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

The results are in and Hawai’i took second overall in the medal count. Our own Men’s 70 crew battled it out with some of the quickest on the planet

For those unfamiliar, Elite Teams are based on their country whereas Open Teams are typically club teams which brought out the likes of Shell Va’a, Team Pineula and Team OPT among others. The raw speed of the open 500m Men and women races aren’t to be missed. Lanes start at 1 on the far side from the camera.

Interactive Results

If you want to see how these teams did heat by heat as they worked way to the finals, check out this interactive and searchable results page: https://keaukahacanoeclub.com/ivf-2026/2026_singapore_results.html

Metals Tally

Team Hawaii Summary

Here are the results from each Team Hawai’i member/team based on their highest heat they made it to in progressions. Medal emojis represent a podium place in the finals.

Team V6/V12 Results

Elite & Open Divisions

• Elite Para Mixed V6 500 St.: 15 New Hope (Hawai’i) – 4th Place (2:54.22)
• Elite Para Mixed V6 1000 St.: 15 New Hope (Hawai’i) – 4th Place (7:28.63)
• Elite Men V6 500: 5 (Hawaii) – 🥈 2nd Place (1:54.61)
• Elite Men V12 500: Hawaii (Hawaii) – 🥉 3rd Place (1:55.03)
• Elite Men V6 1500: 5 (Hawaii) – 4th Place (6:57.49)
• Elite Women V6 500: 4 (Hawaii) – Semi 2/2: 4th Place (2:22.24)
• Elite Women V12 500: Hawaii (Hawaii) – Heat 1/2: 3rd Place (2:11.32)
• Elite Women V6 1500: 4 (Hawaii) – 5th Place (8:17.87)
• Open Men V12 500: 22 Imi Ola 33 (Hawai’i) – Heat 4/4: 6th Place (2:04.71)
• Open Men V6 1500: 4 Lanikai (Hawai’i) – 6th Place (7:09.08); 22 Imi Ola (Hawai’i) – Repechage 2/3: 4th Place (7:38.14); 33 Kihei (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/3: 6th Place (7:43.93)
• Open Women V12 500: 4 Lanikai 33 (Hawai’i) – Repechage: 6th Place (2:18.64); 59 Kai Ehitu 37 (Hawai’i) – Heat 1/3: 6th Place (2:26.00)
• Open Women V6 1500: 33 Kihei (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/3: 3rd Place (8:00.21); 59 Kai Ehitu (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/3: 4th Place (8:16.24); 37 Lae’ula O Kai (Hawai’i) – Repechage 2/3: 6th Place (8:50.37)

Junior Divisions

• Elite Junior Men V6 500: 4 (Hawaii) – 6th Place (2:05.71)
• Elite Junior Men V6 1000: 4 (Hawaii) – 4th Place (4:43.76)
• Elite Junior Women V6 500: 86 (Hawaii) – 4th Place (2:23.44)
• Elite Junior Women V6 1000: 86 (Hawaii) – 🥉 3rd Place (5:18.68)
• Junior 16 Men V12 500 St.: 31 Hawaiian 4 (Hawai’i) – 4th Place (2:03.22)
• Junior 16 Men V6 1000: 31 Hawaiian (Hawai’i) – Repechage 2/2: 3rd Place (4:49.49); 4 Lanikai (Hawai’i) – DQ
• Junior 16 Women V12 500 St.: 86 Kilohana Hoe Wa’a 31 (Hawai’i) – 🥇 1st Place (2:14.88); 3 Kailua 31 (Hawai’i) – 7th Place (2:31.59)
• Junior 16 Women V6 1000: 86 Kilohana Hoe Wa’a (Hawai’i) – 4th Place (5:21.51); 3 Kailua (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/2: 3rd Place (5:38.35); 31 Hawaiian White (Hawai’i) – Semi 2/2: 4th Place (5:49.60); 31 Hawaiian Blue (Hawai’i) – DQ
• Junior 19 Men V12 500: 4 Lanikai 22 (Hawai’i) – 5th Place (1:58.94)
• Junior 19 Men V6 1000: 22 Imi Ola (Hawai’i) – Semi 2/2: 5th Place (4:59.35); 4 Lanikai (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/2: 3rd Place (4:50.61)
• Junior 19 Women V12 500: 86 Kilohana Hoe Wa’a 31 (Hawai’i) – 4th Place (2:18.19); 31 Hawaiian (Hawai’i) – 6th Place (2:20.45); 22 Imi Ola M (Hawai’i) – 7th Place (2:21.26)
• Junior 19 Women V6 1000: 31 Hawaiian (Hawai’i) – Semi 1/2: 4th Place (5:17.69); 86 Kilohana Hoe Wa’a (Hawai’i) – Semi 1/2: 5th Place (5:19.60); M Na Keiki O Ka Mo’i (Hawai’i) – Semi 2/2: 5th Place (5:38.09); 22 Imi Ola (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/2: 3rd Place (5:22.80)

