All Contents of this Page Copyright(2018) of Randolph Kashino

Maui 2018
"A Return to Maui"





Back home in Victoria, B.C., Canada it had been another wet and cold winter.


March 24 to 26, 2018
March 24th. For me this last years had been filled with lots of journeys and events. A trip to Maui is my way of decompressing my body and my mind. Joe and Cathy to me to Victoria airport and the trip via Vancouver passed very quickly. I was at Pu'u Koa in Haiku by 10:30 and sipping a IPA beer and watching the moon in the sky through the coconut palm tree.
March 25th. I slept until late the next morning, then we unpacked things from storage. I made some tea and not having any thing to make for breakfast, I decided to get some exercise, and that I would do a walk up to the Pauwela Cannery. It was actually a very quick 27 minute walk, with the biggest hazard being the part of the walk along the Hana Highway to West Kuiaha Road.
Once there, I ordered breakfast at the "Baked On Maui" bakery restaurant. I also, bought a loaf their bread for home. I also checked out the new Pauwela grocery store and got a tomatoe, some bacon and eggs for tomorrow morning.
The walk back was equally as short, and once back at Puu Koa I began to settle in. A quick shower, and then dug out some of the stuff I had in storage. Cleaned up the snorkeling gear and started charging the batteries for all my photography gear. Got the Ukulele out and played on it for a while to tune it up. Interestingly the change in climate had changed the tuning a bit. After awhile I made some lunch and then got in the car and went for a drive. Stopped in at Hookipa, but didn't stay too long because it was packed with sunday go-ers and tourists. Drove on to Kahului and got some gas and then decided to get a plate lunch from the little food court on Dairy Road. I saved it for dinner later at Puukoa. Watched some TV and then played the Ukulele for a bit. Outside the moon was directly overhead. Kind of a slow day on Maui. Kind of like that.

Plate Lunch and a sipping on a beer

March 26th. Woke up not to late this Morning. Some light showers and thinking maybe trade winds, but when I checked the weathers it was Kona wind from the south. It was moving day. Moving from my unit 5 digs, over to our usual unit 2 on Mauka side. However, first thing was to make a good breakfast. Bacon and Eggs with panfried potatoes and a tomatoe. Then waiting for the cleaners to fix up the new room, I pulled out the Ukulele and practiced on that until they were ready. The move took awhile because I had actually pulled a lot of stuff out of storage. Once moved, I made a lunch from the leftover chicken karage plate. Next I worked on getting all my GoPro cameras charged up and ready to go. Also, got the drone out and charged it up. Started searching on what the regulations are here, and found that because it was over 250 grams, I needed to register with the U.S. FAA (Fedreal Aviation Authority). That actually wasn't hard, just cost $5. The regulations seem pretty simple. No flying within 5 miles of the Airport and not in State Parks. Couldn't find anything on the island site to see if there were any bylaws regarding County parks. I did see they were looking to buy a drone for the local police. Did a little low test flight a 15 feet up and around the yard just to make sure everything was working. Also, checked some work emails and cleaned up some files. Got a text from Joe saying his flight was going to a bit delayed. Late afternoon, it was still blowing Kona and was raining a bit so I decided to just relax. A beer was in order. Waiting for Joes flight to arrive I watched some TV. The second to last Star Wars was on, so I watched that then made some dinner and worked on this blog before heading out to the airport. Joes flight was about an hour late and Joe, in addition to his stuff, had also brought my stand up board. Thanks.


Walked up to the Pauwela Cannery for breakfast.



The walk along the Hana Highway was the biggest hazard.



Had a regular Hawaiian Karage Chicken Plate Lunch for dinner.



A homemade Puu Koa Breafast of bacon and eggss with panfried tomato and potato.



Aloha from the island of Maui




March 27, 2018
It seemed to be another calm morning and clear skies ovef Haiku. Quite unusual for Maui and a check on the weather shows another day of Kona wind from the south. Made some bacon and eggs for breakfast, then unpacked the boards and got them ready. Mostly relaxed today, but did an expedition to Kahului, shopping at Walmart, then a stop in at Hi=tech Surf and sport shop. Giampaolo was on shift, and he has become the expert on foil boarding. That is putting a set of wings on the bottom of your board to fly up above the water. He gave us a nice presentation of how the technology as now evolved. Foils for Windsurfers, foils for Kiteboards, and foils for Stand Up Surfing boards. Next we headed down to Kanaha Beach Park to check things out. Not much wind and really not much in the way of waves either. After meditating for a bit, we headed to Costco to load up on groceries, beer and wine. Then that being done, we headed back to Puu Koa. Highlight of the evening was watching Xtreme Sports TV which was showing waveriding at Jaws. This is what we needed to get us stoked for some surfing, however, I think we'll leave surfing Jaws to the Pros.


