Ua kū mua au ma ka papa heʻe nalu i ka puna o 2022. Ua holo au i ka kayak no hoʻokahi makahiki a ua manaʻo wau ua paʻa loa au i ka wai. Ua ʻike ʻo ia i kekahi e holo ana ma kēlā ʻaoʻao o ka loko me ka peʻa a noʻonoʻo, pehea ka paʻakikī? He papa hoe me ka pea, akau?
A laila hoʻopau wau i ʻehā hola i ka wai.
Ua lawe aku kekahi hoa ia'u i kahi hoolimalima. Nīnau ke kanaka i ka nui o ka peʻa aʻu i makemake ai. 'Ōlelo wau, “E hāʻawi mai iaʻu i ka mea nui.” 6.5 mika huinaha. Helu helu ʻekahi. Ua ho'āʻo e kau ma luna o ka papa - ʻoki ʻia, hahau ka auwae i ke alahao, hele maka-mua. Piʻi ka peʻa - hopu ka makani, pahee na wawae, hope o koʻu poʻo i pā mua i ka wai. ʻO ke awakea holoʻokoʻa wale nō “kū i luna → hele i ʻelua mika → hāʻule i loko.” Ka lōʻihi holoʻokoʻa i uhi ʻia i kēlā lā? He kanalima mika paha, inā ʻoe e hoʻohui i nā mea a pau.
But I went back the next weekend. Swapped to a 5.0 sail — way lighter. This time I watched the regulars for about twenty minutes before getting in. Noticed they weren’t yanking the sail up by brute force. They’d raise the mast slowly, let the wind fill the sail gradually, then pull the boom. Tried it myself. The board moved. Slow, but it moved. Made it maybe fifteen meters before a wind shift dumped me again. But I came up smiling — because I’d actually *gone* somewhere.
Went every weekend after that. Figured out a few things along the way. Getting on the board — you can’t rush it. Sit down first, then pull your feet in. Took me a dozen tries to get that right. Always drop the daggerboard, or you’ll spin like a top. A ʻo ka mea mua e hana ai i ka wā e lele ai ʻoe - e hoʻokuʻu i ka boom. Ua aʻo au i ke ala paʻakikī, e kau ana a kauo ma ka aoao oiai e moni ana i ka hapalua o ka loko.
ʻAi-akamai, Ua hana au i nā hewa a pau. Ua kūʻai aku i kahi papa hoʻohana no 200 kālā mai kahi polokalamu - maikaʻi ke nānā aku i nā kiʻi, aka, o ka lalo, he elua auwaha hohonu e hooluu ana i ka wai e like me ka huahuakai. Wehe ʻia ia mai koʻu pā hale i kekahi lā a hāʻule i luna o koʻu manamana wāwae. Nalo ke kui. ʻO nā ʻōpala peʻa - ʻAʻole wau i ʻike pehea e pelu pono ai, Piʻo lāua ʻelua i loko o ka ʻeke. He kanahā kālā pākahi e pani ai. Ka lole ola mau? Ua ʻoki i koʻu ʻāʻī i kēlā me kēia manawa aʻu e hilinaʻi ai i hope e nānā i ka peʻa. Hoʻololi ʻia i kahi kayak, ʻokoʻa ka pō a me ke ao. pale lā? Hoʻokahi poina iā ia i ka lā pōʻeleʻele - ʻo ka noʻonoʻo ʻana o ka wai i hoʻomoʻa i koʻu ʻāʻī, ʻili ʻia e like me ka nahesa hoʻoheheʻe ʻili.
ʻAʻohe oʻu papa inoa nui o nā wahi. Pono nā poʻe hoʻomaka e pā i nā loko malu - mālie, makani paʻa. Hana pū ka wai huelo wai - ka wai palahalaha, makani mau. Ua ho'āʻo i ke kai kūʻono i hoʻokahi manawa - ʻaʻole i nānā i ka papa ʻaina, pae ʻia i ka lepo i ka wā i pau ai ka wai. Hele wāwae ʻelima haneri iwilei me ka lawe ʻana i ka rig holoʻokoʻa, nalowale he kamaa. Mai hele kokoke i nā kahawai canyon - lele ka makani ma nā pali a hoʻololi i ka haunaele. Pēlā ʻoe e hoʻopau ai i kahi pōhaku.
Ua hoʻi i ka loko maʻamau i ka Lāpule i hala. Ua pololei ka makani - ʻaʻole ikaika loa, ʻaʻole māmā loa. Holo ʻia no kekahi mau hola, alaila, haule ka pea, noho ma ka papa, a puhi i ka paka. Lā ma koʻu kua, wai e lulu ana i ka papa, he mau kayak ma kahi mamao. Noʻonoʻo e pili ana i kēlā ʻauinalā mua ʻekolu makahiki i hala - ʻaʻa ʻia ka ʻauwae, ʻono ka waha me he ʻōpala lā, e noʻonoʻo ana i ke kumu e uku ai kekahi no kēia hoʻomāinoino.
I kēia manawa inā nīnau kekahi inā pono ia? ʻAe, ʻo ia. ʻAʻole no koʻu maikaʻi - hiki iaʻu ke hele pololei, hana i ka huli ana i ka makani, a ke hāʻule nei au i kaʻu hoʻāʻo ʻana i ka makani ma kahi o ʻehiku mau manawa mai ka ʻumi. Akā kēlā manaʻo - ke pā ʻoe i ke kihi kūpono, hāpai ka papa a lele, ka wai e kahe ana ma lalo, makani e hana ana i ka hana i kou kaulike wale ana - aohe mea e ae e like me ia. ʻAʻole ia e like me ka holo ʻana i kahi i hoʻopaʻa ʻia ai ʻoe. ʻAʻole like me ka kayak kahi āu e hoʻoikaika ai i kēlā me kēia hahau. ʻO ʻoe wale nō a me ka makani e kaomi nei no kekahi manawa, a me ka hooikaika ole.
Mai kūʻai i nā mea hou ma waho o ka puka. Hoolimalima i kekahi mau manawa. E ʻoluʻolu maoli ʻoe i ka pulu a me ka huhū ma mua o ka waiho ʻana i ke kālā. Hoʻohui au i kaʻu hoʻonohonoho holoʻokoʻa i hoʻohana ʻia - papa, holo, kia, boom - ma lalo o ʻelima haneli kālā, koe wale no ka lole ola a'u i kuai hou ai. 160-papa hoʻomaka lita, 5.0 holo, kia aluminika. Hana i ka hana. Inā he mea hou ʻoe, e noho mamao mai na pea nui a me na papa wiwi. ʻAʻole ʻoe e hoʻomalu iā lākou, e hoʻomalu lākou iā ʻoe.
Inā ʻoe e komo i loko, manaʻolana ʻoe e ale liʻiliʻi i ka wai ma mua o kaʻu. A i ka wā e ʻohi ai ʻoe - e pelu i nā ʻōpeʻa ma ko lākou pihi. Mai hoʻoikaika iā lākou. Uaʻike wau i kēlā mea hope loa mai kaʻike pilikino.