Master 40 Divisions

• Master 40 Men V12 500: 31 Hawaiian 33 (Hawai’i) – Repechage: 7th Place (2:06.35)
• Master 40 Men V6 1000: 33 Kihei (Hawai’i) – Semi 1/2: 4th Place (4:56.00); 31 Hawaiian (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/3: 4th Place (4:54.10); 22 Imi Ola (Hawai’i) – Heat 7/7: 5th Place (5:18.10)
• Master 40 Women V12 500: 1 Healani 93 (Hawai’i) – 🥈 2nd Place (2:10.64); 33 Kihei 59 (Hawai’i) – 7th Place (2:14.64); 37 Lae’ula O Kai 31 (Hawai’i) – Repechage: 7th Place (2:20.39)
• Master 40 Women V6 1000: 1 Healani (Hawai’i) – 🥇 1st Place (5:02.42); 33 Kihei (Hawai’i) – Semi 1/2: 4th Place (5:14.89); 93 Wa’akapaemua (Hawai’i) – Repechage 3/3: 2nd Place (5:08.28); 59 Kai Ehitu (Hawai’i) – Repechage 3/3: 5th Place (5:21.72); 37 Lae’ula O Kai (Hawai’i) – Heat 7/8: 5th Place (5:47.48); 31 Hawaiian (Hawai’i) – Heat 2/8: 4th Place (5:49.14)

Master 50 Divisions

• Master 50 Men V12 500: 1 Healani 4W (Hawai’i) – 🥉 3rd Place (1:58.47); 84 Hui O Mana Ka Pu’uwai 37 (Hawai’i) – Repechage: 8th Place (2:08.78); 31 Hawaiian 4G (Hawai’i) – Heat 1/3: 5th Place (2:14.28)
• Master 50 Men V6 1000: 1 Healani (Hawai’i) – Semi 1/2: 4th Place (4:55.04); 31 Hawaiian (Hawai’i) – Repechage 2/3: 4th Place (4:54.76); 37 Lae’ula O Kai (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/3: 4th Place (5:04.49)
• Master 50 Women V12 500: 1 Healani 59 (Hawai’i) – 4th Place (2:17.52); 37 Lae’ula O Kai Red 84 (Hawai’i) – Repechage: 8th Place (2:31.34); M Na Keiki O Ka Mo’i 37G (Hawai’i) – Heat 2/3: 5th Place (2:28.47)
• Master 50 Women V6 1000: 59 Kai Ehitu (Hawai’i) – 🥉 3rd Place (5:08.31); 1 Healani (Hawai’i) – Repechage 2/3: 2nd Place (5:29.83); 84 Hui O Mana Ka Pu’uwai (Hawai’i) – Semi 2/2: 5th Place (5:40.52); 37 Lae’ula O Kai Red 50 (Hawai’i) – Heat 8/8: 4th Place (5:40.33); 37 Lae’ula O Kai Green 50 (Hawai’i) – Heat 2/8: 4th Place (5:45.69); M Na Keiki O Ka Mo’i (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/3: 6th Place (6:08.57)

Master 60 Divisions

• Master 60 Men V12 500: 1 Healani 4 (Hawai’i) – 4th Place (2:01.58); 33 Kihei 31 (Hawai’i) – Heat 2/2: 5th Place (2:14.97)
• Master 60 Men V6 1000: 4 Lanikai (Hawai’i) – 🥇 1st Place (4:50.09); 1 Healani (Hawai’i) – 4th Place (4:58.31); 33 Kihei (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/3: 3rd Place (5:01.06); 31 Hawaiian (Hawai’i) – Heat 3/6: 5th Place (5:26.04); 35 Na Kai ‘Ewalu (Hawai’i) – DQ
• Master 60 Men V6 500: 4 Lanikai (Hawai’i) – Semi 1/2: 5th Place (2:08.38); 1 Healani (Hawai’i) – Semi 2/2: 5th Place (2:09.38); 33 Kihei (Hawai’i) – Repechage: 5th Place (2:11.36); 31 Hawaiian (Hawai’i) – Heat 2/4: 7th Place (2:22.61); 35 Na Kai ‘Ewalu (Hawai’i) – Heat 1/4: 8th Place (2:39.76)
• Master 60 Women V12 500: 4 Lanikai 37R (Hawai’i) – 🥇 1st Place (2:19.18); 2 Hui Nalu 84 (Hawai’i) – Heat 2/2: 5th Place (2:29.67); 33 Kihei 37G (Hawai’i) – Heat 1/2: 6th Place (2:30.98)
• Master 60 Women V6 1000: 4 Lanikai (Hawai’i) – 🥇 1st Place (5:19.74); 37 Lae’ula O Kai Red 60 (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/3: 3rd Place (5:32.74); 2 Hui Nalu (Hawai’i) – Semi 2/2: 5th Place (5:42.24); 33 Kihei (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/3: 6th Place (5:50.57); 84 Hui O Mana Ka Pu’uwai (Hawai’i) – Repechage 2/3: 4th Place (5:54.62); 37 Lae’ula O Kai Green 60 (Hawai’i) – DQ

