Although it was early morning, everyone was very much awake and prepared for the race.  There were hundreds of people gathered around the small beach and pier in front of the King Kamehameha Hotel located at Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawai`i which continues to be ground zero for the largest outrigger canoe race in the world known as the Queen Lili’uokalani Canoe Race.  This was the 38th annual race in honor of Hawai`iʻs last reigning queen whose birthday is September 2. This race draws participants from many countries including Italy, Japan, Brazil, Tahiti, Australia, Canada, and others.  The women race their canoes 18 miles down the beautiful coastline of the Big Island from Kailua-Kona pier to Honaunau Bay which is also known as the Place of Refuge.  The men then race the canoes back from Honaunau Bay to the pier in front of the King Kamehameha Hotel.

The event officially started at 6:30am with a pule (prayer) in both Hawaiian and English. Our three teams then gathered around the canoe our wahine (women) would race that day and formed a lei.  Kimokeo Kapahulehua, aka Uncle Bully, the head spiritual and Hawaiian cultural leader on Maui and a very close friend of mine, recited a pule in Hawaiian praying for our safety, thanking God for allowing us to come to Hawai`i to participate in this race, and wishing us good fortune in our race.  
We picked up nā wahine (women’s) canoe and placed it in the water.  As they left the shore heading for the starting line we recited an ancient canoe chant known as “I Ku Mau Mau”.  The wahine lined up for the start of their race that morning only to discover that the lashing of the ama to the ‘iako was loose.  Kim and Stephanie, two of our race fans and `ohana, called to inform me there was something wrong with the wahine team and that they were paddling back to the beach.  Kim and Stephanie were on a large double hull vessel that some paddlers and spectators had the option to ride to Honaunau Bay. This double hull vessel followed the teams as they raced down and then back up that day.  From this vessel they were able to spot the

wahine team coming back in and alerted me via cellular phone.  I meet our wahine team on the beach and had to unlash and re-lash their ‘iako to the ama.  Fortunately some locals on the kahakai (beach) lashed the forward `iako to ama assembly while I lashed the aft saving us time.   Meanwhile the race had started about the time they pulled into the beach.  Our wahine then jumped back in their canoe and raced 18 miles down to Honaunau Bay.  Although they were about a mile behind when they started, they passed some 9-man crews and the state of Texas Open team.  They finished strong and looking good!  Had they not had any trouble at the beginning, I am confident they would have been in the middle of the pack.  Our wahine trained hard and are very strong.  I am so proud of them for not giving up and for their effort in catching up with those they did.

The starting line for the two men teams was of course the normal chaos it always is.  Our open men’s crew and our open Master’s (40 +) crew along with other canoes were asked to back way up.  We did as we were asked but at least half or more of the canoes where a good quarter mile or greater in front of us when they started the race.  I lost track of our open men’s team in the middle of all the chaos.   I thought they were in front of us somewhere because they were loaned Hawaiian Canoe Club’s brand new Mirage which is considered one of the two fastest modern outrigger canoe designs available and in this race.  We discovered later that they actually finished behind us.  In any case, they put in a respectable and gallant effort paddling strong with a time of 2:33:38 in the “Open Fiberglass” division.  It was obvious they had a great time participating in the race.  Considering they took more of an outside line in this race their time to finish was certainly respectable.
I was able through some personal connections to arrange for us to race an ancient style koa canoe from Uncle Bill of Kona Kanoes Hawai`i.  We raced this beautiful koa canoe in the master’s (40yrs old +) division. Koa is a native tree of the Hawaiian Islands and was a very popular tree to fabricate canoes from up until approximately 50 years ago when a fiberglass mold was made from a loaned koa canoe without authorization.

This mold making event took place in the Los Angeles area and is still a source of tension today between Hawai`i and the U.S. Mainland.   I took the inside line and was able to surf the canoe for a good portion of the race using the back water of the rocks that we were dangerously adjacent to however necessary to surf.  Following the shoreline to take advantage of the surf was a longer route than shooting straight for the Kona pier but it proved to be a faster line to follow.   The men’s race was paddling against the current with a light wind.  However, the koa canoes weight and v-hull became an advantage in my opinion in these conditions.  It surfed better than I had expected it to.  It is a very beautiful koa canoe and we are deeply honored to have paddled it.  We passed several lighter fiberglass open team Bradley’s and Mirages on our way to the finish line.  As I mentioned earlier, modern fiberglass canoes such as the Bradley’s and Mirages have much faster hull designs then your typical ancient koa canoe hull design.  Regardless, we took the GOLD Baby!!!  We got first place in our division with a time of 2:30:13.  I was surprised but to be honest I can tell you we sprinted the entire 18 miles.  We paddled with 100 percent effort through the entire race.  Our long and hard practice paddles really paid off.  Second and third place were Hawaiian power house teams Lanikai from O'ahu with a time of 2:35:35 and Waikoloa 2:39:01 from the Hawai'i (Big Island) respectively.  If you are familiar with HCRA (Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association) these two clubs are top five teams in the state of Hawai'i.

As the coach who prepared our teams for Kona I am immensely proud of the effort and performance demonstrated by our three teams. We made Ikuna Koa club history that day by racing in a koa canoe which has never been done by this club before, and also by placing in the world’s largest outrigger canoe race which has also never been done before by our club in any type of canoe or division. As the news of our performance in Kona sends shock waves through the paddling community, our status as a club within the paddling community has most certainly been elevated.  I guess miracles do happen…the reality of the teams we won against on Saturday September 5, 2009 has not sunk in yet...

Aloha Akua, Aloha `Aumakua, Aloha Kupuna, Aloha Kanaloa, Aloha Haleakala, Aloha Maui, Aloha Laka, Aloha Lono, Aloha Pele...Mahalo!

Mahalo e mālama pono e me ke Akua!

-Uncle Gus
Ikuna Koa Outrigger Canoe Club
Nā `Ōpio Founder, Director & Coach
Kona Team Coach 

“Every clique is a refuge for incompetence. It fosters corruption and disloyalty, it begets cowardice, and consequently is a burden upon and a drawback to the progress of the country. Its instincts and actions are those of the pack.”

-Madame Chiang Kai-shek

"True enough, the sun shines on the saint and the sinner alike, and too often it seems that the wicked prosper. But we can say with certainty that, with the individual as with the nation, the flourishing of the wicked is an illusion, for, unceasingly, life keeps books on us all."

-Madame Chiang Kai-shek

To attack a person for wrong doing and then turn around and try to ride on the coat tails of that persons accomplishments as if they were your own is worse than the wrong doing you accuse that person of. Those who do this should be ashamed and will be accounted for in due time.

-Gus Cervantes

The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by those who don't have it.