All Contents of this Page Copyright(2016) of Randolph Kashino

Maui 2016
"A New Maui Adventure"





Joe McBride and Randy Kashino, first day on Maui at Ukumehame Beach Park


March 17 to 21, 2016
When I arrived the trade winds seemed light with only a trace of rain. Joe arrived about 20 minutes later on his jet. Joe and I arrived early and Cathy is due to join us next week. First day was at Ukumehame on some smallish but useable waves. The next couple of days were at Launiupoko. The last day was at Ka Opala up in Kahana.



Breakfast at the Pauwela Cannery





Launiupoko looking towards Lanai, just at Sunset



Breakfast at Pu'u Koa



Pu'u Koa Crew getting ready to surf at Ukumehame



Surfing action at Ka Opala Bay




March 23, 2016
No Trade winds this morning and the sea looked calm. Some high overcast cloud, but no rain as I sat on the balcony waking myself with a cup of coffee. We ended up going over to the other side of the island and met up with Angela at Makena Landing and went for a snorkel. It was a bit choppy at the surface and it rained hard while we were in the water. Good thing we were wet already. As usually, lots of things to see undewater. I'm always drawn to taking a photo of a red pencil sea urchin and a moorish idol is always spectacular. Also, saw a couple of turtles and a when I dove down to 10 feet or more, I could here the Humpback whales singing. After the snorkel, it was still raining so we packed up and drove to the Cove in Kihei and had lunch. We contemplated surfing but the wind chop made it a bit unappetizing. When we got back to Pu'u Koa,



Angela silouhetted in the Makena Landing Waters.



Raining hard above the water at Makena Landing



Red Pencil Urchins on the Coral





The always impressive Moorish Idol





The Makena Snorkelling Crew: Randy,Joe and Angela



March 24, 2016
No Trade winds again this morning and we were very late in getting up. Made a Hawaiian breakfast of pan fried Teriaki spam and rice with onion and a couple of fried eggs to top it off. My version of a Moko Loco. I worked on my paddle project, gluing the blade section together. We then head over to Ukumehame, where waves were pretty small, so we headed up to Launiupoko. Parking was easy today. We got the boards off the car and then went out. It was a bit windy and choppy and a small south swell made it challenging. I started out on the right break and eventually ended up on the far left break because the wind chop was less there. I did a couple of sessions then relaxed as Joe surfed until he was tired and the sun was close to setting. A couple of Humpback whales passed by offshore as I was relaxing on the beach. For dinner I pan fried some Ono fish which we had with some rice and a salad.



Humback whales off Launiupoko





March 25, 2016
No Trade winds again this morning and it was very Hazy and the sky had an overcast look to it. After an early cup of tea, I did some work on my wood paddle project, cutting out the outline shape. Then made a breakfast of bacon and eggs with pan fried potatoes and tomato topped with fresh basil. Did some some more work nn the paddle. The clouds were thickening and we could hear thunder coming from Haleakala way. Flash flood warnings came up on our cellphones and a very heavy tropical downpour was happening. We hung around until the afternoon then went into Kahului to do some shopping.





Heavy Tropical Downpour



cutting my paddle outline shape




March 26, 2016
Beautiful sunny morning with a nice clear sky. Did some more work on paddle. Breakfast with rice,onion, spam with bacon and eggs. Headed over to Ukumehame and surfed until sunset. On the way back home we stopped in Paia and had dinner at Cafe Mambo.



Sunset at Ukumehame




March 27, 2016
Clear sky and sunny this morning. Bacon and eggs with potatoes and tomatoes. Did some more work on the paddle. After noon we headed up to Pukalani and did some hunting for Jackson Chameleons. Found one female and one juvenile. Angela and her son Ryan and friend joined us in the hunt. We headed back to Puukoa and had some lunch and then headed in Kahului where Joe met up with a seller of a guitar. He bought a nice guitar. Checked out Kanaha, but wasn't looking inspiring for surfing so after a bit of hardware shopping we headed back to Puukoa.



Chameleon hunters



Captured Chameleon roaming on new habitat




March 28, 2016
Clear sky and sunny this morning. Bacon and eggs with potatoes and tomatoes. After breakfast, Joe worked on an enclosure for the Jackson Chameleons. I worked on the handle for my paddle, shaping some pieces of Koa wood. This took us well into the afternoon. Winds were now quite strong from the west at Puukoa. We did a drive and at Hookipa waves were quite small and there were a dozen windsurfers out sailing port tack off the beach. We headed along and took a look at Secrets cove and we could see one windsurfer off Sprecks. We then headed into Kahului and then to Kihei, searching the Pet shops for meal worms to feed the Chameleons. At Mai Poina park there was a group of windsurfers and some kiters further down at Maui Sunset. Well...we had neglected to load the windsurfing boards in the car, so we headed to the Cove and it was definitely too windy to think about paddle surfing. We headed back to Puukoa after a bit of food shopping. I panfried some fresh Marlin steaks for dinner. sprinkle with lime and salt and into a hot pan with butter and 3 minutes each side. Serve with rice and brocoli and some Kim Chee. Nothing like fresh fish from the tropics...



