Category: News

To all parents and club members: we will have a cleanup and BBQ day on Sunday May 5th!

• Clean up – 10am to 1pm (mostly adult members’ Kuleana)
• BBQ/Potluck 1:30pm (Friends and Family please join us)
• Ohana paddling (we’ll have 1 OC6 for family, friends and kids to learn 3 at a time, along with 3 experienced paddlers + life jackets supplied)
• OC6 Ama flying contests (2 canoe show down, 3 to 6 man crews, audience decides who advances to final)

For the cleanup:

If you have materials that could be donated it would help.

• Some minor projects / supplies:
  • Sections of galvanized chain link to close up the broken areas
  • Repair saddles (Fire hose padding will be available)
  • Sand removed around OC1 Halau 1 & 2 gates and under some of the canoes (check with stall owners)
  • PVC repair or replacement of the OC1 stands
  • Repair county hose valve by OC1 Halau 3 (If county hasn’t fixed it by then, need a valve NPT threaded)
  • Trim back trees and bushes from Halaus
  • Weed and Trash removal (need buckets and bags)
  • OC6 cleaning
  • Trucks to haul away trash
• Things that will help
  • I’ll bring my pressure washer again for the shower area – might be nice to paint it too
  • Shovels, rakes, gloves, trimming equipment (take a look around now to see what you might be able to help with)
  • General tools for repairs
  • Clean OC6 canoes (buckets, rags, glycerin-based soap – without detergents which are bad for waterways, brushes, etc.)
  • Clean OC1 locks and lubricate
  • Repair your OC1 stall pads (personal responsibility)
  • Just cleaning and fixing stuff in general.

---

Goodbye to Jeannie

Jeannie’s celebration of life was not surprisingly a very crowded affair. Friday’s gathering at the Yacht Club had over 250 guests and the Paddle out was just as well attended. We had help from other clubs to provide additional seats for friends and family as Bill spread her ashes in the bay she loved to paddle in. If you would like to share your photos or videos with others, look at her memorial site: http://www.inmemoryofjeansakovich.com/

She was a positive force on the land as well as the ocean and she’ll be missed by many.

---

Beanie Heen Race

Due to Dave Yamagata unable to fully run the Yamagata Challenge this year, the Beanie Heen is the last OC1 until fall.

Long Course Results

Way to represent, Tyron!

