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BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Members of Na Keiki O Ka Moi congratulated Gail Beckley and the other paddlers in the mixed 45 crew after they took first place in their half-mile race.
There was no final-race drama or post-regatta uncertainty for Na Keiki O Ka Moi this time around.
Na Keiki O Ka Moi won the Na Ohana O Na Hui Wa‘a’s Kalihi Kai Regatta on Sunday at Keehi Lagoon, and did it in fairly comfortable fashion.
Na Keiki O Ka Moi finished the 39-race regatta with 64 points, followed by Kaneohe with 51 and Manu O Ke Kai with 48. All were entered in the AAA division for large clubs.
"We didn’t want it to come down to the last race as the decider," said Na Keiki O Ka Moi head coach Lisa Ka‘aekuahiwi.
The first two regattas of the Hui Wa‘a season were quite dramatic.
Two Sundays ago at Kailua Beach Park, Kaneohe got a victory in the final race to edge Na Keiki O Ka Moi 75-71.
Last Sunday at Haleiwa Beach Park, Na Keiki O Ka Moi toppled Kaneohe 73-71. Ka‘aekuahiwi actually left the site not knowing whether her club had won the regatta. There was some confusion because Ka‘aekuahiwi said she wasn’t sure whether a five-point deduction against a Kaneohe youth crew for a boat-holder error was applied to the team standings prior to her heading home. Turns out, the deduction against Kaneohe hadn’t been made at that time.
"As I got in the car to go home (last Sunday), I still didn’t know what we had," said Ka‘aekuahiwi, who added she found out Na Keiki O Ka Moi had won the regatta after receiving a phone call while driving home.
"We celebrated, but I explained to them technically we didn’t get it," Ka‘aekuahiwi said. "You take every point you got, but you don’t want to win on a technicality."
Na Keiki O Ka Moi won the girls 13, boys 14, girls 15, boys 15 and mixed men and women 45 races Sunday. Kaneohe and Manu O Ke Kai each claimed four race victories.
The Waikiki Beach Boys, which won a regatta-high seven races, won the AA division for medium clubs with 45 points. Koa Kai finished second with 29 and Lokahi third with 27.
Kamehameha, which won six races, took the A division with 36 points, followed by Ka Mamalahoe with 26 and Kalihi Kai with 22. Points were awarded on a 5-3-2-1 basis.
The Waikiki Beach Boys swept the 1½-mile men’s and women’s senior races.
The Beach Boys men finished in 11:37.84, Manu O Ke Kai finished close behind in 11:44.48 and Na Keiki O Ka Moi placed third in 12:15.10.
Members of the winning Beach Boys crew were: Charles Meyer, Elton Dubois, Joe Martin, Joe Giovannini, Franco Arango and Patrick Switzer.
The Beach Boys used a solid turn around the 1-mile marker to gain an advantage on Manu O Ke Kai.
"Especially with three turns it really helps if you can nail them," Giovannini said. "Patrick Switzer nailed ’em. He’s an all-around awesome steersman."
The Waikiki Beach Boys women ran away with the 1½-mile senior race, finishing in 12:27.01. Waikiki Yacht Club was second in 14:00.29 and Lokahi third in 14:14.13.
Members of the winning Beach Boys crew were: Dana Gorecki, Frances Lichowski, Raye Powell, Kaui Pelekane, Jen Polcer and Lindsey Shank.
"For us it’s about the whole season and the individual races, getting better and better," Gorecki said. "Lining up it’s a race every week and we want to better ourselves."
Hui Wa‘a’s next event is the Lokahi Regatta next Sunday at Keehi Lagoon.
Kailua takes OHCRA regatta
Kailua Canoe Club (110 points) edged Lanikai (106) to win the AAA division of the Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association’s King Kamehameha Regatta at Kailua Beach on Sunday.
Hui Lanakila won the AA division, and Anuenue took the A division.
