HondaReport.com - Paddling: Kaneohe eludes Manu O Ke Kai again, July 11, 2004

Paddling: Kaneohe eludes Manu O Ke Kai again, July 11, 2004

Here's the complete story about Sunday's Hui Wa'a regatta at Maili Beach Park.

A shorter version of this story ran in Monday's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

MAILI—Once again, upstart Manu O Ke Kai Canoe Club had nemesis Kaneohe on the ropes.

Again, Kaneohe escaped, pulling out a wider-than-expected victory yesterday in the seventh regatta of the Hui Wa’a canoe racing season.

A formidable current greeted paddlers at Maili Beach Park. Manu O Ke Kai, which lost to unbeaten Kaneohe by just two points a week ago, positioned itself for victory, only to lose by 10 points, 73-63, in the AAA Division.

Kaneohe, with its plethora of talented youth paddlers, stormed to an early lead—as usual. Manu bounced back with wins in the Freshmen, Sophomore and Senior races to pull within striking distance. Down the stretch, however, Manu was not able to pull out wins in key Senior races, and Kaneohe prevailed for the seventh week in a row.

Koa Kai and Waikiki Beach Boys also continued their dominance. Koa Kai accumulated 37 points, outlasting Waikiki Yacht Club (25) to win the AA Division (13-24 events) for a seventh-consecutive week.

Powered by their wahine crews, the Beach Boys triumphed in the A Division (12 events or less) with 37 points. Host Na Keiki O Ka Mo’i placed second with 30 points.

More interesting was the status of 12 crews that came to the Leeward Coast on a blistering-hot day with unbeaten records this season. Of the 12, one fell in a most gracious manner.

Host Ka Mo’i, third in overall season points for Men’s Senior races, upset previously unbeaten Manu. Ka Mo’i crossed the finish line with a time of 11 minutes, 34.89 seconds in the 1.5-mile race. Manu finished at 11:41.6, followed by Koa Kai (11:42.95).

A combination of factors vaulted Ka Mo’i to victory, and possibly to a pivotal turnaround midway through the season. Crew members Chris Gibson and Danny Sanchez hesitated to call the win a turning point.

“Today, it was nice. We had the remainder of a west swell,” said steersman Gibson, 36. “And our crew was strong.”

Ka Mo’i’s seniors welcomed three Open 4 paddlers: Jason Bellefeuille, Hartwell Afong and Sanchez. “They were our secret weapon. They were our engine room,” said Gibson, who has paddled with Ka Mo’i for three years.

Ka Mo’i practices at Pokai Bay, which is a stone’s throw from Maili and its unique conditions. “But Manu paddles in similar waters at Haleiwa,” said Sanchez, 36, now in his 24th year as a Ka Mo’i paddler.

The two clubs are competitive and brotherly. They combine forces when the long-distance season begins. “If it was meant to be, I’d rather lose to them,” Manu steersman Moku Sanborn said.

“They were around fifth early in the season, then their old-timers came back and they were finishing third,” said Sanborn, 36, now in his 26th year of paddling for Manu. “Usually, they fade after the first half-mile. Everyone on our team was worried about Koa Kai, but I was watching Manu. When we made our turn, they were already coming out.”

After battling the current out to seas, Ka Mo’i turned and finished strong, enjoying the wind at its back.

“They all came over and congratulated us,” Gibson said. “They’re pretty cool guys.”

Sanchez agreed. “We just like the friendly rivalry,” he said.

Sanborn, son of head coach Randy Sanborn, is looking forward to the intensified competition. “It’s a good lesson. Now, maybe everyone will make it to practice,” he said.

Even with more commitment, Manu has just 12 paddlers to stretch among the Freshmen, Sophomore and Senior crews.

The list of remaining 11 undefeated crews reads like a cross-section of Hui Wa’a powerhouses, along with a few small clubs that have dominated their niche. The unbeatens after yesterday’s regatta: Kaneohe Girls’ 12, Girls’ 13, Girls’ 15, Boys’ 13, Boys’ 18; Manu O Ke Kai Women’s Golden 55, Men’s Golden 55; Koa Kai Men’s Novice A; North Shore Women’s Masters 40; Waikiki Beach Boys Women’s Freshmen and Women’s Open 6.

Kaneohe’s youth brigade continues to impress, not just with victories, but with sheer domination. The Girls’ 15 set a new course record with a time of 4:27.98, more than three seconds ahead of runner-up Kumulokahi Elks.