March 28, 2018
Yet another calm morning and weathers show very light Kona winds. Updated this blog and then made some breakfast. Joe did an inspection of the sail he had repaired late in the trip last year. Late morning we headed out and up to Launiupoko. The drive by Thousand Peaks looked promising. The parking was a bit crowded when we got to Launiopoko, but managed to score a good parking spot while were unloading the boards. Great first day of surfing with waves in the 2 to 4 foot face range. I managed to get a couple of really nice rides. My GPS watch said I had peaked a couple of times around 34 kilometers per hour (18 knots) riding a face. We surfed until 5:30 or so, then packed up and headed back to Puu Koa. Stopped for some shopping and got some Ahi and Tako Poke for appetizers and some beef, ginger and garlic for a stir fry. Ahi Poke and then Joe made the stir fry. After dinner we watched a soccer match between Manchester United and Sevilla. I maded through the first half but crashed early second half. Joe says Sevilla won...



Launiopoko Beach Park panorama


Puukoa Surfing Team 1, after first day




March 29, 2018
Calm and Sunny seems to be the norm for this trip so far. Checked the weathers and there was still some south swell. Tom Vandall came over for a visit just before I made breakfast. Discussed having a BBQ tonight up in Kula. Bacon and Eggs with Tomato and Potato for breakfast. We then packed lunch and beer and stuff for tonight and headed back up to Launiopoko. We parked on this time and surfed the outer right reef. I've since called it one turn wave because it is a short break on the outer reef, only long enough to get about one bottom turn. We then moved over to te center break off the breakwall for the pond. Waves in general a bit smaller and less number than yesterday, maybe in the 1 to 3 foot range. Stopped surfing at 4:30 and then packed up and headed back to the north side then up the Haleakala highway through Pukalani and then up to Kula. When we got to Kula it was torential downpour of rain. Tom and Alain were sitting in their van. We headed back down to Tavares Park at Pukalani, where there was no rain. Alain set up the barbeque by a picnic table. Tom had bought a new Mele Ukulele. Ukulele was beautifully made out of Koa wood and had a very nice sound. Tom had some fun testing it out. Alain barbequed some pineapple flavoured weiners which made for a nice hot dog. The sun was setting quickly,but clouds obscured the sunset. Later the near full moon was overhead and I could see Orion high in the southern sky.



Barbeque and Ukulele play at Pukalani


Almost full moon high in the sky




Aloha Friday, Easter Friday, March 30, 2018
Not a cloud in the sky or a breath of wind this morning when I woke up. Made a Mushroom Omelete with bacon and pan fried potatoes for breakfast. Tom showed up for a brief visit. Joe and I plan to a little be of work this today. We worked into the afternoon and then decided to go for a walk up to the Pauwela Cannery store to get some makings for dinner. For dinner I put together a mushroom/garlic white sauce and cooked some penne pasta and cut up some of the left over chicken we had. Chicken Penne Pasta with mushroom sauce served with steamed brocolli , and a glass of red wine for dinner. We watched "Captain America: winter soldier" for entertainment this evening. The forecast is still showing no trade winds so we'll be surfing for the next couple of days. All in all a good rest day. Happy Easter.


March 31, 2018
High overcast clouds this morning, but no rain or wind. Satellite images show a slow moving front off to the west over Kuai this morning. Not sure if it will reach us today, but it means Kona winds and cloudy weather. Joe put on the soccer game with Vancouver Whitecaps against Columbus. I cooked up some bacon and eggs with basil tomato and pan fried potatoes. The Whitecaps won. It was late when we decided to head into Kahului to do some shopping. I picked up some wood and glue for my paddle project at the hardware store. We then went to Costco for a hot dog lunch and did a bit of grocery shopping. After this we decided to check out Kanaha. It was looking not too bad and the crowds that I had seen on the video cam had subsided to a hand full. Joe was first to get out there. I followed soon after and surfed the right side of the reef for about an hour. Back at Puu Koa we made a dinner of leftovers. A salad and the rest of the chicken pasta, followed by a Danish pastry (which had just bought on a whim). Then watched the Women's surfing contest on tv, which was in Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia. Not a bad way to end March.



