Saturday’s race was 9 miles in beautiful weather. There were 2 crews from Keaukaha an open mix and open women’s crew. Due to our trailer missing some padding and the difficulty of towing down the steep hill, we were lucky to be able to borrow a couple of canoes
The open mix placed 18th over all and 3rd in their division! and open women were 30th over all and 6th in their division.
Open Women – Mix Plate Crew, ages 32 to 68 in the “Ohana Wa’a”Open Mix Crew Hammahs
Great job paddlers!
You know who was there too!
IVF World Distance 2023 Live Stream
Two races today – Sunday! Wai’olu V1 and 40’s V6. Keahi and Tito are paddling in 40’s together taking the place of Lanikai’s crew who were unable to attend. And Nik Dahm who is paddling with the German team in both Open and 40’s V6 events.
A surprise to many racers is there’s a hard time limit on your first lap. If you are beyond that time, they pull you off the course and don’t allow you to complete the full circuit, even if you’re doing well against the paddlers around you. During the first couple V1 races many paddlers were pulled from the course. While this is less likely to happen to the faster V6 teams, it’s a disappointment for those who don’t get to complete the course.
It’s not a type of battery. Enter the States Regatta with more than 20 qualified crews and you’ll find yourself in the top division. With 21 crews qualifying for the first time ever, we joined the battle with Puna against the big ‘Oahu and Maui clubs.
At the halfway mark Keaukaha was in 4th ahead of 3 other clubs and only a few points behind 3rd. Then we hit our dead zone with 5 empty races followed by 3 more empty races. This allowed other clubs to keep climbing and create a gap.
AAAA Division Points throughout the day
The bigger picture is we had more points than 50 clubs and we finished in the top 5. In the AAAA we beat 2 clubs with significantly more crews racing: Manu O Ke Kai had 35 events and Kailua Canoe Club had 29 events to our 21.
The battle for the top was also very heated with Hawaiian Canoe Club who was strong all day long got slowly edged out in the adult events with only a 3 point separation at the end of the day.
Top 3 divisions by Number of Qualifying Events
Compare this to AAA which is 20 events. We had just 1 more event than AAA, but pulled in 64 more points than the first and second place AAA clubs (226 vs 162).
Hardware
Primarily powered by the kids, our medal count was impressive. And all our crews placed high, even if not on the podium.
Medal Totals
Ranked by number Golds, then Silver then Bronze we were #3. In totals we were #4. This puts us at #3 right behind the biggest 2 clubs in Hawai’i and ahead of many other larger clubs. So while we might not have had as many points or events, we ran a strong game in every event.
Legend
Special mention needs to go to our very own George Thomas. He was the oldest hammah in the entire regatta racing in the 70’s crew at 85.
Crews Dues
We couldn’t have gotten into AAAA without the help of all the club paddlers who paid their dues in training hard and racing hard all season. There were ups and downs and mistakes that were made, but if we stick together and try to work out problems we’ll understand each other better and come out stronger together even if the process can be messy at times.
Remember the first time each of us dipped our paddles into the water it wasn’t pretty; I proudly held my paddle backwards. It takes a lot of training and practice to paddle well even more to paddle well together.
Thanks to the Novice Men who manned the food sales as well as Kwai and Corrina who made it all possible. Thanks to coaches who always tried to keep the wheels turning smoothly in their many hours of working and planning. Thanks to everyone who donated items, time and money. Thanks to all the volunteers to setup, tear down, clean up, held boats and cheered everyone on.
With World Sprints coming to Hilo next year, 2024 is going to be an amazing time to be a paddler. We’ll see some of the best in the world battle it out in our bay. Keep training and let’s show them what can do.
2024 Team Jersey
The men’s 40 crew were happy to give the paddling community a sneak peak at our 2024 jersey. They definitely caught the crowds attention.
2024 Jersey – Choice of Red or Blue – only available in button up with cut sleeves
Awesome job by everyone! Crews and coaches all put together their best efforts to gather points throughout the day. The kids and Novice crews had a great race day leaving the club up by 16 points.
The other clubs had a slightly stronger adult crews combined with a couple DQ’s on our side gave them a gap that was too hard to close (see the blue (us) vs. green (them)) lines on the point accumulations throughout the day.
