To provide our community, young and old alike, with the opportunity to perpetuate the culture and art of Hawaiian canoe paddling.
We desire to create a positive environment based on mutual respect, rather than a win at all costs attitude. Our goal is to instill good sportsmanship in every facet of our club
Our club is open to everyone from 8 years old and up. Interest, enthusiasm, and willingness to participate are the only criteria.
Through positive encouragement and training, we strive to allow everyone to be the best they desire to be.
Move our club forward, encompassing our Youth, Adult, and recreational programs.
The Hanalei Canoe Club paddling season runs from February through October, starting with long-distance racing.
The regatta or sprint races begin in May and culminate with the HCRA State Championship Race in August. The long-distance season continues with the Na Pali Challenge here on Kauai, the Queen Lili‘uokalani Race on the Big Island at Kona, and the biggest challenge of the season, the 41.8-mile race from Moloka‘i to O‘ahu. It's truly an unforgettable experience.
Our club comprises two divisions: the Youth Division, which includes girls and boys aged 10-18, and the Adult Division, which provides for women and men aged 19 and above.
Each year, we sponsor the Tai Hook regatta at Hanalei Bay. Our three major fundraisers to help defray operating costs, including annual insurance, dues, and the upkeep of our facility and equipment, are the Haena to Hanalei 8-Mile Run/Walk in June, the Hanalei Tahiti Fete in July, and the Luau at the end of July.
Being a member of the Hanalei Civic Canoe Club is a beautiful and unique experience. You can make friends, learn to work as a team, and strengthen your minds and bodies. Hopefully, we apply all that we know to our everyday lives. We are truly blessed to be able to paddle our canoes in a place as beautiful as Hanalei Bay!
The Hanalei Canoe Club was founded 1973 as a Hanalei Hawaiian Civic Club community outreach program.
The mission of the Hawaiian Civic Clubs is to serve in advocacy of the Hawaiian culture, health, economic development, education, and social welfare of its people. As such, when Stu and Shirley Kalama approached the Hanalei Hawaiian Civic Club to start the first canoe club on the north shore of Kauai, they agreed! Shirley and Stu generously lent the club its first canoe – the Po’okela, and the Hanalei Canoe Club was launched to help perpetuate the ancient art of Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe paddling.
The Hanalei Canoe Club was initially part of the Hui Wa’a Canoe Racing Association. Hui Wa’a allowed clubs without traditional koa canoes to belong and race in their canoe racing association. This opened the door for clubs in many communities that, unable to afford a koa canoe, would otherwise not have been able to paddle and compete.
The primary purpose of the Hanalei Canoe Club at that time was to provide an ohana for the youth of the north shore to learn the traditional Hawaiian sport of outrigger canoe racing. In addition to the youth team, the Hanalei Canoe Club also attracted adult paddlers. (In fact, in 1973, the men’s crew of Nick Beck, Francis Chandler, Jr., Kirk Chandler, Moku Chandler, Blakesley Conant, Tiger Espera, Wendall Fu, Kawika Goodale, Bito Hermosura, Togo Hermosura, Dixon Inouye, Christian Marston, and Kachi Yokotake, won first place in the Molokai to Oahu race!)
Kapeka Chandler was instrumental in the early days until she died, helping support and grow the club – actively fundraising to support it so the youth and their families could travel and compete.
In 1979 Hanalei Canoe Club acquired their first traditional koa canoe – the Kai’Opua, and joined the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association (HCRA). 1982, the Hanalei Canoe Club caused the biggest upset in state history, becoming the first outer island canoe club to win the HCRA championships!
In addition to the Kai’Opua, the Hanalei Canoe Club dreamed of obtaining a koa canoe for open ocean racing. This dream was realized in 1987 when our Hanalei men’s crew won first place in the Oahu to Kauai, Na Holo Kai Sailing Canoe Race. The first-place award was a koa log. Master Canoe builder Wright Bowman, Jr. designed and built a koa canoe from that log named Na Holo Kai to our specifications.