Surfing at the Kanaha lowers reef


April 1, 2018
High overcast clouds again this morning and they seem a bit thicker than yesterday. The weather this trip has been dominated by low pressure systems to the northwest of the island, which should normally be filled in with a trade wind producing high pressure system. The sun poked out for a bit which made for a pleasant morning coffee sit. Made an onion-yellow pepper-mushroom omelete for breakfast. Rich came over for a visit. He and Kathy had just sold Puu Koa to a new owner and were about to embark on a European travel adventure. Aloha to Kathy and Rich. We were restless and decided to check out a couple of beaches for paddling. First stop was Sugar Cove (Secrets). It was high tide and the break there didn't seem to be working. Saw some surfers and Sup Foil boarders out. We then drove over to Sprecks beach and once on the beach we realized it was annoyingly windy, therefore became quite uninspired. So we headed back to Puu Koa where Joe decided to do some work. I was still restless and decided I'd go for a short walk down to the community centre in Haiku. I got side tracked and decided to check out the cane road down to Puawela point. It turned out to be a 40 minute walk and a very rough and over grown road. I would have said it was unused, except I had to step off the road once because a four wheeler was making its way along the road from the point. The point itself is a cliff overlooking Kuiaha Bay. There is a trail down to the water, but it was getting late and wanted to get back before dark. My short walk turned to be an 1 hour and 18 minutes 5.22 kilometer Long adventure. Back at Puu Koa, I joined Joe doing some work. Joe made up dinner with left over stir fry, brocolli and rice. We then watched some more of the Bells Beach WSL surfing contest. Today was mens and first heat we watched had Mick Fanning. Pretty impressive surfing...




Sprecklesville Beach




View from Pauwela Point overlooking Kuiaha Bay


April 2, 2018
I woke up fairly late this morning. The Kona winds were blowing fairly strong and we still had an high overcast of clouds. Made breakfast and updated this blog. Joe was practicing Paul Simon songs on his guitar. When we finally got going we had decided to go over to Kihei side, because it looked like Kona winds might be windsurfable. When we got there, sure enough the winds looked about 20 knots. I rigged my 5.0 Goya and Joe his 4.5 Ezzy. My first run out was fairly powered, but my second was a bit light. Another run out and it sailing in a squall. There was smoke on the water as I sailed in with it raining hard. One final couple of reaches out in just sailable winds and I decided to stop. Lots of sailors out today, desparate for any kind of wind. With Alain showing up and Tom just getting off the water we decided to head to Charley's Restaurant in Paia for dinner. Phil McGain (Mr. Maui Sails) joined us. I had what was probably the biggest burger I'd ever eaten. After dinner we headed back to Puu Koa and watch more surfing on the tv. Hey, first day of windsurfing this trip was a success, even though it was on Kona winds in the rain.



Windsurfing on Kona Winds




Joe beside giant replica of Willie Nelson's guitar at Charley's Restaurant


April 3, 2018
Mostly blue sky this morning with tracers of overcast clouds. It had rained fairly heavy last night and some parts of the deck were still wet. Made scrambled eggs with bacon and pan fried potatoes for breakfast. After lunch we headed out the door and decided to go over to Ukumehame, because that seemed to be the least windy spot today with maybe some waves. When we arrived it was a light wind onshore, but we dicided to give it a try. Once out, it was a bit choppy which made for challenging standup paddle boarding. We caught a few small waves, nothing more than 2 feet. We finished about 4 o'clock and head to Kahului to do some shopping, then back to Puu Koa. For dinner I made another Pasta with white sauce and chicken and had it with some brocolli. Then it was time to go to airport and pick up Cathy who was joining us at Puu Koa. Aloha Cathy. E Komo Mai.



A quiet day at Ukumehame beach




A Traditional Puu Koa Breakfast


April 4, 2018
Mostly clear sky, with lots of Kona wind this morning. Occassionally there was a light sprinkle of rain. Cathy got up and baked some birthday brownies for me. I cooked bacon and eggs, with tomato and pan fried potatoes. Our regular Puu Koa breakfast. We had it out on the deck. Kona winds were gusting. A rainbow was seen over toward Paia way. We headed over to Mai Poina park in Kihei. Lots of windsurfers out, so parking was at a premium. We had pull the gear out and carry it over to the grassy area to rig. I rigged my 5.5 Sailworks and Joe rigged his 5.0 Ezzy. Heading out I was able to get on a plane easily, but there seemed to be a northery current heading up toward Maalea Bay so keeping up wind was a bit of a challenge. Kona wind sailing so wind was from he south. No real waves except for a little bump on the reef. Lots of reaches today and my gps watch says that I sailed over 20 kilometers. Cathy was onshore and taking lots of photographs of the action. One very talented sailor was doing loops and other tricks. On shore we caught up with sailing freinds that we haven't seen since last year. It was still windy when we packed up. On the way back we stopped in Paia and had my birthday dinner at Cafe Mambo. I had their Crispy Duck burger, Joe had the Island shrimp dish and Cathy had the Seafood Soup.