Master 70 Divisions

• Master 70 Men V12 500: 10 Waimanalo 4 (Hawai’i) – 🥈 2nd Place (2:13.30); 31 Hawaiian 53 (Hawai’i) – 7th Place (2:16.41); 7 Keahiakahoe 59 (Hawai’i) – Heat 1/2: 5th Place (2:23.54)
• Master 70 Men V6 1000: 4 Lanikai (Hawai’i) – Semi 1/2: 5th Place (5:23.46); 31 Hawaiian Blue (Hawai’i) – Semi 1/2: 6th Place (5:26.94); 53 Keaukaha (Hawai’i) – Semi 2/2: 6th Place (6:00.53); 10 Waimanalo (Hawai’i) – Heat 1/4: 5th Place (5:41.93); 7 Keahiakahoe (Hawai’i) – DQ; 59 Kai Ehitu (Hawai’i) – DQ
• Master 70 Women V12 500: 33 Kihei 2 (Hawai’i) – 🥉 3rd Place (2:37.83); 59 Kai Ehitu 93 (Hawai’i) – 5th Place (2:40.06); A Kai Poha 7 (Hawai’i) – 8th Place (2:49.22)
• Master 70 Women V6 1000: 33 Kihei (Hawai’i) – 🥈 2nd Place (5:57.22); 2 Hui Nalu (Hawai’i) – Semi 1/2: 4th Place (6:06.86); 59 Kai Ehitu (Hawai’i) – Semi 1/2: 5th Place (6:13.34); 7 Keahiakahoe (Hawai’i) – Semi 2/2: 6th Place (6:34.47); A Kai Poha (Hawai’i) – Repechage 2/2: 3rd Place (6:20.94); 93 Wa’akapaemua (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/2: 4th Place (6:09.64)

Master 75 & 80 Divisions

• Master 75 Men V12 500 St.: 8 Outrigger 10 (Hawai’i) – 🥇 1st Place (2:20.23); 31 Hawaiian White 58 (Hawai’i) – 🥈 2nd Place (2:30.53); 31 Hawaiian Blue 11 (Hawai’i) – 🥉 3rd Place (2:50.90)
• Master 75 Men V6 500 (turn): 10 Waimanalo (Hawai’i) – 🥇 1st Place (2:33.15); 8 Outrigger (Hawai’i) – 🥈 2nd Place (2:35.90); 31 Hawaiian White (Hawai’i) – 4th Place (2:40.58); 58 Keauhou (Hawai’i) – Repechage: 3rd Place (2:49.50); 11 Anuenue (Hawai’i) – Repechage: 4th Place (3:08.44)
• Master 75 Women V12 500 St.: 85 Kaiola 2 (Hawai’i) – 🥇 1st Place (2:41.62); 7 Onipa’a 33 (Hawai’i) – 4th Place (2:54.29); 33 Hui Le’a Le’a O Maui 7 (Hawai’i) – 6th Place (3:07.88)
• Master 75 Women V6 500 (turn): 85 Kaiola (Hawai’i) – 🥈 2nd Place (2:49.98); 7 Onipa’a (Hawai’i) – 🥉 3rd Place (2:53.92); 2 Hui Nalu (Hawai’i) – 4th Place (2:54.32); 33 Hui Le’a Le’a ‘O Maui (Hawai’i) – 6th Place (3:05.44); 33 Na Wahine U’i (Hawai’i) – Repechage 2/2: 3rd Place (3:11.96); 7 Mauliola 75S (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/2: 5th Place (3:17.63)
• Master 75 Women V6 500: 85 Kaiola (Hawai’i) – 🥇 1st Place (3:02.10); 2 Hui Nalu (Hawai’i) – 🥉 3rd Place (3:07.19); 7 Onipa’a (Hawai’i) – Finalist; 33 Na Wahine U’i (Hawai’i) – Heat 1/2: 5th Place (3:01.62); 7 Mauliola 75S (Hawai’i) – Heat 2/2: 6th Place (3:07.29); 33 Hui Le’a Le’a ‘O Maui (Hawai’i) – DQ
• Master 80 Men V6 500 (turn) St.: 8 Outrigger (Hawai’i) – 🥇 1st Place (2:42.05); 31 Hawaiian (Hawai’i) – DQ
• Master 80 Women V6 500 (turn) St.: 7 Keahiakahoe (Hawai’i) – 🥇 1st Place (3:19.24); 33 Kihei (Hawai’i) – 🥉 3rd Place (3:37.72)

