Glowing moments

Mauna Kea after this last storm...more snow than Cali! jk.

Alala- the Raven- 66' and 45 tons

40 knot winds. WE are holding on to the railings to get to the bow of the boat so we can have some hope of getting the mooring on with no delay- there are no guests on board, thankfully. The only other crew member on board with me turns and says slowly from the corner of his mouth, "this is going to be hectic." His cigarette glows softly in the wind as we approach the mooring ball. On top of everything else, we have all been on the water for 10 hours straight and it is dark now. Way dark. The captain is standing on the helm steering with his feet so he can see us at the bow and react immediately if something goes wrong. Perfect. We're on the mooring now. The wind is howling and instantly tightens the lines down over the cleats. We're using headlamps. Black diamond saving my behind once again.

We tie the skiff up alongside Alala and shut the boat down for the night. The winds seem to calm down immediately after we set the mooring. Naturally. The clouds are clearing showing Orion's Belt bright above- no better place to stargaze, other than the mountain tops. We are in the skiff and have cast off for the dock. Passing boats on their moorings, all sleeping for the night. Nothing but the light orange glow from the other crew member's cigarette and the stars above to light our path. The sea is calmer now. The three of us traveling in this little boat, all alone, heading home for the night.

I cannot help but feel the magic in this moment. I feel like the whole scene is something out of Pirates of the Caribbean. The soft glow, the dark sea, the silent boats swaying in the night. I'm in a magical place. It's little moments like this that keep me coming back for more. These little moments shared between new friends provide a bond. We all depend on one another to get home safely. The struggles, the epics, the joys and the nerves are all shared between the crew.

Although I am missing my crew back in Santa Cruz, I am enjoying my time spent with this crew for now. They're all nuts too. It's been entertaining- nonstop.

There are little gems everywhere, you just have to dig a little to find them sometimes.

Aloha,

M.

Pods and Paddling

I'm sitting on the boom on top of the cabin on our second largest catamaran in the fleet, talking to people over a microphone telling them all about humpback whales and how amazing they are...all of a sudden out of nowhere here comes 5 full grown humpback whales 100 yards off the starboard side of the boat- big and moving fast. We're talking 50 feet long and weighting in somewhere around 100,000 pounds each. H-U-G-E. The captain kills the engines immediately. There are 4 males chasing after a female- heat run. The ladies, as always, are keeping the men on their toes, even in the whale world. She's too fast for them and is sending them on a goose chase. She uses our cat as a barrier between her and the males. Pulling a full U-turn and going straight under us leaving the males wondering which direction she was heading in. Once they finally figure out where she is they ram and swim over one another trying to be the first to catch up with her. Right off the bow of the boat, we could have reached out and touched them. At this point we thought they were going to hit the boat because of their lust-driven, klutzy swimming. We all got sprayed with whale boogers (their spouts) and splashed by their flukes propelling them forward. She continues to use the boat to her advantage, swimming back and forth under the boat and then heading south for the long haul, hoping to tire out the males in her endless race. Nonstop breaches for the rest of the cruise, we stopped counting after 40. Unbelievable. I am on the cabin top this entire time, trying not to scream into the microphone because I am completely overexcited by all of this activity. The passengers are elated. I nearly fell off the boom.

The crew is giddy with excitement. We are all bouncing around the deck like little school children. Even the captain, who typically is rather composed and professional, is giggling like a little boy at the helm. We've just experienced the most amazing whale watch in years. One for the books for sure.

We tie up and are saying our goodbyes to our passengers. One lady actually hugged me because she was so happy to have seen those whales. It was on her bucket list to see a whale in the wild-her first trip to Hawaii ever, they had been saving for years. We are glowing for the rest of the day.

A night paddle is in order. 5 of us, one man short, are planning on taking the outrigger out for a long paddle-we need to do something with our energy after a whale show like that. We set off toward the sun, paddling hard and fast. Me and the boys, what a motley crew we are. Overheating at this point because the humidity is almost too much to bear, even after the sun has set. My body is aching but somehow I am able to keep the pace. We are fighting the sets to get out of the lineup. Watching these waves build in front of us, easily overhead, makes me paddle that much harder. A couple of times I had to just put my head down and paddle because the butterflies in my stomach were threatening to take over.

