Purpose
Heʻe Nalu O Marin Outrigger Canoe Club (Heʻe Nalu or HNOCC) seeks to support and perpetuate the sport of outrigger canoe racing and related activities.
As a proud member of the Northern California Outrigger Canoe Association (NCOCA), HNOCC hosts and participates in programs with other outrigger canoe clubs to encourage fitness and health for youth and adults. Beyond physical activities, we also use the outrigger canoe and its rich history and Hawaiian culture to promote teamwork and respect for the ocean, community, and family.
Mission
The mission of Heʻe Nalu Ohana is to encourage and exemplify the culture and lifestyle of outrigger canoe paddling with integrity and respect for the community, traditions, and evolution of the sport. Key tenets of our mission include the following:
- Demonstrate and perpetuate outrigger canoe culture and competitive paddling;
- Teach, train, and mentor children and adults to the ancient art, craft, and history of outrigger canoe paddling;
- Provide the means and facilities for activities which foster strong and healthy minds, bodies, and spirits among all people;
- Be ambassadors of outrigger canoe paddling and represent the true expression of Aloha to the friends and family of HNOCC and the community and visitors to Northern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Marin County.
Status
Heʻe Nalu Outrigger Canoe Club has over 100 members and is a non-sectarian, non-partisan organization with non-profit status under Section 501(c)(4) of the Federal Internal Revenue Code (Tax ID# 94-322-2076). HNOCC is one of approximately 20 member clubs of the NCOCA, an organization that sponsors outrigger canoe races. HNOCC has been a member of NCOCA since 1994, making our club synonymous with the spirit of aloha.
History
Heʻe Nalu was founded in 1994 by the charter members Les Scanlan, Stephanie Ashe, Hovey Lambert, Cuda Sandavol, Mark Murphy, Steve Murphy, and Philip R. Siaris. One day, harboring northeast winds, a motley crew of courageous men paddled a canoe out of Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco. Through numerous perils around islands, flats, and tanker ships, they prevailed to ride the ferry waves into Larkspur Landing. Hence the name Heʻe Nalu O Marin or “Wave Riders of Marin.”
In 2006, Heʻe Nalu expanded its membership with a paddling site in Petaluma, Sonoma County. Heʻe Nalu is a member of the Northern California Outrigger Canoe Association (NCOCA) and actively participates in all NCOCA events, cultural and competitive, as well as a number of events in Southern California and Hawai’i. Our club was privileged to be the Northern California Sprint Champion from 1997 through 2001, in 2006, and again in 2016-2017. Heʻe Nalu is also the proud host of the ‘Round the Rock Alcatraz Challenge race, coinciding with the Pacific Islanders’ Cultural Association’s annual Aloha Festival in San Francisco.
Core Values
HNOCC strives to create and embody the Spirit of Aloha during our paddling, training, and socializing activities. All Club members are required to agree to a basic code of conduct as outlined in the HNOCC Member Agreement that promises respect for others including fellow club members and coaches.
Aloha
Aloha means mutual regard and affection and extends warmth in caring with no obligation in return. It is the essence of relationships in which each person is important to every other person for collective existence. Aloha means to hear what is not said, to see what cannot be seen, and to know the unknowable.
It is this concept more than any other that distinguishes the Hawaiian culture. It also allows an outrigger canoe club and its members to grow and thrive. Heʻe Nalu embraces the Spirit of Aloha as a way to intertwine the cultural history and spirit of Outrigger Canoeing with the lives of today’s club members. We believe that by embracing, living, training with, and respecting the Spirit of Aloha, members of HNOCC and their families are guaranteed a welcoming and comfortable place to join, participate, workout and race.
Aloha Spirit
In the beginning A (pronounced “ahh”), the eternal light giver created Namaka O Kahai (the great power of the sea). In the beginning A (pronounced “ahh”), the eternal light giver, created Namaka O Kahai (the great power of the sea). But A saw the seas were alone, so he freed Pele. Pele created the lands and, even now, she constantly renews them. The people who found the islands of Hawai’i hailed it as a place of blessed “alo” or “aloha” meaning “in the presence of A”. Life in old Hawai’i was a spiritual experience. There was aloha everywhere; in the people, plants, animals, rocks, and reefs. Even in the canoes and paddles and the tools used to make them.