“All of our races have been close. Last year, we were always first or second, always close with Manu O Ke Kai,” third-year paddler Heidi Jones said. “Our crew this year works together really good. We push each other. When you’re neck-a-neck, it makes you go faster. One of the differences is we paddle all the way through the flag.”

The difference between the waters of Maili and Keehi Lagoon—the usual site of Hui Wa’a races—was substantial. “Here, you have a stronger current. You can feel the boat glide,” Jones said. “Here, the water is so clear. When you paddle out, the current pushes you in. When you come back in, you have to stay low and let the wind go over your head.”

Kahea Anderson, steersman for Kaneohe’s unbeaten Girls’ 12 crew, agreed. “It was really hard to keep the boat straight. Kaneohe (Bay) is a lot different. It’s flat,” Anderson said of her crew, which had only three paddlers who had experienced Maili before. Anderson is just 10, but she is the younger sister of Boys’ 18 steersman Keoni Anderson, and the daughter of head coach Clint Anderson. With three years of experience, she’s a relative veteran of the paddling wars, with the maturity of a sage.

“I feel happy. Last year, over here, we did bad,” she said, recalling a season that was painful for the crew. “We were last every race. But we’re training every day much harder. We’re sprinting, learning how to get our blades in the water, reaching and pulling back.”

Experience is a key difference. The Kaneohe Boys’ 18 crew have paddled Maili many times. “It was more choppy. More swells,” steersman Keoni Anderson said. His crew paddled about seven miles Saturday, but it had no apparent effect.

“We’re training for the World Sprints in August,” he said. “We just focus on times. All our guys have been paddling for years. We feel like we’re getting better. We just have fun.”

North Shore, with the exception of one disqualification, has not lost a Hui Wa’a race in four years. The fickle waters of Maili were not a problem for a crew that has the combined experience of more than 60 years in paddling.

“It’s kind of like Haleiwa. You can feel the run line,” North Shore Women’s Masters 40 steersman Donna Moore said. Her crew finished with a time of 8:57.23, more than 35 seconds ahead of runner-up Waikiki Yacht Club.

“I was taught by some great coaches, and they taught me you can steer with your eyes closed. You can find the line and, hopefully, stay in your lane,” Moore said.

The crew spends time in each other’s homes in Haleiwa playing cards and board games. Fellow paddler Kimberly Walsh put it this way: “Donna calls everyone three times a day. Thank God for caller I.D.,” she quipped.

North Shore, which practices in Haleiwa, is clearly thirsting for an established identity after years under the mantle of established clubs. For one year, the club was actually a satellite of Koa Kai. After a year of inactivity came seven years under Kalihi Kai, where the women set records in 1999 and 2001.

“That’s why we want to do well, and hopefully break a record as North Shore,” Moore said of the club, which established independence in recent years. “We try and remain humble. There are never any guarantees. But we’ve been winning because we like each other. That’s the key. We can also critique our paddling and handle constructive criticism.”

Koa Kai set a new course record in the Men’s Novice A race with a time of 7:38. With four second-year and two third-year paddlers, the crew is still getting used to its unbeaten string this summer.

“We don’t really bachi ourselves,” steersman James Oleole III said. “Until we win the big one, we don’t really want to celebrate. Our crew is really tight. We camp together and hang out a lot.”

Waikiki Beachboys, meanwhile, kept on rolling over competition. The Women’s Freshman crew remained unbeaten, while their Women’s Seniors and Open 4 crews set new course records. The Freshmen finished their one-mile race in 8:33.3, more than 34 seconds ahead of second-place Lokahi.

“The water’s heavier here. It has a place to move,” paddler Fern Yoon said. Finding the current as it powers its way across the grain, she added, was a key factor. The Beach Boys’ Freshman crew was together in Novice B last year, winning the state title.

“Everyone’s dedicated, and a lot of us cross-trained together in the off-season,” said Yoon, a second-year paddler. That meant biathlons, running, swimming, lifting and, of course, paddling. “We take every race different, one at a time.”

Beach Boys Senior Women’s paddler Jennifer Bowers is optimistic for good reason. “What we were focused on was jelling as a team and beating the clock,” she said. Her crew covered 1.5 miles in 12:56.88, breaking a mark set by Lokahi in 1999. This year’s Lokahi crew placed second in 13:28.25.

“There are a lot of really competitive teams from OHCRA and the other islands,” Bowers noted. The course mark at Keehi, she added, is 12:25. “Our best time there is 12:52. That’s something we’d like to break.”