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

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.

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

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.