Outrigger Canoe - Races & Competitions
An outrigger canoe is able to paddle through many conditions, and a skilled paddler should be able to paddle in almost any weather or course. Courses range from short sprints of 250m, 5 500m, 1000m, and 2000m. Sprints usually involve turns, where the entire boat has to turn around a certain point, usually marked with a buoy. If the boat touches the buoy, they may be disqualified. There are also long distance courses, up to 42 km marathons.
Racing events are timed and have to be well organized. Sometimes there is not enough time to get everyone on water to race, and there will be several time trial like races instead, where teams compare times to get their place.
There are also courses which involve crossing huge distances, even larger than a marathon. These are unofficial events and aren't really races, and require a lot of training to prepare for.