In one of the closest Na 'Ohana O Na Hui Wa'a contests in years, five-time defending champion Kane'ohe held off hard-charging Koa Kai yesterday to win the Lokahi Regatta at Ke'ehi Lagoon.

Kane'ohe remains unbeaten in the young season, securing its third consecutive victory in the AAA (large club) division with 62 overall points. Koa Kai, which nipped at Kane'ohe's heels all day long, finished second with 58 points, followed by Manu O Ke Kai (50).

Waikiki Beach Boys earned their third consecutive AA (medium club) victory, garnering 57 points in 18 events entered. Regatta host Lokahi (45) placed second, followed by Na Keiki O Ka Mo'i.

In the A (small club) division, Kumulokahi-Elks (13) edged Ka Mamalahoe (12) to also remain unbeaten.

"It was a race to the end," said Kane'ohe head coach Clint Anderson. "Koa Kai did good. (Waikiki) Beach Boys was awesome today. The competition is mean. It's the third week, so you've got to expect that everybody is moving up and getting better. Everybody is doing their homework, so we have to continue doing ours."

In the previous two regattas, Kane'ohe beat second-place Koa Kai by 27 and 12 points, respectively. Yesterday, Koa Kai got a boost from its kids and novice women crews.

Kane'ohe led Koa Kai by just five points heading into the last three races. It extended the lead to seven with a third-place finish in the Men Open Four race. Koa Kai responded with a fourth-place finish in the Mixed Masters 40, but it wasn't enough.

Koa Kai earned five points with a win in the final race — the Mixed Men and Women. Kane'ohe placed second, good for three points.

"It's getting closer and closer," Anderson said of the competition.

Costly errors for both Kane'ohe and Koa Kai added to the day's drama.

For the second week in a row, Koa Kai was assessed a five-point deduction for a paperwork violation (it was late in submitting a crew change for the Mixed Boys and Girls 12 race). Koa Kai also was disqualified from the Boys 12 race for a boat-holder violation.

Kane'ohe was also assessed a five-point deduction for a boat-holder violation and was disqualified from the Girls 15 (interference) and Girls 18 (flag violation) races.

Koa Kai head coach Joe Kim, who remained intentionally and blissfully ignorant of the point standings throughout the day, said he was happy with his team's overall performance.

"We've been steady," Kim said. "We're not winning a lot, but we're placing in almost everything, which is good for us as a club."

For most of the day, the competition in the AA division was just as fierce. After 31 races, Waikiki Beach Boys and Na Keiki O Ka Mo'i were tied at 36 points apiece, thanks in part to a surprisingly powerful performance by the Na Keiki O Ka Mo'i's Senior Mixed Masters 45 crew, which had never so much as practiced together before yesterday's race.

The crew, which included just two paddlers in their 40s, finished in 4:22.19, just ahead of rival Lokahi (4:24.69).

"I think we did good for our age," said steersman Mapu Auwae, 55. "When I make the turn, I saw that we could take it and I told the crew, 'Let's do it! Let's do it!' "

Auwae, who doesn't usually steer, said she was unaware until after the race that she was competing against Lokahi's veteran steersman Iwa Bush, whom she considers "the No. 1 (steersman) in all of Hui Wa'a."

"I didn't know she was even in the boat until after," Auwae said, laughing. "I'm glad I didn't know."

The boats were even coming out of the turn, but Na Keiki O Ka Mo'i pulled ahead just after the midway point of the return leg.

Still, Bush's steadying hand was crucial for Lokahi's second-place AA finish.

"It's give and take in a sense," Bush said. "Every race, coaches change crews depending on who shows up in practice. You can never tell what's in the bag until the race. You can never count on having the same opponent as last week. You just have to show up ready to race."

Bush was again steering when Lokahi picked up five points with a victory in the Mixed Masters 40 race.

Lokahi finished in 4:04.69. Waikiki Beach Boys finished second but was assessed a boat-handler penalty, resulting in a net score of minus-2.

"I didn't think my timing was on with (No. 1), which throws the boat off," said Carol Jaxon, who paddled from the No. 2 position. "But by the fifth change, we just came together. It picked up and we floated."

OHCRA

Lanikai continued its dominance over the O'ahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association field with an impressive win at yesterday's King Kamehameha Regatta at Kailua Beach Park.

Lanikai won the AAA Division with 110 points, followed by Kailua (90) and Outrigger (71).

Hui Lanakila won the AA Division with 32 points. Leeward Kai (17) placed second, and Waimanalo (14) third.