Category: Paddles

A group of “off-road” RC car enthusiasts commandeered the Pōkaʻī Bay boat ramp forcing us to unload our kayaks in the main parking lot and haul them to the beach. Was this unexpected inconvenience a sign of things to come? Seven eager kayakers lined up their boats along the beach all ready to go except for one thing, their paddle leader. Steve neglected to tell us that he was going on a trip, so, no paperwork, making this an unofficial paddle.

Bill and Stan D. took Debi, Amy, Nadine and Monte to Mākua on the carpool so that they could scope out the landing site as this was their first time doing this route. An advisory level south swell had just ended, but the surf was still up so they also evaluated the surf there and deemed it fit for landing. The best laid plans…

July’s breezy trade winds continued, but we’d be paddling in the lee of the Waiʻanae Mountains so we’d have lighter winds. Prior to launch I warned that we have run into headwinds going into Mākua under similar forecast conditions and to be prepared for that possibility. A slight understatement…

As predicted, it was fairly easy paddling up to Makaha. It was calm enough for a curious honu to visit Amy and swim under her kayak while she was taking a water break. The calm before the storm…

I caught an aha (crocodile needlefish) outside of Keʻeau Beach Park and took awhile to dispatch it and put it in my fish bag. I was pretty far behind the group when I started paddling again. Stan and Nadine slowed down so that I could catch up. The three of us were at least half a mile behind the others. We were around the Makua Cave when Debi radioed that Bill had hulied and they didn’t know what to do to help. I was too far back to see what happened, but I picked up the pace to get to them. By the time I reached them Bill was standing onshore and he radioed that he was alright. The headwind was now blowing hard, kicking up white caps. We still had a mile to go to reach our Mākua landing spot. Stan sensed that the group was too tired to continue and suggested a small beach that we had just passed as an emergency take out. We agreed and headed over.

The small sandy beach was fronted by a shallow rock shelf and a few large protruding rocks. The waves were small and the tide was high enough that you could make it all the way onto the sand so I charged ahead. I landed without incident, dragged my kayak up the beach and returned to guide the others in. Thus began an impromptu crash and burn clinic. We had one big huli and a couple small ones, but everyone made it out with no serious injuries (couple of scrapes).

After making sure everyone was OK we took a breath and began to recount our misadventure. Stan immediately took off up the coast to find Bill. Nadine and Debi volunteered to make the mile plus hike to Mākua to retrieve a couple of cars. Amy, Monte and I began carrying our gear and kayaks up a small bluff to the highway. It took a long time and a great team effort, but we eventually got everyone loaded up and on the road home. Exhausted, we must have all been secretly glad that there was no club paddle the following week.

Kollin, if you’re reading this, your old kayaks picked up a few more scratches on the landing, but they were handled capably by Nadine and Amy and they will continue to go on many more club adventures with these ladies.

Half of the kayakers on this paddle had survived a “hairy” journey around Kahuku Point in Small Craft Advisory wind and swell the previous week. As we gathered at Waialeʻe we watched close to SCA level whipping up white caps just offshore. Leader Stan D., one of the Kahuku Point survivors, was more cautious than normal in his pre-launch briefing and had us all buddy up. But, unlike the previous week where more than half the paddle was either into a strong headwind or starboard-side wind we knew that we’d have a tailwind the entire run so we were confident that this would be a much more enjoyable paddle…and what a joy it was!

The four of us that brought sails for this journey were treated to perfect conditions for a Windbag warmup. I flew down the coast with my Wind Paddle pop-up sail. According to my tracker I hit a max speed of 8 mph with an average over 5 mph. My heart raced when I’d catch a trade swell and throw rooster tails off both sides of my hull. Most fun that I’ve ever had kayak sailing!

Stan loaned his Wind Paddle to Debi and she became an instant sailing enthusiast. Stan coached Debi and Sandy in the finer points of handling a pop-up sail as he paddled hard to keep up with them.

With no north swell we coasted easily onto the beach at Waimea Bay for a short lunch break. Daring youngsters entertained us with their rock diving. Their exuberant energy spurred Steve and Stan to take Debi spelunking into the caverns under the rock and at the end of the beach.

The wind had calmed down a bit after lunch, but it was still strong enough for us to continue sailing all the way back to Haleʻiwa. Smooth sailing, no drama, just FUN!

On some paddles, you go farther than others. Some paddles, maybe you don’t go far at all. It still counts for a few moments on the water. That’s my take, and I’m sticking to it.

I was excited about the Summer Solstice Meet and Greet on Saturday, June 20 at Haleʻiwa Beach Park. The Meet and Greets are always so much fun — an easy paddle followed by good conversation and fabulous food. I was especially excited because Haleʻiwa Beach Park is home base for me, paddling-wise. It’s where I launch trips up the Anahulu River, the only place I feel safe kayaking solo.