We decided since the sets were perfect and no one was at Parker's break that we were going to take this lil' canoe for a spin in the lineup. Paddling out and watching for a set. A manta ray swims by, it's flippers breaking the surface as it skims for its dinner, quiet and determined. Paddling in and being denied a couple of times. Nearly there. Paddling back out and getting into perfect position. Huge set. Again the butterflies. I don't watch and instead give myself a quick glance back and then put my head down and paddle. We got it! We are flying down the face of this wave and still paddling our hearts out-hooting and hollering. As the wave breaks we pull off to the side and discover the giant wave right behind us. "Paddle hard! Go, go, go, go, go!!!" That's all I hear from the steersman behind us. We are almost sideways, vulnerable. "Left!!!" We are leaning and still paddling trying to make sure we do not flip seeing as the reef is only about 6 feet under. We make it over, there was a moment where we were all thinking the same thing- we're going over. "Get me out of here, paddle hard!" The steersman is amped! We need to push it to get out of the lineup. Once we are in the center of the bay again we are thrilled, exhausted, but on cloud 9. Wow.

It's dark now. We can only see the lights from the resorts on shore. We're heading in. Once back on shore we turn the boat around and all have some moments of high fives and hugs to congratulate one another on the adventure we just had. None of us have ever been on waves that big before on the outrigger. Literally glowing again and it is dark out.

"It was a great day, we haven't haven't had a day that amazing in a while."

Ending with a quick pow wow grabbing sandwiches before we all head to our homes for some much needed rest...and showers.

A day off today and some time to let my body recover before the long week ahead.

Aloha from this little lava stone,

M.

Harmony

"Hey would you mind motoring over and checking on that surfer? He looks like he went down pretty hard and hasn't mounted his board again. Thanks."

"Sure thing, I'm on my way."

My gut told me something was wrong. More than just me liking to talk over the VHF radio made me make that call.

The surf was huge, 1/2 a mile offshore, the guy was obviously hurt and by himself out there and in a bad place. I couldn't help but start racing through procedures in my head as the boat approached the dazed surfer outside the break. There aren't designated lifeguards on this beach and the surf was unforgiving. He's aboard the boat and shore-bound.

"Call 911."

Paramedics arrive and race him away. Heart attack. His, Mike's, first one ever.

It's been two weeks. Family friends of his came and picked up his board from our hut a few days after the accident and to our surprise today, Mike and his wonderful wife, Joanne, came down to the beach bearing orchids and gifts for all that were involved in his rescue that day. Two major surgeries and two stints later, Mike is on his feet and although, to his wife's disapproval, is planning to get back on the board once his doctors give the approval. He's 63 years old.

I reinforced my belief that day to never take a single day for granted.

Yesterday I worked on the boat where a private cruise was chartered for a young man, 32 years old, who had passed away, away from home and his family. An accident. Ashes spread, praises given and flowers in the wind to gain closure and celebrate life. Not one person wore black. In the distance as we left the sight a whale tail splashing in the distance bid us farewell. Repeated slaps against the water, booming, even in the wind.

I reinforced my belief that day to never take a single day for granted even more.

Tomorrow our company is taking a little girl diving for her first time who is losing her battle with leukemia. She's 12 years old. This is something on her bucket list- scuba dive with fish and turtles. She's going to be Ariel for an afternoon!

I will reinforce my belief tomorrow to never take a single day for granted even more than today.

In life you have to make many decisions. We make decisions for many reasons and often times let way too many things influence our choices. I have discovered in order to not cheat yourself out of life you need to make decisions that will make you most happy. Happiness trumps all. You have to take care of yourself and keep charge of your life. People are very opinionated and will jump at the chance to get their two cents in. Ultimately however you are the only one who can make the decisions to get back on the board or not.

Mike's getting back on the board- I saw it in his eyes. This little girl is jumping on the board for her first time.

I don't want to have something dramatic happen to me that makes me choose to change the way I live my life. I want to look back when I am old and realize that I have earned every wrinkle, sunspot and scar on my body. I want stories that bring giddiness to my heart just thinking about them. I want adventure. I look to my friends that I hope to have for the rest of my life, they risk their lives every day they paddle, climb, hike, ski or bike. They don't hold back. They live.