Place	Bib	Name	Category	Gender	Finish time	Gap
1	521	Grocholski Jr, Nathan	OC-1, Junior	M	1:48:06.3	–
2	65	Ho, Kala’e	OC-1, Junior	M	1:50:55.0	+2:48.7
3	1801	Foti, Jaemon	OC-1, Junior	M	1:53:04.6	+4:58.3
4	111	Team Capri-	OC-2, 60+	F/M	1:53:17.7	+5:11.4
5	551	Napoleon, Maui	OC-1, 19-39	M	1:53:47.3	+5:41.0
6	238	Pj & Alex	OC-2, 60+	M	1:54:31.1	+6:24.8
7	1787	Hayward, Eddie	OC-1, 50-59	M	1:55:37.7	+7:31.4
8	1669	Bertaina, Toa	OC-1, Junior	M	1:56:14.3	+8:08.0
9	39	Grocholski, Nathan	V-1, 40+	M	1:56:56.7	+8:50.4
10	1829	Bess, Jerry	OC-1, 50-59	M	1:57:20.3	+9:14.0
11	1668	Becerra, Charles	OC-1, 50-59	M	1:59:22.1	+11:15.8
12	8	Ogata, Theron	OC-1, 50-59	M	2:00:29.4	+12:23.1
13	1811	Nicolas, Tyron	OC-1, 50-59	M	2:01:25.2	+13:18.9
14	1701	Woods, Leo	OC-1, 40-49	M	2:01:48.8	+13:42.5
15	69	Old, David	V-1, 40+	M	2:02:59.5	+14:53.2
16	26	Daniels, Jude	V-1, Junior	M	2:03:11.8	+15:05.5
17	1463	Meyer, Patrick	OC-1, Junior	M	2:03:14.2	+15:07.9
18	882	Team Tan	OC-2, 19-49	F/M	2:03:17.8	+15:11.5
19	626	Free, Martin	OC-1, 50-59	M	2:05:04.3	+16:58.0
20	1768	Ward, Makayla	OC-1, 19-39	F	2:05:23.9	+17:17.6
21	25	Kilgore, Jim	V-1, 40+	M	2:05:28.5	+17:22.2
22	1741	Ho, Kona	OC-1, 40-49	M	2:06:09.2	+18:02.9
23	1411	Hunter, Brian	OC-1, 50-59	M	2:07:54.1	+19:47.8
24	1662	Daniel, Darcy	OC-1, 50-59	F	2:08:01.9	+19:55.6
25	1704	Pucong, Malakai	OC-1, Junior	M	2:08:30.4	+20:24.1
26	1413	Lee, Zalyn	OC-1, 19-39	M	2:09:32.7	+21:26.4
27	1809	Heiss, Mike	OC-1, Novice	M	2:10:02.0	+21:55.7
28	1692	Sticks And Tiny Bubbles	OC-2, 19-49	M	2:10:20.6	+22:14.3
29	37	Powers, Oliver	OC-1, Junior	M	2:10:30.7	+22:24.4
30	888	Anderson, Susan	OC-1, 60-69	F	2:11:33.0	+23:26.7
31	1705	Kahulamu, Nolen	OC-1, 40-49	M	2:12:47.4	+24:41.1
32	300	Benavides, Karlos	OC-1, 40-49	M	2:13:00.0	+24:53.7
33	1752	Parker-Bailey, Troy	OC-1, 60-69	M	2:14:49.8	+26:43.5
34	1750	Heiss, Brenna	OC-1, Junior	F	2:20:03.8	+31:57.5
35	99	Morris, Louise	OC1, 70+	F	2:33:24.4	+45:18.1

Short Course Results

Great Job Casey, Talan, Greg, and Crystal!

Place	Bib	Name	Category	Gender	Finish time	Gap
1	57	Gladden, Kekai	OC-1, 19-59	M	1:13:09.8	–
2	1515	Ohana Va’a	OC-2, 19-59	F/M	1:13:47.1	+0:37.3
3	1803	Farmer, Troy	OC-1, 19-59	M	1:14:31.5	+1:21.7
4	4430	Lai, Jr	OC-1, 60-69	M	1:14:52.1	+1:42.3
5	21	Leyva, Daniel	OC-1, 60-69	M	1:14:57.9	+1:48.1
6	1816	Kamauoha, Gary	OC-1, 60-69	M	1:15:10.6	+2:00.8
7	199	Morris, Casey	OC-1, Novice	M	1:15:33.6	+2:23.8
8	1716	Axelson, Mark	OC-1, Novice	M	1:15:53.4	+2:43.6
9	19	Orosco, Syl	OC-1, 19-59	M	1:16:07.4	+2:57.6
10	1691	Nicolas, Talan	OC-1, Junior	M	1:16:20.3	+3:10.5
11	1719	Huli Chickens	OC-2, 19-59	F/M	1:16:30.0	+3:20.2
12	543	Watters, R.D.	OC-1, 19-59	M	1:16:40.2	+3:30.4
13	71	Kane, Greg	OC1, 70+	M	1:16:52.9	+3:43.1
14	9	Elliott, Jim	OC-1, 60-69	M	1:17:28.4	+4:18.6
15	171	Roth, Shaun	V-1, 19-59	M	1:18:22.7	+5:12.9
16	1656	Akau, Kaeaea	OC-1, Junior	M	1:18:49.0	+5:39.2
17	279	Mama & Papa Bear	OC-2, 19-59	F/M	1:18:57.5	+5:47.7
18	1817	Vondrak, Vladimir	OC-1, Junior	M	1:19:10.2	+6:00.4
19	14	Muin, Joseph	OC-1, 19-59	M	1:19:38.3	+6:28.5
20	49	Thompson, Chuck	OC1, 70+	M	1:19:47.3	+6:37.5
21	239	Spirit Of Scotty	OC-2, 19-59	F	1:20:36.7	+7:26.9
22	1663	Bertaina, Giovanni Onosai	OC-1, Novice	M	1:20:48.8	+7:39.0
23	1620	Tan, Hina’Ea	OC-1, Junior	F	1:22:07.7	+8:57.9
24	721	Green, Jene’	OC-1, Novice	F	1:22:23.1	+9:13.3
25	1416	Martin Ekings, Sam	OC-1, 60-69	F	1:23:48.7	+10:38.9
26	294	Cheyenne And Peri	OC-2, Junior	F	1:24:48.0	+11:38.2
27	1679	Kaiawe-Zager, He’Enalu	V-1, Junior	M	1:26:06.9	+12:57.1
28	1753	Learned, Brodie	OC-1, Junior	M	1:26:24.6	+13:14.8
29	162	Jarvinen, Suzanne	OC-1, 60-69	F	1:26:41.0	+13:31.2
30	1441	Martinez, Crystal	OC-1, 19-59	F	1:26:59.2	+13:49.4
31	711	Hodges, Lois	OC1, 70+	F	1:27:24.5	+14:14.7
32	808	Kukua, Cherise	OC-1, Novice	F	1:31:02.4	+17:52.6
33	18	Shaw, Susan	OC1, 70+	F	1:31:56.3	+18:46.5
34	2743	Solomon, Matthew	Prone Board, Open	M	1:36:54.6	+23:44.8
35	1767	Ecker, Kaeti	OC1, 70+	F	1:44:06.5	+30:56.7

