To the victors of Saturday’s East Hawaii Challenge won’t go any spoils.
“You finish the race, you get into your car, you go home,” race director Aaron Makaimoku said.
Nothing personal, but a pa‘ina on the beach can wait and so can a prerace talk-story.
Makaimoku can attest to all the work it took for the Hawaii Island Paddlesports Association to finally convince the county to give it a permit for HIPA’s return to competitive racing amid COVID-19. With guidelines in place, any thrills will have to come out on the water at Hilo Bay.
“A perfect day is everybody shows up, is safe and everyone has a smile,” Makaimoku said.
And, the hope is, everyone follows the rules.
The 10 a.m. race is capped at 80 watercraft, mostly one- person and two-person canoes are expected, with all registration conducted online at least 24 hours before the race. No spectators are allowed so as to limit the gathering to 100 people. The course will be 8 miles, out and back, and depending on conditions the Challenge – which was to be held in March and run from Richardson’s to Hilo Bayfront – could remind paddlers of the Stan Cann Classic. That season-opening race was nixed by weather in January, the first of many cancellations in what was to have been a banner year of paddling on the Big Island.
The Hawaii Island Paddlesports Association shut down in mid-March, and the Moku O Hawaii Canoe Racing Association quickly followed suit. In a parallel non-pandemic universe, the world sprints would be raging right now at Hilo Bay.
“As scaled back as it is, it will be great to have somewhat of a return to normalcy,” Makaimoku said. “It already seems like there is a steady flow of paddlers down at Hilo Bay (practicing).”
Jane Bockus, a HIPA board member, has noticed a similar scene in West Hawaii waters.
For obvious reasons, one-man canoes in particular are conducive to social distending.
“Since you’re not putting someone at risk, (one-man) really has been burgeoning since March,” Bockus said. “A lot more people have one-man canoes now, so we’re expecting a good turnout.
“When this first started, everyone was on surf skis, and there were very few one-mans. Now there are many one-mans, and we may have one or two surf skis enter.”
Also in the works is the HIPA Championship, scheduled for Sept. 5 in West Hawaii, permit pending.
Because of his permit, Makaimoku won’t be handing out any awards Saturday. Instead, he and fellow organizers Samson Castillo and Kenika Kane will play the roles of bouncers on the beach: Paddlers don’t have to go home, but they can’t stay here.
“It’s still great to be here on the Big Island, or this probably wouldn’t be able to happen or it would have to be canceled,” Makaimoku said. “I really am thankful to the county for working with us, from Parks and Recreation on up to the mayor’s office.”
