California Outriggers : Paddle Makes Perfect in the Ancient Sport of Canoe Surf Racing

While you’re relaxing on the beach this summer, you may be surprised to see outrigger canoes crashing through the surf. No, you’re not in Hawaii or Tahiti. You’re just witnessing a popular Southland pastime, the ancient Polynesian sport of outrigger-canoe racing.

“This is absolutely a growing sport, especially in Southern California,” says Mike D’Alessio, president of KOA, the California Outrigger Assn. (Koa is also the name of the wood Hawaiians used to carve traditional outrigger canoes, so the association took some liberty in the acronym.)

Spectators can enjoy outrigger-canoe races sponsored by clubs from Santa Barbara to San Diego throughout the summer. If you’re willing to devote several evenings a week to practice, it’s not too late to join in the fun. All the clubs welcome new members, men and women. Several clubs even have programs for kids who are 8 or older.

D’Alessio says: “Some people are attracted to this sport because of its cultural implications. It captures the romance of Hawaii while offering a recreational outlet. Others view it as a purely competitive sport. These people train 10 months of the year. One paddler said, ‘It feels as if you’re running the 100-yard dash for two hours straight.’ There’s room in outrigging for both extremes and for everyone in between.”

Ultimate Team Sport

“This is the ultimate team sport,” says Derek Harrison, a high school dean of students who coaches Imua Outrigger Canoe Club in Newport Beach. “We attract world-class athletes as well as amateurs. The trust out on the water is unbelievable. Trust is the component that makes the difference between a good and a truly great team.”

The sport takes tremendous concentration, says Craig Bluell of Offshore Outrigger Canoe Club, also from Newport Beach. “The team of four to six paddlers has to keep in time, and everyone has to pull as one.” While Polynesians, the Vikings of the Pacific, paddled outrigger canoes carved from koa wood, most canoes today are made from fiberglass and resin, but their design remains the same. Paddlers board the canoes from the left, where the ama, or long float that balances the craft, is connected to the hull.

Team members help push the canoes and paddlers into the surf, waiting until a wave hits to carry the crafts into the sea. The canoes are paddled to the starting line.

“It’s really exhilarating when you’re at the starting line and the official drops the green flag,” says Jeanne de Lorenzo of Redondo Beach, who paddles on the novice team for Lanakila Outrigger Canoe Club. “It helps to be first off the line.”

At the drop of the flag, the canoes are off in a fury of paddling. In regattas, teams sprint around buoy-marked courses that are one-half, 2 1/2 and 3 miles long. The daylong regattas offer camaraderie with other clubs and basking in the sun between events. They end with a party at a nearby bistro or eatery. Trophies are awarded to all members of winning teams.

Events of the Season

The outrigger season is made up of three parts, each featuring a different event. The season begins in May with “Ironman” races, teams of six paddlers racing 9 to 13 miles parallel to the shore. The regatta season in June and July features sprints.

In August and early September, paddlers test their endurance in long-distance races of 20 to 40 miles or more, which can last five or six hours start to finish. A starting team of six paddles for the first half hour. Then three relief paddlers jump into the water from a nearby escort boat. As they pull themselves into the canoe, three tired paddlers roll out. Accomplished teams make the switch without missing a stroke. Switches are made every 10 to 20 minutes during the race, which can last 5 hours or longer.

“It’s a special accomplishment to paddle to Catalina,” says Darlene Bible, who paddles for Kai Nalu Outrigger Canoe Club in Marina del Rey. The Catalina race is held annually in late August.

“We’ve had paddlers come out three weeks before the race and participate in the event,” says Bud Hohl of Offshore Club, sponsor of the event.

This year, teams from California, Arkansas, Hawaii and British Columbia will compete. Women’s teams race from Newport to Avalon on Aug. 26; men’s teams will race back on Aug. 27. A luau, which is open to the public, will follow at Newport Dunes.

Team Based on Skill

Teams are based on skill level and age. Adults who are paddling for their first year are in the novice category. More advanced paddlers are divided into freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior categories. Masters’ teams are made up of women over 35 and men over 40.

Each position on the six-person team plays a significant role. The stroker sits in the first position and sets the pace. The second seat assists the stroker. The third, fourth and fifth paddlers provide power. The sixth paddler steers.

Paddling is rhythmically divided into 15 strokes. On the 14th stroke, the person in the second seat calls “Hut,” warning that the paddlers should switch to the other side on the 15th stroke, when all respond “Ho.” Some teams call “Hut, hut, ho,” on the 13th, 14th and 15th strokes.

“Most paddlers can paddle 62 to 68 strokes per minute,” says Ron Harrig, president of Santa Barbara Outrigger Canoe Club. “The sprint stroke is shorter and even quicker, with 72 to 74 paddles per minute. In Tahiti, they paddle even faster.”

Benefits of Paddling

Participants are enthusiastic about the physical benefits of the sport.

“Paddling is a great workout,” says Donna Fea, who paddles as a novice for Lanakila Club in Redondo Beach. “You can really feel it after two or three days of working out. Most paddlers work with weights off-season and run during the season.”

“It’s a great aerobic and anaerobic sport,” says Victor DiNove of ‘Uhane Outrigger Canoe Club in Santa Barbara. “It elevates the heartbeat and helps the cardiovascular system while developing upper-body strength.”