---

Businessman Regatta

Always a fun pre-season race hosted by Kamehameha Canoe Club. The Businessman Regatta was held Sunday on the 14th. It’s a good way for new people to get a high energy introduction to paddling and a fun community event.

Hopefully you got to see some of the fun or got to race this year.

Both Adults and Keiki dust off those paddles. The week of March 4 we will start to meet up with the coaches and hit the water. Schedules may end up adjusting based on crew needs and canoe availability.

Adult Paddler Dues & Paperwork

Make sure you’ve logged in and paid your dues and finished your paperwork before getting in a canoe. Coaches will be checking.

New Paddlers

Request an account on our website if you don’t have one.

Women

• Novice A/B: Eric H. – Tuesday/Thursday 4:30pm, Sunday 2pm
• OPEN/W40: Keahi – M/T/W/Th 5-6:30pm, Sunday 6-8am
• W50/W55: Tito – Tuesday/Friday 5-6 pm
• W60+: Join W50/W55 with Tito Tues/Fri 5-6pm

Men

• Novice A/B: Kwai – Tuesday/Thursday 4-6, + 1 weekend day (TBD)
• OPEN/M40: Kama – M/W/Th 4:30pm
• M50/55: Tito – Tuesday/Friday 5-6 pm
• M60+: Warren – M/W/Fri 3pm

Keiki Forms and Schedule

Parents – Please fill out the forms for your paddlers: https://keaukahacanoeclub.com/keiki

Filling out the form will add you to a separate contact list from the adults.

• Menehune (under 12) – Friday 4-5 pm
• 12-18 – M/T/W/Th 3-5pm

Bonus: Monday Madness

For those looking for some extra water time, Monday will be an open day to all levels/ages of paddlers who have OC1’s. Let’s go for a 4:30pm fleet departure from the beach, or join up on the water if you can’t make that time.

If you can’t keep up, that’s fine. Here’s some rules of thumb.

• Stay on the same line as the other paddlers.
• If in trouble, hold your paddle blade above the water to draw attention. (This signal can also be used by leaders to tell the group to stop/regroup).
• If you don’t feel comfortable with the route or conditions, turn back and let others know you’re heading back.
• Also before the paddle out, if you’re not sure about conditions or leaving early, let others know you might turn back early.
• If you’re outside the wall and see the faster group stopping, then stop unless the plan is to regroup. When they turn around and start paddling, start heading back too. This helps keep the group from spreading out.
• Keep your equipment in good condition and know your limits.

