October 23 - 24, 2009 Kosrae Island Canoe Races

The races took two entire days to complete. Hundreds of spectators lined the Lelu Harbor shoreline, cheering on their teams, who had been practicing continuously the entire summer. Kosrae may be the only Micronesian island where traditional canoes are still used for racing. The races ranged from sprints to 1000 meter endurance races, with both men's and women's teams taking the field.

Who won? Well, Utwe took the trophy, but we all won!

Here are some race (and spectator) photos.

Let your mouse pointer rest on each photo to see the caption.


The Starting Line Up

Racing for Home

Ready Set GO

Paddling Hard

Changing Teams

After the Race

Utwe Ladies

Utwe is Red

Malem is White Tafunsak is Blue

Lelu is Yellow

Cheerleaders

Cheerleaders

Spectators

Spectators

All Kosrae Canoe Racing Panorama

If you would like to see more canoe racing photos, or photos of canoes being carved check the Kosrae Island photos in my photo gallery. Follow this link for the March races.