It was a canoe paddling utopia at the 4th annual John Kekua Jr./Kamehameha regatta on Saturday at Hilo Bay, where the combination of flat water and fierce competition produced a record-setting day. ADVERTISING It was a canoe paddling utopia at
It was a canoe paddling utopia at the 4th annual John Kekua Jr./Kamehameha regatta on Saturday at Hilo Bay, where the combination of flat water and fierce competition produced a record-setting day.
There were 15 new records established over 40 races at the Moku O Hawaii Outrigger Canoe Racing Association regatta. In fact, in nine races multiple crews broke an old record.
The fast times shattered the previous record-setting day in 2012, when eight new marks were set at the Aunty Maile Mauhili/Moku O Championships.
Seven-time champion Kai Opua pocketed the A division (15-40 events) for the sixth consecutive regatta with 192 points, ahead of Puna, 164; Kai Ehitu, 152; Keaukaha, 140; Keauhou, 138; Kamehameha, 117; Kawaihae, 105; and Laka, 62.
Keoua Honaunau drove back to West Hawaii with the B division (1-14 events) with 40 points, ahead of Waiakea, 25; Kailana, 25; Hanakahi, 14; and Waikoloa, 11.
Host club Kamehameha didn’t set any records. But what’s to complain about when the morning is filled with sunshine, and the afternoon is overcast with a gentle breeze?
“We had a successful day and it was a beautiful day,” Kamehameha coach Stan Cann said. “The best part of our club is the members. It’s a family-like atmosphere. That’s part of what John Kekua wanted, to have a good time and have our members enjoy it.”
That said, Woods Noeau, 35, fits right in with Kamehameha. He’s one of six rookie paddlers in the men novice B crew, which finished second in 4 minutes, and 1.54 seconds in the half-mile race.
Kai Ehitu claimed first place. It’s Kamehameha’s second consecutive runner-up finish, after back-to-back wins.
“I wanted to cross train for mixed martial arts and it’s another outlet for me,” said Noeau, who’s a mason for Concrete Pete. “I like it because we’ve got a good crew and good club. The club is about family and teamwork.
“Paddling has helped my cardio, endurance and stamina. You’re building up your body. It’s a full-body workout, even though you’re only using the top half.”
Noeau (5-2) fights out of AP Boxing in the 205-pound light heavyweight division. He’s about 5 feet 7, about the same height as his buddy, Raymond Lopez.
In the recent Just Scrap, Lopez had the fight of the night, knocking out Maui’s Joe Rizk. Noeau couldn’t attend the MMA event, but he’s watched video.
Noeau, a 1997 Hilo graduate who played football and was a wrestler and judoka, enjoys the mental toughness developed from paddling, especially the part about paddling as one.
“Sometimes you’re tired, but when you get on the water it’s calm and it makes you push through,” he said. “If you have a mental breakdown, five other guys have to pull your weight. You have to think about them.
“That’s what a canoe club is all about, teamwork. You have to work as one. Overall, it’s a team sport, but actually it’s really an individual sport.”
MMA is the ultimate individual sport. There’s no equipment, like a tennis rack with the opponent across the net. It’s also pretty much anything goes, well, except for illegal strikes like eye gouges or punches to the groin, for example.
“I like fighting because it keeps me in shape, and it’s a test, both mental and physical,” Noeau said. “That’s what I like about MMA.”
Fast time
Weeks can go by before even one new record is set at a Moku O Hawaii regatta at Hilo Bay. And that’s with flat water and little or no wind. But 15 new records?
As the locals say, that’s nuts. What was up? Kai Opua athletic director Mike Atwood offered an explanation.
“For the quarter-mile races, it was calm water and if you get the current and a tailwind you can really move,” he said. “But it was mostly about the level of competition. All the races were close and in some there was more than one record-breaker. When everybody is going that fast, you want to go that fast, too.”
Here’s a rundown of the new records (asterisk indicate multiple record-breakers):
• Boys 12 quarter-mile: Keaukaha, 1:50.00.