Great racing and team work for all the crews, family and friends who paddled and/or cheered! La’a also did a live stream for the race and for those not able to make it, they were excited to watch from home from the new Moku page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094238237719
Special congratulations to the Men’s 70 who finally got to race in their own division (instead of filling the Men’s 55). Not only did they wait patiently for a shot at their event, they took 1st: Chucky Aki, Jeff Harman, Greg Kane, James McKeague, George Thomas, Lloyd Van De Car
Also Kawiki did a great video and with many of our races in Lane 1, we were featured often: https://youtu.be/fFFhlq-hom8
Full 2023 Season Recap
You can find our club’s results throughout the year sorted by Event on the webpage linked below. Remember that each regatta has it’s own weather and ocean conditions which can effect overall times from race to race as well.
2023-08-26 Great Waikoloa Race at Anaeho’omalu Bay
Queen Lillu’okalani Race (massive OC6 race in Kona) Thursday, August 31, 2023 through Monday, September 4, 2023 — primary race day is Saturday Sept. 2nd. https://www.qlcanoerace.com/index.asp
Channel Races in Hawai’i
Pailolo Challenge (race from Maui to Molokai) September 16. https://pailolo.com/
States in Hilo will be in 2 weeks, Aug. 5th. Come down and support the club and teams that qualified to compete. There’s always some amazing racing to watch.
We have 2 crews and 1 V1 paddler going to Samoa for the World Distance event in August. Keep your eyes peeled for their training and racing. Follow on IG: https://www.instagram.com/koyd.hi/
2024 World Sprints is coming to Hilo. Time to start training. Time trials will be in February and the competition will be in August in Hilo. Top paddlers from all over the world will come to test themselves in our little bay. Let’s bring the fire Keaukaha! Two years ago KOYD kids went to London to race with some of the top teams and V1 paddlers in the world. We have a long summary and videos you can learn about the event and see the action: https://keaukahacanoeclub.com/2022-ivf-world-sprints/
Since World Sprints is in Hilo, we should train and field 6 man teams and V1 paddlers for the time trials in February. It’s going to be a HUGE event right in our backyard. Let’s go!
Another epic fun regatta! There’s so many moving parts to hosting 1,256 paddlers and their friends and family. It’s no small feat. From getting permits to vending to fund raising all the way to paddling and setting up the course, there’s a job for everyone.
It’s amazing how well we all pull together but that is the basic nature of paddling.
The points was a close repeat from the last regatta with Puna in first and us in second with a 54 point gap. Some points were lost to DQ’s which is always tough on crews. But that’s a fixable problem and we should be able to iron out those issues by Moku and States.
Hardware
We had a lot of podium finishes with 8 gold, 7 silver and 7 bronze, that’s about 1/2 of our crews. A quick shout out to the 8 crews the managed to light their lanes on fire.
Women Freshmen (Kawena Brooks, Anna Kaaua, Cherie Kauahi, Kawai Kauahi, Kanoe Lee Loy, Brandi Rapozo)
Men 65 (Jeff Clemenson, Warren Dela Cruz, Greg Kane, Mike Shintaku, Ben Smith, Egan Tasaki)
Men 50 (Eric Baicy, Keone Chin, Grant Kauahi, Nathan Osorio, Romo Romo, Moku Young)
We also had several crews post impressively fast times, even if they didn’t quite squeeze out the other crews. Both the Men 40’s (3rd) and Men Juniors (2nd) posted the fastest 1/2 mile and 1 mile times for our club Saturday but the competition was fierce. Men’s 40 had the 3rd fastest 1/2 mile of the day and Men Juniors had the 2nd fastest mile.
Novices continue to improve their times and are doing well with Women Novice A on the podium and several other crews close to the top spots.
La’a live streamed our regatta and the results were very professional. Some of the coverage can be replayed on his facebook page. He used 2 camera angles and showed on-line results in real time. Check it out. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087853629116
Our first 2023 Hilo regatta was a great success with most crews improving their standings. 20 crews made it to the podium with the keiki coming on strong off the line with 10 crews in the top 3.
Combining the keiki and Novice A and B paddlers we were leading the regatta points going into the 1 mile events.
Good job to the Novice A/B/Mix crews. WNB with 3rd, XNB 10th (sorry about the poor holding job, current on lanes 4 & 5 were strong), MNB (DQ along with 2 other DQ’s. It happens), WNA 2nd, MNA 8th.
Lots of tough races with our club getting 2nd overall and 9 Gold, 8 Silver and 3 Bronze. We did see a large gap between us and Puna who took home 20 golds but they did it using their barely legal grandfathered koa canoe, Kalapana….
Keaukaha Regatta & Medals
At our regatta on the 24th we will distribute previous medals and celebrate the season after racing is pau. So be prepared to stick around for some fun. More information about everyone’s kuleana will be coming from coaches and members as we move through this week.
For food there will be food trucks and pop-up vendors that Kwai-Chang is organizing along with So Juicy also supplying food and juices.