Initially, our canoes were kept at Black Pot Beach. Eventually, through the generosity of the Wilcox family, we moved to our first canoe hale on the Hanalei River. In 1989, again, the Hanalei Canoe Club moved to the land on the Hanalei River, where our clubhouse/hale is still located. After Hurricane Iniki devastated our original clubhouse, it was rebuilt in time for our 20th anniversary and is the beautiful clubhouse you see today.
In 2008, the Hanalei Canoe Club sponsored the then-new West Kauai Canoe Club to help support and expand the art of outrigger canoe race on Kauai’s West side.
Over the years, HCC has been blessed with many wonderful, talented, and inspiring coaches. A special mention must be made to Kainoa Chandler Forrest, our Head Coach for the women’s team from 1990 to 2009. Unfortunately, Kainoa passed away too soon in 2010. Over several years, Bobby Puakea wholly rebuilt and refurbished the Na Holo Kai with the help of many Hanalei Canoe Club youth, paddlers, and coaches. It was completed in 2012 and renamed the Kainoa Hola Kai and continues to be our cherished koa racing canoe.
Kainoa’s daughter, Lilinoe Forrest, assumed her mother’s position as Head Coach for the Women’s Team and continues to coach today.
The Hanalei Canoe Club has continued to thrive and grow over the years. The Hanalei Canoe Club has won every Garden Island Championship race, and youth, men’s, and women’s teams have won many HCRA State Championship medals – bronze, silver, and gold! Our men’s crews consistently place in the top 10 in the Molokai Hoe, and our women’s crews often place in the top 20 in the Na Wahine O Ke Kai. Our men’s and women’s crews have also won many gold medals at the Queen Liliuokalani race in Kona.
The Hanalei Canoe Club proudly participates in community outreach, providing educational outreach to our local schools, Make-A-Wish Foundation experiences, and more.
Hanalei Canoe Club has participated internationally in Outrigger Canoe Races (6-man, 1-man, World Sprints, and Swan Boat), sending teams to Tahiti, Thailand, Australia, and New Zealand.
Use these directions and the following map to locate the HCC clubhouse at the end of Weke Road.
Turn left onto Aku Road
0.2 miles
Turn right onto Wake Road
0.5 miles
Turn right onto the dirt road portion of Weke Road
0.2 miles
Turn left through the gate into Hanalei Canoe Club
Turn right onto Aku Road
0.2 miles
Turn right onto Wake Road
0.5 miles
Turn right onto the dirt road portion of Weke Road
0.2 miles
Turn left through the gate into Hanalei Canoe Club
We are providing our community, young and old alike, with the opportunity to perpetuate the culture and art of Hawaiian canoe paddling.
PO Box 814, Hanalei, HI 96714
© 2010-[2099] Hanalei Canoe Club. All rights reserved.
Effective Date: 2025-06-02
The Hanalei Canoe Club is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit this website.
We may collect the following types of information:
• Personal Information: such as your name, email address, or other contact details, when you voluntarily submit it through our contact form. NOTE: We do not store any of the collected information; it is only used during the contact.
• Usage Data: We do not collect any usage data.
We use the information we collect to:
• Provide, operate, and maintain our website
• Respond to inquiries or customer service requests
We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to others. We may share your data with third-party service providers to help us operate the site, but only when necessary and under strict confidentiality requirements.
Our website does not directly use “cookies”, but our third-party e-commerce provider may utilize them. You can choose to set your browser to refuse cookies or alert you when cookies are being sent.
Depending on your location, you may have the right to access, update, or delete your personal information. Contact us to make a request. Understand that we DO NOT store any of this information in a database or other storage mechanism; it is only used during our interactions with you when contacting us.
Our website may contain links to third-party sites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites.
We reserve the right to update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, don't hesitate to get in touch with us.