A Maui Downwind Experience Take Two

A MAUI DOWNWIND EXPERIENCE TAKE TWO

After what happened to me in the 2008 Quiksilver Molokai Race SUP SOLO Division, where I was only one mile from the finish line and had equipment failure (my SUP filled up with water & submerged) I went from the top 3 place finish to last it totally shattered me big time. So I got back to Australia licking my wounds & said "Phil mate, don't worry about it too much, just order another board" so I rang Mark Raaphorst on Maui & ordered a custom 17ft f16 Scot Trudon Model. I said "Mark spray it orange-yellow-white camouflage, it may look gay but at least it will stand out like dog's balls' (when paddling in the ocean I think it's a good thing to have a bright board just in case anything goes down - but I guess if it did you're dead anyway).

It's January 1st 2010, time to start training for the three Hawaiian SUP legs in July, Maliko Naish International Paddleboard Race - Pai'lolo Express Race - Molokai 32 Punishing Miles Race. So I'm off the beer & into my training routine. This was the Marine Forecast: Breezy white capping conditions with moderate choppy seas. Moderate long period swell. Winds: South 15 to 20 knots Seas: SE 9 feet at 10 sec. So conditions are good - its time for my first maiden voyage downwind SUP paddle from Brunswick Heads to Currumbin Alley, total kilometres 50kms. I haven't paddled that distance since the 2008 Quiksilver Molokai Race. Going out through Brunswick Heads was bulk scary - lucky it was high tide I was s##ting myself getting towed out by jet-ski holding a 17ft SUP. From Brunswick Heads to Hastings Point I got some really good runners for like 300 metres. Mick Howard who was driving the jet-ski as my support boat has never seen a SUP in action catching runners, he couldn't believe his eyes when I was surfing the ocean swells. About 2 kilometres out from Hastings Point you could see the ocean boiling with bait fish (3 big groups) about 100 metres round, I tried to go around them but it was too hard so I had to (harden up) a go through the boils. Yes I was frightened ( Help me Please Mr Wizard ) as there are always big fish with large teeth that feed on the bait fish. I made sure the jet-ski was within 10 feet just to feel comfortable. Cudgen Reef was very ordinary with two different swell directions; some swells looked in the 6 foot range & some really weird currents - like paddling in a washing machine. But got some all time runners from 50 to 200 metres, I fell about 4 times from burying the rails on runners. From Cudgen Reef to Cook Island was all time - I needed a seat belt on my f16 I was going that fast, again got some all time runners some of the best I've ever had. The runners just kept linking up. Thinking to myself how good is this I'm just surfing out here on my f16. From Cook Island to Currumbin Alley was like a mini escalator ride, I'm thinking thank god for that, because my body felt like Wallaby Ted's brother Roo Ted. I was cramping up in my obliques & inner quads but my shoulders felt fine. From Snapper Rocks I'm just paddling along then all of a sudden this 3ft brown sea creature came from nowhere I s##t myself for a split second until I realized it was a dolphin, then about 20+ dolphins appeared out of nowhere. (Dolphin species not sure, size 2 ? - 4ft in length, light brown in colour with a thick white stripe down each side) Anyway what an awesome sight, I'm catching these little runners & the dolphins were riding the bow of my f16 & then jumping out of the water and squeaking, then they'd come up beside my f16 and do it again. This was just all-time for like 45 minutes. I only wished I had my GoPro camera on the nose of my f16 just to film it, as that was National Geographic stuff. I haven't seen anything like this since I was surfing Jeffery's Bay, South Africa in 1994 - where there was around 150 Bottle Nose Dolphins surfing the waves in the line up - you've got to see that to believe it. It was a very humbling experience. I did 10 of those Brunswick Heads to Currumbin Alley paddles to the lead up for Hawaii & would average 4 hours 50 minutes to 5 hours 20 minutes to paddle the 50kms, (31.25miles). You need a support boat as you're on your own out there; you see some big fish out there. They Say it's a caf? for the great whites around Cook Island.

