While the final weekend in May signifies the traditional start of the summer outrigger canoe paddling season, the Na ‘Ohana O Na Hui Wa‘a regatta season kicked off on Saturday at Keehi Lagoon with the Kamehameha Regatta that featured an unconventional wrinkle: The usual Sunday race schedule was moved up a day.

The change was made to afford paddlers who are usually busy on Sundays with work, religious events or family functions an opportunity to race this summer. However, some paddlers who work or have obligations on Saturday then had to alter their schedules or move to an Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association club as that organization will continue to race on Sundays.

In addition to adjusting to varied paddler counts, clubs also had to make logistical changes necessary for racing on Saturdays. For instance, in past years, clubs would show up on Saturday morning when their permits allowed access to start setting up tents and concession stands. Now, clubs need to set up on Friday.

Kamehameha is one of Hui Wa‘a’s smaller clubs that has seen a decrease in membership of at least 30 paddlers, while Waikiki Yacht Club did not field any crews on Saturday due to a lack of competitors and will be inactive this season. However, the move seems to have worked from a numbers perspective as, according to officials from both organizations, 91 paddlers switched from Hui Wa‘a to OHCRA, while at least 107 made the move in the other direction.

“Ultimately it’s refreshing in that we can offer something different and new,” said Hui Wa‘a President Eli Nakahara when asked about the transition to Saturday. “We are giving more people the opportunity to race, especially those who are restricted on Sundays.

“Now paddlers can pick and choose based on the days available in addition to factoring in where they live or who they want to paddle with. It seems to be working; we lost some paddlers, but ended up gaining more in the end.”

In another interesting twist to the day, Na Keiki O Ka Mo‘i – winners of five of the last six Hui Wa‘a championships – saw its regatta effort come to an end early after officials determined the club had used an illegal paddler. The punishment for this violation had been a fine in past years, but prior to the 2016 campaign, the organization implemented the stiff get-caught-and-go-home penalty that ended Ka Mo‘i’s day after four races.

According to officials, the club allowed a paddler to race in the fifth event of the day, the men’s 60 race, but that competitor did not match the bar-coded identification cards that teams turn in to be verified prior to beginning the sprint. The violation triggered the disqualification from that point forward, and the club had to leave the beach; the large swath of sand usually occupied by the green-clad club sat empty for the remainder of the day.

In Ka Mo‘i’s absence, Manu O Ke Kai ran away with the AAA Division (25-42 crews entered) via 89 points stemming from 11 race victories. Kaneohe (42 points) and Ka Mo‘i (10 points) rounded out the large division.

The Waikiki Beach Boys are looking to build upon their run of five consecutive AA Division (13-24 crews entered) championships and got off to a promising start by sharing the regatta’s medium-sized club trophy with Ka Mamalahoe (50 points apiece). I Mua (37 points) finished third after racking up seven wins.

Waikiki’s “Beach Girls” women’s program had another banner year in 2015 as the novice A, freshmen, sophomore and senior female crews complete undefeated seasons; all four of the aforementioned crews won their respective events on Saturday. The women also have notched two Na Wahine O Ke Kai Molokai-to-Oahu titles in four years; last season’s run for a third crown was put on hold after the 41-mile race was canceled due to dangerous ocean conditions

The A Division (6-12 crews entered) went to Windward Kai (29 points), while Lokahi (23 points), Kamehameha (18 points), Kai Poha (14 points) and Olelo O Keola (13 points) were within striking distance for most of the day.

Paddlers enjoyed mostly clear skies until a downpour cooled things off in the afternoon as more than 1,400 competitors represented Hui Wa‘a’s 18 member clubs in 42 races spanning a quarter-mile to 1.5 miles. Winning crews earned 5 points toward the team standings, while second-, third- and fourth-place finishers were awarded 3, 2 and 1 points, respectively.

In addition to battling for championship hardware in individual races, crews earned their first points of the campaign that will prove vital in qualifying for slots at the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association State Championship Regatta scheduled for Aug. 6 at Keehi Lagoon. The top two crews from each Hui Wa‘a event are slated to earn automatic berths in the state race based on cumulative point standings.

Hui Wa‘a returns to action on Saturday at Haleiwa Beach Park for its Manu O Ke Kai Regatta. OHCRA begins its summer racing season on Sunday with the 26th Annual Clement D. Paiaina Regatta at Keehi Lagoon.