Randy K and Joe windsurfing in Maalaea Bay



Randy, Cathy and Joe after my Birthday dinner at Cafe Mambo


April 5, 2018
Mostly clear sky again and the Kona winds still seemed fairly strong in Haiku. Over in Kihei it was just annoyingly windy, not strong enough for high wind windsurfing. Hi worked on the paddle making while Joe and Cathy slept most of the morning away. I made our traditional Eggs and Bacon and potato and tomato breakfast which we enjoyed out on the east porch. Joe then did some repairs to his JL board. I did a bit of work then sorted through some photographs. In the afternoon we went on a shopping expedition to Walmart, Lowes, Target and the local Fish Market where we bought some Mahi Mahi for dinner, then went to Tamuras and got some Sesame Tako Poke for appetizer. Back at Puu Koa the Mahi was marinated in some lime juice with Alea Salt then pan fried in garlic butter and served with rice and brocolli...and some white wine. We watched the Merrie Monarch Hula competition Festival on TV at the same time. Pete showed up near 11pm and we had some toasts to his arrival. Aloha Peter. E Komo Mai.



Joe working on his board bag, while RK works on marinating the Mahi Mahi for dinner.


April 6, 2018
Cloudy and raining this morning, which is a sign the trade winds might be returning today. No wind yet, but quite wet. When everyone got up I started the breafast. Bacon and panfried potatoes and tomatoes, then an 8 egg omelete with red pepper and red onion. There was rumours of wind over in Kihei so we headed that way. It was blowing opposite to the other day, because the northerly trade winds had reversed everything. At Mai Poina it was looking light so we headed down to Maui Sunset Waipuilani Park. Dave W. was already out having a good sail on his Open Ocean board with a 5.3.Maui Sails. I defered going windsurfing because it was looking pretty gusty, but Joe rigged his 5.0 and gave it go. It looked light on the inside but very strong once he got out. He finally came in and rigged down to his 4.5 sail and went back out. I walked up the beach to get some perspective photographs looking down the beach. Cathy liked the nice grassy area that is Waipuilani Park in front of the Maui Sunset. Joe came in and we then packed up and headed back to Haiku. On the way Joe talked with Pete and we decided to meet at Cafe Mambo in Paia for dinner. I had a Maui Melt burger, Joe had the Crispy Duck burger, Cathy like her Seafood soup and Pete had the Pulled Pork dinner. After dinner we made a walk around Paia. Peter got a Paia baseball cap, Cathy found a nice dress. Back at Puu Koa we watched some of the Merrie Monarch Festival Hula competition.



Another Puu Koa Breakfast



Dave was already out having a good sail






Meanwhile one of the Pros was out practicing freestyle tricks





And Dave was sailing way...out into Maalaea Bay



But he finally came in after having a good session



Joe went out and did a powered up session.



And came in after having a good session





April 7, 2018
It had been raining all night and it was still raining when I woke up. Not a downpour, but more like a heavy mist. I baked some BP Potato Bread, then started on some hash brown potatoes for breakfast. Bacon, sunny side up Eggs and a slice of panfried basil tomato. There was a possibility of some south swell, so we planned to go over to Launiupoko Park. The drive over was under mostly cloud and the rain didn't stop until we drove past Ukumehame. At Ukumehame there seemed to be a good group out surfing. There was heavy car traffic going towards Lahaina which made the drive a bit slow. When we got to Launiopoko the parking was actually easy with lots of space. The clouds may have detered people, but as we found out the waves were quite small, not more than 1 foot. This was fine for Peter who was just in the learning phase of stand up paddle surfing. Joe went out and I sat on the beach for a bit, watching a Humback whale offshore. It did one big full body breach, which is always impressive for something that size. When I headed out the clouds were getting dark to the south and a breeze was starting to blow from that direction, which made things challenging for paddling. Then a lightening bolt could be seen out to the south and it made for pretty could thunder when it finally arrive about a half minute or so later, echoing off he mountains to our back. I caught one of those 1 footers and then came in and rigged a beer. Putting things back on the car, I found that my board bag had finally disintegrated to be unusable, so the board had to go naked on the trip back to Puu Koa. We did some shopping on the way back and Cathy and I got some Ahi at the Fish store in Kahului, While Joe and Peter, went to Safeway and Costco for other sundries. Back at Puu Koa, the Ahi got marinated in soya, rice vinegar and sugar and then panfried for 2 minutes each side. Served with rice and green beans. We then watched some more of the Merrie Monarch Festival Hula competition until it was time to crash.



