CINDY LUIS / CLUIS@STARBULLETIN.COM The members of the Honolulu Pearl Canoe Club in the Canoe Hale at Pearl Harbor. are, back row: Rick Lengerke, Ken Diamond, Clayton Nihei, Bruce Stewar, Bob Beaudra. Gary Mathis and Thomas Vinigas make up the front row.

Club grows out
of Pearl Harbor

Wai Momi beckons in the late afternoon.

It's easy to understand why canoe paddlers enjoy the waters of Pearl Harbor, the solitude, the quiet, the culture, the history.

53rd Hawaii Modular Space Molokai Hoe What: 41-mile men's outrigger canoe race from Molokai to Oahu. Who: More than 100 crews from Hawaii, the U.S. mainland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand at Tahiti. When: Tomorrow. 7:30 a.m. start, Hale O Lono Harbor, Molokai. Finish, Duke Kahanamoku Beach, Waikiki. Defending champion: Team New Zealand/Hawaii, 5:02:24. Course record: Lanikai Canoe Club (4:50:31, 2000). Awards: To top finishers in overall, koa, Masters 40, Masters 50 divisions. Awards ceremony: A block party at the Victoria Ward Centers, 4:30 p.m. Donation: $5 to benefit the Children's Miracle Network and March of Dimes.

This is where the men of Honolulu Pearl Canoe Club accepted the challenge as part of the club's rebirth. For the first time since adding "Pearl" to its name in 2002, the members of what was formerly Honolulu Canoe Club will be competing in the Hawaii Modular Space Molokai Hoe.

Only one of them has ever competed in the 41-mile event from Hale O Lono, Molokai, to Duke Kahanamoku Beach, Oahu. Several are first-year paddlers who -- as they readily admit -- haven't a clue as to what crossing the Kaiwi Channel entails.

But they have a commitment to the past as well as the future. For the nine -- who will compete in the Masters 40 division -- this is just the start of something even bigger.

The goal is to build on this race, considered the world championship of outrigger paddling. Tomorrow, they will race the club's Mirage fiberglass canoe named after the late legendary waterman Kala Kukea.

In two years, the goal is to have the club's koa canoe completely refurbished and ready to make the crossing. The Honaunau, which once belonged to Kukea's canoe club Hui Nalu, will be 50 years old in 2006.

Coincidentally, the 48-year-old Honaunau is the average age of the Honolulu Pearl paddlers.

The crew is comprised of five active-duty officers, a couple of reserves and a couple of civilians. The only Molokai Hoe veteran is Capt. Dan Price, who paddled for Honolulu Canoe Club in 1994.

"Our first goal is to safely finish the race," said Price. "The next would be to finish in our category in the middle of the pack or better. It would be a significant achievement for us to be in the top half of our division.

"It got in my blood 10 years ago and, now that I'm back for my second tour, it's in my blood again. We've got a nice mix of military and civilians and we've got a good steersman (Thomas Vinigas) with local knowledge. Paddling has a dual purpose. It's a good way to exercise and it's a tie to the local culture."

The crew represents four commands. In order to use Pearl Harbor's Morale, Welfare and Recreation facilities and equipment, the club has to have 51 percent military participation.

Cdr. Bruce Stewart, a novice paddler, will be one of the crew's two strokers. The other is civilian Clayton Nihei, who previously paddled for Healani.

"This is a big milestone for the club," Nihei said. "It's a good mix of guys.

"I learned to paddle in the Ala Wai and paddling here is amazing. We paddle around Ford Island. We cannot go out to the Arizona Memorial, but every time we have new people we do stop and talk about it."

The club incorporates the outline of the Arizona Memorial into its logo.

"There's a lot of history in Pearl Harbor itself, both naval and cultural, and we share that with our club members," said Bob Beaudrau, who helped reorganize the club in 2002. "I paddled for Lanikai but live in Pearl City and was getting tired of the drive. I heard that Honolulu was about to fold and looked into it.

"We refurbished the koa, asked to be reactivated in OHCRA (Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association) and started rebuilding the club."

The club has grown from about 48 members to around 90. Competitive success has also grown, with the Mixed Senior Masters winning its division in the Sand Island Challenge and the Masters 40 Men qualifying for the recent World Sprints.

"The goal of the club is to make paddling available to military families," Beaudrau said. "We want them to have an understanding of the culture here. We participate in the makahiki here. We go out and escort ships and submarines returning to Pearl Harbor.

"We've been truly fortunate to have had help from other clubs such as Makaha and Waimanalo who've helped us with rigging and coaching. There is truly an ohana spirit in paddling. What I enjoy is seeing guys like Bruce (Stewart) and the other military folks getting so much out of the sport and the culture."

"I'm really excited about crossing the channel," said steersman Vinigas, a former beachboy and canoe captain for C&K Beach Services. "Even though my background goes back 30 years, this is the first time I will do this race.

"Physically and mentally, the crew is a good one. The conditions should be good. I'm excited."

So is helicopter pilot Rick Lengerke. He paddled this past summer in Norfolk, Va.

"It's a growing sport on the East Coast," he said. "But this race is the ultimate.

"We know we can do it. It's just a matter of where we'll finish.