KOYD will be selling cold pupus as part of their fundraiser to get the 13 kids to Samoa for the IVF World Distance race.
Keaukaha will also be selling drinks to help raise funds for the halau rebuild and canoe repairs.
Te Aito – Congrats Ali’i
The famous Tahiti rudderless race (V1) took place on June 11th. Our very own Ali’i Youderian (Puakea Team Rider), who also qualified for the individual event at World Distance with KOYD, made an impressive appearance by finishing this extremely competitive race in 11th for his division. Just for comparison he was a mere 5 minutes behind 1st place (Keoni Sulpice) who is already a professional paddler for Shell Va’a.
Last years IVF World Sprints in London was a huge success and an amazing experience for our paddlers. This year we’re looking to get 13 kids to World Distance hosted in Samoa.
We had 2 teams qualify for World Distance this year. OC6 Girls 16 and Boys 16 and Ali’i Youderian (individual V1). KOYD is starting their fundraiser to help get these teams to Somoa to compete. Having individual or corporate sponsors would be fantastic. Here’s how:
Aloha ʻOe,
We are Keaukaha One Youth Development a Hawaiian non‐profit organization, a dedicated canoe/paddling collective from Hilo, Hawaiʻi and would like to humbly ask you and your company to consider becoming a sponsoring partner on our way to the prestigious IVF outrigger canoe world distance championship this August in Apia, Samoa:
Our story: From the small town of Hilo, Hawaiʻi, a group of thirteen (13) athletes with heart, dedication, and willpower surprised everyone in the paddling world and qualified for the “Olympics” of outrigger canoe paddling. Cherishing and perpetuating the values instilled in us through our heritage of paddling and navigating, this path has brought us to this once in a lifetime opportunity that is now before us.
Our goal: As a youth development program that began from humble beginnings, stemming from a proud but not necessarily affluent community, we want to represent Hawaiʻi on the biggest stage. Our will to succeed did not come overnight but our success did. We believed deeply in the possibilities yet were surprised by qualifying after our initial partaking. This is part of the reason why we could not create long‐term plans for our budget but pretty much need to raise the necessary funds within weeks, not months…
Our promise: We do not take our kuleana (responsibility & privilege) lightly. We know that every dollar chipped in for our cause could have been spent in so many ways…that is why we would like to remind you why your decision in sponsoring our goal is a pono (correct & rightful) thing to do: * Become part of an incredible story, which is a one‐of‐a‐kind opportunity for your company’s social media exposure. * Become a member of our crew that travels across the world to represent Hawaiʻi and showcase the true values and spirit of aloha and sportsmanship. * Become a true cultural ambassador to Hawaiʻi on a globally covered/visible event. * Become a prime vessel to reach your target audience and clientele. * Show the world, your audience, that you are serious about corporate & social responsibility, live your actions and support ambitious athletes. * As pioneers and believers there is no end to possibilities, only beginnings.
To become a Sponsor or Donate: All donations are tax‐deductible and can be accepted via check to Keaukaha One Youth Development at the address above, or visit our GoFundMe page available online at:
https://gofund.me/71d2ee2a
For all other inquiries or possibilities on how we can represent your brand, sponsorship, business, or organization, please feel free to reach out to us.
ʻAʻohe mea ke alu like mai kākou (there is nothing we cannot accomplish together),
The Hilo weather was nice for the Hui Waʻa ʻO Waiākea club race on Saturday, June 3rd. With keiki’s lined up for the short course of 3 miles followed by the 6 mile long course for adults.
Photos Courtesy of Maile Nunez
Short Course
We didn’t have any keiki racing from our club this race but it was a good turn out of 30 canoes for the short course. Top honors went to Kamehameha’s Boys 13 in 18:39 with the Hoemana’s Girls 13 finishing just 13 seconds behind them. In fact a lot of close finishers in that race which made for great spectator action.
Long Course
On the long course, that was a different scene as we fielded multiple canoes in a fleet of 46. Here’s their overall results:
1st Overall (unlimited): Open Men (Brawn Albino, Grant Kauahi, Kama Leeloy, Tyler Makaiwi, MARIO MAUSIO, ROBERT WHITNEY JR.)
9th Overall: Open Men (Laʻa Kamakawiwoʻole, Keao Kiyuna, Nathan Osorio, Denis Perdomo, Kwai Chang Publico, Paco Sanchez Tusie)
20th Overall: Men Novice: (Sam Carlos, Mike Enos, Jeffrey Laasch Chandler, Casey Morris, Rick Myers, Jonah Villiarimo)
Full results overall and by division: https://hcrapaddler.com/hcra_ld_results.php?view=byplace&rid=973
Congratulations to the unlimited crew for putting a fire to whole fleet and making them chase them around the course. Also to all the novice paddlers who continue to be a force on the water and comprised 1/2 of our entries with 3 canoes! Keep up the hard work. You’ll see it pay off in time as you work together and develop speed and endurance. Garans!