Said Karen Ingalls at a recent regatta in Santa Monica Bay: “My husband dropped 20 pounds in about three months of paddling. It’s a very time-consuming sport, but I will say it’s great for the figure. You gain in the upper chest and lose around the waist. I’m joining up with the women’s team.” Ingalls’ husband paddles for Newport Outrigger Canoe Club.

“This is a great physical activity, agrees Darlene Bible. “I paddled for the first eight months of my pregnancy last year, and three weeks after the baby was born, I was able to paddle in the state championships in Santa Barbara.”

Exotic Competitions

Outrigger-canoe racing has been on the Southern California scene for 30 years. According to Bud Hohl of Offshore Club, the sport was brought to the Mainland in 1959 by A. E. “Toots” Minville, considered the father of the sport. Minville also originated the annual 42-mile Molokai Race. Women from the Offshore team have won that race three times in recent years. Local paddlers participate in international competitions in exotic places such as Hawaii and Tahiti. In 1990, they will travel to New Zealand for the world sprint championship.

Besides the benefit of body conditioning, paddlers enjoy the camaraderie of a sport that cuts across class and professional lines.

“We’ve got bankers, city officials, real-estate brokers, construction workers, aerospace salesmen and landscape architects in our club. When you’re out on the ocean, you leave that type of competition behind,” says Charles Spence, a banker from Newport Beach. At 60, Spence is the oldest member of the Offshore Outrigger Canoe Club.

“Being on the ocean humbles you,” says Dee Van Winkle of San Diego Outrigger Canoe Club. “You hardly ever see a paddler who smokes or does drugs, and drinking is limited to the party after an event.”

“Paddling is a relief from my fast-paced life,” says Donna Fea, who teaches math at Redondo High School and who has just received her MBA from UCLA. “The ocean breeze and the smell of the sea are invigorating.”

Looking for Members

Most outrigger canoe clubs in KOA seek new members who are willing to put in practice time to develop proficiency in the sport.

While you don’t have to be an expert swimmer to participate, you should be water-safe, as canoes sometimes can tip you into the briny.

Most clubs charge a fee for the racing season ranging from $150 to $200 per person.

Clubs are listed here by their beaches. For more information, contact the club nearest you or KOA president Mike D’Alessio, (213) 542-8757.

Santa Barbara:

Ka Nai’a Outrigger Canoe Club, (805) 963-1807; Elizabeth Fitzgerald.

Santa Barbara Outrigger Canoe Club, (805) 564-8815; Diana Reynolds.

‘Uhane Outrigger Canoe Club, (805) 962-3585); Victor DiNove.

Marina del Rey:

Kai Nalu Outrigger Canoe Club, (213) 821-0740; Darlene Bible.

Marina del Rey Outrigger Canoe Club, (213) 379-6437; Stephen Kekuewa.

Venice Outrigger Canoe Club, (213) 399-0978; Kris Dahlin.

South Bay:

Lanakila Outrigger Canoe Club, (213) 374-8109; Al Ching.

Nahoa Outrigger Canoe Club, (213) 316-8404; Greg Paul.

Kahakai Outrigger Canoe Club (Seal Beach), (213) 430-3316, Darus Ane.

Newport Beach:

Imua Outrigger Canoe Club, (714) 963-0116; Derek Harrison.

Newport Outrigger Canoe Club, (714) 546-8381; Kauhi Ho’okano.

Offshore Outrigger Canoe Club, (714) 548-5726; Bud Hohl.

Dana Point:

Dana Outrigger Club, (714) 496-5239; Lorrin Harrison.

Monarch Bay Canoe Club, (714) 496-7792; Terry McCann.

San Diego:

Hanohano Outrigger Club, (619) 483-0549; Rena and Egon Horcajo.

Kai Elua Outrigger Canoe Club, (619) 275-2220; Wendy DeWitt.

San Diego Outrigger Canoe Club, (619) 695-9694; Kathy Day.

Following are dates for some upcoming outrigger canoe events:

Aug. 5--From 8 to 11 a.m. you can watch canoes race from Dana Point to Laguna Beach from vantage points along the bluff. The Whitey Harrison Classic race is sponsored by Dana Point Club.

Aug. 12--Nahoa Outrigger Canoe Club is sponsoring a race in Redondo Beach. Women begin racing at 8 a.m., men’s races at 11 a.m. Starting point is Moonstone Park at King Harbor. For information, call (213) 316-8404.

Aug. 26-27 -- Catalina race sponsored by Offshore Canoe Club. On Aug. 26 women’s teams will race to Avalon. On Aug. 27 men’s teams will return to Newport Beach. The best vantage point for seeing the canoes come in is early afternoon along the west jetty at the end of Balboa Boulevard. Offshore Club will sponsor a luau open to the public on Sunday afternoon at Newport Dunes. For more information call Bud Hohl, (714) 548-5726.

Sept . 16 -- As a part of Seafest sponsored by the Newport Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce, there will be a two-man canoe race from Marina del Rey to Newport Dunes. Men’s and women’s teams will leave Marina del Rey around 8 a.m. and will arrive in the Newport area about 1 p.m. The best vantage points are Palos Verdes Point, the San Pedro breakwater, Seal Beach Pier and areas near Huntington Beach Pier and Newport Dunes. A traditional luau with entertainment will follow at Newport Dunes. Tickets will cost about $20. Call the Newport Chamber at (714) 644-8211.

Newport Dunes is a resort area located at Coast Highway and Jamboree Road in Newport Beach next to the Hyatt Newporter Hotel.