Kai ‘Ehitu Canoe Club won its second regatta of the Moku O Hawai’i Outrigger Canoe Racing Association 2024 season on Saturday in Hilo Bay — accumulating 28 points and 233 points. The team also collected the most wins with 12 gold medals. The race day was sponsored by Kamehameha Canoe Club – Hilo.
Kai ‘Ehitu’s gold-medal wins were in the boys age-12 division (2:17.77), the mixed novice (2:06.77), the boys 18-and-under division (3:42.70), the mixed-18 division (4:11.55), the men’s novice (3:41.62), the men’s age-40 masters (3:37.86), the women’s age-65 division (5:01.74), the men’s age-60 masters (3:52.40), the men’s age-55 golden masters (3:51.58), the senior women age-50 masters (4:26.79), the senior men age-50 masters (3:49.38) and the age-55 mixed masters (4:16.38).
Puna Canoe Club, winner of the last regatta on the east side, placed second this time around with 24 medals and 11 first-place finishes. The club also finished with the second-most total points with 223. Its division victories were in the women’s novice (2:07.50), the boys-age 14 division (2:04.45), the boys age-15 division (4:05.81), the boys 16-and-under division (3:57.48), the women’s novice (4:23.59), the men’s junior division (7:16.03), the women’s age-40 masters (4:12.68), the women’s age-60 masters (4:43.85), the mixed age-40 masters (3:56.26), the women’s open four (4:36.85) and the mixed men and women division (3:47.12).
Puna’s men’s junior team of Kekoa Sumera-Lee, Dallas O’Shaughnessy, Kenui Viveiros, Jonah Kalima, J.B. Weitz and Derek Park posted the fastest mile time of the day with a 7:16.03 finish.
Kai Opua Canoe Club finished with the third-most medals with 16 total, while also tying Kawaihae Canoe Club for the No. 3 spot in the point tally with 191. However, Kawaihae talled the third-most wins with seven — claiming victory in the girls age-12 division (2:16.59), the mixed boys and girls age-12 division (2:18.30), the girls age-13 division (2:06.51), the men’s novice (1:55.53), the girls age-15 division (4:51.53), the women’s freshmen division (4:06.09) and the women’s sophomore division (4:18.54).
Kawaihae’s men’s novice team of Edison Dela Cruz, Keahi Esquerra, Jordon Lagaret, Charlie Lee, Charles Clifford and Dahlton Franco logged the fastest quarter-mile time of all competitors in 1:55.53.
Of the 1,207 paddlers from the regatta, 484 of them were keiki. Miloli‘i Canoe Club’s Hawaiikoa Baniaga-Reyes was the day’s youngest paddlers at 8 years old, while Keaukaha Canoe Club’s George Thomas was the oldest at 86.
The day’s fastest half-mile time of 3:28.73 came from Keaukaha Canoe Club’s men’s freshmen team of Kama Leeloy, Spencer Kamauoha Smith, Tyler Makaiwi, Mario Mausio, Jose Lizardi and Rusty Crabbe.
To read more results from last weekend’s races, please see Page 3B. Paddling season will continue with another regatta this Saturday in Hilo Bay. The day will be sponsored by Paddlers of Laka.