CLUB HISTORY

Our club traces its roots back to 1976 when several paddlers founded the “Honolulu Canoe Club”, which practiced near the Aloha Tower and Honolulu Harbor area. In the early 1980’s, the club relocated to the calm waters of Pearl Harbor near the Arizona Memorial. 

In humble recognition of its location and in respect to the memory of our Nation’s heroes entombed within its waters, the club changed its name to “Honolulu Pearl Canoe Club” in 2002. While being located on government property, the club started to attract a larger military community and has received tremendous appreciation and support from the military community, especially Joint Base Pearl Harbor- Hickam’s Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) Department. 

In 2015, the club relocated its club site to Sand Island, where it is currently, which provides the club an improved training area for regatta and distance racing because of its sheltered waters for practice in all conditions and easy access to the open ocean. 

CANOE

Honolulu Pearl Canoe Club’s Koa canoe is named Honaunau – The Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association sustains the tradition of ancient regattas by requiring all clubs to race in canoes made of traditional Koa wood. She was originally built for the Honaunau Canoe Club on the Big Island of Hawaii in August of 1952. She was made from an original Koa log cut from Papa, South Kona, HI. Anthony Maui Cambra commissioned the log construction with Antone Grace as one of the carvers. 

She was blessed in the fall of 1956 as “Honaunau”; she was purchased by Pinky Thompson, who brought her over from the Big Island where she became part of the Hui Nalu Canoe Club. With Hui Nalu, she made several channel crossings in the prestigious Moloka’i Hoe, a 42-mile race from the island of Molokai to Oahu. 

Honaunau later came to Honolulu Pearl Canoe Club through Gary Oakland, one of the original founders of the Honolulu Canoe Club; he purchased her from Hui Nalu at an unknown cost.(Though a similar canoe purchase today is estimated to be more than $100,000.) 

Her manus and gunnels were painted red, yellow, and black to symbolize the royal Hawaiian colors of the past. Uncles Nappy Napoleon and Sonny Bradley, both admired and respected idols in the paddling community, have also paddled Honaunau. 

Honaunau received repairs in 2016-2018 and is now all Koa and is well loved by the Honolulu Pearl Ohana; you can see her crossing the finish line at all OHCRA Regattas during the racing season.