About Us: Past &PresentNew Hope has been in existence since October 1999 when Kimo Taylor and Kaipo Turco challenged me to assist them in putting a crew together for the Molokai Channel race the same year. I was the Head Coach at Kailua Canoe Club at the time. The problem was that it was about 2 to 3 weeks before the actual race. They said God told them to start the canoe club and that I was the one to help them. Yeah right! Well, as crazy as it sounds, only God could pull something like this together and he did. We borrowed a canoe from Kailua Canoe Club, used my son, Kaipo’s boat to escort the crew and cross the Ka Iwi Channel. The last paddler to join the team came on the Thursday before the race on Sunday.
I stayed with Kailua Canoe Club (KCC) for one more year and assisted in the developing of NHCC. I stayed with KCC for one more year and asked my Aunty Shirley of Kai Oni Canoe Club if we could partner with them. She had canoes and not enough paddlers. We had paddlers but no canoes. It was a perfect partnership for 2 years. We became associate members with OHCRA for the long distance season in 2001-2002. We raced as Kai Oni Canoe Club during the regatta season for those 2 years. OHCRA asked if we would consider becoming a full member of the association beginning in 2003. We would need to find a koa canoe which is required to race in the OHCRA regattas. A wonderful brother Leighton Look, and Hui Lanakila Canoe Club loaned us a beautiful koa canoe, the Kaiholokai for 3 seasons. It was imperative that we purchase our own koa canoe within a 3 year period. Graciously, Uncle Wally Froiseth and daughter, Luana sold us one of their koa canoes, named Kai Elua. She has a lot of history and when we sit in her to race, we feel the spirits of our ancestors. We have raced regatta and long distance season ever since, so we are 15 years young! Since our humble beginnings we have raced in Molokai, Maui, Kauai, the Big Island and even New York on the Hudson River. We like to race and love being in different venues, which adds to the excitement. We have been truly blessed with the many canoes we have. We support various schools, community and family groups with our canoes for practicing, racing, family outing and ash scattering. |