Shorter races result in more excitement at Waimanalo Regatta

An added level of excitement was injected via a welcomed course length change designed to hasten the pace of the Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association’s Waimanalo Regatta held Sunday in the bright blue waters of the sun-soaked Windward side.

In an effort to speed up the regatta — and prevent a post-sunset finish that this particular competition at Waimanalo Beach has come close to experiencing in recent years — race officials decided to shorten the race length for some of the marquee adult races. Eight one-mile races were trimmed to half-mile affairs, while the two 1½-mile senior races were cut to one-mile sprints.

The change did not faze most crews, including the Outrigger senior women’s squad, which continued its undefeated season with a victory in the refreshed 1-mile, four-turn race. The team of Jennifer Fratzke, Paula Crabb, Angie Dolan Giancaterino, Anella Borges, Amy Lawson and Traci Phillips navigated the calm course in 8 minutes and 46.92 seconds and bested Lanikai (9:04.82), Healani (9:07.33) and Hui Nalu (9:12.39).

“It actually worked out nicely because we have been focusing on speed work, and (the shortened course) allowed us to apply that approach in the race,” said Phillips. “This regatta can tend to take a while, so it was a good decision to speed things up.”

Phillips also mentioned that some of the sport’s elite paddlers are in Tahiti participating in the prestigious Te Aito world championship event. She noted that “there are some very talented women out there competing just as hard as we are, and some clubs have yet to field their top six. As we continue to prepare for the state championships, we need to keep that in mind and prepare accordingly.”

Lanikai Canoe Club did not skip a beat even with the race alterations, and for the third time in four weeks, it swept the men’s marquee open events by claiming the freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior races. In all, Lanikai notched 12 victories and took home the AAA division (31-45 crews entered) and overall titles as the club amassed 178 points. Hui Nalu (162 points) claimed seven victories on the day, and Kailua (158) racked up a regatta-best 13 wins, while Outrigger (113) rounded out the large division.

Through 26 races Lanikai held a slim 95-90-89 lead over Hui Nalu and Kailua. The tight race for the regatta trophy continued throughout the afternoon as Lanikai maintained a 159-154 edge over Hui Nalu with four events to go. It took a runner-up finish by Lanikai in the day’s final sprint, the open mixed race, to clinch the title.

Keahiakahoe (73 points) claimed the AA division (16-30 crews entered), which also included Healani (63 points), Hui Lanakila (48) and Leeward Kai (29).

Host Waimanalo (26 points) bested Anuenue (23) to earn the A division (1-15 crews entered) hardware, while Waikiki Surf Club (22 points) and New Hope (15) were in the running for the small-division title.

Paddlers and spectators packed Waimanalo Beach Park, which was filled with a mass of pop-up tents and vendors as nearly 3,000 competitors ranging in age from 12-and-under to 70-and-above represented OHCRA’s 18 member clubs in 45 races. The event allowed Waimanalo Canoe Club the opportunity to showcase the positive work it has done in building the community through a koa canoe refurbishment project, and via a park cleanup effort to counter the growing effect of homelessness in the area.

Waimanalo Canoe Club applied for and received nearly $90,000 through the two aforementioned community programs administered by the Hawaii Tourism Authority. In all, the HTA allocates $3.3 million for 128 such projects, and officials encourage community groups and organizations to apply for these funds. These are separate from monies used to market big-time athletic events such as the Pro Bowl and, more recently, the Los Angeles Clippers’ upcoming preseason exhibition games.

Winning crews earned seven points toward the team standings, while second-, third-, fourth-, fifth- and sixth-place finishers were awarded five, four, three, two and one points, respectively. In addition to battling for gold in individual races, crews aimed to earn cumulative points necessary to qualify for the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association State Championship regatta scheduled for Aug. 5 at Hanakao‘o Beach Park on Maui. The top five crews from each OHCRA event earn automatic berths in the state competition based on points collected over six regular-season regattas.

OHCRA will enjoy a week off from competition and returns to action on July 4 at Waikiki Beach for the annual Walter J. Macfarlane Regatta. Na ‘Ohana O Na Hui Wa‘a will hold its fifth event of the season on Saturday with the Lokahi Regatta at Keehi Lagoon.

“The Macfarlane race is great because it allows some of our paddlers who are battling injuries time to recover,” Phillips said. “Usually we do one-man canoe practice on Tuesday, so we will continue that training schedule; there’s no resting allowed!”