OUTRIGGER CANOE RACING – HOW IT WORKS

Canoe Clubs
          Canoe clubs are non-profit and depend a little on dues, a little on grants (few and far between), and on fund-raisers. Most clubs have web sites and can be reviewed for each area. We belong to Namolokama Canoe Club situated on the Hanalei River on the island of Kauai, not far from the famous pier. 

 Left front gate

 Right front gate

This big tent is the club house and protects the boats

Hanalei River in background

The boats are moved to high ground during severe flodding and tsunami warnings

          The club’s namesake, Namolokama is the tallest of the mountains towering over Hanalei Bay. The name means “many threads” referring to the many waterfalls that stream down its face following rains. The mountain captures the clouds as they blow by on the trade winds and they release their water. 

Namolokama Mountain 

just for scale, regatta racing is going on with numerous clubs on the beach

            Canoe clubs are primarily racing clubs but usually offer recreational (rec) paddling as well.  Generally the recreational group is made up of retirees and/or healthy, fit folks that enjoy the water but are not interested in the stress and heavy workouts necessary for competition.  Some clubs focus on kids, others on the “hot shots” in their 20s-30s.  Like all shoestring non-profits, all of the work is done by members on a volunteer basis.  A lot of that volunteer work is provided by the retired folks, whether they compete or are recreational.

             There is an amazing group of men over 60 who are retired (more or less) but are serious athletes as well. That is Gil’s category: a serious competitor and hard worker for the club.

Two of the famous Kauai "60s guys"

Gil and Steve, sometimes called the Vikings

(actually Gil stems from an Irish clan that fought the Vikings)

            I like paddling but stick with either rec (no races) or our one-man canoe.  I avoid meetings and the politics of paddling or “paddleticks.”  

This is an OC 1 or outrigger canoe for one person - in this case, me!

 No pressure – just exercise and fun; me and the river. 

Winter Racing 2012
            For competitive paddlers there are two formats, long distance races and the summer regattas. The season starts with “short” long distance races from about 7 to12 miles.  In addition to dues, some clubs have the paddlers pay their own fees to be in the races, at $20-25 per seat.  Some clubs enter fewer boats but pay the entry fees.  These begin at the end of February and are held primarily on the south or west side of the island where the waves should be more friendly in the winter.  This year they weren’t friendly anywhere, but I’m getting ahead of myself. 

The race must go on, each one rough conditions in Spring 2012

            These are not spectator races although it is fun to watch the take-off and fun to see the finish an hour or more later.  All paddlers take off at the same time and either go out, turn around a buoy and come back, or they leave one beach and land at a different site.  Sometimes they are relay races that leave from one beach, land at another where a different team goes to the next assigned beach. Relays may be one leg of men’s teams and the other of women’s teams. 

This race left Kalapaki Bay in Lihue and landed in Poipu 

            The hosting club feeds everyone at end of day, paddlers, families, etc. and hand out awards by age and gender. These short LD races resume again after the regatta or sprint season is over in July.  Gil and the other Sixty Guys are having a good 2012.  They were first in every race but one where they took second place.

It is almost embarassing how many of these there are

until you really think about the effort it took to get them,

then they look like not so much!

Summer racing 2012

            The summer regatta season is from May to July and every weekend one club hosts a race.  Clubs pay minimal entry fees ($12 per boat per race), and the hosting club usually has a booth selling food as part of their fundraiser.  Most clubs have paraphernalia to sell at every race like shirts and caps with club logos; some club inventories are extensive with decals, swim suits, and clothing.

Food and shirt booth

Not necessarily health food, this club offered dogs cooked in pancake batter

they sold like hotcakes!

The races are held in bays, Kalapaki Bay by Dukes in Lihue, Hanamaulu Bay,

or Hanalei Bay 

 A club tent at a regatta at Hanalei Bay

More tents - regattas are all day affairs

        

          Flags mark the lanes at each end of the 1/4 mile course.  Kids usually start at the other end and race the 1/4 mile to end in front of the official tent.  Other categories are 1/2 mile (up and back, one turn), One mile (up and back twice, three turns), 1 1/2 mile with five turns.  As the day wears on, sometimes races are shortened to save time. 

Flags are set up, usually the night before with a boat, GPS, and scuba guys.

            The official boat has several flags aboard.  As canoes enter their lanes (which were assigned randomly and announced before each race) the official boat has three flags.  He waves the yellow flag so canoes are on alert. 

Then the red flag is waved back and forth 2-3 times.   

It goes down and immediately the green GO flag is waved. 

           Each race is one category by age and gender.  Kids’ races go first, working up the age groups.  Adult categories are 18 and over until 40 (Masters), then 50 (Senior Masters), 55 (Golden Masters), and 60 (Sixty Guys).  Men’s and women’s alternate in each category. Older paddlers can paddle down, younger ones cannot paddle up.  Example: a 48 year old cannot race in a 50s race.

Every participant turns in a color copy of the driver's license

and then are issued a GICRA card (Garden Island Canoe Racing Association)

            Each of 40 some races is entered with the competing team's cards If there is a goof up anywhere, including at the official's tent, the team is disqualified. There should be a category for clubs having the most (or least) DQs.

            The official tent is right on the flag line to both make sure no one jumps ahead at the start and to determine who crosses first, second, and third, with their times.

Gil is turning in the team IDs for the next race

            Here is a motley mix, the Sixty Guys entered a race with one 50 guy and one 55.  That means they entered as Senior Masters and raced other 50 year old guys.  They don’t care, they just want to paddle.   

 Gregory 50s, Gil 60s, Steve 60s, Sully 60s, Togo 55s, Jim 60s:  6/30/12.

They are off to a quick start, front of the pack - yellow nose

The original Hawaiians would have been betting on this team!

First to the finish:  no one else in sight

            There are open races with no age group, mixed races with men and women together, and some canoes go out “unofficial” just for fun.  

Below:  60s Mixed race on 6/23/12. 

 Patsy, Steve, Barb, Jack, Jim, Sue

Namo won, in the far lane again - no contest!

             With over forty races, regattas take ALL DAY.  To make it easier, the chart on the left is for the men's races and the one on the right is for the women's which alternate.  Center line shows lane assignment.

Race chart

           

            The end of regatta season is with the State races, held on a different island each year.  Each island has qualifying races and then teams are sent wherever the finals are.  Outlying islands, Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island alternate with Oahu.  The 40 foot canoes are either barged between islands or boats are borrowed from other clubs. 
             For many paddlers, the season ends with the state races.  State races were held in Hanalei Bay in 2007 and will be here again in 2013. 

Here are a few scenes from 2007 State Races held in Hanalei.

Get ready, next year will be fabulous

Notice anything? All the canoes are made of KOA

Namolokama's canoe (for the day)

Koa with fiberglass protective coating on top and a fiberglass outrigger (ama)

Some crews going out, some coming in - busy day

WOW! these guys walked those other boats 

2007 Team awards - koa paddles - nice!

HICRA or Hawaiian Island Canoe Racing Association

State Races end the season - but should they?

            Many feel that the qualifications for States should feed into World Sprints, a competition held in a different location each year around the world.  These true athletes would like to see real sponsorship of canoe racing as a national and international sport and be able to head for the olympics.

In the meantime, GO NAMO!

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