More than four decades after helping to organize the inaugural Na Wahine O Ke Kai, the first sanctioned Kaiwi Channel crossing by female crews, Hannie Anderson still beams with pride and sheds tears of joy when welcoming crews at the finish line.

Moments after Team Bradley finished the 41st edition of the Hawaiian Airlines Na Wahine O Ke Kai in 6 hours, 27 minutes to claim gold for the fourth consecutive year and event-record 12th time, Anderson was on the beach to thank the paddlers for carrying on the race’s rich tradition.

“I congratulated them, and I’m proud of every single one of them,” said Anderson, through smiles and tears. “I told them they ‘smoked ‘em,’ because finishing 15 minutes ahead of everyone else is amazing.”

Team Bradley crew members Lori Nakamura, Kristin Foster, Alana Goo, Mahealani Botelho, Andrea Moller, Claire Ing, Ka‘ulu Lu‘uwai, Coral Mariano, Lauren Spalding and Monica Esquivel were met by Anderson after emerging from the winning canoe.

“She just said ‘Thank you,’ but it’s because of Aunty Hannie and so many other women who paved the way for us in this huge race that people train all year for and come from around the world to participate in,” said Spalding moments after embracing Anderson. “It is emotional to see her, and we’re happy she’s here. It’s such an adventure and a fun process coming across the channel, and no matter what place you finish in, you get hooked with the joy and suffering that goes into competing.”

Outrigger Canoe Club’s “Mana Ula” crew finished the race 15 minutes and 41 seconds behind Team Bradley at 6:42:41, while Lanikai Canoe Club’s “Pohako‘ele‘ele” team (6:45:38), Hui Nalu Canoe Club’s “Uncle Jimmy Olds” squad (6:47:16) and Team Maui Jim (6:56:17) rounded out the top five in the Open Division.

Seventy-one crews and a cumulative 752 paddlers participated in Sunday’s race, which featured squads from across Hawaii as well as California, Washington, Australia, Japan and New Zealand. The event spanned 41 miles from Hale O Lono Harbor, Molokai, to Duke Kahanamoku Beach fronting the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki.

Team Bradley has claimed 12 of the last 14 titles — including six straight crowns from 2005-2010 — and still holds the race record time of 5 hours, 22 minutes, 5 seconds, which it set in 2008.

According to officials and support teams on the ocean, Team Bradley built and extended its lead and established a quarter-mile advantage in the channel; the final margin of victory for Bradley was equivalent to an approximate gap of 1 1⁄2 miles.

“More than anything, it’s important for us to be a family and train together as we maintain this legacy and keep the sport of paddling strong, it’s very special,” said Moller. “It was a challenge, but there were some movements in the ocean that we were able to read, catch some bumps here and there, and finish strong.”

While the outcome of any Molokai-to-Oahu race is difficult to predict as the result is impacted by the day’s currents and ocean swells throughout the expanse of deep open ocean, Team Bradley showed why it was the favorite to four-peat. Its white canoe was the first vessel to emerge from behind Diamond Head flanked by official and escort boats six hours into the 39th running of the race. (Two races were canceled due to life-threatening surf and weather conditions.)

Paddlers dealt with light southeasterly winds coupled with sweltering, humid conditions, varying currents and surf-able waves.

“That was a long race. We had some current to fight against, and it wasn’t smooth sailing, but I think we had a really good race,” said Nahoku Keala, a stroker for the second-place Outrigger team.

With a win on Sunday, the dynastic Team Bradley crew added to its run as the sport’s top-performing women’s squad. That distinction was previously held by Offshore (California), which also won the race six consecutive times (1986 to 1991) and was victorious 10 times out of 11 tries (1986 to 1996).

Team Bradley is named after canoe builder Sonny Bradley and features paddlers from across the state who rarely practice together as a full squad. The group makes up for the lack of cohesive training by working out on one-person canoes and cross-training under the guidance and scheduling of coach Kelly Fey, who “graduated” to coaching after paddling with the crew in years past. By sticking to the rigorous program, the team continues to compete at an elite level while also getting stronger.

“We’ve got to keep training and get better. We have a lot to work on because Bradley smashed us — hats off to them, they’re the best,” said Outrigger’s Rachel Bruntsch.

In distance races, crews of 10 women apiece (six in a canoe at a time) are accompanied by motored escort boats and are allowed to substitute paddlers along the way to provide ample breaks and hydration. Leading up to Sunday’s race, crews attempted to find a balance between fine-tuning and not going overboard with physical exertion.

“Team Bradley is about perpetuating this sport and experience with young women in Hawaii, and we’re doing our part to perpetuate it,” said Spalding.

The men will compete at the Hawaiian Airlines Molokai Hoe on Oct. 13, and will follow the same course as the Na Wahine O Ke Kai in the final event of the 2019 outrigger canoe paddling season. Defending champion Shell Va‘a of Tahiti will enter the race as the favorite, while Red Bull Wa‘a from Hawaii island, Team Wailea/Maui Jim from Maui, Lanikai, Outrigger and Hui Nalu represent the local favorites after strong performances in the long-distance season thus far.