It's July 8th. After 19 hours of travelling and I'm landing at Kahului airport on the beautiful island of Maui. Where I meet Mark Huxley & Jenny Ryan (two other Aussie counterparts I talked into coming over to Maui to experience a Maliko Downwind run). So we've booked into the Maui Seaside Hotel - I just love the place, people ask me why do you stay at the Maui Seaside Hotel that place is a dump. After explaining that it's right on Kahului Harbour you can catch the Maliko shuttle bus next door at the Hawaiian Outrigger canoe club, do a Maliko run to your motel door, & my SIC 17'6" Bullet fits into the motel room (styling). The chef that works at the Maui Seaside restaurant cooks THE BEST 500 gram Sirloin medium rare steak you could ever dig your teeth into compliments to the chef. Plus the motel is clean & the staff are really friendly with everything in Kahului being in walking distance - shopping centre & other great restaurants are just across the road. Who needs a hire car!

After booking into the Maui Seaside Motel it was off to the SIC factory (Sandwich Island Composites) www.paddlemaui.com to pick up our SIC boards f14, f16 & the Bullet. After a quick G'day to Mark Raaphorst & the SIC gang Mark Huxley, Jenny Ryan & Myself couldn't get to Maliko Gulch quick enough (like little grommets on Christmas day) with our new SIC SUP boards - yes we were frothing & conditions for a Maliko run were just right. East Wind at 20+ knots with an East Swell, so we jump on the Maliko Gulch shuttle bus. Doing a Maliko run with two Aussie first timers, was a sight to see, looking at the smile on their faces was just gold (reminded me of my first ever Maliko run in 2007 when I saw downwind SUPing for the first time. I couldn't defect quickly enough from paddleboarding to Stand Up I had a grin from ear to ear). After our first paddle it was close to 3:30pm the three of us looked at one another & said if we hurry up we can catch the 4:00pm shuttle & do another run "quick lets go".

If you're into downwind paddling - whether you're on an SUP, Paddleboard, OC1 or Ski, you've got to experience a Maliko run, it will just blow your mind. Its 15 kilometres - 9.54 miles of pure enjoyment just catching runners (surfing the swells). It's like a surfer that goes to Indonesia to surf perfect pumping waves, (same horse different jockey) how could you deprive yourself of that if you're a surfer. So it's the same with downwind paddling - how could you deprive yourself of a Maliko run. On average Mark Huxley, Jenny Ryan & I were doing three Maliko runs a day. I'm still yet to break the four Maliko runs in one day; it can be done if it hasn't been done already.

Its Sunday 11th July the Mormaii 27 Mile = 43 kilometre Pai'lolo Express Race, otherwise known as the Maui to Molokai Crossing. This is a new race for the Hawaiian race series with big prize money.

In 2008 I heard stories of how good this Pai'lolo Channel is, they reckon its 10 times better than Maliko Gulch, so I'm at the SIC factory 5 days out from the 2008 Quiksilver Molokai Race & Ekolu Kalama turns up to pick up his new custom f16 - I'm just in awe of the bloke, he's a weapon. Anyway we have a pretty in-depth conversation, and then Ekolu invites me to come with them for a Pai'lolo paddle on Thursday, 3 days out from the Molokai race. To my disappointment I declined, I was so keen to go - but it was too close to the Molokai race.

