In the race for its sixth consecutive state championship, the Hawaiian Canoe Club already has a head start.

Hawaiian registered a regatta-high 33 crews for Saturday's Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association State Championship Regatta at Ke'ehi Lagoon.

The regatta will feature 37 total races, so Hawaiian will have a crew in all but four.

"We were going through a lot of changes this year, but I think we're more balanced than we were in the past," Hawaiian head coach Diane Ho said.

Hawaiian, which is based at Kahului Harbor, Maui, has won the past five state titles in convincing fashion. Last year, Hawaiian set a state regatta record when it won by a 78-point margin.

"Every year is different; every year there are new challenges," Ho said. "I fully expect it to be closer this year."

Hawaiian's youth crews are once again expected to be strong, although Ho said the open men have also become a strength for the club.

O'ahu champion Lanikai Canoe Club has the second-most entries with 30 crews.

Hui Nalu (28), Kailua (27) and Outrigger (25) are the only other clubs challenging for the AAA Division crown.

In the current scoring system, each crew in each race scores at least one point. The winner receives 15 points, second gets 13, third gets 12, fourth gets 11, and so on down the line to 1 point for the last-place crew.

"(Hawaiian) has a lead on everybody right now because of the numbers," Lanikai head coach Kalani Irvine said. "But that's the way the rules are, so that's how we start out."

Hawaiian qualified 29 crews for the state regatta based on regular-season results on Maui, but it got an additional four crews in as alternates yesterday. Lanikai got two crews in as alternates.

Lanikai is participating in the state regatta after sitting out last year's event on Maui. Lanikai's koa canoes were not approved for racing by HCRA officials last year. One of the canoes has since been refurbished to fit the HCRA regulations.

"We just have to worry about ourselves," Irvine said. "We'll try to paddle our best — shoot for individual state championships — and see how the points add up."

Big Island champion Puna and Na 'Ohana O Na Hui Wa'a champion Kane'ohe both opted to enter the AA Division for medium-sized clubs.

Kai 'Opua of the Big Island won the AA Division last year, and is in it again this year.

The A Division for small clubs will feature 43 teams, including last year's champion, Keauhou.

More than 3,000 paddlers representing 62 clubs are expected to participate in the day-long regatta. Age divisions range from 12-younger to 55-older.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.