HILO — Sunshine, a friendly on-shore breeze and blue skies highlighted a perfect day for paddling, setting the stage for 22 unbeaten crews to continue their streaks at the first Moku O Hawaii Outrigger Canoe Racing Association regatta at Hilo Bay.
But at the end of a nine-hour drama on Saturday at Aunty Maile Mauhili’s Kailana Regatta, the list of perfection was whittled down to 18 crews. Falling from the ranks of perfection were Keauhou’s junior men and masters men 40, Kai Opua’s women 65 and Kamehameha’s senior women 50.
Keaukaha claimed the junior men’s race, finishing the one-mile event in 7 minutes, 34.57 seconds. Kai Opua was second at 7:37.67, and Puna came in third at 7:39.38. Keauhou was fourth at 7:55.79.
“I’m a little surprised with the outcome,” said Eldridge Shay, who paddled alongside Malani Alameda, Adam Veloria, Kyle Keamo, Chad Cabral and steersman Nate Kaluhiwa. “But we’ve been working hard to perfect our timing and stroke.
“What won it was our consistency. We didn’t get too excited. A lot of times, you get too excited and you lose your paddling strength in the second half. We were able to stay consistent until the end. It was rewarding, having that trust in our crew.”
Keaukaha also took the masters 40 men’s race in 7:54.21, ahead of Kai Opua’s 8:10.87 and Kai Ehitu’s 8:30.26. Keaukaha’s victory party was partly spoiled because Keauhou scratched.
Still, nothing was going to stop paddler Mark Panek from savoring the win. It’s his first race of the season, and likely the only one for the UH-Hilo English professor and author of a recently released book, “Hawaii.”
He and wife Noriko, a nurse at Hilo Hospital, will take a vacation to Japan, giving their young son, Kensuke, a chance to see his maternal grandparents and brush up on his Japanese.
“Ten guys could have sat in the canoe. We’ve got a strong bunch of paddlers,” he said. “It’s unique because guys who don’t race come down to support. We have good team chemistry, and that starts with Keahi Warfield (club head coach).
“He wants to win, but he also wants us to understand about paddling, the teamwork and supporting each other. Our 40 crew is evidence of that.”
Kai Opua didn’t put in an entry for its women 65. Keaukaha also won that race. However, Kai Opua’s six other perfect crews — girls 14, boys 16, girls 18, women sophomore, women junior and senior men 50 — remained unbeaten.
“It’s a lot easier to run a streak through three regattas instead of eight,” Kai Opua athletic director Mike Atwood said. “Our goal is to get as many points as possible, and being undefeated and getting points go hand in hand.”
But Kai Opua is still pretty powerful. The West Hawaii club holds a nice unbeaten streak, winning the last six Division A (15-40 races) championships.
And the club’s six gold medals were part of Kai Opua’s total haul of 13 first-place finishes, resulting in 206 points to easily win the Division A title. Keaukaha, with 10 golds, was second with 173 points, and Puna took third with 131 points, grabbing four golds.
Puna zipped past Kamehameha in the senior women 50 race, clocking in at 4:36.79. Kamehameha bolted to a good start, but was slightly slower, especially down the stretch, in the half-mile event in 4:39.02, watching its flawless run end.
Paddlers of Laka captured the Division B (1-14 events) title with 47 points. Hui Waa O Waiakea was second with 32 points, and Hanakahi was third with 22 points.
None of those top three Division B clubs won a gold medal. But Keoua secured the mixed masters 60 title in 4:40.11, ahead of Kawaihae’s 4:41.71.
Keoua’s crew members were Mary Prevetz, Dan Abaya, Tim Sperry, Terry Harrison, Patty Eames and Kurtis Yamauchi. It was the club’s first victory of the season.
Old friend back
Hui Waa O Waiakea president Ira Kekaualua Sr. was back at Hilo Bay after a two-year absence.
Kekaualua, 77, has emphysema and also undergoes kidney dialysis. When he wasn’t at regattas, his daughter, Nani, would text results, providing a small measure of comfort.
The Waiakea/Kona Athletic long-distance race will be held at 9 a.m. June 23 at Hilo Bay, honoring Kekaualua and his wife, Barbara.
