Ko'olaupoko
Aloha mai kāua,
Chris here! So, I didn’t get to re rigging yet, I’ve been hunting for old windsurfing masts to use as my yard and boom before last resorting to ‘ohe… but in the meantime, we’ve had some lovely time on the moana!
This week I had the privilege of journeying outside of Ahu O Laka for the first time since ‘A‘ā went ho’i! A simple 12 nautical mile route along the ko‘olaupoko coastline gave us the honor of seeing our windward ahupua‘as from an offshore perspective.
Ke‘ili and my mom joined me on the ho‘olua sail. We motor sailed on a close haul out of the channel then kele ka‘alalo (fall off the wind) into a beam reach where we sailed the rest of the way until eventually broad reaching into Kahana. Ke‘ili and mom then left, ‘A‘ā and I stayed on anchor for the next couple days. The following morning my old friend Justin joined me to work on a photography job and get me settled in with the po‘e of Kahana. I got a call from Cromwell Day who watched with this hoe wa‘a crew as we sailed around mahie point. For those who haven’t read our earlier posts, Cromwell was our friend who came to Kaliponi to teach us how to sail ‘A‘ā. It’s been a memorable journey since those days, and what a blessing to be seen by an old mentor as free flying malolo on our own.
The valley echoed with wind and the hypnotic lap of water on the kahakai, occasionally cutting in with laughter and playing of keiki. The air twinkled sunlight peaking out of trees, kupuna waded in the water by the huilua fishpond, and I felt Hawai’i again in that warm familiar way. It felt nice to just sit and absorb the island. Occasionally, an uncle walking the beach would ask about the wa’a then wala‘au about the old days. To me, Kahana still carried the same mana and serenity as those old days sounded. Words didn’t have to be spoken for mutual understanding, and I like it that way.
Our friends Noel and Ricky came to visit for the last day and only Ricky remained for the leg home.What an exciting sail that was! Flying through two squalls on a close reach for a few hours. I could feel ‘A‘ā lele through the swells like never before. She must be happy to be in Hawaiian waters. Ricky and I recited the names of the watershed divisions as we recognized their faces from afar . . . Punalu’u, Kahana, Kualoa, Hakipu‘u, Moli‘i, Waikane, Waiahole, Ka’alaea, Waihe‘e then Ku’u home o Kahalu’u. I’m sure their are so many other micro divisions, but how wonderful to see so much macro diversity from our canoe on a small stretch of coastline. She is not only teaching us how awesome our lives are, dashing through the wind and waves, but how wonderfully created our island is!
Love you all!!!