Team Hawai’i Individual V1 Results

Junior Divisions

• Junior 16 Women V1 500: Iliau Makua (Hawai’i) – 🥇 1st Place (2:40.17); Kupeehina McGinn (Hawai’i) – Repechage 2/2: 5th Place (3:02.26); Lehiwa Lani-Montira (Hawai’i) – Repechage 2/2: 7th Place (3:07.87); Stormy Smith (Hawai’i) – Heat 5/5: 6th Place (3:26.09)
• Junior 16 Men V1 500: Isaac Berryman (Hawai’i) – Semi 1/2: 7th Place (2:35.47); Kukona Makua (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/2: 5th Place (2:39.42); Milo Nagramada (Hawai’i) – Heat 1/5: 6th Place (3:19.44)
• Junior 19 Women V1 500: Rachel Pierce (Hawai’i) – Semi 2/2: 6th Place (2:55.98); Ruby Swartz (Hawai’i) – Semi 1/2: 5th Place (2:57.13); Mikaela Benavides (Hawai’i) – Semi 2/2: 7th Place (2:59.63); Hi’iaka Aipia-WhiteEagle (Hawai’i) – Semi 1/2: 8th Place (3:01.55)
• Junior 19 Men V1 500: Christoph Gutierrez (Hawai’i) – Repechage 2/2: 4th Place (2:29.38); Joseph Kahoalii (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/2: 5th Place (2:33.73); Brennan Van Kuren (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/2: 8th Place (2:41.27)

Open Divisions

• Open Women V1 500: Beata Markin (Hawai’i) – 4th Place (2:39.77); Rillo Carrillo (Hawai’i) – 5th Place (2:39.97); Kahiau Makua (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/2: 3rd Place (2:42.28)
• Open Men V1 500: Kaysen Apilado (Hawai’i) – Semi 2/2: 8th Place (2:27.45); Joseph Kahoalii (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/3: 6th Place (2:30.56); Lanakila Grosse (Hawai’i) – Heat 3/8: 6th Place (2:45.17)

Master 40 Divisions

• Master 40 Women V1 500: Nalani Pierce (Hawai’i) – Semi 1/2: 5th Place (2:54.91); Celeste Paiaina (Hawai’i) – Heat 1/7: 5th Place (2:59.64); Elena Vascak (Hawai’i) – Heat 5/7: 6th Place (3:15.11)
• Master 40 Men V1 500: Kaina Makua (Hawai’i) – Semi 2/2: 8th Place (2:35.02); Aaron Norris (Hawai’i) – DNS

Master 50 Divisions

• Master 50 Women V1 500: Rillo Carrillo (Hawai’i) – 🥇 1st Place (2:40.54); Nalani Pierce (Hawai’i) – 4th Place (2:48.73); Darcy Kanaina Daniel (Hawai’i) – Semi 2/2: 5th Place (2:55.58); Makana Clarke (Hawai’i) – Heat 1/6: 6th Place (3:14.68)
• Master 50 Men V1 500: Mael Carey (Hawai’i) – Repechage 2/2: 4th Place (2:37.88); Chad Laurion (Hawai’i) – Repechage 2/2: 8th Place (2:44.22); John Mooney (Hawai’i) – Heat 5/6: 7th Place (2:50.75); Gregg Okamoto (Hawai’i) – Heat 1/6: 6th Place (2:53.82)

Master 60 Divisions

• Master 60 Women V1 500: Darcy Kanaina Daniel (Hawai’i) – 🥇 1st Place (2:49.09); Robin Cooper (Hawai’i) – 🥉 3rd Place (2:50.76); Linda Lee Daggett (Hawai’i) – Repechage 2/2: 5th Place (3:13.37); Suzette Gurtler (Hawai’i) – Heat 5/5: 6th Place (3:21.17)
• Master 60 Men V1 500: Jim Foti (Hawai’i) – 4th Place (2:33.27); Michael Hall (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/2: 5th Place (2:47.71); Eric Whiteman (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/2: 6th Place (2:54.66); Shaun Roth (Hawai’i) – Repechage 1/2: 8th Place (3:05.25)

