HANALEI — Waters were murky in the morning, but then cleared up as the day went on. “It rained all night long until about 7 this morning. As soon as we started the races, it stopped completely,” said Hobey Beck,
HANALEI — Waters were murky in the morning, but then cleared up as the day went on.
“It rained all night long until about 7 this morning. As soon as we started the races, it stopped completely,” said Hobey Beck, NaMolokama Canoe Club president. “We’re definitely blessed.”
NaMolokama hosted this week’s Kauai Outrigger Association regatta Saturday at the Hanalei Pavilion Beach Park.
Beck said while the KOA Championships aren’t for another few weeks, in which Kauai’s clubs will be vying for berths at the Hawaii Canoe Racing Association State Championship regatta, these last couple of regular season regattas can help crews prepare.
“At this point of the season, what you can do with these races is you can view your time and then look at the people on Oahu, Maui and Big Island and say, ‘OK, how do I compare with the crews from the other islands?’” Beck said. “They’re doing the same exact distances, same events and everything. So, you can compare yourselves that way.”
While two sharks were sighted in Hanalei Bay on Friday afternoon, Beck said there was no threat to the paddlers and beach-goers during the races.
“It was down over at the (Hanalei Pier). So, they closed that section of the beach,” he said. “It was all clear last night. So, this morning we were all good.”
NaMolokama won the women’s senior race with a time of 14:40:50.
“It was awesome — very smooth, very clean turns all the way through,” said NaMolokama crew member Katy Curtis. “Everybody felt good. The boat felt light but strong.”
Also, of the more than 30 canoe races Saturday, Kailoa Canoe Club won the men’s junior race with a time of 8:38:62.
“We got a great crew. We’re older men racing in the junior division, but we were just blessed today,” said Kaiola crew member Wade Yamamoto. “We all blended together, and we came out on top.”
Hanalei won the men’s senior race with a time of 12:09:18.
“I’m a little out of breath, but we won. So, it’s a good day. It’s a beautiful sunny day at the beach,” said Hanalei crew member and coach Adam Roversi. “Everybody’s strong. They’ve been training hard. We’re in pretty good shape, but there’s room for improvement.”
The next KOA regatta is July 9 at Hanalei Pavilion Beach Park and will be hosted by Koloa Canoe Club.
Regatta winners
Girls 10-and-under: Puuwai (03:07:98)
Boys 10-and-under: Kilohana (2:48:99)
Mixed 10-and-under: Niumalu (2:57:72)
Girls 12-and-under: Niumalu (2:36:16)
Boys 12-and-under: Niumalu (2:12:61)
Mixed 12-and-under: Hokualele (2:16:18)
Girls 13-and-under: Niumalu (2:12:07)
Boys 13-and-under: Kilohana (1:57:60)
Girls 14-and-under: Kilohana (2:13:75)
Boys 14-and-under: Niumalu (2:03:48)
Girls 15-and-under: Niumalu (4:45:51)
Boys 15-and-under: Hanalei (4:29:09)
Girls 16-and-under: Niumalu (4:39:16)
Boys 16-and-under: Kilohana (4:12:55)
Girls 18-and-under: Niumalu (4:29:71)
Boys 18-and-under: Kilohana (8:58:99)
Women Novice B: Kukuiula (2:48:06)
Mixed Novice B: Hanalei (2:22:25)
Women Novice A: Hanalei (4:50:33)
Men Novice A: Hanalei (8:55:14)
Women Freshman: Hanalei (9:52:45)
Men Freshman: Hanalei (7:58:87)
Women Sophomore: Hanalei (9:27:18)
Men Sophomore: Hanalei (8:08:98)
Women Junior: Hanalei (10:02:06)
Men Junior: Kaiola (8:38:62)
Women Senior: NaMolokama (14:40:50)
Men Senior: Hanalei (12:09:18)
Men Master 65+: NaMolokama (4:19:31)
Women Master 60+: Hanalei (5:28:71)
Men Master 60+: Hanalei (4:13:09)
Women Master 55+: Kaiola (4:47:40)
Men Master 55+: NaMolokama (4:08:96)
Women Master 50+: NaMolokama (4:45:34)
Men Master 50+: Kaiola (4:03:23)
