escort boat then picks up the paddlers in the water so that they can rest, drink, and/or eat before they, in turn, relieve some of the paddlers in the OC6. The longer races are typically conducted in the open ocean, e.g., between islands in the South Pacific. The Molokai Hoe in Hawaii, The Hamilton Cup in Australia, The Vaka Eiva in Rarotonga (Cook Islands), The Motu2Motu in Aitutaki (Cook Islands) and the Catalina Channel crossing in California are four examples of races involving water changes. Paddlers and crews are usually classified by gender and age. Gender classification is typically straightforward, with male, female, and coed classifications, with the latter being a crew with equal numbers of male and female paddlers (different rules may apply to nine-person coed crews doing a race with paddler replacements). Age classifications typically include youth divisions like 19-and-under, 16-and-under, etc., master divisions with minimum ages typically starting at 35 or 40 years of age, and an open division which allows paddlers of any age. A novice division for paddlers with less than a specified number of years of race experience (usually one or two) may also exist in a given association. In some races, a particular type of outrigger canoe, usually a more traditional design for the region, may be given its own racing classification. For example, races in Hawaii have a koa division, while southern California has a Bradley OC6 division and northern California OC1 sprint races have a traditional (no rudder) division. Organisations The International Va'a Federation (IVF) oversees va'a racing worldwide, including the IVF World Championships and at the Pacific Games. Outrigger racing organizations in the United States include the East Coast Outrigger Racing Association (ECORA), the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association (HCRA), the Northern California Outrigger Canoe Association (NCOCA), the Southern California Outrigger Canoe Association (SCORA), and several more. See also Ama and Aka Austronesian maritime trade network Burulan Canoe sailing Catamaran Crab claw sail Daramba Hiri trade cycle Kula ring Lapita culture Lashed-lug boat Maritime Silk Road Marshall Islands stick chart Multihull Polynesian multihull terminology Polynesian navigation Proa Sa Huynh-Kalanay Interaction Sphere Tanja sail Trimaran Weriyeng References Further reading Steve West (2012) Outrigger Canoeing – The Ancient Sport of Kings – A Paddlers Guide, Batini Books, Kanuculture. Steve West (2014) Outrigger Canoeing – The Art and Skill of Steering, Batini Books, Kanuculture. Steve West (2014) Outrigger Canoeing – OC1 a Paddlers Guide,