Pacific Paddler magazine - June 2012 - (Page 38)

'AKA' May 22, 1952 – March 31, 2012 My Brother A rugged man who looked fear in the eye and did not waiver. A waterman: steersman, surfer, adventurer who won eight state titles racing canoes. In 1968, Aka was the youngest paddler ever to win the Molokai race. Aka has paddled and sailed in a canoe by himself across the Kaiwi Channel. This was 30 years ago, before high-tech boats. He paddled with friends around the entire island of Oahu. He spent three years off and on living, sometimes alone in Wailau Valley, Molokai. He rode the largest wave ever in a canoe, an iconic photo (above). In 1971, with Tommy Holmes, Aka paddled a surfboard from Molokai to Oahu. Senator Fred Hemmings My brother Aka kept notes and diaries. Here are several excerpts: AKA HAD SENSE OF DUTY, HONOR, and TRADITION Aka’s notes on Hawaii, Aka’s observation, no date: position and ranking. By keeping traditions and knowledge in one’s family through ern day Hawaiian, claim this mana in the ancient sports of surfing and outrigger canoeing." Bold? Or Aka’s desire to preserve that which is special to these islands. Beloved MOLOKAI…..from his diary after paddling from Halawa to Wailau Valley “I sat in wonder at what awaits me, I looked in fear and saw with hope… "Throughout Hawaiian history, lineage or pedigrees determined one’s social time, a certain amount of power or mana accompanied these families. I, as a mod- A PLACE on Molokai for the first time: tacle before me. I was standing on the threshold of a huge green cathedral fashioned by nature into a magnificent vision. Greens of every shade and description me with an uneasy feeling. At first I felt that I did not belong there.” Wailau Valley. Dragging my board up to a safe spot on the beach, I stood in awe of the spec- Aka Hemmings, 59, spent his last years helping wounded warriors and other physically, mentally and emotionally challenged individuals. Hemmings was part of a team that won the 1968 Molokai Hoe. In 1980, Hemmings and Tommy Holmes joined fellow paddler Dale Hope for one of Hawaii’s most notorious paddling feats, riding a 22-foot Hawaiian surfing canoe down a 25-foot wave at the appropriately named Avalanche surf spot on the North Shore. While the ensuing wipeout left Hemmings and Holmes shaken and Hope nursing a broken arm, photos and video of the historic attempt still circulate among the surfing and paddling communities. feasted my eyes….but the great and ominous silence pervading over the valley left A portion of Aka's remains will be taken this week and placed in the soil of A PET His pet cat dies. Her name was Rico, he wrote: HERE IS A VISION FOR YOU when I get there. Mahalo, Aka.” “Rico Hemmings went to heaven. Dear Jesus, please place Rico in my room PADDLING A CANOE OR ALONE WITH YOUR THOUGHTS OR LAYING YOUR HEAD DOWN ON A PILLOW FOR YOUR NIGHT'S SLEEP. AKA WILL COME TO YOU….. ACROSS THE GRIM FRONTIER OF DEATH, YOU WILL SEE HIS FACE, YOU WILL KNOW HIS PEACE. HE WILL WARM YOUR SOUL. YOU SEE, OUR BROTHER IS NOT DEAD….. HE LIVES ON IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE HE LOVED… THAT IS YOU. SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT, YOU MAY BE 38 Pacific Paddler - June 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pacific Paddler magazine - June 2012

Pacific Paddler cover June 2012
Contents (video)
Kanaka Ikaika Racing Association - States (video)
Kauai World Challenge
Steinlager Kaiwi Channel Solo OC1
Steinlager Kaiwi Channel Relay (video)
The fourth annual OluKai Ho’olaule’a
Koa Kai Laulima (video)
Kala'iomalulani Race (video)
Maui Canoe and Kayak Club (MCKC)
Live paddling on iPhone
Honoring Aunty Mary Kaipo Malama Serrao
West Coast racing scene in Canada
HIPA is no more
Aloha Aka Hemmings (video)
Hawai’i Adaptive Paddling Association - new start
Quiksilver Waikiki Paddle Festival (video)
What is a 'staph' infection?

Pacific Paddler magazine - June 2012