Da Puu Koa Crew went for a Paddle at Launiupoko



We got some fresh Ahi tuna and the fish market



April 8, 2018
More rain! Kaui, Oahu, and Maui were under a shear line of clouds. Everybody was slow to wake. As a breakfast, I made some fried rice with red onion and red pepper, served with a basil tomato and scrambled eggs. Cathy made us our Starbucks Coffee. It was still raining quite hard when we decided to do some windsurfing equipment shopping. We headed into Kahului and then to the Adventure Sport shop. Joe was looking for a new windsurf board. At the shop, our old friend Carl was on duty and he gave Joe the spiel on the line up of JP boards that were available. Cathy and I cruised around the shop looking at other things. In the end, I bought a new board bag for my Stand Up board. Next we cruised over to the Maui Windsurf shop and took a look at some Quatro boards. Then we headed to Costco and got a hot dog for a snack and then did some shopping for dinner stuff. Back at Puu Koa, Joe made up dinner from the Costco Chicken, and potato salad with some green beans. Cathy baked up some chocolate chip cookies cookies and banana bread. Then we watched the Windsurfing Movie II and then the SUP Movie. This'll keep us inspired..



Scrambled eggs with fried rice and bacon



April 9, 2018
Still a bit of rain this morning but it backed off enough for Peter and I to do a walk up to the Pauwela Cannery. We grabbed a cup of coffee there and then went for a visit to the Quatro shop. Pascal and Francisco were there and we had a talk about the possibilities of sailing in Taiwan. When we got back to Puu Koa, Joe and Cathy had already had breakfast, so I made a quick bacon and eggs breakfast. We were anxious to get some sailing and there was the hint of a trade wind. We headed out the door and first went to Adventure Sports where Joe got a JP thruster board to try out. We then drove over to Kihei and were a bit disappointed because the water was brown and winds were gusting up to +30 knots. We decided to head back over to Kanaha and found Peter there. The wind was light and onshore and it was raining. Not very inviting, so we decided to drive up to Launiupoko. It was clear skies and sunny there and a bit of surf was happening. We had a good session of paddle surfing the rest of the afternoon, and he Sunset over Lanai was spectacular. Back at Puu Koa, Joe barbequed up some steak which we consumed heartily. After some wine, the day caught up with us and we retired.



Team Pu'u Koa at Kanaha





RK in the wave



Sunset over Lanai from Launiupoko




April 10, 2018
Trade wind showers this morning. Wind forecast looked had good possibilities for both sides of the island. However, the wind direction seemed to be still a bit northerly which favours sailing at Kihei. Did some photo editing to get this blog up to date. Then made a bacon and eggs breakfast. We then headed to Kanaha to check things out there. Waves were definitely on the larger side, but the wind was fairly light. Those that were out were slogging, except for a lone sailor with big slalom gear. we pondered for a bit, then made the decision to go over to Kihei. Once there, we drove past Mai Poina and went to check out the Maui Sunset beach. Definitely windy but the water was still brown from a breakout from the mangrove further up the beach. We decided to head back to Mai Poina and parked up wind from the park. Joe rigged his 4.5, I rigged my 5.0 and Peter rigged a 4.2 sail. Joe and Peter were first off the beach. I followed. Winds were fairly gusty but strong. My 5.0 Goya Eclipse seemed to work well, with the smaller 24 cm MFC wave fin that I had put on the board. After some adjustment to my harness line positions sailing was excellent. According to my GPS each reach was about 1.6 kilometers and we sailed over 27 kilometers for the day. We were all fairly tired when the wind started to die off as some clouds formed overhead. For dinner we tried a little pizzaria restaurant, Fabiani's, in Kihei. When we got back to Puu Koa, showers all around to wash the salt of the body, then looked at some of Cathys videos that she had shot today. Then we watched some tv and then very soon after crashed.



I rigged my 5.0 Goya sail and had an excellent sail.



Joe and Peter cruising off Kanaha




Joe, Peter and RK. The Puu Koa Windsurfing team sailing off Kanaha.




April 11, 2018
Trade winds were definitely blowing this morning and there were light showers when I woke up early. Went up to Pauwela to the Quatro shop and Joe picked out an 84 L Pyramid Quatro board to test. Joe wasn't happy on his first session until I gave him one of my larger fins. We headed to Kanaha. I rigged a 5.5, Joe his 5.0, Peter was on his 4.7 For dinner we had Pasta in a Four Cheese tomato sauce enhanced with onions and tomato, with chicken and green beans. Garlic bread and Red wine. Watch some surfing on tv.