So it's now 2010 and a heap of us meet at the SIC factory & get a lift up to Honolua Bay with the Maliko shuttle bus. Honolua Bay is one of the best right hander's in the world that I'm yet to surf, they say its like Angourie (a right hander on the east coast of Australia) on steroids & I've had Angourie pumping as good as you can get it. So I could just imagine how good Honolua Bay must be. It was just gold cruising in the shuttle bus, listening to the elite paddlers talking about their tactics. What line to take, land markings, currents - very interesting & entertaining topic. The forecast was looking like it could be a fast race with a lot of wind. The event started at Honolua Bay at 10 am. At the start line, some of the big guns were Dave Kalama, Ekolu Kalama, Livio Menelau, Mark Raaphorst, Scott Trudon, Jeremy Riggs, and Andrea Moller. There were only 25 of us at the starting line with 3 being Australian, Courtney Grey, Fernando Grey & myself. At the start we all had to sit on our boards in a line which was super fair. When the green flag went up it was GO. The first 10 miles = 16 kilometres conditions were very ordinary, with a light side wind & small cross/side swell. All the big guns were so far infront you couldn't see them, but myself & the other Australian Courtney Grey were having the biggest paddle battle. Courtney would be in front then I'd be in front & so on, by the time I hit the 20 kilometre mark conditions started looking really good. The wind was on your back - 25 knots, good 3 feet of ocean swell. You could see the corduroy lines of chop up ahead then all of a sudden you're in this big trough & the trough turns into a nice glassy bit of ocean. I guess you're so far down in the trough you're out of the wind & you're just surfing this ocean swell for BULK. At this stage I'm just lovin it, this Pai'lolo channel is everything I expected. Tell ya what didn't I have a smile from ear to ear. Like you're in the trough & I'm standing as far back as I could get on my SIC 17'6'' Bullet. (The Bullet is the latest Downwind SUP board from SIC & is built for speed), like I say I'm in the trough standing as far back as I could stand on the Bullet just surfing the board from rail to rail, maybe giving a stroke of my Quick Blade paddle with the big 10'' inch head every 10 or so seconds just to stay down in the trough. The Pai'lolo channel runners are just all time I was catching runners for like one minute, I've never experienced runners for this long ever. I'm thinking - man if I tell the guys back home in Australia I was catching runners for like one minute they'd think I was lying. At the finish of the race I asked Conner Baxter, I said to Conner "how good where those runners mate I was in them for bulk", Connor says "yeah Phil, I was in them for like a minute", I was so stoked to hear Connor say that. I had to ask Dave Kalama "what would you rate that run Dave?" he said "Phil 5/10", I said to Dave "imagine 9/10". Congratulations to Connor Baxter for taking out 1st place in 3 hours 29 minutes & 4 thousand dollars. I came in 13th Place in 4 hours 1 minute I was more than happy with my time as Australians average 10 kilometres an hour & the Hawaiian average 12 kilometres an hour. At the finish line I was talking with Andrea Moller. This woman is a weapon, one of the best SUP & OC1 paddlers in Hawaii. Even gets towed into Jaws when it's maxing - smashed me in the Pai'lolo race by 8 minutes Andrea came in 9th overall. Anyway Scot Trudon joins in the conversation & says "Phil this women has smashed a lot of guys egos", I thought that was just gold & the three of us just started laughing. This was a fantastic event put on by Handsome Bugga Productions. www.handsomebuggaproductions.com - thank you Rodney. You Handsome bugga you! The Hawaiians want to make the Pai'lolo channel the new Kaiwi channel (Molokai to Oahu crossing) as the new Molokai race as its just way more convenient for competitors to compete as you don't need to pay for expensive support boats, no 30 knot head wind near the finish line & the Molokai ferry is right there at the finish line (stoked). Competitors could save themselves around $2,000 dollars easy.

I didn't go to the presentation I just wanted to get on the Molokai ferry and get back to Kahului so I could do a couple of Maliko runs the next day. I ran into Mike Perry on Namotu Island, Fiji after the Hawaiian SUP legs. He was filming the Pai'lolo express race from the sponsor's boat & showed me footage of competitors catching runners for one + minutes. Mike said "so you're the bloke on the Orange-Yellow-White camouflage board". (while I was hanging on Namotu island surfing perfect waves. Dave Kalama, Kai Lenny, Robbie Naish & Micki Schweiger rock up, these guys are the best Stand Up Paddle surfers on the planet. We got swimming pools pumping "Talk about SUPing with the legends").

