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Kīkaha’s beginnings: For the keiki, the culture and a reminder of home

On May 19, 1995, the Polynesian voyaging canoe Hōkūle‘a arrived in Seattle with its sister canoe Hawai‘iloa. 

Hōkūle‘a had traveled thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean by this point, guided by navigators who read the stars, the winds and the currents. It had become a symbol of cultural empowerment among Native Hawaiians and sparked the Hawaiian Renaissance in the mid 1970s. 

For Native Hawaiians who had made their home in the Pacific Northwest, the Seattle arrival was a powerful moment, a connection to their culture and a reminder of the lives they once lived. That feeling resonated among a small group of Hawaii ex-pats in Federal Way who yearned for home – the founders of Kīkaha.

They would create a club with a reputation for aloha – and competitive paddling – that’s known internationally. And as Kīkaha celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, it is as welcoming today as it was when it began. 

Kīkaha’s first organizational meeting was held in early 1996 at Barry Tam-Hoy’s house at Dash Point. Tam-Hoy wasn’t looking to paddle, he said recently. He just felt a canoe club in the PNW could provide a cultural connection for Native Hawaiians in the region. 

And especially for their children.

 “When we first got started, it was more for the keikis, not the competition. That came later,” said Tam-Hoy, now 77. “The keikis on the Mainland were not like us growing up at home.”

Tam-Hoy’s three daughters would all join the club. Paddling for Kīkaha brought Hawaiian culture into their lives and into the lives of everyone – keiki to kupuna – who joined the new club. 

Tam-Hoy grew up on Oahu, in Kaimuki. He spent a lot of time at Waikiki Beach but never paddled. He’s lived in Washington for nearly 55 years – “too long,” he said.

“I wanted to do this for the people I knew up here,” he said. “I never lost the ways from when I grew up. For some reason, I kept the local style. But I never paddled. It was just in me to make it happen.”  

Boy Chun Fook was also at that first meeting. He had loads of experience paddling in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, where he had been president of Kukini Canoe Club. 

He said the driving force behind creating a club was the late Ed Aki, a Kailua, Hawaii resident who had moved to Federal Way.  

“Of all the guys, he was really pushing for a club,” Chun Fook said. “Uncle Ed was the spearhead person.”

But so was Chun Fook. 

“They didn’t have a canoe and they said they wanted to do something cultural,” Chun Fook said. “They asked if anyone could help with a club and I stepped forward.” 

The PNW outrigger paddling community was small but several clubs consistently raced. Columbia River Outrigger Canoe Club, founded in 1992, was the first dedicated outrigger canoe club in Portland and the PNW. Mountain Home Canoe Club and Bend Outrigger Canoe Club were established in 1993. Hui Heihei Wa’a and Seattle Outrigger Canoe Club each started in 1995.

So in April 1996, Chun Fook, Tam-Hoy, Aki and Manu Baker drove to Vancouver, where RATI was held back then. There, Chun Fook met JD Davis, guru of Gorge canoe racing. Davis was selling an old canoe from San Diego that he stored outside in Stevenson. The canoe was a Malia plug, which means it was used to make new canoes. 

Back in Puget Sound, Kīkaha members were already holding fundraisers to pay for a trailer but club member Keoki Willis donated the funds needed to buy the canoe – $1,000.

The canoe was heavy and it took about two months to sand away old coats of fiberglass, Chun Fook said. First the green layer. Then the blue one. And finally the orange coat. Club members built a 40-foot-long makeshift spray booth in Aki’s backyard so he could paint it blue with yellow gunnels. 

They named it Kīkaha O Ke Kai, which means “gliding over the sea” in Hawaiian.

In April 1997, as the club planned a blessing at Browns Point Lighthouse Park, Kīkaha still lacked one key item: paddles. Club members found a solution.

“We traced my old school paddle on plywood and made the paddles from scratch,” Chun Fook said. “We varnished them and that was the first paddles for Kīkaha.”

Kumu hula Iwalani Christian, of the Seattle Hawaiian dance group Na Lei O Manu’akepa, blessed the canoe as nearly 700 people watched. The first crew to paddle the canoe included Chun Fook, Tam-Hoy, Willis, William Schilling, Katherine Pakaki and Wayne Derouin.

