[PADDLING]

GEORGE F. LEE GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM The senior men of Manu O Ke Kai paddled to victory in a 1 1/2-mile race at Keehi Lagoon yesterday.

Lokahi’s miscues
help Kaneohe to
Hui Wa‘a win

The host club finishes second after
blunders bring disqualifications

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By Cindy Luis
cluis@starbulletin.com

Things happen.

Canoes collide. A steersman picks the wrong lane in which to finish. A boatholder can't keep the front of the canoe from crossing the starting line early.

It's little things that happen that give head coaches premature gray hair. Ask Lokahi Canoe Club's Robert Viernes. Had two of his men's crews not been disqualified, Lokahi would have won its own regatta yesterday at Keehi Lagoon.

Instead, Lokahi lost five points due to DQs and Kaneohe Canoe Club prevailed for the third consecutive week in Hui Wa'a competition. Kaneohe won five of the first seven races of the day then hung on at the end to finish with 61 points. Host Lokahi was second with 58 and Manu O Ke Kai third with 56 in the AA Division (18-plus crews).

In the A Division (4-17 crews), Koa Kai also won for the third consecutive regatta. The Magic Island-based club won five events en route to 39 points, easily outdistancing second-place Windward Kai by 17 points.

GEORGE F. LEE GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Koa Kai's senior men finished third in the 1 1/2-mile race yesterday, helping the canoe club finish first overall in the A division.

"I thought we'd pull it out at the end," said Viernes. "The two men's crews got disqualified, one finishing in the wrong lane and one with a false start. That hurt us. But I thought we had a chance when they (Kaneohe) scratched in the last two races. We got points but not enough."

Kaneohe, traditionally strong in the youth races, led until the 27th event. Manu O Ke Kai finished second in the women's masters-45 to tie Kaneohe at 54 points with Lokahi at 45. Kaneohe and Manu O Ke Kai only had crews in three of the last eight races while Lokahi was entered in six.

With three races left, Lokahi had closed the gap on the co-leaders to 56-53. Kaneohe won the next event, the mixed-6, to jump to 61 points. Lokahi placed fourth to pull to 54 points and Manu O Ke Kai was seventh, holding at 56 points with no more races entered.

Surprisingly, Kaneohe scratched its entries in the last two races, the mile-long women's and men's masters-35.

"We had people gone on trips and we were moving people around to fill crews," said Kaneohe assistant coach George Waikoloa. "We don't normally scratch those races and I don't think we were expecting to. It's been so close all day ... we'll see what happens."

Two wins worth five points each would have been more than enough to give Lokahi the regatta championship. But the Ala Wai-based club finished fourth in the women's race and second in the men's for a combined four points to fall short.

"It's now become a three-way battle because Manu O Ke Kai is getting into the picture," said Viernes.

Manu O Ke Kai likely benefited from a collision in the senior men's race that slightly damaged Ka Mo'i's canoe. Ka Mo'i had taken the lead going into the turn on the mile flag and was out of the turn when Waikiki Yacht Club hit the Ka Mo'i canoe head on.

It took some time for the two canoes to untangle the iakos (outriggers), long enough for Manu O Ke Kai to regain the lead over the last half-mile and win by five seconds. Ka Mo'i, which had won the prestigious senior race in the first two regattas, finished second.

"These things happen," said Ka Mo'i steersman Fats Kahoalii.

Ka Mo'i used a backup canoe while club members taped the front of Pomaika'i-A-Ka Mo'i and rerigged the iako.

As for Koa Kai's A Division success, coach Joe Kim said the club had trained harder this past week.

GEORGE F. LEE GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Manu O Ke Kai senior women's masters paddlers Debra Graves and Gloria Anderson competed in the half-mile race yesterday at Keehi Lagoon.

"The competition is tough out there," said Kim. "Today, we got points where we should get points and then had some crews do better than expected.

"Our problem is we only have two kids' crews and the rest of the club is basically all novices. But, overall, the club is feeling pretty good about itself."

The next Hui Wa'a Regatta is Sunday at Haleiwa Beach Park. Races begin at 8:30 a.m.

Lanikai victorious: After placing second a week ago at the Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association season opener, Lanikai Canoe Club decided that wasn't good enough.

The Windward club won 10 races, including three of the last seven events, en route to 77 points and the AA Division championship of the King Kamehameha Regatta at Kailua Beach. Hui Lanakila won eight of the 36 races to finish second with 71 points with host Kailua third at 69.

In the A Division, Waikiki Surf Club won for the second consecutive week. Surf Club finished with 23 points to runner-up Anuenue's 13.

OHCRA's next regatta is Sunday at Maili Beach. Races begin at 8:30 a.m.