The Kane'ohe Canoe Club, if anything, is predictable during the Na 'Ohana O Na Hui Wa'a regatta season.

The club gets off to a quick start behind its youth crews and, midway through, Kane'ohe pours it on with more youthful dominance.

It's a formula that has added up to Kane'ohe winning the first six Hui Wa'a regattas of the season, including yesterday's Koa Kai Regatta at Ke'ehi Lagoon.

Kane'ohe finished with 85 points to win the AAA Division for clubs with 25 or more crews. Manu O Ke Kai was second with 50 and Na Keiki O Ka Mo'i third with 43.

Kane'ohe's youth crews won nine of 13 events yesterday, including five of the regatta's first seven races.

"Like anything, you have to get a cushion right from the beginning. Our kids are picking it up and doing real well," said Kane'ohe coach Clint Anderson.

After a 12-race stretch of adult races, Kane'ohe won four of the six remaining youth events. The final 13 events were for adults

. There were 39 total events.

Kane'ohe's dominance included a sweep of the six boys events (ages 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18). The club's other youth victories came in the girls 12 and 15, and mixed 12 events — all of which are undefeated this season.

"I feel really good because we know the 12 girls are undefeated and we hope to stay undefeated," said Ashley Adams, a student at King Intermediate.

The Waikiki Beach Boys pulled off a huge surprise by winning the prestigious 1 1/2-mile men's senior race. It was their first victory in at least seven years, according to club members.

The Waikiki Beach Boys men were disqualified in two regattas this season, but things fell into place yesterday and they won by less than a second.

They finished in 11:40.9, Koa Kai came in at 11:41.68 and Kane'ohe was third in 11:52.32.

Members of the winning crew were Franco Arango, John Groom, Raymon Orange, Robert Alderton, Tetsuyama Murayama and Patrick Switzer.

"I was just focusing on the blade in front of me, just full power, full glide, and that's all you can do," Orange said of the close finish. "You don't know where you are until the finish."

He added that Switzer, the steersman, did a good job on the three turns.

"I was lucky in that I was able to set all of them up real wide because we were in front of the crew to our right on each turn," Switzer said. "We were able to stick real close to the pin. On two turns we had boats coming in as we were coming out."

The Waikiki Beach Boys' victory in the women's senior race was no surprise — they are undefeated this season.

They got a late start in the 1 1/2-mile race, but still won by a comfortable margin.

"Today was kind of hectic because we were the last out on the line," said crew member Cheryl Orange, the wife of Raymon Orange. "I don't know what was happening, but they started the race before we were on the line."

She added the crew had a "boat-length-and-a-half" deficit at the start, but "by the quarter-mile mark we were a nose ahead."

The Waikiki Beach Boys won in 12:57.95. Lokahi was second in 13:45.51 and Na Keiki O Ka Mo'i third in 14:13.3.

Members of the winning crew were Dana Gorecki, Kelsa Teeters, Erin Offenhauser, Jennifer Polcer, Susan Brown and Orange.

The Waikiki Beach Boys won the AA Division (13 to 24 crews) with 48 points — 17 more than second-place Koa Kai. Kalihi Kai won the A Division (12 or fewer crews) with 21 points.

Kane'ohe has won the AAA Division by an average of 25 points over the first six regatta.

"Every week we come out trying our best," said Anderson, the coach. "We're not expecting to win, but if it falls our way we're really happy about it."

Cheryl Parrish, a member of Kane'ohe's winning mixed open 6 crew, is a director at the Marimed Foundation, an organization in Kane'ohe for at-risk males ages 13 to 18. Starting this year, Parrish has brought six to 10 boys from the Marimed Foundation and had them race for Kane'ohe Canoe Club.

"They welcomed us with open arms and open hearts," she said.

As for her kids being on a winning team, she said: "It's been really awesome for them for their self-esteem. It really is about teamwork."

Reach Kyle Sakamoto at ksakamoto@honoluluadvertiser.com.