Master 70 Divisions

• Master 70 Women V1 500: Emily Claspell (Hawai’i) – Repechage: 6th Place (3:37.01); Vanessa Weiss (Hawai’i) – Heat 2/3: 6th Place (3:39.29); Stacy Evensen (Hawai’i) – Heat 3/3: 5th Place (3:51.47)
• Master 70 Men V1 500: Chris Marston (Hawai’i) – 7th Place (3:06.83); Lex Raas (Hawai’i) – Repechage: 6th Place (3:05.15); Carl Evensen (Hawai’i) – Heat 1/4: 7th Place (3:18.56); John Mccandless (Hawai’i) – Heat 2/4: 7th Place (3:23.60)

Master 75 & 80 Divisions

• Master 75 Women V1 500: Linda Robb (Hawai’i) – 4th Place (3:22.39); Lurline McGregor (Hawai’i) – 5th Place (3:23.73); Ellen Okuma (Hawai’i) – Repechage: 8th Place (5:19.48)
• Master 75 Men V1 500: Dennis Sallas Kaleiwohi (Hawai’i) – 4th Place (3:06.60); Pia Aluli (Hawai’i) – Heat 3/3: 5th Place (3:27.82); Larry Lara (Hawai’i) – Heat 3/3: 6th Place (3:41.78)
• Master 80 Women V1 250: Paddy Dunn (Hawai’i) – 🥈 2nd Place (2:05.37); Diane Wetzel (Hawai’i) – 5th Place (2:09.05); Donna Neuhart (Hawai’i) – DQ; Mary Akiona (Hawai’i) – DNS; Thelma Madali (Hawai’i) – Heat 2/2: 5th Place (2:47.08)
• Master 80 Men V1 250: Michael O’Shaughnessy (Hawai’i) – 6th Place (1:46.46); Batista Mota (Hawai’i) – 7th Place (1:58.26)

Para Divisions

• Para Men (VL4) V1 250: BJ Bagood (Hawai’i) – 🥇 1st Place (1:18.17)
• Para Men (VLVI) V1 250 St.: Vic Allen (Hawai’i) – 🥈 2nd Place (2:11.99)
• Para Men (VLVI) V1 500 St.: Vic Allen (Hawai’i) – 🥈 2nd Place (3:36.90)
• Para Men VL2 V1 250 St.: Richard Julian (Hawai’i) – 🥉 3rd Place (2:00.31)
• Para Men VL2 V1 500 St.: Richard Julian (Hawai’i) – 🥉 3rd Place (4:07.61)

Ok we’ve got news about choke kine stuff. But first apparently a 6 week window wasn’t long enough for some peeps to decide on jerseys.

ONE LAST CHANCE — ORDERS CLOSE JUNE 28!

That’s 2 weeks and if we are lucky, which we are, we’ll have them before States and Long Distance season starts. Click HERE and go on the store. DON’T WAIT.

Keaukaha Regatta 6/20

It’s coming up. Work with your coaches or regatta organizers (Eric, Bri, Mike, Kawai, Keahi, Shelly, Lloyd) and help with tasks.

We need volunteers for all areas, including the official work (ID checks, handing out our medals, etc.)

• Makule men and women: 
  • Set up, including decorations, hand soap and toilet paper for the bathrooms, and trash bags
  • Tables (3 needed), club has 4
• Open, 40’s, 50’s men: 
  • Check, refill toilet paper as needed
  • Coolers: 3 large white coolers with ice and 3 smaller coolers for the water safety boats.
• Open, 40’s women:
  • Check, refill toilet paper as needed
  • Manage the raffle tent.
• Novice A/B women:
  • Decorations
  • Clean up
• Novice A/B men:
  • Parking, cones
  • Organization of vendors, trucks
• Kids: 
  • Stock juice & drinks

2026 Kailana Regatta

Getting back in Hilo One was fantastic. We had some good on-shore winds and a large current that likely impacted crew times across the board.

We had more paddlers come out for the local races now that graduations are mostly over, school’s out and the drive is short. It was good to see everyone even from other clubs back on the beach.

Many crew times were a bit slower than past regattas but our Makule Crews had significant time improvements. In fact most of the morning races, Keiki and Novice B crews improved or were consistent even if it didn’t convert to higher places.

