The strategy behind Hawaiian Canoe Club’s dominance of the outrigger canoe paddling landscape over the past two decades of summer regatta campaigns is relatively straightforward: make all the right moves to win the chess match, and keep opponents in check by limiting costly mistakes.

Veteran Hawaiian coach Diane Ho credits the Maui club’s success to steady growth and consistency, and lauds the collective effort by paddlers and coaches to avoid making or repeating errors that cost valuable points. On Saturday, the dynastic club will look to continue its unparalleled run by attempting to notch a sixth consecutive title and 16th state crown in 20 years at the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association State Championship at Keehi Lagoon.

“We’re looking forward to a fun and interesting regatta,” Ho said. “It’s really going to be a chess match. The most important thing is staying away from the big mistakes. It’s critical that everyone remains mentally focused and does their job — we can’t be out there teaching or coaching that on the water.”

Hawaiian qualified 39 crews for the state competition — the second-highest mark among all participating teams other than two-time defending Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association champion Lanikai (41 crews).

Outrigger (39 crews), Hui Nalu (37 crews) and Kailua (34 crews) will represent OHCRA in the AAAA Division (22-41 crews entered), while underdogs Kai Opua (30 crews, runner-up to Puna for the Big Island’s Moku O Hawaii championship) and Manu O Ke Kai (22 crews, champions of Na ‘Ohana O Na Hui Wa‘a on Oahu) will look to play spoiler roles in the large division.

Hawaiian has also dominated its local competitors, and has won the Maui County Hawaiian Canoe Association championship for 33 consecutive years.

“To tell you the truth, we don’t pay attention to history, we have no interest in that,” said Ho. “We do the best we can to qualify as many crews as possible each year, and our attention is on the race in front of us. History doesn’t win us races.

“We’re very happy about the success we’ve had, but our focus is on being good to one another so everyone enjoys the experience.”

One key for Lanikai is continuing the sustained success by its keiki and elite men’s squads. Last year at the state regatta, Lanikai swept the men’s freshman, sophomore, junior and senior races, and helped the club trim what had been a 101-point deficit midway through the event to just 14 points by the end of the competition.

“It’s been a long time since we won a state championship, Hawaiian has been owning it,” said veteran Lanikai paddler, coach and Waterman Hall of Fame member Jim Foti. “But, Hawaiian is headed back to our territory, and we stepped our game up, so we’re gonna give ‘em a race — we know they’re coming. The club’s been slowly building, and it’s a numbers game.”

More than 3,000 paddlers representing 56 clubs from six outrigger canoe paddling organizations are slated to compete in the event’s 41 races, ranging in length from ¼- to 1½-miles.

“Lanikai has qualified two more crews than us, so they have a slight edge going into the regatta,” Ho said. “We will have to play catch-up, and Outrigger has some really strong crews as well, so it will come down to a complete team effort — not just a few crews doing well.”

If Saturday’s results follow the recent trend, Hawaiian is projected to headline the field, thanks to its unparalleled success across the board from its youth paddlers to seasoned veterans. And while Hawaiian has been unbeatable over the past two decades at neighbor island race sites, it has also found a winning formula at Keehi Lagoon as of late.

In the 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 state championship regattas held at rotating neighbor island sites — Hilo Bay, Hanakao‘o Beach (Lahaina) and Hanalei Bay (Kauai) — Hawaiian tallied victories with winning margins of 60, 59, 24 and 31 points, followed by the 14-point win over Lanikai last year.

In the 2008, 2010 and 2012 editions of the state regatta — all of which were held at Keehi Lagoon — Lanikai won the first two instances by a combined four points and shared the title with Kailua six years ago. In 2014, Hawaiian broke through with a 48-point win over runner-up Kailua at Keehi Lagoon, and the Maui squad won again at the familiar race site in 2016 after dominating the competition that featured a depleted field as many clubs did not race due to the potentially hazardous water conditions caused by Tropical Storm Darby’s polluted runoff.

“Lanikai has an advantage because all their people are there on Oahu, but our success isn’t dependent on how well we travel — we need to go out there and execute,” Ho said. “I still believe that Lanikai should have beaten us last year, but they didn’t (after committing a few costly errors that led to disqualifications, and missed opportunities for points). We’re competitive, but we want everyone to have a good time.”

HAWAIIAN CANOE RACING ASSOCIATION STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

>> When: Saturday, 8:15 a.m.

>> Where: Keehi Lagoon

>> Defending Champ: Hawaiian Canoe Club of Maui is pursuing its sixth consecutive state title and 16th state crown in 20 years. Hawaiian has won 33 consecutive Maui County Hawaiian Canoe Association championships.

>> Full Field: The race course will expand from the usual 12-lane layout to 14 lanes to accommodate canoes from across the state, and a scaffold will be installed prior to race day so officials can have an unobstructed, bird’s-eye view of the finish line. Ample free parking is available at Keehi Lagoon Park, and there is a berm from which spectators can watch the action.