The weather was clear and the water was blue. Two things often a staple at Kona Regattas. Another constant is the conflicts between commercial and recreational uses at the pier and surrounding properties. But we were unprepared for a new twist at this race.
Keiki crews lined up for a solid day of racing in the morning hours. Our 12’s made some large improvements over last week’s regatta. Against 13 and 11 canoes, they pulled off a 6th and a 2nd. This trend continued throughout the events with numerous podium finishes.
Novice crews raked in the points too with their large fleets even a mid-pack finish pulled in a lot of regatta points. WNB at 5th (7pts), XNb 6th (6pts), MNB 5th (5pts), WNA 8th (3pts), MNA 7th (5pts). Each one of these races gathered enough points to close the gap on Puna and Kai ‘Opua. Keep at it! It’s going to make a huge difference for us this season.
Open Divisions also did really well. MFr/WFr both pulling of 3rds and WJr pulled of a blazing 1st place with the MJr battling it out in a tough race with Keauhou (Jose knock it off….) that got them 2nd.
Full results: https://hcrapaddler.com/hcra_results.php?view=byevent&rid=972
Shutdown
DLNR acting on a report of possible reef damage suspended our races to inspect the flag moorings. To the surprise of some (at least me) they weren’t on fixed moorings but dropped with bricks. This is the same thing we do in Hilo but the sea floor in Hilo is sand and, well, let’s just say muck.
DLNR Regatta Photo via Big Island Video News
DLNR regulates use of anchors and moorings in all the bays around the islands and issues yearly permits for them. DLNR allowed the event to continue but it was understood everything had to be pau by 6pm. According to Eddie someone decided to just start pulling flags after event 25 which forced an end to the race.
So the race ended after the Juniors around 4:00pm. We don’t yet know if the 1/2 day of points counts or if it will be a full reset. Also the next regatta will have to be moved to Hilo or cancelled. Another unknown right now.
Obligatory Kawika Video
Hui Wa’a O Waiakea’s Long Distance Race
In the meantime this next race on June 3rd is a long distance race based out of Hilo. Let’s go Keaukaha!
Before getting into the regatta results, it’s important to communicate why we had so many registration issues. For the past couple years HCRA accepted our electronic forms. However about 3 weeks ago they rejected them (long story) as we started submitting all our waivers, ID’s, photos, etc. This was a huge issue for our club as we were unprepared to process over 250 waivers by hand (which included all the kids). A few volunteers quickly stepped up to try to help get it done. HCRA then started rejecting them for trivial technical reasons, making even more work. Some paddlers had to sign 4 or more times before getting approved. Tracking who was approved, who needed to resubmit, who was missing papers, who was stuck in the system was nearly impossible to do perfectly.
Without going into the weeds, except to say we had over 20 paddlers waiting for approval before their deadline and they got ignored by HCRA, our volunteers tried to plug all the leaks in the dam to get as many approved by whatever means it took on Saturday.
Sadly this left some people in the cold. And some crews were forced to scratch their event.
However at this point we are down to about 15% or less of our paddlers that need HCRA approval before 5pm Wednesday again, so please try to be patient and understanding as we attempt to get everyone approved.
Let’s Race! Paddles Up!
A nice overcast day in Kona provided some relief from the fireball that usually reverts the asphalt pier back into molten goo. And leading the charge was the keiki divisions and novice crews who helped set the dominant tone for the day.
Keiki crews filled every event and we had multiple crews that literally walked away from the fleet. There’s so much that could be said about all their dedication and teamwork but the best part is they had a great time together. By the time the kids crews wrapped up their races they put our club in 2nd overall, 1 point ahead of Puna and a mere 10 points behind Kai ‘Ehitu, with us finishing 3rd overall by the end of the regatta.
Novice crews faced their first race with blazing paddles and a fire in their eyes, and maybe a butterfly or two in their stomachs. As far as most people can remember this is the most novice crews we’ve fielded in a long time. Good job crews! I can’t wait to see your progress this season. Shout out to those crews:
Women B’s: Jackie Ahia, Kelly Bernier, Ashley Kahiapo, Crystal Obrien, Kehau Usui, Nikki Vierra
Men Nov. B’s: Scratched due to sea of paperwork instead of salt water.
