NISH OUTRIGGER CHALLENGE 2026
Close the Season in Style AT THE EAST COAST'S LARGEST OUTRIGGER ANNUAL RACE
History
In the spring of 2008, we held the first Nish Memorial race and luau was attended by his mother Rose and sister Beth. Since then, Kana Lui has held an annual race in his honor. His Hawaiian heritage and spirit added a lot of Aloha and authenticity to our Miami club.
Mike was the head strength and conditioning coach in Player Development of the US Tennis Association and an avid paddler from Hawaii. He loved being a part of the club and getting to know everyone. He loved being on the water and the connection it gave him to his Hawaiian roots.
Details
Presented by
Kana Lui Miami Outrigger
Canoe Club
Dates
Saturday, November 7th &
Sunday, November 8th, 2026
Location
Historic Virginia Key Beach Park, 4020 Virginia Beach Dr, Miami, FL 33149 (Get Directions)
General information
There is seating and shade around the park, but if you are local, we suggest to please bring your 10 x 10 tents and beach chairs.
Racecourse is subject to change due to conditions up until the morning of the race.
Please note that there are no refunds in the event of cancellation due to weather.
We will have a silent auction and a V1 Raffle. All proceeds directly support the maintenance and repair of Kana Lui's canoes, helping us keep our fleet strong for the paddling community.
This is a Plastic Free and glass bottle free event, please bring your reusable water bottles and coffee cup. Park does not permit Styrofoam.
Parking fee $10 paid to the park at the entrance, CASH ONLY.
Race Aerial Map
4020 Virginia Beach Dr, Miami, FL 33149 (Get Directions)
OC-6 Trailer Information
Access to drop off the trailer sunrise to sundown, at the park parking lot. We strongly encourage everyone to drop off canoes and trailers on Friday.
There will be someone from Kana Lui guiding on Friday from 2pm to 5pm.
Canoes can be rigged in the grass area in front of the race site.
Please note: There is a $50 per night fee for storing trailers overnight, which must be paid in advance. Kana Lui will cover trailer parking for Friday and Saturday nights.
Race Schedule
Saturday, November 7th & Sunday, November 8th, 2026
Friday, NOVEMBER 6
(4020 Virginia Beach Dr, Miami, FL 33149)
(Receive shirts and wrist bands)
4600 Rickenbacker Cswy, Key Biscayne, FL 33149
https://miamisalt.com/
(Please note that food serving stops at 8m)
(Receive shirts and wrist bands)
Saturday, November 7 - OC6 Races
After the women's race, all canoes will be beached. We invite everyone to relax and enjoy a special Hula performance while the paddlers doing double duty take a well-deserved rest.
Sunday, November 8 - small boat race
Any craft with a woman, will start on the first wave, followed by the men 5 minutes later.
Safety
Paddlers requirements
If there is a competitor who does not know how to swim or has any doubts on their swimming capability, they are required to always wear a PFD while in a canoe.
OC6 - PFD's and bailers are required, even if the boat has a pump.
Small Boat - Leashes and PFD's required.
Respect common courtesy rules while competing on the water and always avoid any potential collision with another canoe.
If it is evident that your steersman did nothing to avoid a collision, then the race committee will have the right to disqualify the team who took no action to avoid the collision.
Race Updates
We will streamline communication for the race with updates through the NISH Facebook event page. Please encourage all team members to like the Nish Outrigger Challenge Facebook and Instagram pages so everyone is kept up to date as we progress through race weekend.
facebook.com/nishoutriggerchallenge
@nishoutriggerchallenge
Tag us
#nishoutriggerchallengemiami
Bring your smiles and paddles to the beach!
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to coordinate your crew. From all of us at the NISH race committee, we wish you the best of luck at this year’s Nish Outrigger Challenge!