“After all that work and seeing that canoe on the water, after all we went through that was just bringing me back home,” said Chun Fook. “It was a dream come true for many of us on the beach. And after that, everyone was in. We could finally start paddling. We were full on that summer.”

Kapiolani Laronal joined Kīkaha in 2001 with her mother Martha Jean Laronal while attending the University of Washington. Kapiolani had watched Hawaiian culture blossom in the Puget Sound region since her early teens, when her father helped bring Hōkūle‘a and Hawai‘iloa to Seattle.

“For Hawaiians who moved to the continent, Kīkaha created community and continuity – a way to pass cultural knowledge to younger generations,” she said.

Laronal said the challenge for the families that formed Kīkaha was to uphold Hawaiian cultural values – how to behave with humility, responsibility to each other and aloha for everyone.

“The hope was that Kīkaha would be a place of remembering and reconnection,” she said. “The hope was that this would be a place where we could all come back to remembering where we come from and who we are.”

Laronal said Kīkaha has reached its 30th anniversary because of the dedication of its core leaders: Chun Fook and his wife Brenda, John Richardson, Gordon Martinez, Nellie Bell and Russ Woosley.

They embraced the spirit of the club.

“To instill in the young people what it meant to be Hawaiian,” Laronal said. “And what it meant to be together.”

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What you can expect from Kīkaha’s 2026 coaching staff

With Kīkaha’s 2026 season about to begin, incoming men’s coach Matt Taufa’asau outlined some of the philosophy behind the training and racing you can expect. 

Taufa’asau, who has 15 years of coaching experience, said the first few weeks of practice won’t be much different than in previous years. 

“I would say it’s going to be going back to the basics: the form, the terms, our base. So, get used to all the technique work at practice,” he said. 

Taufa’asau, who has raced the Molokai Hoe and the Na Pali Challenge in Hawaii, urged Kīkaha’s paddlers to share their goals with the coaching staff. 

“We’ve added so many members and I want them to grow,” Taufa’asau said. “If they want them to be in Molokai in five years, let’s get them there. If there’s a race you want to do, let it be known.”

Practices begin on Tuesday, March 10. They will be held regularly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Just like last season, there will be two start times for weekday practices – 5 and 5:30 p.m. – and a single time  – 9 a.m. – on Saturdays. 

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Kīkaha will hold election for new officers

Kīkaha O Ke Kai will hold elections this month for its club officers, who each serve two-year terms, said club president Fergus Kanaiaupune Hyke, who will be leaving office.

Elections will be held at the club’s general membership meeting on March 8.

Running for office at the time of publication are Nellie Bell (president), John Murillo (vice president), Eric Stover (vice president), Sofia Zapata (treasurer) and Julia Mielish (secretary).

Here are their thoughts about why they would like to serve Kīkaha.

Nellie Bell (President)

“For the past two years, I’ve had the honor of serving as your vice president. During that time, I’ve seen firsthand what makes Kīkaha O Ke Kai the heart of Tacoma’s paddling community. Now, I am ready to step into the role of President to build on our momentum and secure the future of our 501(c)(3) nonprofit.”

John Murillo (Vice President)

“Hawaii is rich with traditions and expression of those traditions. We see this in how warm the people are and the values they put into their facets of who they are through outrigger sports, hula, and lei making etc. Kīkaha is one of the few clubs in the PNW and mainland that puts their passions into these cultural treasures. This is important as it brings meaning to why we pursue our sport and its traditions.

“My hopes are to continue on building on the strengths of Kīkaha and bring enhanced awareness on the physical components of paddling. Using my background in biomechanics and physiology will allow the paddling community to ask: ‘What can I do to be a stronger and more efficient paddler?’ With this knowledge and the relationships I have made with the paddling community through my 30 years of being in the sport will hopefully bring another positive note to Kīkaha.”

Eric Stover (Vice President)

“Aloha mai kākou, my name is Eric Stover and I am running for vice president of Kīkaha O Ke Kai. I have been with the club for the past three years and in that time I have found a loving, strong community and a calling within it. With my back injury last season I was mostly found on my OC1 or in the background helping to run the timing for Uncle Manu Baker/CLR, refinishing and homing the iakos off-season, being chair of the soft-goods committee, as well as the routine cleaning of our practice site and refurbishment of our ‘wheels.’ With all that the club has done for me and given to me as a person I want to expand my commitment to our ‘ohana and put more of myself and energy back in. I am dedicated to the respect and perpetuation of Hawaiian culture and values through continued participation within our wonderful club, paddling, and caring for our waʻa.”