Tidal currents started to really kick in around 11 or 12 around the Novice A’s or so. Those currents can have adverse or helpful effects and vary across lanes and what the rivers are doing. Whatever the case, we seemed to slow down some. The Jr’s mile race saw good gains though in times and/or places.

The next regatta is ours. Let’s show up in force all you buggahs.

VIDEO EVIDENCE

Amazing Mike once again provided the whole club with detailed race footage of our crews. This is something he does without fail every Hilo regatta to help everyone improve.

Find your race, watch your action, and make positive adjustments. No blame, just gains.

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

Also mahalo to La’a and Kahiau we got some great drone video of the races too. But they tried to be impartial when filming and capture most of the action from all the competitors.

https://www.youtube.com/@KeaukahaCanoeClub/streams

Our 3rd Kailua-Kona regatta was definitely challenging, but everyone pulled together and pushed forward with good progress. The 2nd regatta probably had the most favorable conditions for sprints making direct comparisons between regattas harder.

Times were improved by almost all divisions again with the Keiki and Novices making some big gains along with the open divisions. There is consistent weekly progression in speed and teamwork. Several groups steadily climbed the leaderboards, successfully moving from middle-of-the-pack placements into solid finishes.

Huli Happens

There were 4 huli events which was a lot for one day and it is probably because of the larger swells. One of those happened before the race start to our women’s crew. It happened before the race start which allows for outside help and a delay. It’s a terrible way to start a race however, they managed to make it to the start and work together to compete even with fried nerves.

Clearing the koa canoe is more difficult than the fiberglass canoes. They won’t sink like a fiberglass canoe can, but they also don’t have flotation bulkheads like the glass canoes. As a result they tend to sit lower in the water and hold more water. It’s unusual in a fast paced regatta environment for a crew to clear it on their own and still finish. And there are times when it’s important to know the rules about outside help.

Most importantly we all have to keep our ears open for that dreaded “Huli!’ in the crowd and be ready to respond, even if it’s another club. Large bailers, buckets and extra hands if they need them are usually never turned down.

Kai’Ehitu and a few others were quick on the scene to help along with our own club members – mahalo to everyone for jumping into action.

Race Rules

http://www.mokuohawaii.com/documents/2025MOHRaceRules-v2.pdf

The Moku O Hawaiʻi Outrigger Canoe Racing Association 2025 Race Rules outline the protocols for swamping, capsizing, and recovering under Article IX (Flat Course Rules):

Swamping or Capsizing Before the Start

• During the Staging Phase: If a canoe capsizes, swamps, or experiences equipment breakage before the race officially starts, they are entitled to a race recall to allow them to recover.
• Equipment Breakage Allotment: If equipment breaks during a capsize or swamping prior to the start, the crew is allotted fifteen (15) minutes to repair the breakage.
• Once the Start Signal Begins: The rules explicitly state that a race will not be restarted or recalled if a canoe capsizes or swamps after the yellow flag starts waving (which indicates the race is about to start). The starter will continue waving the yellow flag and proceed to start the race.

General Race & Crew Completion Rules

• Full Crew Requirement: To successfully complete and clear a race, each canoe must start and finish the race with a full crew of 4 or 6 paddlers (depending on the event). If paddlers are separated from the canoe during a huli, they must be safely back in the wa’a when crossing the finish line to avoid disqualification.
• Disqualified Canoes: If a crew experiences an infraction during a huli recovery but is not pulled from the water by officials, they are generally allowed to continue racing unless the Race Director decides otherwise for safety reasons.
• Also according to Moku O Hawaiʻi rules, the Race Director and the Officials have the ultimate authority over the course and will not wait long for a crew to recover during a race.
• If a canoe is swamped, drifting dangerously, or unable to make forward progress, an official safety boat or jet ski will intervene for the safety of the paddlers.
• The moment an official boat assists the crew or touches the canoe, the crew is automatically disqualified (DQ’d), effectively ending their race clock.

Keaukaha Regatta 6/20

We were spoiled with all the home regattas the past few years, but were back now and our club’s regatta is quickly approaching.

Like past regattas we will be hosting vendors and food trucks to help raise funds for the club while providing logistics, official support, water safety, lane markings and a variety of all kinds of things that keep regattas running.

Each division will be assigned a set of tasks to help out from vendor setup and parking to decorations to helping officiate. Mark 6/20 on your calendar because we always need lots of hands to keep everything running smoothly. More announcements will follow soon about the preparations.

Meanwhile it’s back to HILO ONE!