Bacon and Eggs with Potatoes and Tomatoes




Attaching Koa handle pieces to my paddle project



Too windy for surfing at the Cove Park




March 29, 2016
Another clear sky and sunny this morning, but it was still windy from the north west and the deck was wet from some early morning Mauka showers. Spotted a bright red male Cardinal out in the yard who was singing up a storm. Winds were still Kona, which means offshore here on the north side. Made an omelet served with pan fried potatoes and fresh strawberries. I decided we should head to Waihe'e Beach Park which would be in the lee of the Kona wind. When we got there we were greeted by a serene coral reef lagoon scene. We got the paddle boards out and headed for a small surf session. Joe headed out to sea. I paddled on the inside and to the north a bit then out to catch some small breakers. Angela and Ryan showed up after a while and we came in then let them use our boards. Ryan was new to using a small stand up paddle board, but seemed to master it after awhile. Angela got into the groove of paddling my board and looked like she was having a great time. After paddling we had a relaxing lunch at the picnic table overlooking the Waihe'e lagoon. At the end of the afernoon we headed back to Puukoa and relaxed for a bit. Joe barbequed up some steak for dinner.



Stand Up Paddling in peaceful Waihe'e Lagoon



Angela getting some SUP time in Waihe'e on RK's board



Meanwhile Ryan was trying Joe's board



Then a little picnic time to finish things up






March 30, 2016
Another clear sky and sunny this morning, but it was still windy from the north west and the deck was wet from some early morning Mauka showers. Spotted a bright red male Cardinal out in the yard who was singing up a storm. I was up early and made a quick breakfast of an egg on a bagel served with strawberries and pineapple. We packed up and were out the door by 8:30. That's a record early start for us. As we drove past Hookipa the billows of waves were huge, probably in the 20 foot range. No one out, because it looked pretty impossible to get out! We headed over to Kihei Cove Park where the waves were a much nicer 2 to 3 feet. However, the whole world was there and it looked like full on surfing instruction classes off Kalama Park. Joe and I started surfing on the cove wave, and I found it a bit difficult to catch these smaller waves. After awhile I got more of a hang of it and then went over to the left side at the coves rocky entrance point. I went outside and waited for a bigger wave and got a nice ride right into the cove. That was probably the best wave of the day for me. After an hour and a half we came in for a break. We then met up with Angela who had been surfing on a long board off Kalama. We joined her and Ryan and went out off the steps. Joe, Ryan and I went out to surf just inside the coral bombie reef furthest out. Caught some nice hip high waves. Lots of turtles around on the inside reef area. Then Joe spotted a shark which then swam past Ryan which then swam over to my board and right under it. I reckoned it was a 6 foot reef shark, nice dark almost black skin colour. It finally saw me, as a poked my paddle down in the water, and then turned around and swam off. Joe thinks it was 8 feet, but that could just be due to the magnification factor of looking through water. Anyway, it was a big fish! We surfed some more and cautioned some of the surf instructors about the shark siting not far from them. After awhile we came in for a break. I went to the car and got the chairs and the cooler and had a nice cold beer and a bit of lunch. After this I went out for another surfing session with Joe and Angela and caught a few smallish waves on the break to the right of the steps. Then it was time for Ryan to have his last surfing session on Maui, for this trip. We said Aloha to Angela and Ryan and then we packed up and headed back to Puukoa. I started the makings for bread and then cooked up a dinner of Marlin steaks with rice and greens which we served with some white wine. The bread then went in the oven while we watched a NOVA episode on the PBS channel. The program progressed into a TED episode, at which time I was drifting off, tired from the days activities.



