Over 1,200 individual paddlers and 321 crews competed in Moko O Hawai‘i’s eighth race of the 2024 season Saturday in Hilo Bay. Sponsored by Keaukaha Canoe Club, the race was additionally the third regatta of the year. Over 500 paddlers were keiki.
Kai Opua Canoe Club’s speedster group of Kaleo Lee, Drew Manning, Sual Gutiennez, Ala Ablao, Joshua Gonzalez and Todd Sakai posted the fastest quarter-mile time in the men’s novice race — 1:46.03. Kai ‘Ehitu Outrigger Team’s men’s freshmen squad (Eddie Hayward, Kua Nolan, Trey Cox III, Joel Noa, Makoa Becerra and Toa Bertaina) logged a half-mile time of 3:38.93, good enough for the fastest interval of the day. The fastest mile time came from Keaukaha’s men’s junior race team of Kama Leeloy, Spencer Kamauoha Smith, Ali’i Youderian, Jose Lizardi, Rusty Crabbe and Robert Whitney Jr. in 7:35.89.
Hawaiikoa Baniaga-Reyes of Miloli‘i Canoe Club was the youngest racer competing at 8 years old, while Na Wa‘a Hanakahi’s Frank Valdez was the oldest at 80.
Kai ‘Ehitu finished with the most medals with 23 — 13 of them being gold. The club also finished with the most points with 226. The club’s wins were in the mixed boys and girls age-12 division (2:10.87), the boys age-14 division (1:52.22), the mixed novice (1:54.43), the boys age-15 division (4:11.55), the boys 18-and-under division (3:56.37), the men’s freshmen (3:38.93), the men’s sophomore (3:40.15), the men’s age-40 masters (3:45.89), the men’s age-60 masters (3:53.21), the men’s age-55 golden masters (3:57.08), the senior women’s age-50 masters (4:37.72), the senior men’s age-50 masters (3:46.11) and the mixed masters age-40 division (4:05.49).
Keaukaha finished with the second-most total medals with 22 and tied for the third-most gold with Kai Opua with seven. Its seven wins were in the girls 16-and-under division (4:44.14), and girls 18-and-under division (4:52.86), the mixed age-18 division (4:14.56), the men’s junior division (7:35.89), the men’s age-70 division (4:35.15), the men’s open four (3:57.01) and the mixed men and women’s division (4:01.07).
Puna collected the third-most total medals with 21 — seven being gold. The team won the girls age-13 division (2:03.25), the boys 16-and-under division (4:04.46), the women’s novice (4:43.65), the women’s freshmen division (4:21.86), the women’s age-40 masters (4:25.21), the women’s age-60 masters (4:51.08), the women’s age-55 golden masters (4:38.32) and the women’s open four (4:50.54).
Now at the midway point of the season, HCRA paddling will resume this weekend on the windward side — another regatta slated for Saturday morning at Hilo Akiona Course. The event will be sponsored by Puna Canoe Club.
To view pictures from last weekend’s races, please see yesterday’s paper or the web. To read expanded results, see Page 3B.