The celebration enjoyed by Manu O Ke Kai’s sophomore women’s crew following its first victory of the season in Saturday’s 1-mile race was a brief one.
After all, the paddlers will be back at work this morning at 8:15 for training: warm-up drills and running, followed by two hours of paddling.
The dedication to improving and the resulting success have permeated throughout Manu O Ke Kai’s ranks as the Haleiwa-based club remained undefeated with a convincing victory at Na ‘Ohana O Na Hui Wa‘a’s Lokahi Regatta at Keehi Lagoon. Manu O Ke Kai, the defending Hui Wa‘a AAA Division (25-42 events) champion, continued its unblemished run by compiling 115 points via 17 victories and finishing ahead of runner-up Na Keiki O Ka Mo‘i (73 points) – winners of six of the last eight Hui Wa‘a championships.
Manu O Ke Kai now has won all five Hui Wa‘a regattas in the summer season, by an average of 49.6 points.
“We’re trying to qualify our freshman, sophomore and senior women’s crews for states, so it’s important to get those points as we try to ‘sweep the house’ to get there,” said Kelly Godwin, a member of the victorious sophomore women’s crew. “It’s about finding the best combinations over the next few races.”
Godwin was joined in the winning canoe by Molly Weppner, Moanalani Quintanilla, Erica Adamczyk, Danielle Erickson and Kawena Otineru. The team completed the three-turn race in 9 minutes and 24.16 seconds, and beat runner-up Kamehameha by a commanding margin of more than 15 seconds.
Ka Mo‘i initially put pressure on Manu O Ke Kai after winning three of the opening five events and trailed 64-53 through the first 27 races. However, the orange-and-white clad paddlers collected wins in 12 of the final 19 events to cement the win.
“(Winning consistently) helps with our camaraderie, good vibes and overall positive feelings in the club’s men’s and women’s programs,” Godwin said. “The success has attracted more paddlers as we continue to grow.”
‘Alapa Hoe claimed the AA Division (13-24 events) with 40 points after winning three races Saturday, and held off Ka Mamalahoe (29 points), which won the boys 14, 15, 16 and 18 races early in the regatta, as well as Lokahi and Lahui O Ko‘olau (18 points apiece).
Waikiki Yacht Club took home the A Division (1-12 events) title with 27 points and edged out the Waikiki Beach Boys (25 points) and Haleiwa Outrigger (20 points).
The Beach Boys garnered valuable points by winning the 1-mile men’s freshman race (8:06.12), and defeated Ka Mamalahoe by 10.49 seconds. The crew of Eric Lentz, Josh Garland, Todd Finlayson, Eric Ichinose, Carl Bayaca and Dave Bandy are continuing to blend in advance of the Hui Wa‘a championships on July 21.
“We had a few good turns, so that helped us, and our guys didn’t run out of gas – it’s a strong crew,” said Garland, who joined the club a few weeks ago. “It’s a good bunch of guys with positive attitudes, and we’re looking to improve by working hard at practice.”
Paddlers enjoyed sporadic cloud cover, calm lagoon waters and steady breezes as more than 1,000 competitors ranging in age from 12-and-under to 65-and-above represented Hui Wa‘a’s 19 member clubs in 42 races spanning a quarter-mile to 1½ miles. Winning crews earned five points toward the team standings, while second-, third- and fourth-place finishers were awarded 3, 2 and 1 points.
In addition to vying for championship medals in individual races, crews tallied points toward qualifying for the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association State Championship regatta on Aug. 4 at Keehi Lagoon. The top two crews from each Hui Wa‘a event are slated to earn automatic berths in the state competition based on cumulative point standings; squads have two more regattas this summer in which they can earn qualifying points.
Hui Wa‘a paddlers return to action on Saturday at Ma‘ili Beach for the Na Keiki O Ka Mo‘i Regatta. The Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association continues its season with the annual Fourth of July race, the Walter J. Macfarlane Regatta, an exhibition slated for Wednesday in the unpredictable surf fronting Waikiki Beach.