Surfing with the rest of the World at Kalama Park





Relaxing between surfing sessions at Kalama Park




March 31, 2016
I woke up late this morning and there was a hint of trade wind clouds overhead. The temperature was pleasantly warm as I sat on the balcony listening to that red cardinal chirping away. Took some photographs of a spider that had made a fresh web. For breakfast, I made us some bacon and eggs with Potatoes and Tomatoe topped with fresh basil served with toast made from the freshly made bread. Served that with some Kona Coffee. Breakfast on the west balcony as we contemplated yesterdays activities. After breakfast we rearranged the sleeping arrangements in preparation for Cathy's arrival. We got on the road just after lunch and headed to the south shore. Waves were still biggish as we drove past Ho'okipa. At Ukumehame it looked a bit windy, so we headed up to Launiupoko. Wow!, no Easter weekend crowds and there were some nice 3 to 4 footers coming in. We quickly got our boards off the car and were on the water in record time. My first session was for about an hour on the right break and ended it with a nice wave from middles to the left beach. I took a half hour break then headed out just as Joe came in from his first session. I was getting into the groove of these waves and was able to pick off the bigger ones on the outside. My wave of the day was a nice 5 footer which stood up enough that I could get a nice ride along the top lip and got a couple of nice bottom turns before it broke completely. I came in after another hour and during my break I was entertained by a wedding gown photo shoot in action. I then went out for my last session. It was 5:30 and getting late as the sun got closer to the peak of the island of Lanai to the west. I surfed on a couple of nice waves, for about a half hour before I decided I was dead tired and came in. Joe stayed out until the sun pretty much set. We sat on the beach and had our lunch wrap and a beer and finally packed up as it was getting darker and darker. On the way home we made a quick drive up to Lahaina way to get some cheap gas, then headed back to Kahului and did some shopping which passed the time until Cathy arrived. We picked up Cathy at about 10 PM and then drove back to Pu'u Koa. We decompressed from the days activities. I played my Uke for a bit and then Joe started on his Guitar. A little after 11pm, I noticed a little tremor, and then checked the siesmograph on the USGS page. Didn't see anything, but next morning checked it and saw there had been significant event to the north of the Big Island at that time and I wasn't the only one who had felt it.



Bacon and Eggs with Potatoes and Tomatoe topped with fresh basil served with toast made from the freshly made bread




Surfing and SUP'ing at Launiupoko





Surfing and SUP'ing at Launiupoko



Big Island Tremor felt on Maui on Cathy's arrival... a welcome, E Komo Mai !, from Madame Pele




April 1, 2016
Mostly clear sky this morning then a hint of Trade wind clouds and some Vog in the air. I did some updating of the blog and then made a breakfast for Joe and Cathy and I. Eggs and bacon with Basil topped Tomatoe with pan fried potatoes served with Kona Coffee and fresh Puukoa bread. Joe then spent most of the day rebuilding the Chameleon enclosure while I worked on shaping my paddle project handle. Late in the afternoon we headed to Ukumehame. Waves were pretty nice and we basically surfed until it was dark. On the way home we decided to get dinner at Pinatas. Back at Puukoa we watch some of the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival competition on TV. I was dead tired and drifted off fairly quickly.



Breakfast for 3 at Puukoa



Working on the Chameleon enclosure



RK Surfing late afternoon session at Ukumehame



Joe Surfing late afternoon session at Ukumehame



Ukumehame sunset



April 2, 2016
Another nice looking day. For breakfast I made a Hawaiian breakfast of some Eggs with pan fried sweet Okinawa potatoes, tomatoe and some pan fried Spam. We got on the road fairly early and headed to Ukumehame. Waves were still coming in at 2 to 3 feet. I got one rogue wave that was over head and had a screaming ride down the face. My GPS watch said I got up to 58 kilometers/hour! Not sure if I beleive that, but that's the data. We had three good surfing sessions and were fairly tired when we got in which was near sunset. We headed home with still some light. JOe barbequed a steak for us which was served with rice and brocolli and a nice Malbec wine. After dinner we watched the final Merrie Monarch Hula presentations and then the trophy presentations which took us to midnight.



