Posted on: Friday, August 6, 2004

Moloka'i hosting states on O'ahu

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

If Penny Rawlins-Martin has her way, tomorrow's Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association State Championship Regatta will be the friendliest state regatta ever.

Rawlins-Martin is president of the Moloka'i Canoe Racing Association, which is hosting the state regatta for the first time. Tomorrow's regatta will be held at Ke'ehi Lagoon in Honolulu, but officials from Moloka'i will be running the show.

"We're a small association from a small island taking on this huge event," she said. "We're treating it as an honor more than anything."

The first state championship regatta was held on the Big Island in 1952. Since then, O'ahu, Maui, Kaua'i and the Big Island have taken turns hosting the event.

"There's been talk for years about Moloka'i hosting it," said Hannie Anderson, president of the O'ahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association. "But it always came down to Moloka'i being too small. There was nowhere on that island to hold a regatta as big as the states."

Eventually, race officials on Moloka'i agreed to work with race officials on O'ahu so that the event could be staged at Ke'ehi Lagoon.

"As it turns out, that was the best thing we could have done," Rawlins-Martin said. "We couldn't have pulled this off without the help of the O'ahu people."

The "Friendly Island" has only four canoe clubs. More than 50 clubs — and approximately 3,000 paddlers — from the other islands are expected to compete in tomorrow's day-long regatta.

"We found out real quick how hard it is to put on the state regatta — it's an incredible amount of work," Rawlins-Martin said. "But it's also an opportunity for Moloka'i to take a stand and show that yes, we are proud to be paddlers, and yes, we want to be involved."

It is also providing a rare opportunity for the Moloka'i clubs to earn a little bit of money through advertising in the regatta program, and subsequent sales of those programs tomorrow.

"This could be the one and only time we host the state regatta," Rawlins-Martin said. "So we want it to be a success for everybody."

Three Divisions

Most of the focus for tomorrow's state regatta is on the battle of the big clubs.

Hawaiian Canoe Club of Maui is the three-time defending state champion, and won last year's title by an impressive 40 points.

Kai 'Opua will bring record numbers to O'ahu. It will be the only club to enter a crew in all 37 races tomorrow.

Kailua, Lanikai and Hui Lanakila will have home-course familiarity.

But those are not the only clubs vying for a first-place trophy.

Nine clubs are entered in the AA Division for "medium-sized" clubs. Na 'Ohana O Na Hui Wa'a powers Kane'ohe, Lokahi, Koa Kai and Manu O Ke Kai are expected to contend with Kaua'i champion Hanalei and Maui runner-up Kihei for top honors in that division.

The A Division for small clubs may be the most difficult to predict. Forty-one clubs are in the A Division, and about a dozen have a legitimate shot at taking the first-place trophy.

The breakdown of divisions:

AAA Division (18 crews or more)

Kai 'Opua (37 crews), Hawaiian (35), Kailua (34), Lanikai (28), Hui Lanakila (26), Hui Nalu (24), Outrigger (21).

AA Division (9 to 17 crews)

Kane'ohe (17), Kihei (17), Lokahi (17), Koa Kai (16), Manu O Ke Kai (16), Hanalei (15), Kawaihae (12), Kahana (11), Puna (10)

A Division (8 crews or fewer)

Healani (8), Keahiakahoe (8), Keaukaha (8), Wa'akapaemua (8), Waikiki Beach Boys (8), Waikiki Surf Club (8), Waikiki Yacht Club (8), 'Alapa Hoe (7), New Hope (7), Wailea (7), Kamehameha-O'ahu (6), Leeward Kai (6), Na Keiki O Ka Mo'i (6), 'Anuenue (5), Hawaiian Outrigger (5), Ka Mamalahoe (5), Keauhou (5), Lae'ula O Kai (5), North Shore (5), Windward Kai (5), Kalihi Kai (4), Mana'e (4), Moloka'i (4), Kai Poha (3), Kailana (3), Kamehameha-Hilo (3), Kukui O Moloka'i (3), Niumalu (3), Pu'uwai (3), Waimanalo (3), I Mua (2), Keoua (2), Na Kai Ewalu (2), Na Molokama O Hanalei (2), Napili (2), Hana (1), Kai E Hitu (1), Kaiola (1), Kilohana (1), Kumulokahi Elks (1), Lahaina (1).

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.