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Paddling with Lōkahi
Information for New Paddlers
How to join
We welcome you to join us. If you’re interested in paddling with Lōkahi, or in trying outrigger canoe paddling before you make a commitment, come down to the site at any scheduled practice time and talk to a coach. The only pre-requisites are that you can swim or otherwise handle yourself in the ocean, like do a survival float, and that you fill out a current HCRA insurance waiver. If you’re 18 or over, fill out the adult form, if under 18, complete the form for minors.
You can paddle with us for two weeks with no obligation. After that we’ll ask that you join the club, as either a competitive or a recreational member.
Competitive. If you decide to join Lōkahi as a competitive paddler, you’ll need to complete an application form and pay the annual dues. Turn in the completed app, your dues payment and current HCRA waiver form to a Lōkahi officer. 2010 dues for adults, 18 and over, are $155, with an early payment discount of $20 if you pay in full by April 30, 2010. Paddlers under 18 pay $100, with a $25 early payment discount if you pay in full by April 30, 2010. You’ll receive a Lōkahi t-shirt when your dues are paid in full.
Recreational. If you decide you’d rather paddle just for fun and fitness, you can join Lōkahi as a recreational paddler. Turn in a completed recreational member application, your dues payment and a current HCRA waiver form. Dues are $50 for the year and you’ll be eligible to participate in Lōkahi events short of competition. You will not be required to participate in club fund raisers, but we would welcome your voluntary participation.
We’ll provide coaching and guidance for you as a recreational paddler, and expect you to work hard to learn and improve. When we’re working with competitive crews you may not get the same degree of attention, but we won’t neglect you. You will also be able to keep paddling with us during the off-season from November through February.
Check the preliminary 2010 schedules.
To join Lōkahi to race, fill in, print out and sign the Lōkahi 2010 application form.
Complete this 2009-2010 HCRA waiver.
If under 18, fill out this 2009-2010 HCRA minor waiver.
What’s happening now
We’ve started regular season practice, beginning with pre-season distance practices. Men practice Monday and Wednesday from 5:30 pm, women practice Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 pm. You can come to any scheduled practice, including Saturday morning at 10:00 am, meet with a coach and get started.
If you’re new to the sport, you don’t have to buy a paddle right away. We have practice paddles you can use. If you decide outrigger paddling is a sport you want to pursue, we’ll give you advice on how to choose a paddle.
What to wear
Wear something you don’t mind getting wet, such as board or paddling shorts, t-shirt or tank top, and rubber slippers to wear outside the canoe. For daytime practice and preseason distance races you should use sunscreen, and consider wearing a hat and long-sleeved shirt. For all practices we suggest you bring your own water or sports drink.
There is a cold-water shower at the site so you can rinse off after practice. We recommend that you do this after exposure to the Ala Wai or any of our coastal waters. Some of our comfort-minded members bring their own hot water and most paddlers carry extra towels in their vehicles.
Where we are
Lōkahi’s site is at the Diamond Head end of the Ala Wai canal, next to the Waikiki Library and adjacent to the Ala Wai Golf Course.
The Ala Wai Golf Course Road branches off Kapahulu Avenue. If you are traveling makai on Kapahulu, plan on turning right at the Waikiki Library (across the street from the Chevron station); coming from Waikiki, you’ll make a left turn. Be careful of the fast-moving, heavy traffic on Kapahulu. Some impatient drivers race through the intersection even when the light is red.
You should be able to park along the road where our canoes are kept. If this area is full you may park in the Ala Wai Golf Course driving range parking lot, preferably along the Diamond Head-side fence. Please do not use the Library parking areas.
The Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe
The outrigger canoe has been central to the development of Hawaiian culture. So important was the canoe that the building of a new canoe was a significant event involving most of the members of a village: priests, craftsmen, laborers, helpers. From choosing the right tree to launching the new canoe, each step in the process had to be done correctly with the proper ritual and respect to preserve the life of the tree in the canoe and create a canoe that would, in turn, sustain the lives of those who used it.
In Hawaiian tradition each canoe is a living entity, with its own spiritual power or mana. We entrust our lives to our canoes and we treat them with respect.
The open-ocean conditions surrounding our islands led to the development of an outrigger canoe different from those of other Pacific islanders. The Hawaiian outrigger is relatively unadorned, with fore and aft hull covers (kupe) and a splashguard (pale kai) to cope with ocean waves and chop.
Although outriggers now are raced throughout Polynesia, outrigger canoe racing, ancient and modern, seems to have originated in Hawai‘i. There are records of ancient Hawaiians racing for fun and for wagers, sometimes including life.
Today’s HCRA-approved racing canoes are standardized in length and weight to allow both an observance of tradition and a level playing field. To race in HCRA-sanctioned events, including events sanctioned by our association, Na ‘Ohana O Na Hui Wa‘a, canoes must weigh a minimum of 400 pounds without ‘iako, ama, or seat covers, and can be no longer than 45 feet. While most associations in the Islands, including ours, allow clubs to race fiberglass canoes, at the annual Hawai‘i state championship regatta all crews must race in koa canoes.
The diagram shows the Hawaiian names of most parts of the canoe. We use both Hawaiian and English terms, but you should be familiar with the Hawaiian nomenclature.