Paddling in after an Ukumehame surf session



Joe seranading the chameleons




April 3, 2016...Hau'oli la hanau RK
Some light Mauka showers this morning and the cane and palm leaves were showing trade winds blowing when I woke up. I worked on my paddle for a bit until Joe and Cathy woke up. For breakfast I made the now traditional Eggs and Bacon with Pan Fried potatoes served with a basil topped tomatoe. We headed out the door at about one o'clock. Windsurfers were hard at work off Ho'okipa as we drove by. We soon got to Kanaha and it was looking good so I rigged my 5.0 Goya and Joe rigged 4.5 Ezzy. I headed out and it was a bit gusty on the inside but I got to a full plane just before the weird wave. Waves were pretty small, I got a a nice sail then jibed and saw Joe on the way out. He Jibed just before I reached him as I sailed in just outside weird wave my boom broke on my windward side. Joe got to me as I was assessing the damage. I gave him the left over of my port side boom to take in. The starboard side of the boom was still intact and attached to the sail. I tested to see if I could sail clew first, but the wind was too gusty, so I decided to re-rig the boom to port side. That actually only took about 3 minutes to do. Fortunately I wasn't in weird wave or the surf zone. Once done I easily water started and begain sailing to the beach. During my time in the water I had drifted down to lowers. And as I sailed in I got a bit of a wave ride and then sailed to the beach by Life Guard tower. Once on the beach I started carry my gear up the beach and Joe showed up to give me a hand. Back at the car I was able to determine that the boom separated because of corroded stainless steel bolts in the boom front end clamps. Joe head back out sailing and I derigged my windsurf gear then rigged a chair and a beer and hung out with Doug, Heidi, Mike, Debbie and some of the other Kanaha Regulars. After Joe came in and derigged we headed to the Hi-Tech shop where John sold me a new boom end and then a trip to Lowes and then Home Depot where I got some replacement stainless steel bolts for the front end. It turns out they were a very odd size bolt 10-32 by 1 inch long, so it was a bit of a search. After this it was off to Paia for my birthday dinner at Cafe Mambo. I had the slowed cooked Kalua Pork, Cathy the Seafood soup and Joe his tradition Shrimp dinner. For an appetizer, we got some Maui Onion Rings and I had a Big Swell IPA beer. Back at Puukoa Joe got out his guitar and I got out my Ukulele. We tried some renditions of "Heard it through the Grapevine", but finally settled with a much easier (for me) "What do you do with a Drunken Sailor". Then we turned on TV and watched the movie musical "Mama Mia". That took us to midnight, at which time I immediately crashed.



Time for some windsurfing at Kanaha



A broken boom cuts my windsurfing time short



My Birthday dinner at Cafe Mambo


April 4, 2016
No wind today. So we did a drive to the south side to look for surf and ended up at the Kihei Cove surfing some small ones. Cathy had a lot of fun after getting the hang of catching and riding waves. For dinner I cooked up some Mahi mahi for dinner served with a nice green salad that Joe made and served with white wine.



Joe and Cathy having fun at the Cove






April 5, 2016
Woke up late this morning and the sky was a bit cloudy and an northerly wind. For breakfast I made my Loco Moco eggs with pan fried rice with onions served with a slice of SPAM. When we headed out it was almost flat at Ho'okipa, we drove onward to Kahului to do a bit of shopping then headed to Kihei, Mai Poina park where the rest of the windsurfing fraternity was hanging out in anticipation of some wind. It looked like the sail manufacturers were taking the opportunity to do some photo shoots of Racing gear. We rigged a chair. I did some carving on my paddle project, Joe went to socialize with some of the other windsurfers and Cathy went for a walk down the beach. More new racing gear showed up and also a helicopter was out there with some photographers on board. Late in the afternoon we decided to head up to Pukalani to do some searching for Chameleons. We found a couple more at the shopping center. Before heading home we did some shopping. Back at Puukoa I made up a Chicken stir fry served with rice and some red wine. We watched Jurrasic Park Lost World on TV before crashing for the night.



RK's Loco Moco Breakfast




Photo shoot day at Kihei



Cathy went for a walk down the beach




April 6, 2016
Very rainy and blustery wind outside this morning when I woke up. For breakfast I made some bacon and eggs with pan fried okinawa and red potatoe with a little red onion, served with basil stuffed tomato and a bagel and coffee. It was cool windy and rainy and we did things inside today. I worked on getting my Maui blog up to date. Joe was playing his guitar and went through most of the Beatles songs. Cathy worked translating old letters from the 1800's. For dinner I made up a Pancetta and Basil tomatoe sauce for spaghetti. After dinner we watched a NOVA special on Vikings. All in all a quiet and peaceful day.