I'm not saying everyone should go out and start some new crazy extreme sport or drive their cars super fast, rob banks or go nuts. I am simply saying every once in a while you need to take a step back and make sure your life is the life you want for yourself. People's minds change. People's wants and needs change and in order to satisfy those wants and needs, there must be harmony between actions and the ultimate outcomes. Reevaluate from time to time, stay in tune with yourself. Make a list...I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sitting in front of a giant one as I write this.

New outlooks, as new as the snow on top of Mauna Kea.

An awakening? Perhaps. Who the heck knows...I don't.

I hope your day is full of wonderful things no matter how big or small.

Sending love across the ocean deep,

M.

Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars.
-Henry Van Dyke

Boats

Lack of sleep, surplus of whales.

That sums up a majority of the past few weeks here on the Big Island for the boat crew. It's a beautiful thing. When everyone around you is working just as hard as you are on just as little amount of rest it seems to make it easier to work through the long day. I've been whistling "The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding for three days straight now.

On top of these long days, there were also preparations being made for a wonderful little boy to come into the OS boat crew Ohana. One of the captains, who is a California native, is going to be a daddy in about two months. I deemed it completely necessary as the hippy auntie to get this little boy his first tie dye, or rather have Skyla send him his first tie dye onesie...straight outta Santa Cruz. It was a hit. Mom loved it, dad hated it (but secretly loved it, I could see it in his eyes). This kid is already so cool, lemme tell ya. Thanks Sulla. It's very interesting to see the excitement and fear in their eyes as the due date draws near, both being brand new parents. And yet, it's incredibly unnerving to see a tough captain so freaked out at the thought of this crying, pooping little wonder coming into the world at the beginning of April.

Ah life.

As the rookie on board, there has been no wasted time in making sure I make a fool of myself (within reasonable measure), but I'm a good sport about it and learn fast. I have been studying up on all things whale over the past couple of months to prepare for the time when I will become the Marine Naturalist on the catamarans as we take people out to sea. This includes sitting on top of the cabin, on the boom, with a microphone, spouting out all kinds of facts about humpback whales for about 2 hours. I know I can talk a lot, I know this, but 2 hours straight is incredibly hard to do.

On a different note, I have had the pleasure of working with many school kids over the past week. I was fortunate enough to have my first "whale talk" with a group of middle schoolers and then a group of second graders a few days later. I got them ALL to speak whale...Dori-style. Picture 40 school kids yelling out to these whales using their best whale impressions. I was in heaven. The whales really respond to young voices. It has to do with their decibel ranges, so needless to say it is amazing to watch those whales actually turn to check us out when there is a group of kids on board yelling, "Heeeeeerrrrrrrreeeeeeee wwwwwwhhhaaallllleeeeesssssss!"

I love my job.

Valentines Day came and went. I worked for most of it and had the pleasure of being surrounded by happy couples as they sailed into the sunset. I'm not bitter. Chocolates and beers (in order of importance) after with my single coworkers as we traded stories of past loves and how amazing our jobs are. Crew bonding. *By the way, I hope that everyone had a wonderful day with at least some chocolate involved regardless of relationship status, because chocolate is important.

This week was full of new experiences for me. 12 hours straight on a boat (which is new for me), longer sails down to Kona (equivalent of heading from SC to Monterey across the bay), no longer being treated as a newbie- having to hold my own with all the guys...this one has been interesting. There are certain novelties that come with being a female in an area of work where the majority of crew are male. There are also an increasingly large amount of hardships that come with this as well. I have learned and so has the crew that, there may only be two female crew members on the boats, but we can hold our own (Damn it!) and are valuable members on the team. I am grateful for the patience that has been given to me as a new member on the crew, who also happens to be a girl, but I also realize that this patience is not going to be there forever, which makes me work that much harder to make sure I learn everything quickly and efficiently. This team is absolutely incredible and I cannot picture working with a more wonderful group of individuals.

I'm lucky to have them.

