Lanikai caps 7-0 season

Lanikai Canoe Club captured the Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association Championship Regatta yesterday afternoon, and capped a perfect season with wins in all seven regattas.

Lanikai braved the stiff trade winds, amassing 100 points to run away with the AAA (18-plus crews entered) Division ahead of Kailua (78 points), Outrigger (63) and Hui Nalu (10).

Kailua-based Lanikai eked out a five-point win over Kailua last year, and head coach Dave Smith was surprised at how his club ended up running the table in defense of its OHCRA crown. After 32 races, Kailua trailed its neighbor 78-71 but Lanikai relied on sheer numbers -- it entered all 39 races -- to widen the gap and complete the perfect season.

"Wow, an undefeated season on Oahu, that's kind of miraculous; I don't ever remember that happening," said Smith, who pulled double duty by paddling with Lanikai's winning Men's 40 crew. "It's been a really good season. It's a combination of having a lot of people, and having them spread out (over all 39 races), so we score consistently throughout the day. We've had a lot of crews (in the past), but haven't been able to score consistently (until now)."

Lanikai won seven races in the regatta, including the Women's 55 race after which its crew celebrated by donning plastic tiaras and indulging in chocolate chip cookies.

"It was a hard race, and it was windier than we expected," said crewmember Suzi Mechler. "It's probably the tightest crew I've ever paddled with. There's been really good competition this season, so it's a great way to finish off the Oahu season."

Hui Lanakila dominated the AA (9-17 crews entered) Division, tallying 50 points. The medium-sized club notched six wins, and finished in second with 21 points followed by Kaioni (17), Keahiakahoe (16) and Waimanalo (8).

The A (nine or fewer crews entered) Division ended in a tie between Keola O Ke Kai and Makaha with two points apiece. According to race officials, a winner will be determined today.

Next up for the qualifying crews are the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association's state championships on Aug. 4 at Hanalei Bay, Kauai. Hawaiian Canoe Club of Maui is the six-time defending state champion. Its strength in numbers has proven too much for even Lanikai to overcome in recent years.

"The math changes a little bit in states," Smith explained. "Here, the top four (crews) score (toward the overall team standings), but in states, every boat scores so I'm not sure how that will change the formula. Kailua 's real close, Outrigger's real close; there's a lot of good crews and clubs out there and we don't know how we'll stack up against big clubs like Hawaiian.

"But, we're well-positioned, and it's going to be real close," he added. "I don't think anybody's going to walk away with this one."

The championship regatta was dedicated to Michael Tongg, a legend in the paddling community who died on July 13 after a bout with lung cancer. Tongg was instrumental in helping the sport of canoe paddling grow, and won the Molokai Hoe three times, in 1966, '69 and '73 with the Waikiki Surf Club -- the club he later coached. He eventually became the president of the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association, a position he held for nearly 20 years.

While Tongg's goal of having canoe racing established as an Olympic sport has yet to be attained, his mark on paddling was apparent by the opening ceremony which preceded the regatta.

Waikiki Surf Club's koa canoe "Malia" was paddled out with passengers including Tongg's wife Janice and steersman Nappy Napoleon, one of Tongg's long-time teammates. With Tongg's ashes resting on the second seat -- Tongg's regular spot in the canoe -- the other clubs then paddled their canoes out and formed a circular formation around the Malia, symbolizing the love and respect embodied by a flower lei.

Tongg's ashes won't be scattered until an Aug. 12 ceremony at Waikiki Beach fronting the Royal Hawaiian Hotel near the surf break named after him, but those on hand yesterday were touched by the ceremony, which was capped by a light rain shower that formed a rainbow overhead.

"He always said that the canoe was there like an umbilical cord that you come to, and the more kids you can bring into and teach, the better," said OHCRA president Hannie Anderson. "He brought our association up to another level. He was such a gentleman; he just touched the hearts of every person."

Tongg also served as president of the Polynesian Voyaging Society. As a crew leader on the voyaging canoe Hokule'a, Tongg completed voyages traversing over 40,000 nautical miles.

The championship regatta featured over 3,000 paddlers ranging in age from 12-and-under to 60-and-above from 17 clubs.