For veteran waterman and paddling coach Nalu Kukea, competing in the traditional Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association Father’s Day Regatta carries extra meaning as a father of two young children.

Kukea, whose late father, Kala, was co-head coach of the Hui Nalu Canoe Club for nearly a quarter century, helped steer the club’s mixed 40 crew to victory as paddlers faced steady breezes and occasionally choppy surf on Sunday at Nanakuli Beach. Kukea was joined in the winning canoe by Jason Daley, Lynette Hazard, Shari Kidani, Danny Loui and Jane McKee as the crew navigated the ½-mile course in 4 minutes, 14.77 seconds and bested Lanikai (4:25.07) and Hui Lanakila (4:35.31).

Nalu Kukea has followed in his father’s footsteps as a firefighter, champion paddler and mentor to those looking to enjoy competing in the water.

“Whatever I can do to help the club, it means a lot to me,” Kukea said. “Especially when you have kids, and my daughter paddles for Hui Nalu, races like this on Father’s Day take on an extra sense of purpose. It’s nice to see so many people out here enjoying summer regattas again.”

While the victory helped Hui Nalu remain in contention late in the day, the crucial points were not enough to propel the club past three-time defending OHCRA champion and two-time reigning state champion Lanikai. The green-and-white clad paddlers from Lanikai racked up a regatta-high 20 race victories and claimed the AAA division (31-45 crews entered) with 219 points to defeat Hui Nalu (202 points), Outrigger (110 points) and Kailua (103 points) in the large division.

Leeward Kai (57 points) held on for the win in the AA division (16-30 crews entered) ahead of Keahiakahoe (54 points) and New Hope (34 points). Healani (42 points) topped Waikiki Surf Club (27 points) and Waimanalo (21 points) for the A division title.

Following last week’s postponement of the King Kamehameha Regatta’s final four races due to an event time limit at Kailua Beach, those races were run at the conclusion of Sunday’s action. With those results now officially in the books, Lanikai could celebrate two regatta victories by clinching the Kamehameha title with 213 points in the AAA Division and finishing comfortably ahead of Hui Nalu (169 points), Kailua (125 points) and Outrigger (123 points).

Keahiakahoe (64 points) claimed the Kamehameha Regatta’s AA division title ahead of Leeward Kai (43 points), New Hope (40 points) and Waimanalo (14 points), while Healani (44 points) made its win in the A Division official by besting Waikiki Surf Club (33 points), Koa Kai (23 points), Hui Lanakila (13 points) and Kai Oni (12 points) for the A division title.

More than 3,000 competitors ranging in age from 12-and-under to 70-and-above represented OHCRA’s 18 member clubs in 46 races on Sunday, 44 of which counted for points, spanning a ¼ mile to 1½ mile. Winning crews earned seven points toward the team standings, while second-, third-, fourth-, fifth- and sixth-place finishers were awarded 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 points.

With the announcement that the Na Wahine O Ke Kai and Molokai Hoe world championships would again be canceled this year, the summer regatta season and accompanying championships are drawing additional interest from some paddlers who would normally focus on the long-distance racing campaign. The consistency and high performance of Lanikai’s women’s program has been showing up in the standings, much to the delight of Lanikai paddler and women’s coach Mike Lum.

“We have at least 40 women in our program, from elite long-distance paddlers representing teams that traditionally win Na Wahine O Ke Kai to top one-man canoe paddlers, so I have the numbers to play with when it comes to crew combinations,” Lum said. “We’re gauging how we stack up against some of the top female competition in OHCRA like Outrigger, and I’m happy where we are at this point.

“I want to build that base with the seasoned paddlers we have and bring in the next waves through the program. It’s all about finding that mesh and getting the best six in the canoe to compete for the club.”

Crews continue to earn cumulative points necessary to qualify for the Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association State Championship regatta scheduled for Aug. 6 at Keehi Lagoon. The top four crews from each OHCRA event earn automatic berths in the state competition based on points collected over six league regattas.

OHCRA returns to action on Sunday at Waimanalo Beach Park for the Waimanalo Regatta. Na ‘Ohana O Na Hui Wa‘a will hold its Lokahi Regatta on Saturday at Keehi Lagoon.