Keaukaha Canoe Club - Hilo Hawaii Paddling Club on the Big Island

Aloha everyone. We are working towards our goal of making our Hālau a safe structure again. And we need help. There’s 3 ways to help and some people are doing all three.

Donate Funds

Donate Materials

Sign up to help work

We currently are short on funds so we need all the help we can get. If you know an individual, company or business that might have some interest in donating, we have a letter we can provide you to help approach them. Just let us know.

NOTICE: There will be some Novice B training starting early this year and some other teams paddling some off season. Please contact us or your coach about opportunities. This includes new paddlers to the club.

Let’s Celebrate the End of the Season Together

• Where: Keauakaha Hālau
• When: Friday 18th at 4:00 pm
• What: Potluck and BYOB

We had a good regatta season and some good times on the long distance courses with some teams competing off-island including the prestigious Molokai Hoe which hasn’t been run since 2019.

We had 2 open crews. One team put Keaukaha on the map finishing 3rd overall and the second crew not far behind at 21st overall. (Results are here)

Theses two teams also competed in the Henry Ayau and we had 2 women crews in the E Lau Hoe Race, not to mention all the paddlers who did the Queen Lili’uokalani race.

So let’s celebrate everyone’s hard work in 2024 and get ready for one-man races and 2025!

Upcoming local races:

• October 19^th  Halloween Race
• November 23^th  Abbott Galaher Seaman Memorial Race
• January 11^th, 2025  Steve Berengue and Scott Ferry Memorial Race

Don’t forget to watch for: Molo Solo, Maui Jim, Brazil Time Trials, Kaiwi Channel Relay and Maui to Molokai.

(Unofficial – please double check information with linked official documentation. Errors or omissions? Contact us!)

This is a summary taken from the Q&A and the IVF rules. It consists of the key things most paddlers might find unique to this event.

The full and official documents can be found here:

Rules: https://www.ivfiv.org/race-rules–progressions.html

Q&A: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VSyA0uxpKv672awdDP1h5X6Pcszhht1q/edit#heading=h.gjdgxs

Code of Conduct: https://www.ivfiv.org/code-of-conduct.html

Uniforms

With the exception of variations in sleeve length (eg sleeveless, short sleeve or long sleeve), competitors in the same crew must wear identical team uniform tops in competition. Underlayers may be worn by one or more of the crew and are not part of the uniform. Clothing worn below the waist need not be uniform. Headwear is optional and may be worn by only those needing or wanting to wear them.

No there can be no sponsor logos on any racing uniform.

Crews

3.g Competitors participating in the Elite V6 or V12 events will be allowed to join their club crew without limitation on the number of elite competitors per crew, with the exception of Open Club V6 and Open Club V12 crews which are limited to 3 elite competitors per Open Club V6 entry or 6 elite competitors per Open Club V12 entry.

Paddlers must stay the same 6 or 12 who swiped through at the check in desk for their first heat for an event. Crew changes can not be made for additional heats for that event. The only exception is with a medical withdrawal.

The only competitors who may be considered for a random drug test will be Elite paddlers including V6, V12 & V1 are are over 18 years of age.

Coaches are not allowed in the staging and marshalling area. Only the paddlers and area coordinators with their ID cards are allowed in.

Miscellaneous

Altering the va’a without permission from an official, this includes bringing in seat and footboard accessories (para va’a excluded), attaching electronic equipment, is not allowed and may be cause for disqualification.

A paddle shall have one blade and may be of any shape or size. It may be constructed from any material.

9.b No seat accessories (padding, etc.) may be brought into the canoe by the competitor with the exception of para va’a equipment as noted in 14.b.

Wax cannot be used as it would leave residue behind.

‘Iako settings must remain as set the same for all competitors. Do not change them.

V1’s will not have foot rests and no foot rest can be added – with the exception of Para Va’a

• Straight lanes will be 15m wide

• Turns lanes will be 30m wide

• 6 lanes for Elite V6 (straight and turn) and Elite V12

Everything else is 8 lanes:

• Club 500 v6 @ v12 = 8 lanes
• Club Turns = 8 lanes
• Elite V1 = 8 Lanes

Paddlers can paddle in more than 1 age division. However, the race schedule will not be modified to suit individual paddler or team’s needs/requests.

