the original name of this race was Dollah Dollah,” Wallace said. Over the years, the race became known as the Master Blaster.

“Then, when we took over, we honored my grandfather, who is August Rawlins Sr. That’s who the race is named after,” Wallace said. But the unofficial Master Blaster title not only continues but is celebrated to this day.

Ironically, Rawlins Sr. wasn’t a drinker. He stopped drinking alcohol before Wallace and Manauas were born.