On a day when everything seemed the same except the venue, the buzz on the beach yesterday was all about the debut of regatta host Na Keiki O Ka Mo'i's newly and beautifully refurbished koa canoe.

Undefeated Kane'ohe won the Na Keiki O Ka Mo'i Regatta at Ma'ili Beach Park, accumulating 75 points to again top the AAA (large canoe) division. Manu O Ke Kai (56) placed second, followed by Koa Kai (44).

Once again, Waikiki Beach Boys (50) took first in the AA (medium club) division, ahead of Lokahi (45) and Na Keiki O Ka Moi (36).

And again, Kumulokahi-Elks 21) won the A (small club) division. North Shore (17) finished second, followed by Ka Mamalahoe (11).

"It was easier today," said Kane'ohe head coach Clint Anderson. "It was a good day because we didn't have to come down to a last-minute final race to pull it out. We just had to race our race, focus, work everybody else and just cruise.

"We had fun," he said.

Kane'ohe grabbed control of the regatta early thanks to dominating performances by its younger crews.

The club notched wins in the Girls 12, 13, 14 and 16, and Boys 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 18 events. They added another win in the last event of the day, the Mixed Men and Women.

With the regatta safely in hand by mid-afternoon, Anderson had plenty of time to admire the return of Na Keiki O Ka Mo'i's koa canoe, 'Uhane O Pauahi (Spirit of Pauahi), which hadn't seen competition since Na 'Ohana O Na Hui Wa'a adopted the O'ahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Associations standards for vessel specifications a decade ago.

The club spent the last two years widening and refurbishing the canoe to meet the rigid specifications.

"It was a big burden lifted off the shoulders," said Na Keiki O Ka Mo'i coach Dude Kaaehuahiwi. "We had meant to do it for several years, and then we finally started two years ago. It feels real good."

Koa canoes are heavier but more buoyant than their fiberglass equivalents.

Like longboards in surfing, koa canoes take a bit more effort to get moving than a lighter vessel, but once in motion, they build and maintain greater momentum.

Because the boat sits higher in the water, paddlers have to dig deeper to get a good stroke, said first-seater Tamara DeSoto, who helped paddle the 'Uhane O Pauahi to a second-place finish in the Women's Masters (40) race yesterday.

Lokahi won that race in a time of 9:25.37. Na Keiki O Ka Mo'i finished in 9:56.70.

"It was a little different because you sit up higher," said DeSoto of her first experience in the canoe. "You've got to dig harder, longer and deeper."

Despite having to steer more because of the lightness of the boat above the water, Na Keiki O Ka Mo'i's Al Momoa said she was thrilled to have the canoe back in the water.

"Thank God it's legal," she said, laughing. "It's definitely a nice ride. I can feel the buoyancy. It takes more power to get it going, but once it's going, it flies."

The club raced the boat in a dozen events yesterday — with impressive results.

A Na Keiki O Ka Mo'i crew of Joseph Momoa, Glenn Freitas, Stephen Auwae, Shelly Freitas, Doreen Kila and Emi Harvey powered the canoe to a first place finish in the Senior Mixed Masters (45) event.

Kaaehuahiwi said he intends to get his crews more experience with the boat in preparation for the State Championships.

"I really was happy to see that boat out there today," Anderson said. "I saw that boat many years ago when I was younger, and it was great to see that 'ohana from Ka Mo'i to get it going again.

"That's the key," he said. "Hopefully more of us can get our koa canoes into the races. It was awesome to see koa canoes on the beach again."

Anderson said Kane'ohe's own koa canoe is roughly three-fourths complete. There is a possibility the boat could see action this season, but Anderson said he doesn't feel a need to rush the process.

With just two races left before the Hui Wa'a Championships, Anderson is focusing his attention on making sure his club is in the best position to do well at the State Championships on Aug. 2.

"Our goal is to move crews around to try and get them into states," Anderson said. "We're going to just try and do our best to adjust as best as we can to go into States."

Anderson said he will likely enter about 14 crews into the state championships.

That would mean competing in the AA division, and avoiding the larger powerhouses in AAA and AAAA.

"I know we've got like 30 crews, but we're not going to compete with the AAAAs," he said. "That's a little big too big for us. We cannot go that high. We're going to try and stay in our level and try our best."