2024 Schedule

It seems likely that Kona will not get their racing permits in time for the 2024 season, but this is still Moku’s published schedule. Races are expected to all be in Hilo again this season, updates to the link above will be made as the dates get closer.

Date	Race	Location	Type	Sponsor
2024-05-04	HOEMANA KAI KUKINI	Spencer Beach Park	LD*	Hoemana
2024-05-11	KAWAIHAE	Kawaihae Harbor	LD*	Kawaihae Canoe Club
2024-05-18	KAI ʻEHITU/PAPA KIMITETE	Hilo Akiona Course	RG*	Kai ʻEhitu Outrigger Team
2024-05-25	KEAUHOU	Kailua Bay	LD*	Keauhou Canoe Club
2024-06-01	HUI WAʻA O WAIĀKEA/IRA&BARBARA KEKAUAL	Hilo Bay	LD*	Hui Waʻa ʻO Waiākea
2024-06-08	KAI ʻŌPUA/KAMEHAMEHA DAY	Kailua Bay	LD*	Kai Opua Canoe Club
2024-06-15	KAILANA	Hilo Bay (1/4)	RG*	Kailana Canoe Club
2024-06-22	KEAUKAHA	Hilo Bay (1/4)	RG*	Keaukaha Canoe Club
2024-06-29	PUNA	Hilo Akiona Course	RG*	Puna Canoe Club
2024-07-06	KAMEHAMEHA HILO/JOHN KEKUA JR	Hilo Akiona Course	RG*	Kamehameha Canoe Club – Hilo
2024-07-13	PADDLERS OF LAKA/NA WAʻA HANAKAHI	Hilo Akiona Course	RG*	Paddlers of Laka
2024-07-20	AUNTY MAILE/MOKU O HAWAII CHAMPIONSHIP	Hilo Bay (1/4)	RG*	MOKU
2024-08-10	MILOLIʻI	Miloli’i Bay	LD*	Miloliʻi Canoe Club
2024-08-17	KEŌUA/CALVIN KELEKOLIO	Honaunau Bay	LD*	Keōua Hōnaunau Canoe Club
2024-08-24	WAIKOLOA/GREAT WAIKOLOA RACE	Anaeho’omalu Bay	LD*	Waikoloa Canoe Club

*RG is a sprints regatta

*LD is a long distance race

Questions

Contact us if you have some specific questions or need more information.

Dear friends of Jeannie,

SAVE THE DATES!

As you may already know, our beloved Jeannie Sakovich left us on Saturday, January 13, 2023 after a short battle with cancer. 

We would like to extend this invitation to the paddling community to join the makule crews and Jeannie’s family on Saturday, April 13, 2024 7am at Bayfront as we assemble to remember and memorialize her in a paddle out to spread some of her ashes in Hilo Bay.  She loved paddling; more accurately, she loved paddling in Hilo Bay with Keaukaha Canoe Club so itʻs appropriate that we release a portion of her ashes into the bay with her friends and family being a witness to her new found freedom. We will gather at 7 a.m. for pule and spiritual guidance; Jeannieʻs makule crew will begin the paddle out and we invite you to be present as we paddle out towards Moku Ola where family members will be able to gather and experience the spirit of aloha as we lay her to rest. It is our hope that you will join us on your oc-1, SUP, or kayaks. Following the sprinkling of her ashes, we will have a few pop up tents in the lower parking lot and a selection of pupu’s and would like you to join us in celebrating her life and remembering her smile, her thoughtfulness and her willingness to be there for the team. Will you join us?  If youʻd like to bring something, please bring loose bio-degradable flowers. 

Also, Jeannieʻs family is hosting her Celebration of Life the day prior, on Friday, April 12th, at the Hilo Yacht Club from 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. All family and friends are welcome to attend. 