Joe played his guitar today


April 7, 2016
I was wakened by the smell of coffee that Joe had started making. Outside it was still raining hard. I got a cup of coffee and worked on the photographs for the blog a bit before starting to make breakfast. I made a cheese omelette with bacon and pan fried potatoe and tomato. Then we geared up to go windsurfing. It was still quite overcast so we were not all that optimistic. Waves were a fair size but narly at Hookipa and we could see 2 or 3 windsurfers slogging out when we drove past. When we got to Kanaha, there were already a lot of windsurfers out and it looked windy, but very gusty up and down. We eventually decided to rig. I rigged a 5.0 and Joe his 4.5. Joe headed out first and I followed after tuning up the sail the best I could. I headed out and on the inside and it was definitely gusty. I finally got planing and blasted out through the channel below weird wave. It was very windy at the reef but died off as I cruised out further. I jibed and started into the lowers break. The wind was light and it was difficult to keep on a plane. As I approached the break I got onto an nice face and surf sailed windward along the 5 foot breaking face. That was cool. Still I ended up far downwind and in very light conditions so I sailed to the beach and carried my gear back up to the original launch spot. I tuned my sail a bit more to see if I could get more out of it. My second sail out wasn't much better than the first. Sailing out was fine, but sailing back in was generally a slog. I ended up at the lowers launch beach and then carried my gear back up to our launch. More sail tuning, but the wind seemed to be getting even more flukey. My next run out was pretty much under powered, but did get on a plane on the way out. I slogged back into the lowers launch and then carried my gear back up and washed it off. The sky was getting more over cast and it was beginning to drizzle on us. Joe stayed out for a bit more and I rigged a beer and derigged my gear. On the way home we picked up some Ahi Poke and some Ahi tuna to cook for dinner. I panfried it in Panko batter in a hot pan, 2 minutes each side so it was still rare in the middle. Wow! I'd forgotten how good really freash Ahi tastes. This was a real treat! After dinner we watched TV and I baked up some fresh bread before crashing for the night...



Getting ready to go Windsurfing



Randy and Joe heading out at Kanaha



Joe heading in from Weird Wave



RK riding in at Lowers Surf Break


April 8, 2016
It was another day of Windsurfing at Kanaha. I generally slogged around in light winds. At the end of the day Joe gave Cathy a waterstart lesson.





Joe giving Cathy a Waterstart lesson





April 9, 2016
This morning a check of the weather and it looked too blustery and wet for windsurfing at Kanaha so we went Surfing at Ukumehame. Cathy tried out her new stand up paddle that Joe got for her. Nice sunset at the beach. It was a late drive back to Puukoa so we decided to have dinner at Pinatas in Kahului



Tomatoe and Cheese Omelette at Puukoa



Cathy with her New Paddle at Ukumehame



RK surfing an nice Ukumehame wave



Nice sunset at Ukumehame








April 10, 2016
This morning the weather again looked like it was going to be to miserable to windsurf at Kanaha. We Drove up to North Kaanapali Beach and took a walk down to the beach. We then drove back to go Surfing Launiupoko. Back at Puukoa, Joe made a nice stir fry and we had dinner on the balcony.



View of Black Rock from North Kaanapali Beach



Then RK catching a nice wave at Launiupoko



Then Joe catching a nice wave at Launiupoko



Then another nice sunset at Launiupoko





April 11, 2016
Bacon and Eggs with potatoe and tomatoe. Went to Kanaha, raining and gusty. Went Surfing Launiupoko. I made a pasta dinner which we had on the balcony.



Breakfast on the Balcony



Another pet for the Puukoa menagery



Catching another Launiupoko wave



Joe looking at the next wave



Sunset over the island of Lanai





April 12, 2016...Hau'oli la hanau Joe
I woke up before sunrise this morning and did a little work on the computer. As the sun rose there were trade wind showers. It is Joes birthday today. For breakfast I made a special version of Bacon and Eggs with Okinawa sweet potato and Maui Onion. As we drove towards Hookipa we could see that there was a big swell coming in. We stopped in at Hookiapa and watched the pros windsurfers doing a helicopter photo shoot. Light wind and 15 to 25 foot faces on the waves. Spectacular! After this we Went to Kanaha and I rigged my 5.0 and Joe his 4.5 because it looked windy when we started rigging. However, when we got on the water the wind had backed off quite a bit and we ended up slogging most of the time. After sailing we derigged and then headed to Paia and had Joe's birthday dinner at Cafe Mambo...



Helicopter photoshoot at Ho'okipa today in big waves



How Big were the Waves? The windsurfing mast is about 4 metres tall (13 to 14 feet)



And some waves were bigger than others!


The Pro's made it look easy








The Pro's made it look easy





That is not to say, there wasn't any equipment carnage. Good thing they're sponsored!








Meanwhile Joe and Randy went windsurfing at Kanaha with the rest of the regular humans





April 13, 2016
Cloudy with trade wind showers this morning when I woke up. I got the urge to play my ukulele for a few minutes and then made some coffee. For breakfast eggs and bacon, I mixed up the Okinawa sweet potato pan fry left overs with some red potato. After breakfast I worked on sanding my paddle project, and then worked on a design. It was windy and the rain had cleared away when we left Puukoa. We headed to Kanaha. At the beach it was very windy. Still I rigged my 5.0 and Joe his 4.5. We screamed off the beach and sailed overpowered for the first couple of sessions, then I rigged down to my 4.2 Eclipse and Joe to his 4.2 Ezzy. That was a bit better,but still powered up conditions. Cathy took photos and videos of us and also of top New Zealand racer Lawrence Carey. I did a few reaches and then headed to the beach, tired from the days sailing. We relaxed and had a late lunch as we derigged. After derigging we went shopping and then headed back to Puukoa. For dinner we made pan grilled Pork Chops served with Brocolli/red pepper vegetables and rice. After dinner we relaxed and watched an episode of River Monsters on TV, which featured hand fishing (aka Noodling) for Catfish in Oklahoma. Afterwards I soon crashed for the night...



