HILO — Over 1,200 Big Island paddlers returned to Hilo Bay on Saturday for the fourth regatta of the 2026 Moku O Hawai’i Outrigger Canoe Racing Association season. Competitors as young as 6 and as old as 81 embarked on a variety of quarter-mile, half-mile and mile-long races through the East Hawaii waters. The event was hosted by Kailana Canoe Club.

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HILO — Over 1,200 Big Island paddlers returned to Hilo Bay on Saturday for the fourth regatta of the 2026 Moku O Hawai’i Outrigger Canoe Racing Association season. Competitors as young as 6 and as old as 81 embarked on a variety of quarter-mile, half-mile and mile-long races through the East Hawaii waters. The event was hosted by Kailana Canoe Club.

Kai ‘Ehitu Outrigger Team amassed the most points overall and in Division AAA for the fourth consecutive regatta, logging 243 points and beating second-place finisher Puna Canoe Club by over 50 points. The Kona-based club particularly dominated in the keiki races.

Kai ‘Ehitu won an impressive 16 of the day’s 44 events, including the fastest quarter-mile race of the day in 1:44.41 (boys novice team of Martin Kamaka, Kela Brown, X Rose, Ua Mongenyip, Jacob Souza and Paul Hanson), fastest half mile in 3:34.42 (men’s freshmen team of Kua Nolan, Trey Cox III, Chevise Conte, Jose Lizardi, Rusty Crabbe and Isaac Vincent) and the fastest mile in 7:33.54 by the men’s junior squad of Nolan, Cox III, Lizardi, Crabbe, Vincent and Paka Davis.

The red and white also clinched gold in the following divisions: boys 10 (2:17.80), boys 12 (1:59:20), girls 13 (1:58:30), boys 13 (1:59:20), girls 14 (2:00.58), boys 14 (1:46.75), mixed novice (1:52.11), girls 15 (4:31.78), boys 15 (4:04.89), boys 16 and under (3:58.06), boys 18 and under (3:55.31), mixed 18 (4:15.94), men sophomore (3:51.71) and the senior men masters (3:52.60).

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Keoua Honaunau Canoe Club won Division AA with 164 points, including six division wins — girls 10 (2:20.26), mixed boys and girls 12 (2:06.58), women’s novice (4:41.26), men’s novice (3:53.30), mixed masters 40 (4:00.63) and the men’s open four (4:05.20).

Like Kai ‘Ehitu, Saturday marked Keoua Honaunau’s fourth consecutive team victory in their respective division, which is determined by the number of events a club competes in in a regatta.

Winning Division A for the fourth straight regatta was Hoemana, which logged 30 points and had their strongest showings in the girls 16-and-under, senior men’s masters (50) and women’s masters (60) divisions.

To read more results, visit HCRA’s website. The season continues next week with a Keaukaha-hosted regatta back in Hilo Bay.

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Team results

Division AAA (31-46 events)

1. Kai Ehitu Outrigger Team: 243 points

2. Puna Canoe Club: 190 points

3. Kawaihae Canoe Club: 173 points

4. Keaukaha Canoe Club: 158 points

Division AA (15-30 events)

1. Keoua Honaunau Canoe Club: 164 points

2. Hui Wa‘a ‘O Waiakea: 124 points

3. Kai Opua Canoe Club: 121 points

4. Kamehameha Canoe Club-Hilo: 99 points

5. Waikoloa Canoe Club: 85 points

6. Keauhou Canoe Club: 39 points

Division A (1-14 events)

1. Hoemana: 30 points

2. Na Wa‘a Hanakahi: 26 points

3. Paddlers of Laka: 25 points

4. Kailana Canoe Club: 2 points