Actually, they weren't canoes, They were boats called shells and they are longer (60-plus feet), lighter (about 200 pounds), and powered by a crew of eight pulling on oars, instead of a canoe's six paddlers.
You may remember seeing them plying the shallow waters of the Ala Wai in the last couple of years about this time because this appearance marks the third annual running of the Royal Hawaiian Rowing Challenge.
While once again there are rowing crews taking part from such West Coast rowing powerhouses as Stanford and Washington State Universities, and one made up of Princeton alumni, this is the first time a crew - representing the Anglican Church Grammar School - has come all the way from Australia.
Two other crews are new this year to the competition, one from Northeastern University and one from Hitotsubashi University in Japan.
"We are encouraged by the participation in this year's truly international regatta," said RHRC president Robyn Johl.
"Joining us from England is Mark Blandford-Baker, chairman of the Oxford and Cambridge Women's Boat Race and also representing the esteemed Leander Club from Henley-on-Thames."
A crew representing Hawaii is made up from island residents who, in the past, rowed for several mainland colleges. This team is organized and headed by Ryan Tam, who rowed with Cornell.
The sport of rowing is not new to Hawaii, but in recent years it has not kept pace with outrigger paddling as an everyday water way sight. In the early 1800s, King David Kalakaua was a great patron of the sport and six-oared barges were raced in a "Regatta Day" every September 15 in Honolulu Harbor.
This year's rowing competitions, which started yesterday and end Sunday, take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Viewing from the banks of the Ala Wai is free to the public.
As in previous years, the 500- and 1,000-meter race course along the Diamond end of the Ala Wai will be shorter than the international-format of 2,000 meters, due to the buildup of sand and mud near the mouth of the Palolo Stream.
"The Ala Wai Canal has the potential for becoming one of the premier flat water race courses in the world," Johl said.
"We are looking forward to its being dredged and cleaned in order for us to reach the international racing distance and to maximize the canal's recreational capacity."
The RHRC receives its major sponsorship from the state's Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, the Hawaii Convention and Visitor's Bureau, the City & County of Honolulu, Marc Hotels, Aloha Cargo Transport, Anheuser-Busch, and the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation.
For more information, call Johl at 923-0157.
Ray Pendleton is a free-lance writer based in Honolulu.
He can be reached by fax at 943-0190,
or by E-mail at 74273.3673@compuserve.com.
His column appears every Thursday in the Star-Bulletin.