Teenage paddlers from Outrigger Canoe Club will steer one of Hawaii's most storied koa canoes across the Molokai Channel this Sunday, a rare honor for crew members this young.

• The canoe, Leilani, has crossed the channel for about 90 years and set record times, making it the most accomplished koa canoe in the race's history.
• Its history runs deep: Duke Kahanamoku's undefeated 1940s crew paddled her, and his ashes were scattered from her in 1968 off Waikiki.
• The junior boys asked their coaches for permission themselves, and the club signed off; coaches were in tears at the request.
• The 16- and 17-year-olds have never paddled in open ocean, only in regattas, so steering and reading the channel will be new to them.

Outlook: The crew faces a 40-mile crossing from Molokai to Oahu on Sunday, with a steep learning curve but a shot at adding to the canoe's legacy.