Every time the Milolii Canoe Club paddles past an obstacle, a pot of good fortune always seems to be around the corner.
Every time the Milolii Canoe Club paddles past an obstacle, a pot of good fortune always seems to be around the corner.
The West Hawaii club with 27 paddlers jumped back into the Moku O Hawaii Outrigger Canoe Racing Association after 81 years of inactivity.
However, the good times hit a midseason roadblock.
The club’s canoe, Keahonui, built by Bill Rosehill, was damaged in an auto accident last month. But Milolii has borrowed canoes and done something special.
Milolii finished high enough at the 10th annual Aunty Maile Mauhili/Moku O Hawaii championships on Saturday at Hilo Bay to qualify two crews to the state regatta.
“I’m totally surprised. It’s our first year back in 81 years,” club president Elroy Reyes said. “We’re lucky to make the state championships. We’re a small little club, and we needed that.”
Riding on canoes from Waiakea and Kai Ehitu, Milolii placed fourth in the men’s novice B and the women’s novice B to earn lanes to the Hawaii Canoe Racing Association state championships, which will be held Aug. 1 at Hilo Bay.
Milolii entered three events, the other being the mixed novice B — races for first-year rookie paddlers. Reyes’ club batted 2 for 3 in sending crews to states.
The only bummer on the day was that the men novice B entered in first place in the Moku O Hawaii standings with four regatta wins, but fell short of an Aunty Maile championship medal.
But Milolii coach Didja Llanes’ greenhorn paddlers accomplished the next best thing — securing state lanes.
“That’s a big plus for us,” he said. “We just teach the paddlers the basics and they kind of pick up things looking at other paddlers.”
Puna took the half-mile race in 4 minutes, 9.82 seconds, and was followed by Kai Ehitu, 4:17.79; Kai Opua, 4:21.93; and Milolii, 4:28.62.
In what goes for thrill of victory into sudden agony of staying home, Milolii (35 points), Kai Ehitu (29) and Kai Opua (21) will head to states. Puna (17 points) didn’t race in two regattas and pulled zero points (scratches or disqualifications) in three others.
Milolii’s women novice B was fourth in the quarter-mile race in 2:04.60. Puna was first in 1:58.27, and was followed by Laka, 1:59.56; and Kawaihae, 2:02.15
In the agony of one-point defeat, Kawaihae scored eight points for third place and finished with 52 points. Milolii’s fourth place was worth seven points for a grand total of 53 points — a hair better and a lane to states. Puna (62 points) and Kai Opua (54) have the other two spots.
Reyes has a long history with Milolii. His great-grandfather, Ed Kekumu, was a koa canoe carver.
“The people of the village had a canoe club 81 years ago, and it disappeared,” he said. “Four years ago, we found the original koa, the Malolo, from the village. It was a racing canoe and won the Molokai Channel in 1954. We started a restoration.”
The club is also rebuilding Keahonui, named after Rosehill’s sister who passed away. And securing state lanes with borrowed canoe’s not only made Reyes overjoyed, but appreciative, too.
“All the canoe clubs we’re all brothers and sisters and malama and take care of each other,” Reyes said.
To contribute to Milolii’s restoration of its two koa canoes, visit paaponomilolii.org.
Youth leads Kai Ehitu
The boys 16 half-mile was one of the most heated races, and Kai Ehitu solidified its reputation as an emerging youth powerhouse.
Entering the day, Kai Opua topped the boys 16 race in the Moku O Hawaii standings with 27 points, and was followed by a three-way tie with Kai Ehitu, Keaukaha and Keauhou with 20 points each.
It was a dream musical chair scenario: three crews fighting for two state seats.
Kai Opua, which has won four regattas, seized gold in 4 minutes, 9.37 seconds. Keauhou was second in 4:12.33 and Kai Ehitu, which had a bit of a slow turn, was third in 4:13.42.
“If you look at it percentage-wise, the amount of crews we enter and getting points, we’d get an A-plus,” Kai Ehitu chief Richard Kimitete joked.
Through the first 10 events, a sign of a club’s youth prowess, Kai Ehitu led the standings in Division A (21-42 events) with 67 points, with Kai Opua next at 54.
Kai Ehitu’s boys 16 crew (Hailama Alapai, Kawika Lawrence, Nevin Brown, Kelii Kamanawa-Cisneros, Hiram Anakalea Jr., Kepa Aponte-Perez) has remained intact for the Moku O Hawaii season, and Anakalea and Aponte-Perez are on Kai Ehitu’s boys 14 undefeated crew, which won in 1:48.79 in a quarter-mile race ahead.
Kai Ehitu’s other crew members are Kalai Ballesteros, Moses Brooks, Bronson Leslie and Baba Weza. Most were on the boys 13 crew that won gold at states over Hawaiian, from Maui, last year.
Budding rivalry at state regatta
Kai Ehitu and Hawaiian are building a nice little youth rivalry. Last year, Kai Ehitu’s girls 12 was second at states, behind Hawaiian.
Like the boys 14, the girls 13 for both clubs will be favorites for state titles. Kai Ehitu’s girls 13 captured a gold medal at the Aunty Maile championships, helping build early points. The club’s boys 12, boys 13 and boys 14 also won gold.
Kiana Anakalea, Lilia Garcia, Malie Grace, Hunter Kalima, Nayeli Silva-Kahalewai, Lilei Ynigues are on the Kai Ehitu girls 13 crew, which was unbeaten until the Keaukaha regatta on June 27. At the starting line, someone’s paddle broke, and the one of the girls paddled with her hands. To show that Kai Ehitu’s pretty fast with just five paddles, the girls placed fifth in the nine-crew field.
“The key for us is heart,” coach Hiram Anakalea said. “I tell the kids that all the training is all about heart.”
On the day, Hiram “Nana” Anakalea Jr. and his sister Kiana can compare medals. He scored a gold and a bronze. She pocketed a gold and a silver in the girls 12.
Of course, Nana has the hammer. His crew beat Hawaiian for gold at states last year. She can change that when Kai Ehitu’s girls 13 and Hawaiian meet again on Aug. 1.