What a difference a week makes. Going back to the exact same pier for the second weekend gave everyone a chance to fix what went wrong the first time around, and the crews absolutely nailed it. The club was firing on all cylinders, bringing home way more points and more than doubling the number of canoes finishing in the top three.

Sure, there were some sketchy DQ calls and roster fines to deal with—but that just is what it is.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the water:

• Nailed the Turns: The first week was rough for one of the veteran crews when a mistake at the turning flag forced them to reverse to avoid a DQ. The second week? They hit the turn perfectly, didn’t waste a single second, and cruised straight onto the podium.
• Finding the Groove: Across the active adult divisions, you could tell the paddlers were really starting to click. Several crews looked way more in sync, cutting a minute or two off their times and pushing themselves much higher up the leaderboard.
• Novices Shaking Off the Jitters: The newer paddlers made some of the biggest progress. After getting that first race out of the way, every single novice crew came back the second week with more confidence, figured out their timing, and placed higher or faster than the week before. Even the Women’s Novice A crew, who dropped one spot on paper because the competition got tougher, actually shaved over six seconds off their time.

Roster

The only real challenge right now isn’t how we are paddling—it’s just a headcount game. Between the youth shortages causing a few scratches and completely missing the Women’s 50 to 60, Mix 55 and crewing up the Men’s 50 bracket, we are leaving a lot of uncontested points on the table.

That said, the hustle was awesome to see—especially with the Men’s 55+ guys stepping up and racing up into the 50s division just to get a canoe out there and secure points for the club. Hopefully with graduations out of the way we can consistently fill those brackets, and return to an absolute powerhouse as the times are making big improvements.

LD in Hilo

Next week we are staying right here on home turf for the Hilo long-distance race. That distance work at home is exactly what helps crews get even more dialed in.

Live Stream

We recorded about 10 hours of live stream and added chapters so you can jump to events quicker. Just open in YouTube and click MORE on the description to see the links to the event timestamps.

https://youtube.com/live/W6mWycMMvEY?feature=share

We’re back!

This time parking was a lot more manageable if you got space in the dirt lot. Beware though they seem intent on closing parking at 5pm next time so have an escape plan.

Our Moku O Keawe regattas have started earlier than others and during graduation so these early Kona regattas usually leave us a bit short handed and we had to scratch 11 events which made it tough to make points in our division. This upcoming weekend also coincides with Kamehameha graduation so we’ll be short handed again. If you can paddle come down and stick around. On the plus side we had ZERO DQ’s and ZERO fines which is always a bonus. And the Women 70’s had to fight that flag pretty hard to keep from getting DQ’d.

Mahalo nui to all who could make it and were around to hold boats and cheer the crews on. It was a good shake down regatta to reset and focus on the hard work ahead. We didn’t get the wa’a back on the trailer until around 6pm so it was a long one.

Big thanks to the Kiyunas who arrived the day before and carved out a place for us among the shrinking pier space. Without them we would have had a hard time organizing together as a club.

We hope to have Waimāpuna back in top condition again without the drag of the uncured epoxy coat. We removed the epoxy coat and tested the wood for percentage water intrusion and didn’t see any problems. Clear coat will be applied this week and we should be ready for action.

Let’s get prepared for this coming Saturday.

Regattas at the Kailua-Kona Pier are back for 2026. They have built a large system underwater to anchor the marks after a lot of expense and permitting. Check our Event Calendar for all the upcoming paddling events.

We will be weighing Waimāpuna Thursday May 14, around 3:30pm in preparation for Saturday’s regatta. Order of events can be found on the Results page: https://www.hcrapaddler.com/hcra_results.php?view=byevent&rid=1237

70’s/65’s go first at 8am and Novices are also in the morning. Please come down and cheer your teammates and all our keiki.

Parking

Honda is letting us use their dirt parking lot and in return paddlers are asked to bring canned food items to contribute to the Food Bank — Non-Perishable Items Only. The entrance is roughly here on this link below but it’s not clear where they will setup:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/xaGkP4maAUZp14ou7

This parking is for paddlers ONLY. You might be asked your two digit club id #. So if you don’t know what that is, ask someone.

Setup

The pier seems to be getting smaller and smaller. We’re going to have to fight for space again if you want to setup down there. There’s still no tents allowed on the shore and paddlers are supposed to stay in the yellow areas on the map, somehow. You’ll see our normal spot has been removed from the usable area.

Want to Race?

Time is almost up for you to get your e-waiver signed and you should have had all your paperwork and dues completed long before now. You can log into your account here and see your status. Look for all YES ✓ under Approved to Race:

Contact us if you have a problem with your status.

