Lanikai Canoe Club has made the transition from long-shot contender during a recent rebuilding period to clear-cut favorite as the summer regatta season heats up.
The green-and-white paddlers amassed a regatta-high 23 race victories en route to claiming the Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association’s annual King Kamehameha Day Regatta on Sunday at Kailua Beach. Lanikai won the AAA division (31-45 crews entered) as the club posted 218 points to finish ahead of Outrigger (177), Hui Nalu (150) and Kailua (132).
After winning seven of the day’s first 13 events, Lanikai built an 84-78 lead over Outrigger through 18 races, and held that six-point margin, 136-130, after 30 contests. Lanikai cemented the victory by winning 10 of the final 15 races, including four of the final five half-mile competitions.
>> View more photos from the regatta in our photo gallery.
Lanikai claimed OHCRA’s overall crown last season for the first time since 2008. The club had watched windward-side rival Kailua win four consecutive association titles (2009-2012) followed by three straight by Hui Nalu (the 2016 championship was vacated when Keehi Lagoon could not be used for the championship regatta due to unsafe water conditions).
Winning the OHCRA hardware had proved to be such a daunting task for Lanikai that it won three Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association state championships (2008, ’10 and ’12) before winning the elusive OHCRA title in 2017.
In the senior men’s race, the crew of Andreas Gaeta, Igor Sobreira, Manny Kulukulualani, Tiloi Alapa, Matthew Mench and Karel Tresnak Jr. completed the 1-mile course in a blistering pace of 7 minutes, 40.40 seconds, holding off Outrigger by 5.53 seconds. The race is usually a 1½-mile affair, but was shortened along with a handful of other adult races Sunday to ensure the regatta would finish before sundown.
“Last year we were cruising, and created our own competition, so I’ve been warning the guys that you can’t be complacent, especially with a young, hungry competitor like Outrigger out there,” said coach Karel Tresnak Sr. “The guys are into it, and did a lot over the winter with cross-training and one-man races, so at this point, we are better off than we were last year.”
Tresnak Sr. explained that he evaluates paddlers for the senior crew based on individual time-trial performances, then pieces together the six-man team that will race.
“Our goal is the Molokai (Hoe, the 41-mile race in October that draws the best competitors from around the world), and the guys are into it, but Outrigger has stepped up their game from last year and they’re giving us a run for the money, which is good,” Tresnak Sr. said. “Competition can only bring us higher. You can never really find a perfect performance, so we are continuing to work on things and improve.
“Last year, we came in third in the Molokai Hoe, and trimmed the deficit (between the victor and Lanikai) from 32 minutes in 2016 to (eight) minutes. You never know when the ocean is going to open up and big fishes (more top canoe clubs) from Tahiti will swim in.”
Keahiakahoe (59 points) claimed the AA division (16-30 crews entered), which also included Healani (46).
Waimanalo (35 points) bested Hui Lanakila (32) and Leeward Kai (23) for the small division title.
Paddlers and spectators who packed Kailua Beach were cooled by steady breezes, occasional showers and slightly choppy but calm ocean conditions as more than 3,000 competitors ranging in age from 12-and-under to 70-and-above represented OHCRA’s 17 member clubs in 45 races spanning a quarter mile to 1 mile. Winning crews earned 7 points toward the team standings, while second-, third-, fourth-, fifth- and sixth-place finishers were awarded 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 points, respectively.
In addition to battling for gold in individual races, crews aimed to earn cumulative points necessary to qualify for the HCRA State Championship regatta scheduled for Aug. 4 at Keehi Lagoon. Based on accumulated points, the top four crews earn automatic berths to the state competition.
“We have another time trial coming up on Tuesday for the next regatta, so they’re on the edge, and I try to keep them that way, but I’m happy with the way they performed today with our approach to training two-plus hours every day,” Tresnak Sr. said. “They’re doing their best, but sometimes, your best is not enough so you have to keep working.”
OHCRA returns to action Sunday at Nanakuli Beach Park for the traditional Father’s Day Regatta. Na Ohana O Na Hui Wa‘a also holds its third event of the season Saturday with the Windward Kai Regatta at Kailua Beach Park.