Joe and RK racing in on a big wind day at Kanaha
Afterwards I soon crashed for the night...


Team mate and New Zealand champion Lawrence Carey (right) race training at Kanaha






April 14, 2016
Much clearer sky and some signs of trade wind showers earlier, when I woke up. I did some work on the computer and then played the Ukulele for a bit. I made a bacon and eggs Loco Moco for breakfast which we ate on the balcony. The weather was holding out and the trade winds seemed steadier as we drove to Kanaha Beach Park. When we got there a walk to the beach confirmed that it was looking real nice. I rigged my 5.0 Goya Eclipse Sail and put it on my Quatro 95 board, while Joe rigged his 4.5 Ezzy and put it on his JP board. A first sail off the beach was in steady winds and I sailed way out past the reef and made a nice jibe. The rest of the day was like that. Perfect sailing conditions. On one reach out I got a nice jibe and ride on a head high wind swell. We sailed mostly the area above Wierd wave that we call Uppers. After a good day of sailing we took our time derigging the gear and relaxing on the grass of the park. Then drove back to Puukoa, where Joe made up a nice chicken stir fry for dinner. After dinner I didn't last very long, being tired from the excellent day of sailing...



Yet..Another great day of sailing at Kanaha





After sail, relaxing on the grass of the park







April 15, 2016
Another clear and sunny morning when I woke up. I was hungry and made a bacon and eggs breakfast with a healthy serving of pan fried red potatoe and onions and a basil tomato. After breakfast I worked on updating photos for this blog. I'm a few days behind because we've been busy generally having fun windsurfing. We left early and headed to Kanaha and the winds looked as steady as yesterday and there were some decent sized waves coming in. I rigged my usual 5.0 Eclipse and headed out for a nice long reach outside before jibing and sailing back to the beach for another jibe and so on. Perfect sailing weather for me. And it seemed like everyone else as well. Everybody who came in for a break had a big grin on their face. Got some nice wave rides at Lowers on my next couple of sessions. Back at Puukoa I rangled up a pasta dinner which we had out on the balcony.



Basil Tomato with Eggs and Bacon and potato panfries on the balcony



A little air time at Kanaha



RK and Joe on a wave at Lowers



Sunset on Kanaha Beach






April 16, 2016
Mauka showers this morning and the wind was very light. The sun broke out intermitent with the rain. I made some bacon and eggs with potato and basil tomato for breakfast. Then I updated the blog photos for the rest of the morning. Winds were still looking light so we decided we were going to drive over to Lahaina. We got just a few hundred metres and saw "Fish for Sale" sign and followed it up Pauwela road to a guys property. He had some small freshly caught Ahi Tuna, so we bought one and then headed back to Puukoa to clean it. Joe did the cleaning, we advised and watched. When we finally got to Launiupoko Beach park it was easy parking which is unusual for a Saturday. We unloaded the boards and the beach chairs and opened a beer and relaxed for a bit. It was a bit windy onshore so we weren't in a hurry to get out on the water. After some consideration we all paddled out. It was pretty choppy so it was on the knees a lot of time. The waves were not forming well but in the hour that I was out I was happy to catch 3 good waves. Back on the beach we relaxed and had a late lunch and contemplated the waves of Launiupoko and decided that today's were mostly wind swell. After awhile we packed up then drove up to Lahaina to get some gas which was the cheapest on the island ($2.95 per gallon), then we went to the Lahaina Cannery mall. Cathy bought us some Komodo Dragon Coffee at Starbucks then we went an explored the shell shop in the mall. Then it was some food shopping at Safeway before making the hour drive back to Puukoa. I cooked up some rice and suichoy vegetables, then prepared some of that Ahi Tuna. First a soak in Lime Juice for a half hour, then a powder of flour followed by a egg dip mixture (egg,soy,salt,pepper etc) then a roll in Panko batter. A medium hot frying pan with about 3mm of oil received the prepared Ahi which was cooked for about 1 to 2 minute on the 3 sides of the fish. Then served with a white wine and dined on the balcony with the Moon and Jupiter high above in the sky....