I have discovered in the world of climbing your fingers and toes get worked. Your muscles ache and your back gets burnt. There are times when you know you should have drank more water or at least eaten a more decent breakfast. There are constantly new cuts, bruises and gashes that turn up and if anything they just irritate you because they bleed or cause you to move slower. It is the same on the boats. Digging coral out of your feet, slicing fingers and gaining new bruises regularly...not from being klutzy (give me some credit here), but from the nature of the environment. You push through it because it is something you love. You work hard to play hard and put up with the pains because you know it's worth it.

No samsara, no nirvana.

My body may need a chiropractor soon or at least a massage (any volunteers?) and some good stretching, but I am loving every second.

Spam count still zero, going on 3 1/2 months.

Bed before 8, turning into an old lady,

-M.

Shores north of Kona

Manu Iwa

Wyatt's SC Flair

Lethargy and Bliss

As I type this I can already feel my arms getting heavier and my back starting to ache. 10 hours on two different boats today and a backbreaking paddle out to sea.

I think I may have found a new addiction- outrigger paddling. My body aches in places I didn't even know I had and yet I cannot wait until daylight to head out again tomorrow. I am already in search of a one man (or in this case one woman) canoe for myself. For those unfamiliar, an outrigger canoe can come in all different sizes-the one I was paddling was a six person canoe. There are two little arms that reaches out on the left hand side and hold a float for stability. You use a paddle very similar to a canoe paddle (only one paddle head, instead of the normal two for a kayak) (sound familiar?). I have only ever seen these beauties in Santa Cruz a few times, but had never gotten the chance to paddle one until Hawaii.

I went out with the guys I sail with today (female paddlers in our company are few and far between). We did a three mile loop and were in some big water today-we almost flipped twice which is rare for this crew. It was exciting needless to say- I would have laughed simply because it would have been such a ridiculous situation that far out in that swell.

While we were out there we spotted a mother humpback and her calf (a newbie, probably only two weeks old or so). We kept paddling and got an incredible show as mom was moving her baby all over the place and playing (or so it appeared to me)- lots of tail spins, spy hopping, lunges and splashing. We paddled on and looped back to head back to shore. Out of nowhere, here comes baby...right toward us! She was very curious. We pulled our paddles out of the water and sat leaning on the Ama (the arm of the canoe) just in case baby came in too close (we actually had a moment where we were bracing for mom to surface in between us and her calf, which would have given us some major rocking). You could actually see the little bumps (tubercles) and ripples on the whale-all of its birthmarks and unique characteristics. It was the closest I have ever been to a calf and definitely the most vulnerable, we were eye level with her and her mom, talk about a humbling experience. If mom had decided she did not like us she could have done away with us with absolutely no effort (although whales are not typically aggressive toward us, we were definitely in the vulnerable position). I will never forget this day.

This day was a day where I was especially grateful to be alive. Everyone was happy, worked hard and paddled hard today. :)

Full moon is rising and so are the swells. The waves are supposed to be unbelievably huge for the next couple of days. Pro-status. People are buying their plane tickets to come over here and to Oahu to surf this swell- 25' waves. I cannot wait to see it....from shore...or the boat....not from a surfboard.

New discovery made this weekend: Talk Story at the Mauna Lani

This little piece of heaven takes place on the weekend closest to the full moon and is a different type of live entertainment every month. It all takes place on the porch of a little old cabin just off of the beach under the palms. People bring their picnicking gear, jackets (please...it's Hawaii) and their Aloha spirits. The show can be anything from live music, to hula dancing, to fire spinning to ghost stories and legends. I am thrilled to have gone. Brotha Nolan and Ohana played- bluegrassiest music I have discovered yet out here. Great stories and great laughs. You could feel the warmth radiating from this crowd under the moonlight. I plan to make this a regular happening from now on.

My birthday was spent out on the water! I'm embracing my old age by sailing and paddling often. Cheers. A wonderful dinner and homemade peach-blackberry-apple cobbler for dessert. Y-E-S. I could not have spent my day with more wonderful people. I am so thankful.

Tomorrow is a day of rest, and by rest I mean paddling and laundry...in that order.

The rain is starting to fall outside and yet the moon is still shining bright. Here's to a wonderful day spent living life.

Be well and soak up the moonlight tonight,

M.

"What day is it?" asked Pooh

"It's today," squeaked Piglet.

"My favorite day," said Pooh.