HONOLULU — Kaneohe Canoe Club’s Women Novice A crew upset previously undefeated Lokahi Canoe Club in the Hui Waa Championship at Keehi Lagoon on Saturday.
Kaneohe edged Lokahi by 1.03 seconds in the half-mile race – 4 minutes, 44.67 seconds to 4:45.70.
“We almost thought that we didn’t have it at the end, but we finally got it,” said the crew’s steerer Baba (Amber) Almeida, who spoke to Spectrum News afterward along with teammates Tasha-Leigh Allen, Ho‘ohila Kawelo, Nicole Mijares, Kiana Salis and Emily Walker.
Lokahi had been 6-for-6 in that event in Hui Waa regattas this season.
“We had it on our minds that we’re going to beat Lokahi and we finally did,” Almeida said.
It was one of two gold medals on the day for Kaneohe, which finished second to Lokahi in the AA Division (middle-sized clubs), 84 points to 64.
“They’re a really good crew, so it was a good goal to work towards,” said Walker, the crew’s Seat 2.
The Kaneohe Women Novice A crew looks forward to competing against the Lokahi crew again in the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association State Championship Regatta, which will be held at Keehi Lagoon on August 8.
The overall Hui Waa title went to Manu O Ke Kai, which won its fourth straight going back to 2017, including two seasons lost to the pandemic.
Full race results are here.