when we left Oahu yesterday afternoon, i already knew it was going to be a challenge getting to Molokai. i wouldn’t have gone if it was for fun because it was too dangerous, but this was not about fun and dangerous, this was about fulfilling someones personal dream. there was a girl on the other side of the channel waiting for us. and us don’t like to let people down… 
imagine going about 20 knots into 8′ waves and 25mph winds. yes, Mayuki was flying! 
you would either see deep blue ocean, or royal blue sky. nothing in between as we were pulling wheelies over waves. and if you never seen a boat fly before, you never seen Mayuki…
and practically going upside down! Maki-san has done this many times before so it’s all about enjoying the moment. 
i wanted to get there before it got dark so that’s the reason for the speed. and another reason is because i like speed too. haha. 
right as it turned into night, i thought i seen a big drone flying around. then i turned on my VHF radio and found out it was the U.S Coast Guard. one boat got stuck on the reef, and another boat got into engine trouble. it was a mess. but the Coast Guard cleaned up that mess…
as for today, i learned something very important from Mao-san. i learned never to give up, and always to chase your dreams. this is one of the toughest girl in the world. and if you seen what she was up against today, you would agree…
when she crossed the finish line, Mao-san couldn’t hold in her emotions. she did something that no other woman has ever done before. she won the prone paddle division last year, and she won the SUP division this year. 
hey Mao-san, when i saw you in the last part of the race fighting the current and howling wind, my heart sank. i thought there was no way you would finish the race because as hard as you were paddling, i watched you actually going backwards. i was almost going to tell to you jump in the boat and try again next year. but you hung in there and gave it your all. i was totally inspired watching you overcome that part and cross the finish line. you are a powerful girl, and you are a World Champion. congratulations because you fully deserved it!