Joe picking out a board to test at the Quatro shop




RK sailing in as the car freighter leaves Kahului Harbor



RK cruising out.



Joe blasting in.




RK, Joe and Peter blasting out.




April 12, 2018
Sunny and light trade winds were blowing this morning. Sorted Cathy's videos from yesterday. Made the Puu Koa bacon and eggs breakfast. Joe went to get a Goya board with Peter. Cathy and I wet to Kanaha. It was looking a bit light so I rigged my 5.5 Sailworks Retro and sailing out it was perfect. Joe joined me a bit later. After sailing we went to Paia and then to Cafe Mambo to have Joes Birthday dinner. Hau'oli la hanau Joe! After dinner we went back to Puu Koa, where Cathy served up a beautiful Chocolate Birthday Cake for Joe.



Joe sailing ahead a wave on the way in.





All of us after Joes birthday dinner at Cafe Mambo




April 13, 2018
Sunny again this morning. Trades winds were still in the 10 to 15 knot range, so it looks like another good day for windsurfing. My body is starting to feel a bit sore and fatigued. I cooked some bacon and pan fried some potatoes, then made a onion and pepper omelette for breakfast. Cathy also cut up a nice Avocado. We had breadfast out on the veranda with some orange juice and coffee. Winds were still a bit lightish and we were pondering the days activities. Joe started practicing on his guitar. Peter actually did some office work. I tuned into making my Maui Wave and Weather forecast webpage a bit better. Cathy relaxed all day. For dinner Joe barbequed up some steak with Montreal steak sauce which we had with some rice. Then watched the surfing channel with the Margarit River event (near Perth WA). Today turned out to be a rest day.



Puu Koa breakfast omellete




April 14, 2018
Trade wind clouds and light winds this morning when I did my walk up to the Pauwela Cannery. Had a cup of coffee and bought some eggs before walking back to Puu Koa. For breakfast I cooked some bacon then refried last nights rice with some onion. Eggs and tomatoes served with Pineapple and Cathy made coffee. We were just thinking about walking over to the Haiku Ho'o Lau le'a and flower festival event when a torrential downpour of rain halted us. Once it stopped we walked over to the community center. Lots of people, plants and flowers and the local high schood band was ripping it up on stage. A little rest then it was time to head to the beach. The waves at Hookipa were big and closed out as we drove past on our way to Kanaha. At the beach we could see the offshore Spartan Reef had waves that were breaking pretty big. It was looking like a pretty gusty wind. I rigged my 5.0 Goya Eclipse sail, Joe his 4.5 Ezzy and Peter his 4.2 Goya Banzai. The Weird wave reef was breaking pretty good so I opted to sail out through the channel below it and just above Lowers reef. The wind was pretty strong and I was powered up just right. Joe was already out and he jibed as I was going out. Out offshore a few flying fish glided out in front of my board. The waves offshore were big long, house sized billows which made for some nice cruising. After an hour of sailing, I came in and Joe and Peter stayed out a bit longer. After sailing we did a shopping stop at Costco, while Peter went to Safeway to get some ingredients for dinner. Peter made us a nice Coconut Curry with turkey, tomatoes, peppers and rice. Served with wine it made for a nice end to a perfect day on Maui. We started watching some surfing on tv, but the fatigue of the day set in...



Cathy and Peter enjoying a Puu Koa breakfast






We walked over to the Haiku Community center















Sailing and foiling at Kanaha




April 15, 2018
Late getting up this morning. It was sunny and winds were light. Later in the morning as I was making breakfast the wind blustered up a bit more. We had our Puu Koa breakfast out on the veranda with only the occasional spittle of rain. I did some work on photographs for this blog, which has fallen behind. On our way to Kanaha, Hookipa was looking a lot more freindlier and there were a few sailors out. At Kanaha the wind didn't look that freindly. Almost no wind near shore and offshore looking pretty gusty. Sailors had rigged everything from their smallest to their biggest. Joe rigged his 5.0 and Peter rigged his 4.7 and they went out sailing. I opted to wait a bit and when it started to look like a bit more wind onshore I rigged my 5.5 sailworks. Joe and Peter came in just as I was heading out. It was pretty much filled into shore when I launched. Once out I found that I was totally powered up. Even a little over powered. Inshore however it was OK. I ended up jumping through some sets on the lowers waves next to the channel. Offshore was gusty and after the last few days I was feeling fairly fatigued and decided to come in after a half hour session. Just enough to get wet. After sailing we decided it was mexican food night and decided to head to Milagros in Paia. I had the Mahi Mahi Fish tacos, Cathy had a Portabello, cheese, spinach Quesadilla, Peter had the same but with beef instead of mushrooms, and Joe had enchilladas. Back at Puu Koa we watched the Margarit River Pro surfing event which today had the womens heats running. Again really tired we all crashed pretty early..



