As the Maui County Hawaiian Canoe Association regatta season approaches, veteran crews are making final adjustments while keiki paddlers are practicing their new skills.

The season kicks off Saturday morning with the John Wilmington III Memorial Regatta at Kahului Harbor with Na Kai Ewalu Canoe Club as the host.

“The excitement is in the air, right, all the big clubs are doing their final adjustments on their crews and you know, everybody’s excited to start another season,” MCHCA president Keone Ball said. “Super exciting, it’s back in full force right after all that COVID stuff. It’s no excuses, right, it’s about getting out there to compete.”

Ball, who’s been a Na Kai Ewalu paddler since the age of 7, said canoe racing is an important part of the community.

“Every year I kind of say the same thing, but you know, it’s basically the big family of canoe paddling, right? Because we have kids that are 5 years old to paddlers that are in their 80s,” he said. “And so you have your keiki and your kupuna and you have your aunties and uncles and even though they paddle vigorously against each other, it’s one big happy family in the end.”

Kihei Canoe Club coach Kawika Williams, who will also be seen steering the men’s 60 crew, said Wednesday morning via phone that “everybody is excited” to compete again this summer.

“Yeah, you know how it gets before the first regatta,” said Williams. “Everyone is drawing for seeds and getting ready for trials and all that stuff.”

There are many more keiki paddlers this year for KCC, he said, which is what the regatta season is all about.

“Most of the clubs originated with the kids in mind, to keep the kids off the street and to socialize with people, doing a Hawaiian sport, you know, all that good stuff,” he said. “As for the adults, it’s just play for the adults, staying in shape and paddling and pushing yourself to be better.”

The South Maui club will be competing with two values in mind — resilience and perseverance. Last year, KCC dealt with two historical swells and two flooding events that damaged their club’s beach at Ka Lae Pohaku and buried canoes in mud, but members came together to restore the sand and salvage canoes.

“The club went through a lot last year,” said Williams, noting that the beach is in decent shape this season and paddlers are ready to get the regattas started.

Hawaiian Canoe Club won its first MCHCA Championship in 1985 and has claimed the title every year since.

Each season, clubs look forward to get back out on the water and fight for a state seed — Maui County is allotted two lanes per event to the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association state regatta that is set for Aug. 5 in Hilo.

“Every club has their specialty,” HCC coach Paul Lu’uwai said. “So it’s not easy to qualify out of Maui, it’s darn hard. You have to be really good to make it out of Maui.”

Though there’s much work to do ahead, Lu’uwai said “I am excited.”

“Like any other coach, you know, we’re never really satisfied,” he added. “It’s hard to tell where we’re at compared to other clubs because we haven’t raced yet. Saturday is gonna be, like, the telling sign right off the bat. It’s like a big chess match.”

Fueled by the club’s Hawaiian Kamali’i Summer Enrichment Program, HCC is fielding around 200 keiki paddlers this summer, more than any previous season in Lu’uwai’s 40-year career.

“I’m excited to see the kids in the water and see the fruits of their labor,” he said. “They’ve been working hard… . I just hope they perform well and do well in this first race, and I know they’re just really excited.”

* Dakota Grossman is at dgrossman@mauinews.com.

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MCHCA schedule

Regatta Season

Saturday–John Wilmington III Memorial Regatta at Kahului Harbor

June 10–Moki Kalanikau Regatta at Hanakao’o Beach Park

June 17–Mayor’s ‘Umeke at Kahului Harbor

June 24–John M. & Kealoha Lake Regatta at Kahului Harbor

July 8–Kamehameha Regatta at Kahului Harbor

July 15–Keiki O Maui Regatta at Hanakao’o Beach Park

July 22–Dougie Tihada Memorial Regatta (MCHCA Championships) at Hanakao’o Beach Park

August 5–Hawaii Canoe Racing Association State Race at Hilo Bay, Hawaii