State paddling regatta turns out to be a hot ticket

After months of practice, weekends spent racing at regattas and hours upon hours of conditioning and cross training, outrigger canoe paddlers will converge on Kauai today to compete for their share of yearly bragging rights.

Nearly 3,500 paddlers representing 54 canoe clubs from five islands and six paddling organizations will compete in 41 events within the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association State Championship regatta at Hanalei Bay, situated along Kauai’s picturesque north shore. And while the competition will undoubtedly be intense, the logistics associated with moving that many paddlers and their supporters, canoes and equipment have created a unique set of challenges even before competitors take to the water.

A round trip to Kauai this weekend became one of the hottest tickets in town, as demand for airfare to and from the Garden Isle has driven the price of tickets higher than some there-and-back jaunts to the West Coast. Demand for lodging and transportation has jolted hotel and rental car costs to exorbitance, and due to limited travel options after most flights sold out two weeks ago, some clubs have had to forfeit lanes within certain state races despite qualifying for them.

Case in point, the Waikiki Beach Boys turned in a strong showing two weeks ago at Na ‘Ohana O Na Hui Wa‘a Oahu Championships at Keehi Lagoon, and qualified 19 crews for state competition. However, a key group of paddlers couldn’t secure seats on any of the airlines servicing Kauai, and Waikiki was forced to abandon three of its state berths. Each race winner earns 15 points to supplement the state regatta’s club standings, meaning that those lost points can easily make the difference between securing championship hardware and returning home empty-handed.

"We ran into a problem where we had to make a decision as to which crews we were sending, but not everybody had flights, so we ended up pulling out of three races," said Dana Gorecki, a veteran Waikiki paddler and club president. "There was a shortage of flights, and if anything was available, it was the same price as a flight to the mainland, or in some cases, more than the cost of a trip to California."

Gorecki explains that many visiting clubs have chosen to work out rental arrangements with Kauai teams and borrow the valuable koa canoes required to compete in the state regatta. She said that only one Hui Wa‘a club out of 15 making the trek to Kauai had chosen to ship their own canoes — a venture that costs upwards of $500 per canoe, in addition to expenses for transferring the vessel on a trailer from the harbor to the beach and back.

"All the decisions that need to be made really makes for a logistical challenge as we communicate and work together with other clubs — there are a lot of extra hours involved as we strategize to make this work," Gorecki said. "Having the ability to work with other clubs and organizations is crucial. It really makes it or breaks it for you."

Kailua co-head coach Hank Leandro said some of his club’s vital youth paddlers won’t travel to Kauai due to the extraordinary expense involved.

"Some of the people who should be racing are not because of (the expense), and even a lot of our adults, including our (65-year-old) men, decided not to go because of the cost," Leandro said. "We’re at a disadvantage (from a numbers perspective), but we’re pumped to be going after another state title. We’re on a mission for sure."

Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association champion Hui Nalu qualified a regatta-high 39 crews for the state championships to establish itself as an early favorite, while fellow OHCRA competitors and defending state co-champions Kailua and Lanikai are expected to field 37 and 35 crews, respectively, in making a run at reclaiming the title. Hawaiian Canoe Club of the Maui County Hawaiian Canoe Association enters as a formidable challenger to Oahu’s top clubs, as the dynastic team has won nine of the past 12 state titles and will field 36 crews.

Oahu clubs have traditionally fared better in the home waters of Keehi Lagoon when compared to neighbor island venues. In the 2009 and 2011 state championship regattas held at Hilo Bay and Hanakaoo Beach in Lahaina, Hawaiian Canoe Club tallied runaway victories with winning margins of 60 and 59 points, respectively. However, in the 2008, 2010 and 2012 editions of the state regatta, all of which were held at Keehi, Lanikai won the first two by a combined four points and shared the title with Kailua last year.

"Kailua and Hawaiian have outstanding youth and a lot of depth in the adult crews," said Hui Nalu coach Denise Darval-Chang, who also noted that it has been 20 years since Hui Nalu had a shot at winning both the OHCRA and state titles in the same season.

Hui Nalu ended Kailua’s streak of four consecutive OHCRA titles two weeks ago.

"It’s special because Hui Nalu represents the legacy of those who came before and laid the foundation," Darval-Chang said.