KAILUA-KONA — For the third year in a row, the Queen Liliuokalani Long Distance Canoe Race hosted its annual Talk Story at the Courtyard Marriott King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel. ADVERTISING KAILUA-KONA — For the third year in a row,
KAILUA-KONA — For the third year in a row, the Queen Liliuokalani Long Distance Canoe Race hosted its annual Talk Story at the Courtyard Marriott King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel.
The first Talk Story was put together in 2014 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of women being allowed to compete in the race, and featured several women involved over the years. Last year’s Talk Story focused on some of the first racers when the event kicked off in 1972.
This year’s edition of the Talk Story featured a different side of the sport, focusing on the people behind the scenes who deal with the logistics of putting on races, past and present.
The Talk Story featured three legends of the paddling world in Maile Mauhili, Kealai Salinas and Joseph “Nappy” Napoleon.
All three sat down for the free event, which was held beside the the outrigger canoe on display in the hotel after rain pushed the Talk Story inside for the second year in a row.
The three Kupuna on hand were delighted to share their knowledge of the event and paddling in general on the Big Island and in the state, hitting on various topics such as how the first Queen Liliuokalani race was put together, how canoes were made for those first races, and how the event has changed over the years.
Napoleon raced in the very first Queen Liliuokalani event, and while he has raced all over the world, it is still his favorite.
“People out of state spend a lot of money to come here because they get to compete in multiple races while also enjoying other events such as the Talk Story and the luau,” Napoleon said. “This is a real good race.”
Napoleon has lived his entire life through paddling. He met his wife through paddling and surfing. He also has a large ohana with connections to the sport. His niece, Samantha Moikeha, is currently the race secretary for the Hawaii Canoe Racing Association. She was also on hand at the Talk Story where she talked about the connection between family and the sport.
“In Hawaii, this is the one and only sport that is oriented to the entire family,” Moikeha said. “Parents, grandparents, children, they can all compete in one single event at the same place, and on the same day. The sport is geared toward the ohana and it has created a big paddling community.”
Moikeha grew up around paddling and she says that canoe racing can mean different things to a person at different stages of their life.
“When I was between 8 and 12 years old, I was competitive. I wanted to sit in the seat I wanted, I wanted the crew I wanted, and I worked hard for that,” Moikeha said. “In my 20s I started coaching high school and I wanted my kids to have the same desire I had. Back then it was just a club sport, but my dad helped go the legislature and get funding and their blessing to start the pilot program.”
Moikeha soon became a mother and wanted her kids to get into the sport as a way of connecting with the family.
“This is one of the few things that ties my kids to their grandfather, who passed away in 2006,” Moikeha said. “He was a huge proponent of paddling, and this is a way they can connect with him.”
With her children growing up, Moikeha has now moved on to what she calls her “service” stage to the sport.
“I just want to give back,” Moikeha said. “Whatever I am asked to do, I am just glad to help out, even if it is just picking up trash.”
The featured race of the Queen Liliuokalani, the wa’a kaukahi (single hull canoe race), will start at 7:30 a.m. today with the women taking off from Kailua Bay and finishing at Honaunau Bay. The men’s race takes it back from Honaunau to Kailua Bay, and will start when the women finish around 11:45 a.m.
