i woke up at 5:30am and didn’t want to miss the sunrise. so i jump off the boat into 5′ muddy river water. rinse off with the outdoor shower and wake everybody up. by 6am, i was wide awake and ready for a very long day ahead. in Molokai, days go by really slow as time stands still…
then back to the beach front house for brunch before riding the 50′ swells home.
i can sit for hours listing to my cousins stories and knowledge. Dino doesn’t need Google to find answers about the ocean or Molokai. he knows everything and it’s all from personal experience.
a true Hawaiian with the most “aloha” you will ever find in a person. and the cool thing is Dino embraces every single person i take to Molokai like his own family member.
it was so funny because before we eat, we usually say “itadakimasu.” but this time, we were saying “this might be our last meal of our life.” everybody was worried about the huge waves we were about to face crossing the channel but i kept on saying “it’s going to be a great experience.” haha…
medium rare is the best way to eat a Hawaiian steak! just like this…
Isaiah told me before we left “Uncle, i trust you.” Takahashi-san told me before we left “Kirby, you’re crazy.” and Dino told me before we left “Kirby, be safe.” and i told myself before we left “Kirby, keep calm and enjoy the ride.”
this morning i went to the yacht club to wash Mayuki. i told a boater friend that we crossed the channel yesterday back to Oahu. he looked at me and said “Kirby, you’re fucken crazy!” and he said “i bet you were the only boat in the channel right?” i said “yes.” then he said “because nobody else in Hawaii is more crazy than you!” i was actually happy to hear that. haha…
oh, in no way i’m trying to disrespect the ocean. in fact, i trust the ocean. i trust my instinct and felt like we could make it. some people believe in me, some don’t. we charged it, and we learned from it. one of the big factors of challenging myself is i trust Mayuki 100%. she is the best in the world. i take care of her and she takes care of me. and having Isaiah with me was another factor. Isaiah’s a waterman and knows how to save lives. so yeah, i had a lot of confidence that we would make it back…
photos by Takahashi-san…