Everybody enjoying a Puu Koa breakfast



Joe and somwhere there is Peter playing in the waves at Lowers



Joe and Peter racing in.




April 16, 2018
Some light rain this morning, and the trade winds were still blowing. Joe and Cathy made their own breakfast. I worked on repairing the dings on my Quatro board. I had to go up to Pauwela and get some 5 minute epoxy from the hardware store. Saw Keith at the Quatro shop and a little chat with him about shaping another board for me. Back at Puu Koa I did my board repairs then made myself a breakfast. Joe practiced on his guitar for a bit. While waiting for the repair to set, I did some photo sorting and editing for this blog. We left the house after lunch and headed to Kanaha. At the beach we could see that all those big waves from yesterday had disappeared and the wind appeared to have steadied out. Out on the water we found it was the other case. It was fairly gusty and sometimes really light. I did a couple of runs way outside and it was a bit iffy on the way in and I had to slog in from fairly far out on one reach. There were he occasional Flying fish seen again. I mostly sailed from upper lowers to lower uppers. After an hour or so session I came in and called it a day. Joe and Peter stayed out a bit longer and played in what waves were available. Back at Puu Koa, Peter rustled up a nice pasta dinner. After dinner we watched some surfing shows on tv before retiring.



RK powering into a jibe.



Peter getting some air time.



Joe blasting in, looks like he's getting ready to jibe.




April 17, 2018
High overcast but no rain. The trade winds seemed a bit light this morning. I made some scrambled eggs with bacon, potato and tomato for breakfast which we had outside on the east deck. I worked on the blog for a bit, and Cathy made up lunches for us. We were pondering the possibility of going surfing today as a break from windsurfing. We started late on the road with the thought of going up Lahaina way. I need to get my car inspected for this registration, so we lined up a Patao's in Wailuku. While waiting we decided we should get some fish for dinner, and I noticed we were low on gas. So, sidetracked we went to the Pacific Fish Market store in Kahului. While there we remembered we needed some coffee and Poke would be nice as an appetizer for tonight. After getting a nice Aku (Skipjack Tuna) we drove to the nearest Starbucks and she got the coffee while Joe and I drove up the street to Tamura's to get some Poke. We got Cathy and then went to Costco, where I dropped them off to get groceries and I went to line up for gas. That pretty much timed things right and I parked just as Joe and Cathy came out. We stopped to get a hot dog snack. Next I realized that I needed to get some spares from HiTech. We drove over and I got some spare harness belts and a new tendon for my windsurfing mast universal. Joe took advantage of the stop and discussed boards with Giampaulo. After this it was too late to drive up to Lahaina, so we headed back to Puu Koa. Peter was still there, doing some work work. Joe filleted the Aku and split it into 2 dinner portions. I took one of the portions and cut into 4 helpings then did a marinade. Salted the flesh then Lime juice then mixed a half cup of olive oil with a tablespoon of sweet Basil, rice vineagar and a bit of shoyu. The fish went in skin up into the marinade and I let it stand for about a half hour or so. Heated up a frying pan to hot. Then put the fish in skin up and cooked for 4 minutes. Add a smear of grated ginger onto the fish then turned over and cooked for 3 minutes. Served with a helping of rice, some Kim Chee, and some steamed Brocolli and Spinach. Served with our wine of choice. We had after dinner discussions over some chocolate chip cookies and pondered how chocolate came into our society by the Swiss and Dutch. On TV we found that the Margarat River Pro Surfing competition had been cancelled because of the risk of shark attack. Apparently the day before to (non competitor) surfers had been bitten by a white pointer. There seemed to be a lot of dissent on cancelling coming from the more saged surfers like Kelly Slater and local surfers.




April 18, 2018
High overcast and a bit of morning showers when I woke up. Took awhile to get going then made some breakfast. We decided it was a surfing day. Peter went windsurfing at Sprecks. We headed up to Launiupoko beach park. Waves were not too bad for the first session at about 2 feet. In between sessions, I launched my drone to get a skyview of the park. Second session was pretty inconsistent. I came in and relaxed before packing up the stuff. We headed back to Puu Koa but took the route throught Wailuku for a change. Once back, Joe put together a stir fry for dinner. we were pretty tired and didn't last too long before going to bed.



