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The History of Outrigger Canoe Paddling in California
by Michael (Jake) Jacobs (courtesy of SCORA)
California Outrigger Canoe dates back to 1959. The first race held in
California was on September 20, 1959. This first race was a long
distance race from Avalon on Catalina Island to the Newport Dunes
inside the California Coast.
This race involved two boats shipped to California from Hawaii through
the efforts of Albert Edward "Toots" Minvielle. Both of them were koa
wood boats with the names of "Malia" and "Niuhe" . "Niuhe" means
"shark".
The "Malia" team was composed of Hawaiian All Star outrigger paddlers
organized by Toots. Some of the members of that first Hawaiian team to
paddle the Catalina Channel in 1959 were Chris Bodie, Blu Makua, Archie
Kuana, Joe Gilman, Sonny Heniques, and Dougie Carr.
The California team paddled the Niuhe. This first mainland team
included George Kopa, Tom Johnson, Dan Uadis, Frank Saddler, Mike
Johnson, Dave Arne, Doug Wood, Ron Druman, Lorrin Harrison and others.
The Hawaiian team in the Malia won the race in a time of 5 hours. The
newly formed California team in the Niuhe finished close behind in a
time of 5 hours and 11 minutes.
Lorrin Harrison, the steersman, and an original member of the first
California team had the following remembrances of the early beginnings
and that first race, "When I first heard about canoe racing here, I had
a dug-out canoe that I built in 1950. We were surfing it down in
Doheny. Noah Kalama came by, he knew my sister from Hawaii, and I knew
him from body surfing. He said, 'Lorrin can you get a team together of
guys down here you think would like to paddle? We'll have a race with
an Hawaiian team.' I said 'Yeah, we can do that!' So we started coming
here to the Dunes, paddling here till 9 o'clock every night. There was
about 15 guys all paddling here. Other guys would build a fire and we'd
stay here and paddle when the wind was howling. we worked for two
months, we were so sick of paddling here. I thought we would never get
out and see the ocean. Finally Noah let us go out and it was rough
outside too. That's the way it started, right here in these Newport
Dunes.
Then they brought the Hawaiian team over so we all hooked behind some
big boat, towed all the people and the two boats over to Avalon. The
race started the next morning after we were there. It was just two
boats in the race form Avalon. Coming across we were making changes. We
had about 25 people to draw from. About half-way across, the escort
boat ran ahead to drop people in the water and made a big wake. The
wake flipped the boat straight up on edge with the ama (outrigger)
straight out of the water. I stayed - stuck in, but my number one man
was about 20 feet off the stern and it threw all the other men out too.
So Noah put a whole new 5 guys in and we kept going. At that time we
were right even with Blu Makua and the Hawaiian team. When we came into
the south end of the Newport Dunes, they finished 11 minutes ahead of
us. I had been in the boat for 5 hours and 11 minutes with no drink of
water and I thought I'd just die when we hit the beach 'cause of the
paddle Noah gave me, he said 'You gotta have a big paddle for this
race'. That sucker weighed 10 pounds at least. I still got the paddle,
I got the proof, if any one wants to paddle 30 miles with it, they can
have it."
The famous Duke Kahanomoku served as the Grand Marshall of the first
California Outrigger event and founded the Catalina to Newport Dunes
race- the original California Outrigger Classic. The subsequent races
were underwritten by the Balboa Improvement Association and Ira Dowd,
part owner of the Newport Dunes.
While the first Catalina to Newport Dunes Race was a culmination of
efforts and farsightedness on the part of several outstanding persons
in canoe paddling, the spirit behind the spread and development of
outrigger canoe paddling as a sport, both in Hawaii and California, is
the famous Albert "Toots" Minvielle.
Toots Minvielle was born June 1 1903 in Ohaa Hawaii, where his father
managed a sugar plantation store. Toots moved to Oahu in 1916 and swam
for the Outrigger Canoe Club and paddled for the Jr. Boys O.C.C. After
graduating in 1929 from the University of Hawaii as an Engineer and
Land Surveyor, he worked on Molokai as a Military surveyor. In 1951
Toots Minvielle started organizing the first Molokai Channel race - a
six-member team Ironman race. (the three teams that competed finished
within 18 minutes of each other).
Always the innovator, Toots began sending Hawaiian teams to California
in 1958 - while also developing California outrigger racing teams. In
1970 he sent the first Hawaiian team to race in Tahiti, in 1976 to
Japan, and in 1978 to England to race the English Channel. While
introducing the German people- particularly their Olympic athletes - to
outrigger canoe paddling, in 1981, Toots approached the International
Olympic Committee and proposed the acceptance of outrigger canoe racing
as an Olympic event.
Toots Minvielle and 1958 were pivotal points in the history of
outrigger canoeing, especially for California. In 1958 Toots met Tommy
Zahn from Santa Monica, another legend in the history of California
Outrigger paddling, shortly after Tommy had paddled the Molokai Channel
on a surfboard.
Soon after their meeting, Toots consulted Tommy about the possibility
of introducing competitive outrigger canoe racing in California.
