Kilohana Outrigger Canoe Club was founded in 1987 by a group of friends who thought it would be ‘cool’ to start their own paddling club. Little did they (we) know what they’d be getting into. Ideas were drawn on napkins; meetings were impromptu; there was no equipment; there was no money; we had little to no experience in running a club, much less one that had to have any kind of legal documentation.
Many of our founders originated from Ke Anuenue Outrigger Canoe Club of Fremont, to whom we must thank the late Auntie Arma Fonseca and her husband, Eddie, for instilling in us the cultural aspect of and respect for outrigger paddling. Without that, we would be a club without a purpose. We are honored to have been under their wing and we pay great homage to Auntie Arma who was instrumental in the development of what we know today as the NCOCA – the Northern California Outrigger Canoe Association.
We eventually elected a president, Brad Saguindel, and with the support of his parents and other donations combined, we were able to purchase two boats from Southern California. Although they were badly in need of restoration, their winning histories gave them the potential of becoming champions again. The traditional racing “Malias” were named O’Kamaka Hiapo (First Born) and Ikaika (Strength).
Now we had our canoes. But how were we going to get to any races? Good thing we knew someone who owned a sheetmetal shop! Franks’ Metal Products helped to construct our own trailer to haul our canoes and equipment. In 2002, they helped us evolve again by constructing our new trailer which holds our 6 man canoes and now our single canoes easily.
Somehow during our first year, we received our first outside sponsorship, Orlandi Trailers! They provided us with a utility trailer that carried all our club paddles, life jackets, and other paddling paraphernalia and when emptied out, doubled as a giant cooler on wheels!
In our first racing season, we established ourselves as a highly competitive team with an abundance of love for the sport. Regattas were great! In between races, we’d bbq, sing songs, play volleyball, and hang out with friends and family. That year we took home two state championships and all of our crews placed in their respective divisions.
We also held our very first fund-raiser, an All-You-Can-Eat Crab Feast. With our own paddlers providing the Hawaiian entertainment, it was quite an event. This event has grown over the years and although we’ve switched back and forth between Crab Feeds and Luaus, it continues to be our most successful fund-raiser.
And so are the days of the ‘ol race for da beach. Today’s regattas are a little different. Though we still bbq and hang out, some of us are married with our own families now, but with the change of time, the competition is a bit more serious. Faster, lighter, sleeker canoes; paddles made of composite materials, bent every which way; power bars and power drinks; strategic starts and turns. We’ve come a long way.
Our newest venture this millennium was the addition of a practice site in Fremont. The Lake Elizabeth site was given to us when the founders of Ke Anuenue, one of the oldest California paddling clubs, after 20 years of paddling decided to retire. Although we were hesitant with the responsibility of having two sites, we were honored and nostalgic with the fact that we had come full circle. This was where we had first found our love in paddling. It’s still in its experimental stages, but we expect diversity and strength to come from this venture. We also have the encouragement and the backing of one of the newest indoor/outdoor recreational activity spots in Fremont: City Beach! Our original canoe now has a permanent home (much to the elation of my parents – where she has been housed at for the last 10 years!). She has been fully restored and now hangs in the enormous entryway of the brand new City Beach facilities.