Launiupoko view from the sky



Looking from Launiupoko towards Lahaina



Joe gets a wave



RK catching a wave



RK riding on the inside, Joe catching one on the outside



Launiupoko relaxation after an afternoon of surfing


April 19, 2018
High overcast and very light winds when I woke up early this morning. Got in the car and headed into Kahului to the Maui Mall. I had to do the registration renewel for the car. It didn't take too long and I went to Longs and the Auto Store to get some oil and coolant. Then to Starbucks to get a morning coffee, then drove back to Puu Koa. Made a Puu Koa Breakfast which we had out on the veranda. Then did this and that before heading out to do some windsurfing. We decide to go to Sprecks (Sprecklesville) beach. Along the way Cathy and I stopped in at Kua to check out the beach there. At Sprecks things were look not too bad. Not too strong a wind either so I rigged my 5.5 Sailworks Retro. We sailed the afternoon away until it was just us at the beach. Then off to Pinatas for dinner. Joe had the Kitchen Sink Burrito, I had a regular Burrito, Cathy had the Enchiladas, and Peter had the Chimichanga. Back at Puu Koa I watched some more surfing on TV.



Breakfast on the veranda at Puu Koa



A short visit to Kua beach



The "road" into Sprecklesville beach



Parking and rigging area at Sprecks beach



Peter sailing off Sprecklesville beach



Joe comes in after a good day of sailing



RK has a smile and a Shaka after a good day of sailing



April 20, 2018
Overcast and rain early this morning. Hi clouds are still lingering as I made an early pot of coffee and worked on this blog. Joe and Cathy are late risers this morning. This is Cathy's last day for this trip to Maui. Breakfast was a red pepper and onion omelette served with pan fried potato and tomato. We then headed out the door to Sprecklesville beach. We noted the road was finally drying out and today was busy with more windsurfers parked where ever they could. In the old days, there was a significant sized parking lot, which is now filled in with sand drifting off the dune in front of the beach. I was actually a bit tired from yesterday and slow to rig. It was looking much the same as yesterday. I rigged a bigger 30 cm fin with my 5.5 sailworks. This worked fairly well for getting up wind. It was fairly gusty with some places with almost no wind which made thins challenging. I finally got up to the wave zone patch and got a nice wave and made 5 or 6 bottom turns. I had a farily long first session of about 35 minutes before coming in for a rest. Another 2 sessions and I was done and very tired. My GPS said I sailed nearly 24 kilometers today compared to 19 kilometers yesterday. Not sure how that happened? Back at Puu Koa we made a dinner of our Aku and Ahi tuna that was in the freezer. Served with Kim Chee, Brocolli, fice and a very nice green salad that Peter had made. Then it was time for Cathy to leave and Peter drove her to the airport. Aloha to Cathy.



Puu Koa Omelette breakfast





Joe testing an 80 liter Quatro Sphere today







and Peter was working Sprecks today







and I was working what I could get.



Aloha to Cathy. It was her last day on Maui for this adventure



April 21, 2018
Just a hint of rain from last night still on the veranda deck when I woke up this morning. Still mostly a high overcast with pastel brushes of blue in the sky. Breakfast was bacon and eggs with an onion and red pepper stir fry instead of potatoes. Peter, Joe and I had it out on the deck with orange juice and coffee. The wind was still a bit light and we were pondering our choice of beaches to go to...We decided to head up to Launiupoko to do some Stand Up paddle surfing. Being the weekend the locals were have some family get togethers for the kids. It wasn't too busy out on the waves. First session was on the left break as Peter got used to the waves. I got a few waves then came in. After this I rigged my GoPro on my board and went out for a surf on the right break. I got the drone out and got it flying out by Joe and Peter. Then it was time to relax on the beach. We packed up and headed up to Lahaina to have dinner at the Lahain Yacht Club on Front Street. We got an ocean side table. Joe and I had the half wrack of ribs while Peter went for the blackened Ono fish special. Back at Puu Koa the sky was partially clear and I could see the moon show itself in the sky overhead...


The guys having a Puu Koa breakfast.



Launiupoko Beach Park



Peter and Joe went out to catch some waves



Peter stand up on wave.



I went out to catch a view waves






Joe on a wave from the sky



Time for some relaxation on the beach. Look there is a wave we missed!



The team after dinner at the Lahaina Yacht Club


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





Aloha 'Oe

A
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0
H
A


**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
Mai Huli`oe I Kokua o Ke Kai !: Don't turn your back to the ocean !



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