A fresh Ahi Tuna to prepare



Joe and Cathy cleaning the Ahi



Relaxing and preparing to surf at Launiupoko



Launiupoko view


April 17, 2016
Light Mauka showers this morning, but the sun was shining through and it seemed like the trade winds had become quiet. I made a cup of tea and sat on the balcony enjoying the view over towards the west Maui Mountains and Molokai island. For breakfast I made a Loco Moco which we ate out on the balcony in a pleasant sunny environment. I then worked on putting the first coat of epoxy resing on the paddle. We headed out the door and decided to do a scenic route up to Pukalani. We stopped and Joe and Cathy looked for more chameleons. Then it was back down the Haleakala Highway then over to Mai Poina park in Kihei. A couple of windsurfers were out and I pondered how gusty it was. We finally rigged. I rigged my normal 5.0 Eclipse and Joe decided to do the 4.0 Ezzy. When I left the beach it was gusty inshore and still gusty off shore but steadier. My 5.0 alternated between being overpowered and underpowered in the lulls. You have to pay attention sailing here and watching for those gusts and lulls so that you can make adjustments to direction of tack and sail and board pressure. After about a half hour of sailing these gusty conditions, I came in and relaxed on the beach with Cathy who had been taking videos of us out on the water. Joe continued sailing for about another half hour and got to blasting with another sailor who was out there. After sailing we headed back to Puukoa. For dinner I made up some Sushi with some of that Ahi we had got yesterday...



Joe and Bill racing each other



RK sailing across Ma'alea Bay off Mai Poina



Fresh Ahi Sushi for dinner



April 18, 2016
Very cloudy and lots of rain this morning when I woke up. The trade winds also seemed to have some strength in them and as I looked out towards the ocean I could see a lot of white caps. Worked on my paddle project a bit, then did some photo editing. Next was to make a nice bacon and egg with red potato breakfast for a rainy morning in Maui. We decided to head over to Kihei. When we got there the wind looked in the 15 knot range and very offshore. We found Dave sitting on the beach contemplating the current wind situation and chatted with him for awhile. I also did some fixes to the backup light on my car, because I needed to get the annual inspection on my car done. Well..the wind didn't come up so we decided to head back over to Wailuku and I got my car inspection done a Patao's. Then we went to Kanaha Beach Park where it was equally "not" windy. We rigged our beach chairs and breathed in a view of the ocean. A team of outrigger canoes raced by while we sat on the beach. We headed back to Puukoa and watched the sunset from our balcony. I made a Pork Chop dinner served with rice and sui choy served with a Shiraz wine... Watched a bit of TV and then crashed after what was an accidental day off.



Breathing in the view at Kanaha Beach



A peacefull Kanaha Beach



Sunset Sky from our balcony at Puukoa




April 19, 2016
Up very early this morning and there was only a hint of morning trade wind showers. I wanted to get to the Maui Motor Vehicle office in Kahului by 8am, in order to beat the crowd of line up for re-registering my car. Cathy and Joe wanted to come along anyway. So we were out the door by 7:15 and in at Kahului just before 8 am. We discovered the office at the Maui Mall was closed for some reason and that the nearest office was up in Pukalani. We drove up there and it turned out to be where we had been Chameleon hunting. I got in the line up at 8:20 and was finished by 9:30. In the meantime Joe and Cathy went chameleon hunting. We then needed breakfast and drove into Makawao to look for a breakfast restaurent which turned out to be the deli at Casanovas restaurant. Joe and I had the 3 eggs and bacon country breakfast. For some reason it was served with french fries...Interesting local variation on this. We were finished by 10 o'clock so we made a decision to drive to Launiupoko for a day of surfing. We all paddled out on our Stand up Paddle Boards and had a pretty good first session. It got a bit windy later and the JP rider team showed up for a SUP photoshoot. Our new Maui friend, Randy was also there along with one of Cathy's friends, Ramona who also lives on Vancouver Island. I surfed until about 5:30 and Joe surfed until near sunset. Cathy was pretty stoked about catching some nice rides on waves today. Back at Puukoa, I cooked up another Panko Panfried Ahi dinner, and dined out on the balcony with a near full moon in the sky...
Watched a bit of TV and then crashed after what was an accidental day off.


A Casanova's Country Breakfast..



In Makawao.



Cathy getting stoked on a wave at Launiupoko!



RK catching a wave at Launiupoko



Joe and RK waiting for the next Wave



Ahi Dinner!





