Hut Ho! “Octo-Paddlers”: Pull Together for Fun and Fitness

By Fern Gavelek

At 6:30 every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings, a canoe full of paddlers heads out of Keauhou Bay for a morning workout. They come from all walks of life and hail from different parts of the world. The one thing five of them have in common is age—they are all octogenarians. The oldest was born in 1927, while the youngster of the bunch turned 80 in March.

These octo-athletes are members of Keauhou Canoe Club’s (KCC) recreational program, which enables people to paddle for fun, even while others compete in the sport. The kupuna paddlers were recently honored during KCC’s Founder Regatta when they paddled during a “special event,” racing against keiki crews steered by adults.

The 80-something paddlers include Joanie Clark, Joan Lawhead, Elton Moller, Cari Mathyssens and Paul O’Brien. Virginia Isbell, 78, steered the octo-crew during the regatta and her husband Don, who turns 80 in August, subbed for Moller who was out of town.

“We’re probably the only club in the state with active, 80-year-old paddlers,” says Bill Armer, KCC athletic director. “And it’s because of our strong, recreational program.”

Founded in 1980, KKC is one of the state’s 75 canoe clubs, which promote the Hawaiian sport and cultural activity of outrigger canoe paddling. In ancient times, Hawaiians used the ocean as their super highway and the outrigger canoe was their SUV.

When talking to the octo-crew after a morning workout, they all seemed to agree that paddling is one of the highlights of their lives. They say it’s “a spiritual experience” to be out on the ocean in the early morning, watching the sun slowly rise over Hualalai.

“Paddling encourages me to honor our Lord, who created all the wonder around us,” says Moller, who has enjoyed the ocean all his adult life. Born and raised in South Africa, the retired CEO has done his share of sailing and continues sculling at his summer home in Connecticut.

Mathyssens, a retired special ed professional from LA, says she can’t imagine life without paddling. “It doesn’t matter how old you are, or how short, you can get out and paddle,” she states.

For O’Brien, a great-grandfather who teaches online college chemistry, “Paddling offers me a place I can get away from my existence; it’s a sanctuary. It helps me integrate and appreciate the culture where I live.”

Steersman Isbell, who is also a lifetime member of Kai ‘Opua Canoe Club, has been paddling for 35 years. The former state legislator of 16 years is proud that outrigger canoe paddling was named Hawai‘i’s official team sport under her watch in 1986.

Powered by Paddles

While the sport has evolved in the last 15 years to include one-man (OC-1) and two-man canoes with its own winter racing season, team paddling involves a crew of six: the stroker, who sets the pace; seats two through five, who provide the power; and the steersman—who does just that.

The narrow and deep, 400-pound-plus ocean canoe is designed to slice through the water and is balanced by an outrigger lashed to the canoe’s left side. Crew in seats one, three and five paddle in sync on one side of the canoe while seats two and four paddle on the other. A designated crew member calls out “hut-ho,” alerting paddlers when to simultaneously switch sides. Each paddler tries to mimic the other in timing and technique so they all “feel the glide” as the canoe thrusts forward.

Made of coveted koa and fiberglass, canoes are the prized property of canoe clubs, who can easily have a dozen or more of the 45-foot-long boats. Clubs provide organized instruction and practice time, plus insurance, in exchange for annual dues. Clubs also belong to their island’s racing association.

From May through July, the Big Isle’s Moku O Hawai‘i Outrigger Canoe Racing Assn. (MOH) stages exciting club regattas at rotating locations. Competition in 2010 culminates with the Big Isle championship July 24 in Hilo. The isle’s top winning crews then travel (not paddle!) to O‘ahu August 7 for the Hawai‘i Canoe Racing Assn.’s 58th state championship at Ke‘ehi Lagoon.

During regatta racing, crews strive to paddle together in split-second unison. They vie in sprints ranging from a quarter-mile to 1.5-miles long. Most races involve turning on a dime around a colored flag—dousing the flag results in disqualification. Each regatta has nearly 40 events (races) that are classified by sex, age and skill set.

Club racing continues info fall for the long distance season. Major events attract international competitors, such as Kai ‘Opua’s Queen Lili‘uokalani Races (which includes a double-hull race where two, six-man canoes are lashed together for an OC-12 event). The Hawai‘i season ends with the 41-mile Moloka‘i Channel crossings: the Na Wahine O Ke Kai for women and the Moloka‘i Hoe for men.

Recreational Program

After the commitment-heavy racing season, some paddlers take a break from the sport over the winter. Others have one-man canoes and vie in events staged by the Hawai‘i Island Paddlesport Association.

The desire to “stay in shape” and continue paddling with crews over the winter provided the seed for Keauhou Canoe Club’s recreational paddling program. Jane Bockus, a KCC founding member, is credited with pushing for an organized rec program in the mid-1990s.

“It’s great, especially for older paddlers, to have the availability of year-round conditioning,” says Bockus, 67, who has been paddling since 1978. She said the program was also spurred by the amount of snowbirds coming down to the club’s Keauhou Bay canoe halau asking to paddle from October to March.

“The snowbirds aren’t here during the racing season,” Bockus, a native of Canada, continues. “They just want to get out in the ocean and paddle, while meeting people in the community.”

Today, more than half of KKC’s 500 members paddle recreationally; they are not obligated to race if they don’t want to. Both Bockus and Athletic Director Armer admit they will race, if available, to fill an empty crew seat. A long-time competitive paddler, Bockus still enjoys the excitement of racing but due to summer traveling, can’t commit to a racing schedule.

Armer oversees KKC’s racing and rec programs, making sure there are enough canoes available to accommodate two morning shifts of rec paddlers, plus post-practice coffee and pastries. He also schedules the monthly birthday potlucks, which may include speakers on Hawaiian culture and fitness.

“We’ve had a high of 96 recreational paddlers go out one winter morning,” Armer details. “We’ve probably got the largest rec program in the state.” He adds that 80 percent of KCC’s rec paddlers are over the age of 55.

A retired school principal from Denver, Armer credits KCC’s rec program with changing his and his wife’s retirement plans. “Cindy and I figured we’d travel for 10 years, staying awhile here and there,” he confides while watering the grass outside the canoe halau. “But that all changed in 2002 after we hooked up with the canoe club.”

Armer explains that paddling “opened up a world of ocean activities” to the Colorado couple. “Our connection to the club led to all these other connections,” the 63-year-old steersman details. “While we still go visit our kids, the club is our ‘ohana here—we think of it as family.”

Some of those connections have linked the Armers to volunteerism, such as manning aid stations for Ironman or helping with the logistics for the annual GEMS workshop.

Isbell points out that rec paddlers are the ones to most often attend club functions and lend a hand, whether it’s the annual Christmas potluck or a funerary spreading of ashes in Keauhou Bay. “Rec paddlers are in it for fun and fitness. They aren’t competing for seats on a crew and everything is more relaxed and social.”

A 50-year Big Isle resident, Isbell paddled competitively up until a couple years ago and has a box of medals to prove it. “Paddling helps keep your mind focused,” she adds. “And you really get to know somebody once they’re with you in the canoe.”

Octogenarian paddler Joan Lawford sums up the feelings shared by many KCC rec paddlers, “When I’m out on the water, I feel the blessings of living in paradise, including being healthy.”

Whether 8 or 80, in it for racing or recreation—stroke by stroke, paddlers pull together for a common goal—to “feel the glide.” ❖

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For information on KCC, visit www.keauhoucanoeclub.com. Find info on Big Isle paddling at www.mokuohawaii.org.