As we wrap up the event, we’d love to hear about your experience. Please take a moment to complete the attached survey and share any feedback—positive or constructive—so we can continue improving the run for you and future participants. You can see the full race with finish times here too.

10K Top Runners

• 1st – Leighton Aves
• 2nd – Ivan Kuencer
• 3rd – Joshua Sappington

5K Top Runners

• 1st – Naeem Gleason
• 2nd – James Eller (Keaukaha Paddler!)
• 3rd – Kanahe Akau

Our States crew scrapped for every point in Maui and we tied in our division for First Place. HCRA had their big annual meeting and they presented us with our trophy as they did not expect our two-way tie for first with Kilohana Hoe and had to make a new one for us.

Mahalo nui loa to everyone who supported those 6 crews who managed top seeding in the states. It takes a strong unified community to put together such a powerful showing at States from our kids to the Kupuna racers.

States for 2026 will be back in O’ahu which is more accessible and has a more level race course and should allow us to compete with many more crews in a bigger division. Stay hungry!

Get a Wa’a

With one-man season gearing up and High School regattas starting soon, it’s time to think about getting serious. Both Jose and Keahi have some great equipment for sale, so check them out and contact us if you need to get a hold of them.

• Ares $3,000 (Jose) SOLD 1/22/2026
• Drako $4,000 (Jose)
• V1’s of various types (Keahi)

And for those of you ready to lose the “training wheels” talk to Keahi about picking up a V1.

HCRA Changes

HCRA is trying to modernize some. They have updated their website and are going to implement electronic waivers statewide. We don’t know how this is all supposed to quite work yet but we’ll all figure it out together.

Club Updates

We are trying to put together a comprehensive 2026 schedule from major international paddling events to our club activities so we can all prepare together better.

In that spirit, there is now a bulletin board in the back area of the Hālau to help us communicate activities with each other – old school style. Feel free to post items of club interest – photos, activities, etc.

Don’t forget OC1 stall rentals roll over in February and renewals will open in January after we understand what to do with the waiver situation.

Some things to look forward to include hosting both a regatta AND a long distance race. We are still working on the details but it would be a club first. Also we will likely be hosting one or two big fundraisers

This seasons goal is to raise funds for wa’a repairs and if we do well enough, get a few new wa’a as well. Right now we are pretty broke after the Hālau rebuild but we’re coming back strong for 2026.

As usual we can always benefit from new paddlers, so encourage family and friends to come join us on the water this season. Just have them go to our contact page in Feb/March and we’ll help get them going.

Na Wahine o Ke Kai

After a long drought, we had our first womens crew paddle in the Na Wahine o Ke Kai 2025 in many years. It was a combined effort with help from Kai ‘Opua who had already made some arraignments but most of their paddlers dropped out, so our women teamed up with them and got 4th in their division and 42 overall. Amazing work in some lively conditions.

Here’s their GPS replay in 200x speed with our heros highlighted.

Full results: https://www.pseresults.com/2025-events/na-wahine-o-ke-kai-2025

Crew List: https://www.khon2.com/na-wahine-o-ke-kai/list-meet-the-crews-of-na-wahine-o-ke-kai-2025/

Moloka’i Hoe

Under lighter wind conditions we saw 4 of our men’s crews battle it out following in the wake of the Nā Wāhine. There was some intense competition from some of the best paddlers in the world with the top crew OPT breaking into the top 10 of fastest crossing times.

• Men Open #87 in Micah Wai’oli – 6th Overall
• Men Open #88 in Kuamo’okane – 17th Overall
• Men 55+ #14 in Wailani – 62nd Overall (Division 2nd Place)
• Men 40 #18 in Mio – 73rd Overall (Division 9th)

Here’s their GPS track with all 4 crews highlighted.

Results: https://www.pseresults.com/2025-events/molokai-hoe-2025

Crews (not entirely accurate): https://www.khon2.com/molokai-hoe/list-meet-the-crews-of-molokai-hoe-2025

Mahalo Nui Supporters

All you supporters out there made a big difference. We will be having the raffle and ordering the jerseys soon – standby. If you still want to contribute all the funds will go towards 2026 and we have some great prizes on the raffle too.

Reboot 2026

Training never stops. OC1 season is gearing up and its critical to use this time to get in shape and tune up.

Let’s get out on the water to prep for 2026.

• Halloween Zombie Fun Race 24th of October is a short 2 races full of fun costumes and paddling. https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=408337
• Nov 22 is the Abbot Galaher Seaman Race – nothing like burning extra calories around this time of year. Get out there and go.

The 2026 HIPA schedule should be out soon. https://hipa.clubexpress.com/