For those interested in going to Maui 2011:- Mormaii is sponsoring the Handsome Bugga Mormaii Triple Crown of Downwind Paddling.
Sunday 3rd July Mormaii Triple Crown #1 Maliko Gulch to Kahului Harbour 9.54 miles
Sunday 10th July Mormaii Triple Crown #2 Maliko Gulch to Honolua Bay 21 miles
Saturday 16th July Mormaii Triple Crown #3 Honolua Bay Maui to Kaunakakai Molokai 27 miles

Here are a couple of more races if you're keen to spend the month of July 2011 on Maui.
Sunday 24th July Maui International Paddleboard Race Maliko Gulch to Kahului Harbour 9.54 miles
Sunday 31st July Molokai Channel Race Kaluakoi to Hawaii Kai 32 miles

Like Hawaii/California having major sponsors for their Paddleboard/SUP race series e.g. Hennessey's - Naish - Mormaii - Rainbow Sandals. It'd be great if Australia had races like this with a major sponsor with big prize money. We do have the Honolua race that has been running since May 2003 from Snapper Rocks to Currumbin Alley 8 km - 5 miles (thankyou Honolua - best race in Australia) envisage a triple crown in Australia. Race one - Snapper to Currumbin Alley 8 km, Race two - Snapper Rocks to the Spit (Seaway to Seaway) 30 km, Race three - Brunswick Heads to Currumbin Alley 50km. Imagine the international contingent that would come to Australia.

Stoked to be back on Maui & bragged to Mark Huxley & Jenny Ryan how good the Pai'lolo channel runners are - all time & if I ever come to Maui again in the future I'm putting the Pai'lolo channel crossing on my itinerary. I was amped like a little grommet with a bit of ADHD that's drunk a glass of red cotties cordial knowing that we are going to do another Maliko run - mate I just can't get enough of the place. Again conditions for a Maliko run are just gold; with 25 knots of east wind with a NE swell. With every Maliko run you've got to watch out for the turtles (mine fields) they just pop up out of nowhere, some turtles are as big as the bonnet of your car. It's great paddling with Hux we'd always have some mighty paddle battles & the beauty about wearing a GPS Forerunner 310XT you can record your times & with the graphs it shows on your laptop are unbelievable, but you need a year 12 education just to work the watch out. Very high tech equipment. We would average the 15 kilometre Maliko Gulch run to the first green buoy inside Kahului Harbour in 66-72 minutes (on Maliko the SUP's will give a OC1 a run for their money). The Elite guys would do a run in 60-65 minutes so I was more than happy with my times (stoked). The fastest time ever recorded for a Maliko Gulch run to the first green buoy was in May 2010 by Dave Kalama in 53 minutes. Conditions were nuking with 35-40 knot East wind they say the ocean looked like a snow field full of just white water. Blair Thorndike a legendary hard core 12ft stock paddleboarder said "Phil mate, you'd have to wear a leg rope & just hang on, you didn't need to paddle". On this one Maliko run we did again conditions were pumping - getting some all time runners, dodging the mine field of turtles then all of a sudden this 2 foot longton fish just flew out of the water like a torpedo & hit me between the legs. Anyway I keep going just surfing. Maliko in the afternoon around 3:00pm you get welding flash as you're paddling into the sun, so you kind of just focus 3-5 metres in front. So I'm on this runner & it's just going & going for bulk, then all of a sudden I see this big 6-7ft bull shark right next to my board. It took my focus off the runner I was on because I just s###t ( Help Me Please Mr Wizard ) I've fallen on my board & if I had any go in me like Steve Irwin - The Crocodile Hunter. I could have grabbed the bull shark by the tail & wrestled it to the beach. The bull shark must have seen me coming & moved out of the way of my SUP. We finish the run so I tell Hux & Jenny my story & Hux said he'd seen a big tiger shark out there as well. After speaking with Blair Thorndike, Blair tells me Maliko is a caf? for tigers.

The Maliko Bus is THE BEST shuttle service ever! You'd have to book well in advance or you'll miss out on a seat. At a $100 dollars for a book of 10 lifts it's great value for money. Or it would cost you around $15+ a lift. With every lift being as entertaining as the last you'd just look forward to that lift on the bus. I met Bill Boyum, what a legend. Bill discovered Gragagan in East Java in the early 70's many years before the great Gerry Lopez made a name for himself claming Gragagan. Also Bill is an excellent movie maker here on Maui, Bill helped me with the making of my low budget I mean no budget LOW PRESSURE PRODUCTION - Magic Paddle a Fijian Adventure Film. The flick is about this Stand Up Paddler that finds this little paddle in the sand, that gets struck by lightning & gets zapped off to the magical Namotu Island of Fiji to SUP perfect waves. Then he gets zapped off to the beautiful Island of Maui for a Maliko downwind run with many funny scenes along the way. For a sneak preview:-