But this time, with the club, the paddle would be in the opposite direction, toward Laniakea! I’ve really, really, really wanted to go in this direction. A LOT! But I don’t venture onto the open ocean alone because I’m not experienced nor fit enough for possible trouble. And trouble is always brewing, even when it’s a beautiful, flat, sunshiny day on the North Shore.

On this day, the sun itself was the trouble. I’m sensitive to sun (I remember having something that sounds suspiciously like heat stroke as a kid), and waited to launch in the full afternoon rays for far too long. It was really hot!

By the time we rallied, I was beet red and beginning to feel shaky. I thought getting on the water would help, and once there, I dumped hats full of water over my head to cool down. But the shakiness remained and my stomach was queasy. Four miles started to sound like 400, and I knew the smart thing to do was to turn around, land back at the beach, and sit in the water for 20 minutes.

Always do the smart thing.

[Editor’s note: Chuck Ehrhorn always preached that you are responsible for your own safety on our paddles. In spite of Susan’s strong desired to paddle this route she made the responsible choice to abort soon after launch. We appreciate her akamai decision.]

So, you will have to hear the story of this event from those who went farther than the point (Puaʻena). Here are the tales they had to tell:

Terry Shimabukuro: “While I was a little disappointed with the turnout, I was pleased that the ones who showed up were energetic and enthusiastic. This is the third location that we’ve used for the solstice celebration and this was the best with lots of parking, an easy beach launch and a nice picnic spot close to restrooms and showers. Great paddle to Laniakea! I’d never paddled that stretch with negligible surf before, so it was nice to be able to stay close to shore and admire the shoreline and beach homes along the way. No honu at Laniakea though. We saw more at Haleʻiwa. A thick bank of clouds on the horizon put a damper on sunset, but we still enjoyed a pretty orange sky.”

Yeah. I missed out…

Sandy Johnson: “It was a beautiful afternoon on the water. Too hot on the beach, but once we got out there, the pleasant breeze helped cool us off, and gave us a little resistance to work against. That meant a tailwind on the return leg, and what could be better than that?

Our goal was to observe honu(s) at Laniakea, aka Turtle Beach and turn around, but alas, they may have been deterred by all the visitors on the beach and not one was seen there. Fortunately, we saw a few swimming as we paddled.

The return leg went quickly, urged on by our grumbling stomachs, and we enjoyed an abundance of tasty food and an unusual sunset that looked like fire in the sky.”

Nã honu obviously didn’t get the message that we were coming!

Bill Murphy: “The gale force winds were horrendous. A Yeti named Bob swept past us downwind on a SUP. He was being chased by a giant octopus. And we saw a few turtles on the way to Laniakea. Everyone survived, and there was a great potluck when we arrived back at Haleʻiwa Beach Park.”

Facts or hallucination? You decide.

Katrena Kennedy: “Several attendees remained on shore and talked story, some enjoyed the Hawaiian public art installation on the pillars beyond the restrooms, others explored the wooded grounds north and found remnants of an estate, and some walked the beach viewing multiple turtles.”

I can confirm that the on-shore experience was a lovely time!

Claris Olson: “As a new(ish) member, I came to the solstice paddle and brought my husband Ramon and our friend Barry Pollack along for the adventure. We all learned a lot from kayaking pros Bill Murphy and Terry Shimbukuro, and we also enjoyed meeting new friends, watching the sunset and the fabulous food.  Thanks to Terry and all the Hui Waʻa team that organized such a fun event!”

I think that sums up the day perfectly. Fun always counts!

[Editorʻs note: The text and media for this story were copied from Debi Lyle’s Facebook post about this paddle.]

Paddle from Hauʻula to Mālaekahana. We got close ups of islets w pukas, walked around then paddled around Goat Island where we got to see a lingering albatross and unidentified sea birds (maybe Ruddy Turnstones.) Always appreciate Stan’s depth of nature knowledge, enriching every paddle Thanks for waiting for us Bill & Sandy! Steve is credited w catching this fish, I just kissed it! What a fun and beautiful day w Hui Waʻa Kayaking Club!

Another Small Craft Advisory threatened to upset our Sunday plans once more, but paddle leader Eileen was determined to proceed with this event even if we had to leave our kayaks on our cars and walk to the Mai Tai Bar. Luckily, the SCA ended before the paddle so we unloaded and headed toward Leahi. As we enjoyed a lovely day on the water, Mark Ling, readied things for us at the Mai Tai Bar. Mahalo for hosting us Mark!

We encouraged people to use tandems for this paddle to reduced the beach parking needed at the Royal Hawaiian so I offered a seat to Nadine in my Malibu Two and she happily accepted. She used my backup Werner paddle and was amazed at how light it was compared to her normal paddle. The reduced weight turned her into the Tasmanian Devil and I had to repeatedly ask her to slow down as we left the rest of the pack in the dust in spite of a breezy headwind. She took advantage of the many breaks we took to take some great photos and video. She put together a great video recap that speaks better than words so I’ll let her visuals end this story.