Again, only Sandy and I made this exceptionally beautiful paddle from Makua Beach to Ka’ena Point and back. This was about a 9 mile paddle as we paddled a little way around the point. The weather was stunningly good with very little to no wind and very clear and beautiful blue water. At one point we saw a turtle underwater. Wow! Sandy also spotted a pod of porpoises heading our way near the end. That was cool even though they only stayed up on the surface for a short time so we couldn’t dive them. This was a no carpool paddle, and no fish were caught. Still we hit the weather perfectly and we need to keep this paddle on our schedule. The route from the cars to the beach is now pretty steep and sketchy due to the concrete barriers that have been placed along the parking area. That has to be adjusted for by parking further way from the break in the wall and doing a two-person carry of our boats down to the beach.
Steve enjoy the beautiful water photo by Sandy Johnson
This was a fine paddle, but the group was disappointingly small. There were only 4 of us: Sandy, me, Stan Dalbec and my guest and prospective member, Daniel. This was only about a 5 mile paddle. This short paddle is a split-up of the much longer traditional paddle around Kalaeloa Point (Barber’s Point) which in the past has been just a little too long at something like 13+ miles. This abbreviation was at Sandy’s request and was much more comfortable for her and the rest of us. Hopefully it will be better attended in the future. The weather was close to perfect and although windy, the wind was not a factor since it was almost dead downwind the whole way. The wind actually helped in this case, and we took less than 2 hours to make this run. There was very little surf too this time although there was some. This should be considered when this paddle is next scheduled. Due to the Southern exposure of this coast, maybe it should be better done in the wintertime when South swells don’t run. Unfortunately, no fish were caught. The last time we did it on August 20th last year, I caught a 38 pound ulua. Woohoo!
A brief respite in a blustery month allowed seven paddlers to get on the water and exercise their well rested paddling muscles. Mild conditions made for an easy cruise past Kaka’ako, downtown and Sand Island. Boat traffic was minimal so no one played chicken with our motorized brethren.
Launching at Magic Island
Stan at Waterfront Park
Approaching Honolulu Harbor
First time on the ocean for Harry C.
New member, Harry Chiu, enjoyed his first ever ocean paddle. A Colorado native, Harry looks forward to seeing more of our beautiful island from the water on future paddles.
Sandy discovered some interesting hitchhikers in her footwell when she was about to rinse off her kayak. Not sure how they got there. They look like frogfish fry, but that’s just a guess.
The launching and landing clinic went well enough. The beach at Sherwood Forest in Waimanalo is a good venue for this practice since the entry is shallow enough without rocks to be safe and easy when your boat flips.
That day was a bit challenging with a slightly bigger shorebreak, but there were lulls, so it was all about timing. And that is the point of the exercise isn’t it, that and being comfortable out on your boat in the surf.
Almost all of our normal launching and landing sites for our regular paddles on Oahu are not that challenging in terms of surf conditions. But some of the outer island trips go to places where the break can be more difficult and where timing is most important.
Stan, Bill, and I gave the introduction. Stan did all the demos on and in the water, with Bill’s and Sandy’s assistance on the beach. Marva did well, both launching and landing, with the occasional huli. She had a lot of paddling experience before joining the club. Three couples joined the clinic from the Meetup group and came without boats. Stan was happy to allow them to try the exercise using his boat. Two of the guys were successful in launching and landing through the shorebreak. Only one of the women tried but was unsuccessful getting over the shorebreak. None had much paddling experience, which makes a big difference. Just being comfortable with the stability and behavior of the boat under normal paddling conditions, helps when faced with some rougher conditions.
Video by Sandy Johnson edited by Terry Shimabukuro
The annual Weed Out the Wimps paddle was sure to be canceled due to the high wind forecast until Terry saw that the Thursday before might work. I was anxious to mark this one on my map as I had not done it before. It came down to showing up that morning and making the decision to give it a go. The wind had shifted again and we were back to the original launch site at Makai Pier. Our leader, Steve, had doctor’s orders not to go in the water so he sadly helped with the carpool instead and Bill watched over our boats until we returned. It was an unofficial paddle since we had no paperwork with us.
By the time we launched, maybe close to 10 am, the whitecaps were showing, but it still didn’t feel that bad until we three intrepid paddlers (Eileen, Stan D. and I) got out past the Makai Pier. Stan’s radio was not working despite charging overnight so he communicated with his whistle and paddle signals. The wind increased as we continued and it was quite a challenge to get over to and out around the Makapu’u lighthouse. I seriously considered turning back when I felt like I wasn’t going forward and the swells increased. Was it worth it? Stan reminded me that once we got around the point the wind would be at our backs most of the way. Good ol’ encouraging Stan! He told me later he was 50% sure I was going to quit at that point!
Preparing to launch by Eileen
We made it past the hardest part and lived to tell the tale. Now I know why sailors swear a lot. The choppy waves and recoil off the cliffs kept us saturated and on high alert but we did not huli or stop to take photos! I saw one magnificent whale tail in between swells blocking my view. It became almost calm as the wind pushed us toward our destination. Stan had stayed near me but we didn’t catch up to Eileen until the end, despite her attempts to go slowly. The washing machine turbulence started up again as we approached Koko Head and persevered around that point, but not nearly as bad. We navigated the breaking waves into the calm close to shore to finish our paddle with a smile and the usual groans as we attempted to stand up. Eileen had made the unique choice of crossing the reef instead and was rewarded with some water time.
That day,the 22nd of February, would have been my dad’s 95th birthday if he had lived 60 more years. I bet he would’ve been proud of me, I know my mom is.