Ua pau kona luhi, ua maha (She is at peace)

The Sakovich Family

It’s that time again. OC1 stall holders need to renew their 2024 rental prior to Feb. 1 when we change keys. Paddlers need to also pay dues for OC6 Canoe use and get your HCRA waivers signed.

New HCRA Waiver Process

Login into your account, sign the forms and pay the dues owed. You will be required to print an HCRA waver, sign it, then scan or photograph it, then upload it to our website.

This is a new process but it will allow coaches to access your signed waiver for regattas and long distance races without having to repeat this multiple times.

Dues $100 / year, OC1 stalls are $120 with $50 refundable deposit.

Lost a Key?

If you need to replace a key, log into the website. Go to the menu->Halau->waitlist. There you’ll see a button “REQUEST REPLACEMENT KEY”. Click this ONCE. It will send a notification to us and it will reset your deposit.

Go to menu->Aloha->KCC BILLING SUMMARY and you should see the $50 deposit is due. Once this deposit is paid you can pick up your replacement key (instructions will be emailed).

Technical Difficulties?

You might experience a problem with getting your account renewed. If you do, take careful note of the details and explain it when you Contact Us for help (screenshots can help). Remember we are just volunteers, so patience and understanding is appreciated.

No Website Account?

If you’re interested in joining the club, use the Contact Us page. Please let us know some general information about yourself:

• Why you want to join
• Previous Experience (None is fine, but any water sports related experience is nice to know about)
• Gender and age group (<40, 40-49, 50-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70+)

We will discuss options with you and try to find a fit.

Team Jerseys

We plan on using the same blue 2023 jerseys and they can be found on our Store. There has been a few additions to the options including a couple other styles of synthetic jerseys and a black background version too for variety on non-race days.

DEADLINE DECEMBER 2, 2023

Hilo Bay will be hosting World Sprints August 13th to 24th but before you setup your training plan, you’ve got to qualify. Hawai’i Time Trials will be held in Hilo on April 27 and 28 of 2024.

Time trials will consist of V1 and V6 canoes. Trials are 500m course which is one length and no turns. You’ll have to stay in your lane (marked like swimming pool lanes with floats). And you can have a boat holder if necessary (sometimes strong winds require holders).

If you’re interested in putting together a crew or going V1 here’s the requirements.

The following summary is NOT official and extracted from HCRA Documentation which is the primary reference. LET ME KNOW IF YOU FIND AN ERROR.

---

Multiple Crews = Lower Fees

UPDATED: 11/27/2023

To file an intent, you do not need your crew roster. If you want to just do V1, you still have to pay $20. If you and a buddy want to just to race V1 then $40 ($20 each). This seems counter to what the instructions say, however 2 people have now verified this is how the charges are working.

Where you save is if you want to do V6 or V12 (no V12 for time trials, V6 teams that qualify can build V12 crew), you can sign up those slots and split the $100 and other fees with other V6/V12 teams. The problem is 1 person will need to be responsible for those crews and getting payments and informing them of dates and requirements and submitting all their papers. So be aware of how this system works.

Required

• Passports for all paddlers, no exceptions
• File and Pay for your Intent BEFORE Dec. 2 2023.
  • $100 per intent and $20 per V1 paddler
    • update: If you just do V1, it’s $20.
  • File intent for V1/V6/V12 crews (no roster needed)
    • update: $100 covers 1 or multiple V6/V12 entries
  • 50% more charge if filed late
  • Clubs can file multiple intents ($100 if 1 or more V6/V12 and $20 each V1)
  • Payment is done on-line when submitting your form
• FORM: (https://forms.gle/11ass4hDo3AEbpzu8) 
  • Our Club Contact is whoever is organizing your crew
  • You do not need to provide a roster list for crews until April.
  • Pay close attention to deadlines as materials are time sensitive and may sometimes require immediate attention.