Women Nov. A’s: Whitney Dahm, Nalani Laititi, Lisa Lucia, Michelle Melendez, Haunani Miyasato, Keala Stant
Men Nov. A’s: Francis Alcain, Laʻa Kamakawiwoʻole, Ryan Lucia, Rick Myers, Nathan Osorio, Patrick Parker
We also had a few crews that were completely untouchable. They not only brought the heat, but packed it up, took it home and had a BBQ with the leftovers.
These are crews that not only were 1st but had significant gaps on the whole fleet.
Men 65: Jeff Clemenson, Warren Dela Cruz, Greg Kane, Mike Shintaku, Ben Smith, Egan Tasaki
An unsung hero goes to George Thomas who is not only our oldest paddler, but he practically has his own 80’s division. He’s an inspiration to all of us. In fact, I personally know a few older non-paddlers who now have new motivation seeing him hammer in the 55 (?!) division.
Also a big thanks goes to Keahi who never fails in the dozens of tasks needed to pull these events off: trailer the wa’a, rigging, dealing with officials, paperwork, and somehow keeping over 50 kids out of trouble while paddling a priceless koa canoe in tight spaces.
Also mahalos to all the boat holders, paper wrestlers, snack bringers, tent setters, kid watchers, and all the others who try to keep the wheels on.
Which brings us to the bad.
The Bad
It’s bound to happen, but 4 hulis (5? I lost count) in one day is a lot. And it’s tough on crews, especially the steersman. I tried to help one girl in tears because she was devastated feeling she got her crew DQ’d as a large group of adult paddlers jump off the race boat to help empty the canoe and get them across the finish line. It’s a gentle reminder that if it was easy, it wouldn’t be so exciting and rewarding. And we should be supportive of each other.
Also in the bad list was the collision between two Koa canoes that was bad enough to cause cracks on both of them and the wa’a had to be retired. This is also one of the risks of paddling and learning. While it breaks everyone’s heart when it happens, it does happen and we just want to emphasize caution.
And while that stuff was bad, there’s still the ugly.
The Ugly
Our paddling organization is very large and a bit unwieldy like a 3000 person canoe might be. It’s impossible to keep everyone happy although we try our best. Each island and club is a little different. Everyone has their own challenges at all levels and it’s important to keep that in perspective.
In the wise words of Ted Lasso (video clip must see):
Be curious, not judgemental.
-Fictional show about soccer or football or both maybe?
So, like in the wa’a, let’s move forward together and let others fret about the wake behind us.
The Fun
My favorite part.
Kawika Singson got some great footage, look for the high speed huli. And Waimapuna charging hard in a lot of the shots.Cheeeeeeehooo! Photos from Keith Kefford
Keauhou Canoe Club Regatta 5/27
Let’s get ready to race again on the 27th! Lessssgoooo!
Last weekend featured two races, one OC6 and the premier world OC1 championship race between Moloka’i and ‘Oahu.
From Keaukaha 5 crews set out in the sunny (read hot) Kawaihae waters with a slight northerly breeze. This race tends to bring out the Big Island hammahs and this race was no exception as the competition stepped it up. The course was the same for both divisions and the women crews started the day off on this 9 mile race towards red hill and back.
Women’s Open crew launched off the start line and battled their way to 2nd in their division only a 1 minute behind first.
The lack of a novice division inspired 2 women’s 40 crews, one with veteran paddlers and the 2nd with novice crew. The first W40 crew hammered into 4nd Place a mere 30 seconds behind a podium finish. And the W40/Novice crew rose to the challenge and completed the 9 miles in 1:35:25 a quick pace for any novice crew in the open waters. Great job and good training for this season.
We also had 2 M40’s crews on the water. Our first crew placing 10th overall and 2nd in the division. And our 2nd crew (mostly 50’s) placing 16th overall and 4th in the division.
A quick glance at the overall results reveals some tough 50’s competition for this coming season with Kawaihae 50’s finishing less than 1 minute behind the top open teams at 4th overall.
Two teams were disqualified for mounting cameras on their canoes. This is no longer allowed by HCRA you can only wear a camera.
The race that is largely considered the world championship of OC1 racing, the Molo Solo took place on Sunday.
This race features some of the biggest names in outrigger paddling around the world. It’s a 31 mile race with one paddler per OC1 canoe. No changes. No mercy.
Keaukaha Ali’i Youderian charged to a division first place and in the top 20 beating some of the world’s best. Our own Mario Mausio bought his ticket and charged the channel breaking the top 30. Amazing!
The top 3 overall OC1 winners are Danny Ching (40th Birthday during the race), Millon Manutea, and Tuteraii Hoatua.