Sofia Zapata (Treasurer)

“I am grateful for the opportunity to be a member of Kīkaha O Ke Kai for the past five years and to have served as treasurer for the last two. It has been an honor to help support our club’s mission through careful financial stewardship. I would be thankful to continue serving as treasurer, keeping our club on solid financial footing as we carry on our activities and meaningful community outreach. I also remain current with all nonprofit tax requirements to ensure we stay compliant and well organized.”

Julia Mielish (Secretary)

“Shortly after moving to Washington last year, I joined Kīkaha and have been overwhelmed by the friendliness and aloha I’ve experienced. I want to give back to the team and would like to bring my organizational skills and collaborative spirit to serving as secretary for the club. With over 20 years of experience as a librarian, college dean and publisher, I have developed a strong record of managing information, coordinating meetings and facilitating structured communication. Additionally, I’ve volunteered in my previous communities as a Boy Scout Troop Committee Chair and most recently in that most revered role, community HOA board member and president. I look forward to working with the board to support our outrigger community. “

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Da Kīkaha Korner

Aw’ryte!

Kīkaha would like to welcome and thank its new sponsors for 2026. A big mahalo goes to Dirty2Dreamy Ceramic Coating & Detail Service in Auburn, Tumi Tax, run by our treasurer, Sofia Zapata, Teamsters Local No. 313 and Puget Sound Upfitters…

If you know someone who has never paddled an outrigger canoe but wanted to, here’s their chance. For the 2026 season, Kīkaha will host ongoing introduction to paddling sessions from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays starting March 11 at the Foss Waterway site, 1940 E D St. in Tacoma. The sessions are designed for novice and recreational paddlers, who can paddle free of charge for three sessions. The club will provide paddles, lessons on paddling and an introduction to Hawaiian culture…

If you’ve been wondering what you can do with all your extra unused paddling gear, then plan to attend the Kīkaha swap meet on March 21 at the Foss Waterway practice site. It’s a good opportunity to clear out your garage and find new stuff to fill that space! At bargain prices! More info will be coming…

Save the date! To celebrate 30 years as a club, Kīkaha will host a celebration on June 20. More details about time and location will be coming… 

Aw’ryte!

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Wahine Wayfinding

Paddling, training and everything in between from a woman’s point of view

By Mariko Roths

In January, three Kīkaha wahine had the incredible opportunity to attend the Puakea Designs Women’s Camp in Newport Beach, CA. Known for its competitive application process and immersive coaching style, the camp brings together women paddlers from across the country for a week of growth, learning and connection. I spoke with members Katsie Hirsh and Nellie Bell about their experience learning in this women-driven environment. 

The camp consisted of several days of coaching with different coaches working on different aspects of paddling each day, such as stroke technique, strength training, nutrition and mentality. 

Hirsh said the coaches complemented each other well, and that it was inspiring to be coached by three “dynamic and exciting women” – April Zilg, Leanne Stanley and Grace Hardy. Johnny Puakea also coached. 

“Even the most experienced paddlers would find that there was something they could work on,” Hirsh said. “It didn’t matter if they had one year of experience or many years of experience. Everyone was able to find something that they could do better.”  

Bell also appreciated the opportunity to learn from women coaches in a space where they could openly discuss women-specific topics, such as hormones and menstrual cycles and how those factors can affect training and performance. 

During OC1 sessions, coaches also addressed how women can better engage the pelvis during paddling, recognizing differences in center of gravity and body mechanics. This camp is a “bucket list item if you want to get your paddling to the next level,” Bell said. 

Even though they spent all day paddling, most of the challenge during the camp was mental.

“We were paddling four hours a day, but you weren’t physically exhausted, you were more mentally exhausted from really trying to input the things that they’re teaching and making your stroke better,” Hirsh said. 

Focus was a big part of the training as well, especially when considering the ever-pervasive distractions from phones and social media. 

