Aloha Ke Kai O’Uhane Ohana!
Our club continues to be busy, busy, busy - even with social distancing! Here are a few of the exciting things going on in and around the club:
- Keiki Art Project
- Hula Practices
- Projects: Restoration, maintenance, and new builds
- OC2 has arrived!
- Ke Kai Supports our Community
Keiki Art Project
We deeply miss seeing our keiki and would love to see some of their art in the meantime! Our first project is a chance to create a featured header in our upcoming newsletters. The rules are simple, create a drawing, painting, or digital art in the landscape format. The theme is “My Favorite activity with Ke Kai O’Uhane.” Take a photo or scan their art and please submit it by March 20, 2021, to secretary@kekai.org. We can’t wait to see what our wonderful keikis create! The next art project will feature Hawaii’s animals, so keep an eye out in our following newsletter!
Hula Practices
Hula is back up and running on a limited basis, and we are so excited to see it! Hula held its first practice recently and also took the opportunity to create gorgeous leis.
(Photos by Mel Latham) | |
This time last year, we were rejoicing in a successful luau. This is often a time to gather together as friends and family. While we can’t gather together in person this year, let's reminisce together! Here are some photos from last year. If you haven’t picked up your copy of the luau DVD yet, reach out to Jaydee Joye.
Snapshots taken from the luau DVD
Projects: Restoration, Maintenance, and New Builds
While we haven’t been able to get on the water in our beautiful OC6’s, many of our members have been quietly toiling away in preparation for the day when we can return to normal.
If you’ve been down to the beach recently, you may have noticed all of our canoes are de-rigged. This has allowed Rusty and Carolyn Trevino, along with Warren Ruhl, to take the iakos home to refinish the surfaces. This is often difficult to complete during the regular season as it always leaves us a few canoes short for practice. This TLC will help keep these iakos watertight and improve their longevity for years to come! |
Before (left) and after (right) of Uncle Les’ original steering blade, lovingly restored by Jim Dimke. It has been passed down to continue its journey in the hands of the next generation. Full of incredible mana from the many hands who have used and loved this paddle. |
Dale and Jim have also been building new stands to support our OC6’s. The unlimited canoes need a different style of stand which can be seen on the left. The above photo shows some of the new stands made by Dale, along with some ama stands! These ama stands will be a huge help when it comes time to rig our canoes in the future. |
Projects not pictured above include an OC2 stand being built by Malcolm Isley. All the pieces have been cut and measured so keep an eye out for it appearing on the beach in the coming months!
Gemini OC2 has Arrived
Ke Kai O’Uhane welcomed a new OC2 to the fleet this week! Mahalo to coach Keanu for picking her up and storing her temporarily while the new stand is being built. She still needs to be named and blessed, but you may notice that she was intentionally painted to match Ke Kai O'Uhane Elua’s original design. Elua has also been restored to this original design after her repair from the October 2019 accident.
(Photo by Keanu La’a)
Ke Kai Supports our Community
NCOCA Virtual Race
Way to keep at it, Ke Kai! The NCOCA hosted a fundraiser race this month and raised over $1,000, thanks in part to our member’s support. Ke kai made up 20% of the people who participated in this first virtual race of the year! We took home numerous first-place finishes and used various crafts to participate, such as OC1s, V1s, and Surfskis.
Continued stewardship of Del Monte Beach
Coaches Lisa and Alan hosted another beach clean-up this month. It was a cold and rainy day but they still got out there and made an impact on our beach! Mahalo to Keanu, Annie, Nicolette, Carolyn, Lisa Phares, Allen, Bill, and Lisa Ragan-Mowry!
(Photos by Alan Romero)
Are you wondering about membership? Keep an eye out for our next newsletter!
Missing you lots, Ke Kai -
Les Charles, Active Founder
Grace O’Dell, President
Jaime Pilanca, Vice President
Sharon Wyatt, Secretary
Nancy Neville, Treasurer
Bill Boosman, Sergeant-at-Arms
Mel Latham, Hula Advocate
Keanu La’a, Head Coach
Paz Rondez, Hula Rep
Rosanna Leighton, Paddle Rep
Jason Fertig, Paddle Rep
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