Kai ‘Opua honors Kamehameha Day at final 2026 Kona regatta
KAILUA-KONA — Late Saturday afternoon, under the waning Kona sun, six Kai ‘Opua women gripped their canoe blades tighter and paddled to an upset victory over the previously undefeated Keoua Women Masters 40 crew. Representing their club, a beloved auntie, and King Kamehameha the great chief himself, six women all worked together to pull off a tremendous first place victory and earn more points for their club. Danielle Benke, Nicki Lacey-Enos, Kalei Pasciuta, Bree Wee, Leah Winkler and Naomi Zimmer practice together proving cooperative work is at the heart of Kai Opua’s community efforts.
KAILUA-KONA — Late Saturday afternoon, under the waning Kona sun, six Kai ‘Opua women gripped their canoe blades tighter and paddled to an upset victory over the previously undefeated Keoua Women Masters 40 crew. Representing their club, a beloved auntie, and King Kamehameha the great chief himself, six women all worked together to pull off a tremendous first place victory and earn more points for their club. Danielle Benke, Nicki Lacey-Enos, Kalei Pasciuta, Bree Wee, Leah Winkler and Naomi Zimmer practice together proving cooperative work is at the heart of Kai Opua’s community efforts.
The action-packed Moku O’ Hawai’i outrigger canoe racing season reached a fever pitch this weekend on Kailua Pier as Kai ‘Opua hosted Kona’s final regatta of the 2026 season. Coinciding with King Kamehameha Day festivities and parades in town, Kai ‘Opua hosted a tremendous, 46-event canoe racing event successfully capping a three-regatta return to outrigger racing action outside Kamakahonu Bay.
Last weekend’s event honored Uncle Bo through student scholarships, and paid tribute to Auntie Mele Kunewa Kekai, a pivotal figure for Kai ‘Opua in the 1970s. Legacy club member Lori Honl affectionately described Aunty Mele Kunewa Kekai as someone who would “bleed blue.”
Twelve-hundred individual paddlers aged 8 to 81 sat in their respective canoe seats to participate in up to two races. Races followed all morning and afternoon with koa wood canoes streaking across the permanent quarter-mile open ocean race course (a first in the state built in partnership with Keauhou, Kai ‘Ehitu and Kai ‘Opua).
Interwoven races unfurled within every event as each crew worked to improve their times and hopefully achieve enough success to earn a spot in the coveted state championship race in Oahu on August 1 at Ke’ehi Lagoon.
Seventeen races ended in a dramatic conclusion with finishing within a five-second margin between first place and second place. Crews such as Kai Opua’s Women Masters 40 described earlier held onto a two-second lead to edge out a victory after months of hard work.
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As the season gets under way, veteran paddlers continue to foster community by mentoring the next generation, including coaches Mikey Akau (Kai ‘Ehitu) and Mesepa Tanoai (Kai ‘Opua).
Some crews showcased clinical dominance with winning gaps of 10 seconds or more across 16 races. The most decisive lead of the day went to Kai ‘Ehitu’s Boys 16 crew (Bently Balanga, Kailikea Girbisi-Pasamonte, Tautau Hing, Kamuela Kainoa, Kale Parker and Gavin Schwartzkopf), who finished a staggering 22 seconds ahead of second-place Kawaihae.
Though many divisions remain wide open with different teams jockeying for a top position in the standings, some crews have left a permanent mark on this year’s season with continual first place finishes. Meanwhile, the Kai ‘Opua Girls 16 crew (Kaili Cranwell, Jahziah Gamagag, Hailey Harrington, Jaxton Lindsey, Hilina’i Morimoto, and Antelise Porter) proved their consistency, maintaining their undefeated first-place status for every regatta so far this season.
This week, Moku season continues in the dark waters of Hilo Bay as all 14 clubs haul their prized 40-foot 400-pound koa wood canoes to the other side of the island for the exciting conclusion of the outrigger racing season over this hot Hawaiian summer.
For a full breakdown with visual tables describing the closest races, biggest gaps and most dominant first place finishes from this week’s regatta visit the OC Juan substack at https://substack.com/@ocjuan
