Docuseries on war canoe and outrigger racing to premiere on APTN - Windspeaker.com

Docuseries on war canoe and outrigger racing to premiere on APTN Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Share Wednesday, September 2nd, 2026 12:48pm Image Image Caption An image from the docuseries Racing Waters that will air on APTN. By Sam Laskaris Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Windspeaker.com When Luke Marston was talking about his passion to his friend, little did he know that the conversation would lead to a television series. Marston, a member of the Stz'uminus (Chemainus) First Nation in British Columbia, is a producer of the docuseries Racing Waters, which will premiere on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) on Sept. 13. Though the first season has yet to air, it’s been announced that Racing Waters has been renewed for a second season. Season one consists of nine 22-minute episodes. Racing Waters follows the world of First Nations war canoe and outrigger racing. The majority of the scenes feature members from the Island Brave Canoe Club, representing Snuneymuxw First Nation in B.C. But several other canoe clubs that compete in the Pacific Northwest racing scene are also included in the series. Marston said he was talking to his friend Mike Wavrecan about war canoe racing. Wavrecan had produced Moosemeat & Marmalade, a documentary series that ran on APTN for six seasons. “I ended up talking with (Wavrecan) about it, and I was just saying ‘We should do a documentary on this’,” Marston said. “And then we pitched that to APTN. They really liked the idea and we ended up doing a promo.” Originally, Marston, who is a paddler himself, wanted the series to focus on a team from his own First Nation. But he said since some Stz'uminus crew members found it challenging to train on a consistent basis, he pivoted and decided to focus on the neighbouring Island Brave Canoe Club, a powerhouse squad. “The original idea was that we should do a documentary,” Marston said. “And then we really quickly realized that there was so much content there and so much to kind of unpack that we figured that this would be a great series. So, it just really quickly evolved.” Marston said war canoe and outrigger races are extremely popular on the West Coast. “The mainland races are obviously the biggest ones and the island races are a little bit smaller,” he said. “But it’s a big, big circuit that's been going on for a long time.” And he’s thrilled that he was able to document this sport. “It’s just an exciting thing and I’m happy for all the youth that…