Key Deadlines

• December 2, 2023 – Submit Intent to Race
• January 31, 2024 – Last Date to Add/Remove Crews
  • Roster not needed.
  • Crew changes must be made through your intent to participate form edit link – don’t submit a new form.
• April 19, 2024 – Crew Rosters Due and Paddlers must be HCRA Validated
  • Paddlers may be from different HCRA Clubs
  • Passports are required for all paddlers. (If you need to renew or apply, start that process now).
  • Headshot photos (clear, front facing, no shadows, clear backgrounds, no hats, sunglasses, etc).
  • Proof of residency. (Required for foreign passport holders).
  • $40 / paddler dues to be paid

Qualify

Place in top 6 in 500 Meter at trials for V6 or in the top 3 for V1. Here’s what to expect for next steps:

• April 28, 2024 $240 – Refundable up to 50% on a case-by-case basis. Amount paid out and time to sprints race will be a factor.
• April 28, 2024 Order uniform. All Hawaii participants must wear the Team Hawaii Racing Uniform while competing and during any medal presentations.
• May 15, 2024 TUE’s, Anti-doping, and any other IVF required paperwork must be turned in
• August 13-24 RACE!

A hot week of racing in Samoa filled with some jaw dropping action and finishing with a heart stopping V6 Open Men race. But First let’s start with Day 1 Race 2.

Waiolu Publico was the first Big Island Jr. paddler to test the waters in a V1. Live coverage primarily focused on the top 4 paddlers and crews, which made for some frustrating viewing but due to the large race course coverage was limited.

Waiolu gave a good chase on the first lap only to get pulled from the course along with 2 other paddlers who didn’t make the time out limits for each lap. For those watching the stream it was unclear why some paddlers seemed to disappear, but to keep the races flowing quickly paddlers were kept to strict time limits

You can watch the replays from the live stream from Waiolu’s race here:

Results from all the events can be found on webscorer. Just search by race name an type in IVF.

https://www.webscorer.com/findraces?pg=results

That same day Race 3 had the Men’s V6 40 crews with Keahi and Tito for Team Hawai’i and Nik for Team Germany.

They paddled to an impressive 6th place only 9 seconds behind Tahiti and 6:40 behind 1st. Impressive finish for a crew that had to be pieced together quickly due to Lanikai dropping out and passport issues limiting crew members. And Germany finished 11th, 12:53 behind 1st place.

Day 2 Race 3 were Men & Women J16 V6 with a Koyd crews in both races. The Men J16 finished 5th 14:12 behind first and the Women J16 crew finished 4th 14:41 behind first place. Catch the action here.

Day 3 had Ali’i in the V1 race 1 and it was a wild ride. The leading paddler from Tahiti had a huli by a reef and that set him back a couple of positions and Ali’i fought hard to gain ground on the leaders. In a wild finish Ali’i managed to out-surf the Tahitian paddler crossing the line 3rd by 0.009 seconds over 4th place. It was an amazing finish to watch. Check it out.

The Heart Stopper

The last race of the week is the mens open division and Jose was paddling with Team Hawai’i along with Chase, Trey, Avans, Jack, and Keakua.

The camera crews focused primarily on the top 4 teams and Tahiti and New Zealand looked unstoppable. They hammered out to the front early. But there was some action in the mid-field as Hawai’i began to slowly pull up and pass crews in the large chop and spray.

By the end of the 2nd lap they had moved into 3rd when they pulled an amazing move to push out New Zealand at the turning mark.

Tahiti still had a sizable lead, but there was a full lap to go and it was a full on battle. The video was amazing to watch from start to finish but here’s the spoilers.

In an unbelievable push, Hawai’i kept gaining on Tahiti. Then the Tahitian stroker had a massive cramp approaching the finish line. He looked like he might have been suffering from a heart attack he was incapacitated but you can see in this still as Hawai’i pulled up next to them he’s trying to recover (Red Jersey) and keep his team in the game. He fought hard to keep paddling and was in obvious pain.

Team Hawai’i had speed and desire and in the end put a 28 second gap on them to win gold from a massive deficit off the start. The odds won’t be spoken.

If you do one thing, take some time to watch this race. It’s better than any Superbowl.