April 20, 2016
Bursts of Trade wind showers this morning along with bursts of sunshine. By request I made a breakfast of bacon and eggs with basil tomato and pan fried rosmary red potatoes. Joe worked on a couple of tunes on his guitar. Then a look at some of yesterdays photos and videos before we headed out the door. It looked like the trades were blowing nicely, so we headed to Kanaha. The wind had a nice look to it, so I rigged my 5.0 Eclipse and Joe rigged his 4.5 Ezzy. We both sailed out beyond the reef into some nice wind swell. Lots of choppiness to the water and at first it was a bit gusty especially when going through the surf zone. Got a few good jumps and even the odd logo high swell showed up to ride on. Jibing on the outside wind swell was a pleasure today. Sailing was execellent and according to my GPS watch I was able to get my board up to 40.6 Kilometers per hour (25.23 mph or 22 knots), which actually feels much faster when your ripping across the water. Joe and I had 3 good sessions and our last was a little after 5. Then it was time to relax in the sun for a bit and let the sail and board dry out. After packing up we did a little food shopping then headed back to Puukoa. Joe made us a nice stir fry which we served with a shiraz wine. Out on the balcony there was the occassional shower and the full moon poked out of the clouds now and then along with Jupiter which was close by overhead. No TV, I just went to bed very tired from a day of great windsurfing.





RK and Joe blasting in at Kanaha



RK heading out through the waves at Lowers



RK gets some air time!



RK and Joe getting waves at Lowers



Joe blasting in past Weird Wave



Joe gets an awesome jump



Followed by RK







April 21, 2016
A light trade wind was blowing this morning with mostly blue sky, although earlier there had been some light showers. Made a bacon and eggs breakfast with rosemary pan fried red potato and basil tomato. We then drove to Kanaha. The wind was looking lighter than yesterday but I still rigged my 5.0 and Joe his 4.5. Robin and Judy from our home back in Victoria also showed up. I headed out and the wind was just strong enough to get me planing. At times I had to slog. I changed my fin to a big pointer fin on the third session and that made enough of a difference to keep the 5.0 rigged. We sailed until just after 5pm. Lots of big turtles out there today and it was fairly mellow sailing with the odd larger set of waves at Lowers. Back at Puukoa, I made a Mahi and Ahi Dinner served with rice and brocoli and a Malbec wine.



RK waves a Shaka on the way in





Mahi Mahi and Ahi Dinner






April 22, 2016 Aloha Friday
When I woke up there was very light showers, and the sun soon took over the scene. Joe and Cathy were leaving tonight and made them a last breakfast of bacon and eggs same as yesterday. Joe and Cathy set the chameleons and geckos free and dissassembled their enclosure. We then headed off to do some Stand Up Paddle surfing and ended up at Cathy's favourite beach, Launiupoko. We got the boards off the roof and paddled out. There was a light onshore breeze and waves were about 1 to 2 foot with a 13 to 16 second period. There was an occasional 3 footer which made for nice rides. We surfed until 4:30 and then packed up and headed back to Puukoa. Joe and Cathy packed up and I made a quick Ramen dinner. Then drove them to the airport. Aloha to Joe and Cathy...



Ready to take my Paddle Project for a surf at Launiupoko



Joe looks out at his next wave to catch



Joe catching that wave



RK cathes his wave of the day



And Cathy catches her wave of the day




April 23, 2016 Aloha Saturday
Light Mauka showers this morning and I could see a rainbow over Haiku. This is my last day on Maui for this trip. Made a Loco Moco SPAM and eggs breakfast then went to work packing things up. I got finished by 1:30 then headed out the door for one last surf. Drove up over to Ukumehame where John Sewel and Da Crew had already been out. I set up the Soloshot for some self videos. When I headed out there was an annoying offshore wind which made things challenging for catching waves. Had to crouch really low and stand forward to reduce windage otherwise I'd get blown back off the wave. I surfed until 4:30 then headed back to PuuKoa. Packed away all the boards and packed the suitcase then headed to the Airport. I checked in and on my way to the gate I ran into Francisco Goya and said hello. He was on his way back to San Diego. As the flight took off I could see through the darkness the street lights of Paia... Another great Maui adventure to remember...



Aloha Loco Moco Breakfast



My Last Maui wave





Parting Shot...Aloha to Maui..No Ka 'Oi








Aloha,
E kamau iho i ka hoe!
Ku Hoe Pa'a!
Randy






Aloha 'Oe

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**Translations
E kamau iho i ka hoe! : Keep on Paddling
Mele Kalikimaka: Merry Christmas
Hau'oli Makahiki Hou: Happy New Year
Ku Holoholo Pa'a: Keep Sailing Hard
Ku Hoe Pa'a: Stand, Paddle Hard
Ku Hoe He'e Nalu: Stand Up Paddle Surfing
Hau'oli la hanau: Happy birthday
Anuenue hulali o kakahiaka: Brilliant Rainbow of the morning