Howzit!

This blog focuses on paddling locally here in Hawaii as well as elsewhere. As a long time paddler with Anuenue Canoe Club, there's lots of good fun talk story time with Nappy and others on our crew. We even get around to some issues that get a lot of comments from the paddling community and need attention to improve our sport.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

New Sheriff in Town?

News from Tahiti: Recently the 166 Km 3-day race around Tahiti ended. When it was all over, EDT was the winner besting heavyweights Shell Va'a, OPT and Paddling Connection. Does this result mean that the Shell run of five straight Moloka'i Hoe wins could be over? We'll find out in October but this up and coming crew appears to be ready to knock off the big dog.

For a look at the action:


Monday, June 20, 2011

Disaster in Lane Eleven: The Demise of Honaunau


On a beautiful sunny day on Nanakuli Beach, disaster struck Honolulu Pearl Canoe Club with a horrendous crash on the beach that seriously damaged their venerable koa canoe Honaunau and injured two paddlers. Intermittent large sets had been running through lanes 10-12 with big surges up the sloping beach. Unfortunately, Honolulu's Novice A women's crew, paddling in Lane 11, could not pull out of a wave at the finish and the canoe hit the sand with explosive impact. Afterwards there was a sad procession as the canoe was carried up the beach along with the pieces of the front half of the canoe.

Keahiakahoe's Stan Dickson expressed it well for all onlookers and fellow paddlers: "When I saw then carry the canoe out, my heart just dropped. It's really unfortunate because everybody treasures their koa canoe. That's part of your family, part of your club. Koa canoes mean everything to us in paddling."

On a personal note, when I started paddling in 1994 before coming to Anuenue, it was with this club, and my first race in a koa canoe was in Honaunau. The club had another koa at the time, the Honolulu, but Honaunau was the pride of the club and was paddled across the channel by the women's open crew that year. A little more background: Built in 1952 on the Big island, the canoe was sold to Hui Nalu and then later obtained by Gary Oakland for the new Honolulu Canoe Club. I remember well working on the canoe during those days, and most recently, it had another makeover for this year's regatta season. We all feel badly when koas get damaged but in this particular
for me it was especially a sad sight to witness.

However we've seen some remarkable restorations over the years. The return of Keoua Canoe Club's Kaahumanu from a Kaiwi Channel disaster in 1996 comes to mind. Our sympathies and aloha go out to Honolulu Pearl with best wishes for their injured paddlers and the return of Honaunau. Fundraisers no doubt will be on the horizon, and we'll be able to help them out.