HANALEI — The Hokualele Canoe Club from Anahola will be hosting the Saturday outrigger canoe paddling regatta in Hanalei Bay in front of the Hanalei Pavilion, said Eric Shewchuk, an outrigger canoe paddling contributor.
HANALEI — The Hokualele Canoe Club from Anahola will be hosting the Saturday outrigger canoe paddling regatta in Hanalei Bay in front of the Hanalei Pavilion, said Eric Shewchuk, an outrigger canoe paddling contributor.
Shewchuk said the annual regatta was originally scheduled for June 10, but multiple problems, including a permit issue, delayed it until Saturday, July 1.
“With those issues resolved, the races went smoothly,” Shewchuk said. “Youth races had multiple clubs competing for first-place finishes, while the adult races were dominated by Hanalei and Namolokama clubs. Both of these clubs are based in Hanalei, and were battling for first place finishes on their home turf.”
Namolokama representative Stephanie Brown started the day with a brief history, explaining that regatta races held today started more than 100 years ago in Hawai‘i.
Speaking against a backdrop of multiple rainbows, Brown said the first race had only five events. The races have grown to have 47 recognized classes for competitors to participate in.
“As always, the Kaua‘i Outrigger Association wishes to thank all the volunteers who give their time and resources to make each racing event possible,” Shewchuk said. “We invite anyone intersted in outrigger canoe racing to visit www.koapaddler.org to learn more.”
The link with results of the 47 heats in the annual Namolokama Regatta is https://hcrapaddler.com/hcra_results.php?view=byevent&rid=986
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
