01/07/2013

Attn Paddlers:

Hanohano Outrigger Canoe Club, Huki Outrigger, Maui Jim and Ocean Minded would like to invite you to the 17^th Annual Hanohano Huki Ocean Challenge to be held in Mission Bay, San Diego, Ca. on January 26^th, 2013.

The Hanohano Huki Ocean Challenge is one of the Longest Running Paddlesport Races in California (OC-1, Surfski, Traditional Paddleboard, Standup Paddleboard and Kayak)  We’ve always had a great mix of top level professional athletes and beginners from ages 7-80.

Important Notes on the event:

***Pre-Registration is highly suggested.  Hanohano OCC in conjunction with the So Cal Winter Racing series is breaking new ground with a paddling friendly registration platform at PaddleGuru. http://www.paddleguru.com/races/HanohanoHukiOceanChallenge

Preregistration will help eliminate delays on race morning as well as cut down on paddler error while registering with our new online format.  PLEASE VISIT PADDLE GURU AND PREREGISTER FOR THIS EVENT

If you are already registered through Active.com you DO NOT need to reregister, but will be sent an e-mail with instructions to log in to Open your Paddle Guru Profile

***Food…Breakfast snack items and coffee will be available for free in the morning.  Lunch will be an additional fee with menu items beginning at $5.00.  Please bring cash.  The new lunch format allows us account for the increased number of mouths to feed while keeping your race fee below $25.00…Bring a water bottle, we will have Gatorade and water to fill them up.  We will also have complimentary Vitacoco and Sambazon

***Raffle: Hanohano OCC still boasts the best Raffle west of the Mississippi…bring some dough and have a chance at a Brand New Huki OC-1 and a ton of other great product from our sponsors and vendors.

***PFD’s are required on all paddlecraft with the exception of Prone paddleboard.  Leashes are suggested for use on the long course for OC-1’s and Surfski’s

***No Dogs, Alcohol or Glass are allowed in Mission Bay Park…Rangers will issue hefty fines

***Paddlers are required to know the course and behave in a sportsmanlike manner…Please come to the assistance of fellow paddlers in distress.  Paddlers are required to affix their assigned Race bib to their chest so that it is visible to the volunteers on the finish boats.  Paddlers must finish between the two anchored boats in Bonita Cove and report their assigned race number.  Failure to follow finish protocol will result in a dnf .  Don’t be selfish…your behavior affects all race participants.

Watch the web site and facebook for updates. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hanohano-Huki-Ocean-Challenge/130411500341485?ref=hl

January 29, 2012
Hanohano Huki Ocean Challenge Recap

This is the day each year that I begin to plan the next Hanohano Huki Ocean Challenge. Wow, it’s going to be hard to top yesterday in Mission Bay, San Diego. Over 600 paddlers, which exceeded our permit I was told, descended upon Bonita Cove under clear skies with balmy summer weather. Twenty Five Vendors (also exceeding my permit BTW) set up an impressive Lifestyle Expo with some great Paddling product ranging from clothing to paddles and boards. As the sun came up, tents were erected, boards and canoes were unloaded and food was laid out it was clear to me that it was going to be a day for the record books.

Hanohano Outrigger Canoe Club, founded in 1981, has been hosting the Hanohano Huki Ocean Challenge since 1995 after taking over the Excel Surfski Challenge hosted by Club Founder Egon Horcajo.

Following the club’s philosophy of building an Ohana based upon Friendship and Aloha the race has grown from approximately 20 surfski paddlers to over 600 paddlers ranging from 7 years old to 70+ paddling craft from kayak to Surfski, singles to a quad SUP, SUP Surfboard to 18’ Unlimitd SUP, Prone Paddleboard and OC-1/OC-2’s; Truly something for everyone. About a dozen brave souls opted to vie in the “Waterman” Division, which consists of racing the Short Course on a Prone Paddleboard or SUP and the Long course on a Surfski or OC-1. Of note were Maggie Hogan and Leah Bebe for the women and Danny Ching and Slater Trout for the men.

That reminds me, Not only did we see the likes of Danny Ching, Slater Trout, Anthony Vela, Rami Zur, Chris Barlow, Maggie Hogan, Candice Appleby, Kristina Zur we had a number of first time racers who vowed to be back next year. A race with no vibe and a lot of love…that’s what makes the Hanohano Huki Ocean Challenge different from the rest.

So, the racing field was strong, the courses were safe because of our experienced safety crew and 600 paddlers put it all on the line. There was more. Bull Taco fed us with some killer grinds, Makihele Polynesian Revue treated us with some great music while we waited for the results to be tallied and our Vendors and Sponsors provided a vast array of shopping alternatives and product demos; notably Maui Jim who was offering some great deals on some Killer Shades. Looking over the crowd, I felt both elated and a little bit uneasy. Those that know me understand that I stress about making everyone happy.

The Raffle was unbelievable…Wow…More swag than I’ve seen. We gave away paddles, bags, hats, gift certificates, tons of clothing, Kona Beer,board bags; for a complete list of our vendors and sponsors, go to the our sponsor page , Topping it all off with a choice between a brand new Huki OC-1, Surfski or SUP. Our winner gave us the required amount of jumping up and down and squealing.

I sincerely appreciate our Hanohano volunteers, Safety Boat Opperators, vendors, Sponsors and participants for making the Hanohano Huki Ocean Challenge a Premiere Event. It truly takes a village and I’m happy to be part of such a loving Ohana.