There were a lot of other great paddlers out there and Hawai’i teams that placed high, including more 1st places. Browse through the results pages and see how strongly they finished in a world class event.

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.

Great job paddlers!

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.

LIVE:

https://espntsports24.com/world-distance-championships/?fbclid=IwAR2CKOzhP-n7gokup_qAwcPpq7x7NSZcqEB8XD5HS0CR_j3lxUOH48OyGDo

LOTS OF STEAMING ON FACEBOOK/YOUTUBE:

https://www.facebook.com/worlddistanceSamoa2023

https://fb.watch/mo_xvVa2QB/

https://www.youtube.com/@internationalvaafederation7175

Schedule and Events:

Samoa is 1 day ahead of us and then 1 hour behind.

http://www.ivfiv.org/race-schedule.html

Sunday Hawai’i time:

• 12:15pm Wai’olu V1 – 10 miles

• 2:30 pm 40’s V6 – Keahi & Tito (Hawaii), Nik Dahm (Germany) – 15 miles

Monday

• 2:30 pm Both Girls and Boys 16, 6 man – 10 miles

Tuesday

• 8:30 am Ali’i V1 – 10 miles

Thursday

• 2:30 pm Nik Dahm (Germany) & Jose (Team Oceania}- Open 6 man – 15 miles

2023 World Distance Champ

Time Out

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.

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.

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.

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.

Results

Full regatta results can be found here: https://hcrapaddler.com/hcra_results.php?view=byevent&rid=995

Impressive podium finishes:

• 1st Boys 12
• 3rd Mixed Boys and Girls 12
• 1st Girls 15
• 3rd Boys 16 and under
• 1st Boys 18 and under
• 2nd Mixed Boys and Girls 18 and under
• 2nd Mens Junior

Hard Work

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.

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

Videos are up thanks to Mike and a few helpers:

https://www.youtube.com/@crabbiepaddle/videos

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.

Format is like this:

Race Results for [regatta name] (date)
Event [#]: [description]
[place] ([X] pts) Lane:[X] [time]: [crew members]

https://keaukahacanoeclub.com/2023-season/

Next? Long Distance!

Local Races to Big Island

• 2023-08-12 Miloli’i at Miloli’i Bay
• 2023-08-19 Calvin Kelekolio at Honaunau Bay
• 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/

• Na Wahine O Ke Kai (women’s race Molokai to Oahu) September 26th. https://registration.nawahineokekai.com/

• Molokai Hoe (men’s race Molokai to Oahu) October 8. http://www.molokaihoe.com/

Then Next? OC1 Season!

There is usually an event or two in November and then it’s flame on in January! Watch the HIPPA site for their 2023 updates and 2024 schedule.

https://hipa.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=0&club_id=39669

Things to Think About

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.

• Boys 12 (Caius Cowell, Manoalii Publico, Mystiq Rosario, Reigan Shimahara, Zyan Subica, Treyston Yung)
• Girls 16 (ZOE AOKI, Jezney Chang, Tati Dunhour, Pua’ena Estocado, Pualani Estocado, Kaohulani Kalama)
• Boys 16 (Eha Kiyuna, Kai’olino Kualii, Malakai Laititi, Tanoa Laititi, Niau Paulos, Ulu Yung)
• Girls 18 (Jezney Chang, Kamaka Frasco, Nahiena Kekuawela, Dalilah Martin, Waiolu Publico, Kaliko Uyeshiro)
• Mix 18 (Eha Kiyuna, Nauhikapakea Liwis, Dalilah Martin, Waiolu Publico, Kaliko Uyeshiro, Ali’i Youderian)
• 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.

Full results: https://hcrapaddler.com/hcra_results.php?view=byevent&rid=976

Coverage

Mike recorded our races with help from a few paddlers. You can go to his channel and see the latest uploads there. https://www.youtube.com/@crabbiepaddle/videos

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

Kawiki Singson also was there doing his thing and got some great shots which include Waimāpuna and our paddlers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1T2O6szX68