“Within the canoe, you want to be able to call your focus and be one with everyone in the canoe,” said Bell, who also shared a book recommendation from the camp: “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World” by Cal Newport.

Overall, both Hirsh and Bell agree the special part about the camp was the sisterhood and camaraderie they shared with the other women over the week. 

Bell said a highlight for her was not on the water, but actually sitting with all the women at lunch to talk story and hear about where everyone came from and how they got into paddling. 

Hirsh’s time at the camp was also special because she got to experience it with her daughter Heidi, who travelled with several of her teammates from Kana Lui Outrigger Canoe Club in Miami. 

Both Hirsh and Bell would like to use what they learned from the camp to not only become better paddlers, but to also instill more camaraderie among the women of Kīkaha. 

Hirsh was inspired by the mutual support held by her daughter’s team and she hopes to see more of that same spirit among Kīkaha’s women paddlers. Bell adds that she has already met with our women coaches to talk about strategies for the upcoming season that create a more solid and comprehensive women’s program. 

With the paddling season starting again soon, it will be exciting to see how these lessons learned by Hirsh and Bell translate toward continued growth and stronger connections within Kīkaha’s women’s program.

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Who dat?

Paddler: Gordon Martinez

Club activity: Kīkaha Head Coach

Years paddling canoes: “About 30 years total. I paddled 2 years keiki for my ‘ohana’s canoe club, Hui’o’koolauloa, in Kahana Bay on Oahu. And I paddled 28 years for Kīkaha O Ke Kai Federal Way/Tacoma and coached since 2004.”

Favorite race adventure: “Hard to say, there were so many great races over the years. Two races pop in mind Molokai Hoe 2019 (2nd place Masters winners). The island of Molokai is a special place. It seems as if you were back in the early 1970’s. Good people, good food, beautiful landscape. My 11-person crew included my boat coach, John Richardson and deck hand/help John’s son Keala Richardson. My paddling crew consisted of a Pacific Northwest mixture: Washington, Oregon and Canada majority of Kīkaha paddlers. 

“The other race is the Kauai Na Pali Challenge 2023. It’s a mixed coed race alternating 6 women then 6 men every 30 minutes for 34 miles of water changeout. It’s along the most scenic and beautiful Na Pali coastline where you can see high green mountain valleys, cliffs, caves and waterfalls the whole way. We placed 2nd in the Master Coed division.” 

Favorite paddling experience: “Every Molokai Hoe race experience is fun. It’s a journey from the time you step off the plane till you cross the finish line on Waikiki Beach at the Hilton Hawaiian Resort. I like to get to Molokai three days early to acclimate myself to the hot weather and soak in some island beauty and rich history. Do some crew bonding prep and rigging canoes, crew blending and some fun body surfing and relaxing. Another favorite is, of course, is Kauai’s Na Pali Challenge.We do all the same things like the Molokai Hoe but I get to share the experience with my wahine, Donna!”

Why paddling: “For many reasons. Perpetuate Hawaiian culture and outrigger paddling. I love surfing my one person canoe at the Gorge. Paddling helps you live a healthy lifestyle, especially if you love paddling and surfing. And best of all, there is no age limit you can paddle as you can be happy and as able as your body lets you.”

Best club advice you ever received:  “Speed is important, but fun is mandatory! That was  from Karel Tresnak Sr.”

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Kīkaha O Ke Kai, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit that paddles out of the Foss Waterway, would like to say mahalo to its sponsors and supporters: Asia Pacific Cultural Center,  Papa Ola Lōkahi, Nordlund Boat Company, Katie Downs Waterfront Tavern & Eatery, Tucci Energy Services, Hawaiian Paddle Sports, Aloha Carpet Cleaning, Moku ‘aina Wakinekona Hawaiian Club,  Dirty2Dreamy Ceramic Coating & Detail Service, Tumi Tax, Teamsters Local No. 313 and Puget Sound Upfitters.

Talk Story seeks to cultivate a strong, unified identity for Kīkaha O Ke Kai, reflecting the spirit of Hawaiian outrigger canoe paddling. It is dedicated to sharing club news and managing information promptly. It aims to provide members and supporters with a newsletter that enhances their connection to the club and represents our shared values on and off the water.  You can contact us at kikaha.info@gmail.com.