Heading into the Aug. 1 HCRA state regatta championship on Oahu, Kai ‘Ehitu Outrigger Team was taking on a challenge it had never encountered before.

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Heading into the Aug. 1 HCRA state regatta championship on Oahu, Kai ‘Ehitu Outrigger Team was taking on a challenge it had never encountered before.

The Kona-based paddling club would be competing in the AAAA division for the first team in the organization’s history, sending a club-record 32 crews to Ke‘ehi Lagoon — 10 more than last year’s regatta championship on Maui.

Competing in Division AAAA, clubs can send up to 45 crews. Because Kai ‘Ehitu made the jump, the red and white went up against some of the biggest and best clubs from around Hawaii — such as Lanikai Canoe Club, Hawaiian Canoe Club and Outrigger Canoe Club. With it being Kai ‘Ehitu’s first time paddling at that level, many didn’t expect the West Hawaii team to place high.

But the 300-plus Kai ‘Ehitu paddlers thought otherwise. The club finished third overall in its division debut, amassing 311 points — the most of any of the Big Island clubs that competed on Oahu. Six Kai ‘Ehitu crews placed first in their respective divisions — girls 13 (2:41.64), girls 14 (2:10.71), boys 14 (1:51.73), boys 16 and under (3:39.95), boys 18 and under (3:35.79) and the senior men’s masters 50 (3:34.49) — with four of those crews finishing undefeated throughout the entire season.

But the club’s historic outing would not have been possible without the encouragement of Eddie Hayward, Kai ‘Ehitu’s men’s coach. During the Big Island regatta season, Hayward had coached plenty of talented paddlers in year’s past, but in 2026, everything seemed different. He noticed a unique hunger and striving attitude from the club’s paddlers, which gave him the confidence to make the proposal of moving up a division at states.

And paid off, it did.

“To go up to AAAA, it’s almost like a wild shot,” Hayward told the paper in a recent interview. “But this is historic for Kai ‘Ehitu, and if we finish in the top three, it’s almost like winning the whole thing, because for a (Kona-based club) to do this is unheard of.”

Hayward then alluded to the lack of resources Kai ‘Ehitu has compared to other Big Island clubs, such as canoes, funding and space for practicing. Tucked in the corner of the busy Kailua Pier, the red and white have to make the most of their practice time each week. This, coupled with making the long drive to Hilo for five regattas in a row, didn’t make things any easier for Kai ‘Ehitu. But the weekly dedication and overall focus from the club’s paddlers offset all of the challenges that were encountered along the way.

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“It was cool that everybody bought into the mission, from the coaches, to the paddlers, to the parents, to the supporters,” Hayward added.

Hayward also credited Kai ‘Ehitu’s highly-esteemed keiki program, which did much of the heavy lifting regarding point tally throughout the season. With the keiki being the future of the club, Hayward emphasized the importance of keeping a strong youth pipeline within the organization — teaching the youngsters how to compete at a high level, appreciate the sport of paddling from a cultural perspective and to respect the waters they embark on.

Some of Kai ‘Ehitu’s youth paddlers also work with Mike Akau and Charlie Becerra of Big Island Junior Va‘a at Honokohau Harbor in the offseason to sharpen their techniques. Tatiana Tan, Trey Cox and Richard Chan also played a big role in keiki development within the club.

“During the pandemic, (Becerra) got kids out of the house, off the computer or Instagram and started to get them to think differently,” Hayward said. “And because of that, it started to blossom into a bunch of kids who wanted to paddle. They started to find a sense of belonging, a sense of success when everything was going against them. And then they just started to build this thing up.”

With a strong foundation of youth paddlers and a complete buy-in from every member of Kai ‘Ehitu — from keiki to the kupuna — the future of the club seems brighter than ever. Hayward hopes the team can keep competing at the highest of levels in Division AAAA, and proves to the rest of the state that it can hang with top dogs.

“I don’t think this season was luck,” he said. “I think it was like-minded people coming together for a common goal and knowing that it’s going to require the entire club to make this thing happen. We’re creating our own history now, and building for the future.”

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