• Girls 13 quarter-mile: Laka, 1:54.76. Old record: Keauhou, 1:55.53.
• Boys 13 quarter-mile: Keaukaha, 1:43.57. Old record: Keaukaha, 143.71.
• Women novice B quarter-mile: Laka, 1:52.01. Old record: Kai Opua, 1:52.20.
• Girls 14 quarter-mile: Kai Opua, 1:53.83. Old record: Kai Opua, 1:54.12.
• Boys 14 quarter-mile: Laka, 1:39.88. Old record: Puna, 1:40.07.
• Mixed novice B half-mile: Kai Ehitu, 1:38.68; Kawaihae, 1:43.41.* Old record: Kai Ehitu, 1:44.73.
• Women mixed 40 mile: Kai Opua, 8:22.80; Puna, 8:23.67.* Old record: Kai Opua, 8:54.62.
• Mixed masters 40 mile: Keauhou, 7:24.51. Old record: Keauhou, 7:26.95.
• Men 65 half-mile: Keaukaha, 1:50.04; Keauhou, 1:50.93; Kai Opua, 1:51.33; Laka, 1:52.17.* Old record: Keauhou, 1:52.58.
• Men masters 60 half-mile: Kai Ehitu, 3:51.94; Keaukaha, 3:58.44; Keauhou, 3:58.93.* Old record: Keauhou, 3:59.84.
• Men masters 40 mile: Keauhou, 7:24.51. Old record: Keauhou, 7:26.95.
• Men 65 half-mile: Keaukaha, 1:50.04; Keauhou, 1:50.93; Kai Opua, 1:51.33; Laka, 1:52.17.* Old record: Keauhou, 1:52.58.
• Men masters 60 half-mile: Kai Ehitu, 3:51.94; Keaukaha, 3:58.44; Keauhou, 3:58.93.* Old record: Keauhou, 3:59.84.
• Women 55 half-mile: Puna, 4:15.04; Keauhou, 4:21.91.* Old record: Puna, 4:27.41.
• Men 55 half-mile: Keauhou, 3:44.39; Kai Opua, 3:49.16.* Old record: 3:55.55.
• Women 50 half-mile: Puna, 4:08.14; Keauhou, 4:20.71.* Old record: Puna, 4:19.75.
• Men 50: half-mile: Puna, 3:32.96; Keauhou, 3:36.81; Kai Opua, 3:39.55.* Old record: Puna, 3:41.61.
• Mixed 40 half-mile: Kai Opua, 3:42.91; Puna, 3:44.33; Kai Ehitu, 3:54.62.* Old record: Puna, 3:56.22.
To those scoring at home, here’s a winner’s recap: Kai Opua, Keaukaha and Puna, three new records each; Kai Ehitu, Laka and Puna, two new marks each.
Aunty Maile, the Moku O Hawaii executive secretary, had a simple reason for the record-setting day, noting that it came on John Kekua’s regatta.
“Everybody is getting better, and I like to say they’re all flying with angels,” she said.
Angel John
Kekua died in September 2010. He was 62 years old.
He blended canoe paddling and life lessons to youngsters through his Kekua Foundation. He spent years, nearly half his life bettering the sport.
Kekua reorganized the Kamehameha Canoe Club in 1975 with Arnold Nathaniel, Abe Remy, Dale Fergerstrom and Joe Kealoha, but worked best with keiki.
He did his best work as the Kamehameha Canoe Club coach, taking someone and shaping him into a better person.
“We had one boy who came up behind me and said he wanted to paddle,” Kekua said in a 2010 story. “I told him that the adults don’t start until 5 p.m. Then he said, ‘Coach, you no remember me?’ I told him, ‘You used to be skinny.’
“He said, ‘If wasn’t for you and your program I’d probably be in jail.’ His son is paddling with us now. We’ve had kids like that come back years later and thank us for turning their lives around.”