Non-Race Activities

• 4:00pm on Thursday 15th August–OPENING CEREMONY — Countries will need to gather for the Parade at 3:30pm
• 7:15am Tuesday 13th August — Canoe Blessing
• 6:00pm Tuesday 20th August — Cultural Night — Edith Kanaka’ole Stadium
• 6:00pm – 10:00pm – Fearless Fess 24th August After Party organized by @SoJuicyHawaii at the @hilotownmarket — local bands, $45 tickets https://app.promotix.com/trade/select-tickets/Fearless-Fess-tickets?referrer=all-events&org_event_id=Fearless-Fess-tickets&is_recurring_event=2

Course Familiarization Schedule

Each country gets a block of time to have the course to train on.

August 13 – 15^th http://www.ivfiv.org/course-familiarisation.html

HAWAII COURSE FAMILIARIZATION TIMES:

Time slots depend on your group in Team Hawai’i. Slots for specific teams and crews has not been announced yet.

• 8/13 – V6 Turns, Lane 5, 6, 7, 8 11:00am to 12:50pm
• 8/14 – V1 only Lane 1, 2, 3 3:00pm to 5:50pm
• 8/14 – V6 500m Straight Course, Lanes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 1:00pm – 2:50pm
• 8/14 V6 Turns Lane 5, 6, 7, 8 7:00am – 10:50am
• 8/15 V1 only Lane 1 & 2 7:00am to 7:50am
• 8/15 V6 Straight Lane 7 1:00pm to 2:50pm
• 8/15 V6 Straight Lane 8 11:00am to 2:50pm
• 8/15 V6 Turns Lane 5 7:00am to 9:50am

Race Rules

http://www.ivfiv.org/race-rules–progressions.html

http://www.ivfiv.org/uploads/1/3/7/9/137911945/race_rules_sprint__2023_reviewed_final.pdf

The course will be set up as shown on the course diagram below.

1) Straight races are demarcated by the buoy markings on each side of the lane.

2) Turn races shall turn around the flag marking the center of the lane. The width of the lane is from buoy to buoy. The canoe must remain within the buoy markings throughout the course of the race.

Paddling, including any stationary use of the paddle in the water, is only allowed while the competitor is in a sitting position on a seat in the va’a. Competitors must remain in a seated contact position in the va’a (no standing or kneeling).

Holders may be used, and may be either:

1) by mechanical means, or

2) by people to hold the stern of the va’a by way of a platform or from the water.

STARTS

Starting procedures must be as follows:

1) Immediately prior to race start time, the Starter will raise a white flag signaling va’a to come to the pre-start line.

2) As soon as the va’a are lined up on the pre-start line, the Aligner will communicate to the Starter the OK to raise a red flag signaling the va’a to line up evenly on the start line.

3) As soon as the va’a are lined up evenly, the Aligner must communicate quietly to the Starter by radio to start the race.

4) Instantaneously upon radio communication, the Starter will simultaneously lower the red flag and raise a green flag signaling the start of the race. An air horn or other sound device may simultaneously be set off, but the green flag is the official start.

5) If the Aligner is unable to line up the va’a evenly and their positioning makes it difficult to do so, they may order the white flag to be raised and begin the process again.

6) At the start of a race, no va’a shall have an illegal advantage. All va’a that are lined up illegally will be provided a warning by the raising of the black flag indicating an infraction exists and will be given the opportunity to line up correctly. If, after reasonable time, any va’a persists in lining up so that an illegal advantage is gained, the Aligner may start the race. The black flag remaining raised at the start indicates that an infraction will be called.

7) If the Aligner, after communicating to the Starter to start the race, sees an unfair situation not previously noticed, a rerun must be immediately called.

Interruption

a. The Race Director, the Head Course Judge or the Aligner may authorize the interruption of a race if an unforeseen problem occurs. A red flag will be used to halt the race.

b. In case of an overturn, any outside help will result in a disqualification of the competitor. The course officials may, at their discretion, authorize or provide outside help.

