Kona Canoe Clubs Launch Fundraiser to Restore Kailua Regatta Course

Kai ʻOpua Canoe Club Inc., Kai ʻEhitu and Keauhou Canoe Club, working with the islandwide Moku O Hawaiʻi Outrigger Canoe Racing Association, announced a fundraising campaign to rebuild the Kailua Bay Regatta Course with a target cost of $85,000. Organizers said construction is set to begin in January and the course could be completed as early as March 2026, allowing regattas to return to Kailua Pier for the racing season.

The clubs launched a GoFundMe titled DonateKailuaBayRegattaCourse and reported an anonymous donor has already contributed $30,000. Clubs say donated materials and pro bono professional services have reduced the cash needed, leaving a remaining funding gap the campaign aims to close. Project proponents intend the course to host islandwide Moku races, Big Island Interscholastic Federation high school regattas and community events, supporting thousands of participants and spectators and providing West-side keiki competitive opportunities distinct from Hilo’s sheltered course.

Technical plans provided by the clubs call for lanes to be anchored with 3,000-pound concrete mooring blocks, steel sand anchor screws and a drilled pin into solid rock; installation will be performed by licensed divers. Those construction methods underline the engineering and safety considerations organizers say are necessary for open-coast racing in Kailua Bay.

Permitting activity for the project includes filings with the Board of Land and Natural Resources, the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation, the Division of Aquatic Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the latter in coordination with NOAA and the National Marine Fisheries Service. That multiagency review will determine conditions governing marine resources, endangered species considerations, navigational safety and public access during and after construction.

For Big Island County residents, the rebuilt course carries both cultural and economic implications. Restoring an active regatta site supports the preservation of outrigger canoeing as a living cultural practice, provides local youth with competitive venues closer to home and can draw spectators and events that benefit Kona businesses. At the same time, the project will require continued transparency on environmental safeguards, construction timing and community access plans as permitting and installation proceed.

Organizers say they will move forward on the schedule and funding goals announced in early January. Residents seeking to follow progress should look for permit records and project updates from the participating clubs and the listed state and federal agencies to verify compliance with environmental and public-safety requirements.