Tommy Zahn responded immediately - there was sufficient interest. He
arranged a luncheon meeting in early 1959 with Ira Dowd, the owner of
the Newport Dunes, Sam Miller (then Commodore of the Balboa Bay Club),
and Al Oberg, Harbor Master of Newport Beach in 1959. All the "right"
people were there and California's Outrigger Racing History had begun.
Beside promoting competitive canoeing as a sport, Toots backed the
initial effort for the acceptance of fiberglass canoes. In 1958 Toots
proposed that outrigger canoes be made of fiberglass to the Hawaiian
Canoe Racing Association. Traditionally the canoes were made from koa
logs.
These logs were hard to acquire and season, and the finished canoes
were never consistent in weight, size or dimension. In comparison,
fiberglass canoes would be of uniform shape, size and dimension, and
could be made quickly and inexpensively.
Toots also recommended the HCRA expand their race association to
California and initiate competitive outrigger racing on the mainland -
hoping to end the petty bickering between the local paddling groups.
Hawaiian teams, having done well in their local divisions, could look
forward to mainland competition as their reward.
Toots' letter went unheeded and unanswered by the HCRA. But Tommy Zahn
responded to Toots and planted the seeds for the California Outrigger
Canoe Association.
Today in California, outrigger canoes are made almost exclusively of
fiberglass. They are regulated in uniformity as to their weight, size
and dimensions. This development of fiberglass outrigger canoe racing
boats in California resulted from the vision of Toots Minvielle coupled
with the efforts of Noah Kalama and Tom Johnson.
Noah Kalama, sent to California by Toots Minvielle to coach the first
California Outrigger team, and Tom Johnson, and original member of
first California Outrigger racing team, were the first to perceive the
need for California-based canoes. The boats used for that first
Catalina race were scheduled to be shipped back to Hawaii after the
competition was completed.
Noah Kalama and Tom Johnson realizing the development of California
outrigger racing would hinge upon a local boat supply were quick to
act. They made a mold of the Malia's hull - and California outrigger
boat building was born.
In 1960 Noah and Tom produced three boats. The "Mamo Kai" of Marina Del
Rey and the "Virginia" of Balboa were among the first. By 1965 there 15
fiberglass boats and 7 clubs in California. When Tom Johnson retired
from boat building in 1986, Bud Hohl stepped in to fill the gap. Bud
has produced over 30 fiberglass canoes. Other to produce fiberglass
outrigger racing boats in California are Lorrin Harrison from Dana
Point, Dennis Campbell from Imua Canoe Club, and Al Ching from Lanakila
Canoe Club, Redondo Beach.
In addition to promoting outrigger canoe racing in Newport in 1959, Tom
Zahn also established contacts on a second front - Santa Monica. The
Santa Monica connection led to meetings between Toots Minvielle, Aubre
Austin (owner of the Bank of Santa Monica) and Joe Massaglia (owner of
the Hotel Santa Monica).
These meetings had a major impact on California outrigger canoeing: 1)
a new race was added to the existing California season, which so far
consisted of only the Catalina/Newport Dunes race. This new race,
initiating a two week Sports Festival at Santa Monica, was from the
Malibu Pier to the Pier at Santa Monica. The primary credit for the
establishment of this second California race goes to Joe Massaglia. 2)
a new club, the Santa Monica Canoe Club, was created. All of these
early men of vision in the Santa Monica area deserve a heart-felt
thanks.
In the second Catalina to Newport Race, held in 1960, there were 5
boats: 2 of Toots Minveille's boats with crews from Hawaii, 2 newly
constructed California based fiberglass boats, and Lorrin Harrison's
1950-vintage dug-out outrigger (actually the first California-built
boat). Lorrin's sycamore dug-out took third place in that race.
The sport of outrigger paddling caught on and grew. By the third year there were 8 teams in California.
As early as 1963 the need for an organization became apparent and an
outrigger association was formed. Mercy Makeau became teh association's
1st secretary in 1963 and remained in that position until 1967. Mike
Zintel became President in 1964 and served through the end of 1965. In
1966 Bud Seals became the association's 2nd President. Bud accomplished
a comprehensive refining., organizing and codifying of California's
competitive canoe racing rules. Working right alongside Bud was Carol
Sloan, the association's 2nd secretary. Together they secured the first
insurance policy covering association canoes and activities. Meanwhile
the efforts of their attorney, Joe Bezna, paid off and the association
become incorporated. From a humble beginning of a single race in 1959,
the sport of California outrigger canoe paddling had grown into an
incorporated, organized association in a mere eight years.
Although Toots Minveille initiated efforts to bring Hawaiian Canoe
Paddling to the mainland in 1958, 1959 was the year paddling arrived -
the same year that Hawaii joined the United States of America. What may
have been initially seen as merely a gesture - sharing a facet of
Hawaiian culture with the mainland through the Aloha Celebration and
the aloha spirit of Toots Minveille- has given mainlanders, especially
Californians, a tease, a feel and a love for Hawaiian traditions.
Mahalo Hawaii, mahalo Toots Minveille for outrigger canoe paddling - a wonderful slice of Hawaiian life.
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