Turns

a. Turns are to be made counter-clockwise, with the ama nearest to and rounding the flag.

b. During a turn, the canoe shall not run over the flag in such a way that the flag is between the ama and the hull. If this occurs, the competitor shall be disqualified.

Finish

a. The finish line is crossed when the bow of the va’a passes the finish flags, or as noted in 18.b below.

b. When finish line systems are used whereby the camera may be blocked by the finish line flags, an imaginary line one meter in front of the finish flags will be the official finish line.

c. Any va’a finishing without its entire crew will result in the crew being disqualified.

d. Any va’a outside its assigned lane during the course of the race, including the finish will result in a crew disqualification.

e. Electronic photo finish system for the recording of finish times and place is the preferred system for a sprint regatta. Va’a and lane markings should be identifiable via the pictures captured. A manual backup system for verification of the order of finish must be provided. A secondary video should be provided in the event the main system is not operating properly at any time.

f. For timing of events, the photo finish system may be equipped with timing options. A secondary manual timing system shall be required. An acceptable timing unit shall be used. A single recording timer ensures the start time is fixed for all competitors and the finish time is recorded in chronological order on the tape.

g. Va’a should continue through the pre-start area before turning off the course.

Disqualification

a. The following provisions as stated in these rules are cause for automatic disqualification:

1) Competing while not a member of a Member Federation, affiliated or otherwise, of the IVF. (Section 3a)

2) Competing for more than one crew in an event will disqualify both crews from the competition. (Section 3b)

3) A competitor who is a citizen of or resides in an IVF Member Federation area competing in a team from another Member Federation area. (Section 3c)

4) Not meeting the age requirements. (Section 5)

5) Using prohibited drugs. (Section 6)

6) Paddling in a non-seated position. (Section 14a)

7) Starting incorrectly. (Section 15)

8) Not rounding the flags in a counter-clockwise direction. (Section 17a)

9) When making a turn around a flag resulting in the flag passing between the ama and hull. (Section 17b)

10) Finishing without the entire crew in the va’a. (Section 18c)

11) Going outside of one’s lane. (Section 18d, 12.a.2.)

12) Unsporting conduct. (Section 25b)

13) Para competitors will be disqualified if they do not meet all the requirements contained in the separate “Para Va’a Rules and Classification System” document.

14) Having more than 3 Elite competitors in an Open Club V6 or more than 6 Elite in an Open Club V12 (Event 1).

15) Not wearing appropriate uniform in a Elite team, Elite V1 or Club crew as defined in 19 d. and f.

16) Altering the va’a without permission of an official, this includes bringing in seat and foot board accessories (Section 9.) (para va’a excluded)

17) Competitor being assisted by outside help in the event of the va’a overturning. (Section 16)

b. Besides the reasons set out for disqualification in other parts of these rules, any competitor who attempts to win an event by means other than those which are honest, does not respect the race rules, or who displays unsporting conduct, shall be disqualified for the entire duration of the championships.

c. All disqualifications are to be pronounced by the Race Director and shall be immediately confirmed in writing with reasons given. The Area Coordinator of any disqualified competitor shall then be notified, given a copy of the disqualification form and acknowledge receipt thereof on a copy indicating the precise time, which is the start of the protest time. The disqualification shall then be publicly announced and posted. The disqualification will be posted without Area Coordinator acknowledgment and receipt after 10 minutes has passed since being called.

Sample 2022 Races:

• 500m is straight – no turns
• 1000m turns on the 250m for 3 turns
• 1500m turns on the 250m for 5 turns

V12 500m https://youtu.be/R7XUXxJYMA0?t=2588

V6 1000m https://youtu.be/K6OtAkN76N4?t=105

V6 1500m (Open Men Final) – https://youtu.be/OiuZ0zUSdpg

Race Progressions – (500m V1/V6 Club No Turns)

This is the chart up to 4 heats. Not too many events go beyond 4 heats. http://www.ivfiv.org/uploads/1/3/7/9/137911945/ivf-2022_sprints__v1_and_v6__straight__progression_chart.pdf

Race Progressions (V6/V12 Elite No Turns)

Elite has fewer chances to advance automatically as only 6 of 8 lanes are used. http://www.ivfiv.org/uploads/1/3/7/9/137911945/ivf-2022_sprints__elite_v6___v12__straight_progression_chart.pdf

Race Progressions (V6 Club, +1000m Turns)

http://www.ivfiv.org/uploads/1/3/7/9/137911945/ivf-2022-sprints-turns-v6-5-lanes_progression_chart.pdf

Race Progressions (V12 Club 500m)

http://www.ivfiv.org/uploads/1/3/7/9/137911945/ivf_-_2022-sprints__club_v12_progression_chart.pdf

This year’s swag for states is available both online and at the race venue. They’ll probably run out so if you want it, get it.

All items in the catalog are still available on site (get there early), although some items and sizes are at a low quantity — props to the people who purchased online.

Everything looks better in person. The colors pop nicely. Hot off the presses is the names shirt. You should be so lucky to have your name on the island of Molokai. The crew that raced the event at your association’s championship are the names listed.

The names shirt is a “sold at Keehi only” item and you will have to stand in line. It’s worth it.We will open on Friday, 8/2/2024 no later than 1:00 p.m., but if we can open sooner we will.

Link to store

Thanks to the Kona Low we had nice stable weather in the lee of the island’s mountains for the regatta. This past Saturday saw 1,228 paddlers in 322 crews out for a nice day of just smashing it.

In the AAA division the clubs battled it out with a handful of points separating the top 5. Our metal count was boosted thanks to all the heavy metal our youth paddlers won with a 5 in a row gold metal streak.

Sunday Post Regatta Paddle

We are hoping to revive our club flotillas by having everyone jump in a canoe (OC6 or OC1) on Sunday mornings (5:45 am) for an easy run around the bay. It’s a good chance to paddle with other members and have a nice paddle around the bay.

Upcoming Events

Want to Film?

Crabbie Paddle captured this regatta in all its glory: https://www.youtube.com/@crabbiepaddle/videos

But Mike is looking to pass the baton. Anyone feeling inspired to take it over full time from him? Please let him know.

Keaukaha Crew Results

As a benchmark going into this season, here’s each event our club raced along with the place, times and crews.

May 5th

Don’t forget May 5 (Cinco de Mayo) is our annual clean up and family paddle day.

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

• 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:
  • Need 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 and maybe some lettering (“ALOHA”, “WORLD SPRINTS”, “2024”) – anyone have some colorful paint to spare?
  • 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.

TIME TRIAL VOLUNTEERS

Mahalo nui to all the people who helped out on Saturday and Sunday. The event was a huge success because of the volunteers that keep the canoes going and the paddlers ready to race. Our club contributed about 95% of the non-HCRA volunteers and it wouldn’t have been a success without all of you.

We will be opening up a larger volunteer signup sheet and sending announcements for August soon for the world wide event. But our club will remain the central leader in making this event successful.

TIME TRIAL RESULTS

Congratulations to all the paddlers who trained and raced. We had some of the top paddlers from all over the islands show up to compete. It was a great experience racing against some of the fastest paddlers around.

These are not the official results, I’ve tried to extract the events where we had club members or teams qualify. Keaukaha had 10 total qualifications with Ali’i qualifying in both U19 and Open Men. It appears Kai ‘Ehitu managed to pull in 16 qualifications and Lanikai got 18.

Official Times And Results for All Heats:

Day 1 results

Day 2 results

World Sprints Planning

There are multiple events that your V6 crew qualifies for in addition to the 500m. There’s a 1000m and a 500m double hull race. For the 500m, 4 out of 6 paddlers must be the same as your trials crew. The additional races I believe you’re not restricted on your use of alternates. However they must be approved paddlers and have paid all registrations fees along with proper paperwork (passports, etc.)

Familiarize yourself with your events, rules, fees, deadlines, etc. as there is still more to do prior to the race.

http://www.ivfiv.org/

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!

Short Course Results

Great Job Casey, Talan, Greg, and Crystal!

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.

*RG is a sprints regatta

*LD is a long distance race

Questions

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