. I met another bloke - a 12ft prone paddler in his late sixties on the shuttle bus. I just can't remember his name but mate what a legend (weapon) of a swimmer. He's swam the English channel & has swum the Hawaiian island chain without a cage, then tells me on one swim between the islands he got attacked by a Cookiecutter shark then shows me the big round scare on his leg. It's always a fun, enjoyable, educational & a laugh on the shuttle bus + the eye candy on the shuttle bus being better than watching TV's Baywatch or a Miss Universe contest. With Kelly Moore the owner/driver of the bus being the full rig + being world windsurfing champion from the 80's with all these other sheilas in their 40's - just absolutely gorgeous. There'd be this Aussie bloke always on the shuttle bus - I think his name was iRONPHIL. He'd be just sitting there with his blood shot eyes drooling everywhere like a St Bernard on a hot day at the beauty of these sheilas. Yes, they breed the Maui girl's very athletic-beautiful- waterwoman on this island.

My good friend Mark Huxley goes & hires a Big V8 DODGE RAM Red Pick-Up Truck for $25.00 a day - talk about fitting in with the locals. The truck was a heap of s##t (styling). Check out the Aussie interview on Maliko Maui: -


Next was the Naish International Paddleboard Race, this race is the best race in Hawaii. Better still the world - established in 2006. Organised by Blair Thorndike & John Gangini. Each year getting bigger & bigger & bigger. Check out the interview with Blair Thorndike & John Gangini - gives an insight on the history of the Maui Maliko Downwind Racing:-
That morning when I was getting ready for the race my body was craving for a feed of fast food, I'm not one for eating fast food as it's like filling your diesel motor with unleaded petrol. Your diesel motor is not going to run. Anyway I go to Burger King just across the road. Ordered a second helping of greasy bacon & eggs with fried tomato & sausages. I got a shock as they give you a large scoop of boiled rice with your meal - I think it's to make your fast food meal look healthy? So I'm eating away when this really big solid bikie Sheila comes up to me & says "do you wanna be my bitch" I was bewildered by the comment & said "no I'm not into strap-ons thanks" then her bikie girlfriend says "don't you think she's got a nice big rack?" I said "yep if I was to jump on the back of her bike at least I'd have something to hold on to", then the three of us just started laughing! It's time to jump on the Maliko shuttle bus for a lift to the race. With 209 competitors hanging around a staggered starting line - 75% being on Stand Up (it was an amazing sight). Just prior to the 1:00pm start the Maliko Gulch had a big rain squall that killed the 20+ knot east wind completely, it shattered every competitor's excitement. It's 1:00pm the staggered race starts at 2 minute intervals with the 12ft stock paddleboards going first then the Unlimited paddleboards, then 12'6" SUP, then 14ft SUP & last the Unlimited SUP. Away we go with SUP wake & paddles hitting the side of your SUP it was hard staying on your SUP with a few paddlers coming unstuck falling into the ocean. After about 10 minutes (a mile into the race) the 20+ knot east wind has hit again so we go from paddle power to formula one downwind surfing; stoked. (With Downwind racing it's not about who can paddle the hardest - it does help - but it's more about who can link up the runners & surf for the longest period - that will win you a race). Now that the wind's up the paddle battle has begun. There were about six blokes I really wanted to beat & did, but there's this one bloke I have the most fun when it comes to the paddle battle & that bloke is Jack Dyson. He'd be in front then I'd be in front, we'd talk to one another as we'd paddle past - my kind of racing (mate - Jack is a legend of a SUP paddler & paddles OC6 man for the state of Hawaii. Way back in 2008 at the Hennessey's before I knew Jack, we had THE BIGGEST paddle battle, he came up to me at the end of the Hennessy's race & says "you wait till next time" & shook my hand. We had an in-depth conversation & a laugh; I really enjoy that camaraderie of racing). I could see Andrea Moller & Alan Cadiz a couple 100 metres ahead, I wasn't too worried about licking my wounds - if Andrea Moller beats me she's a weapon. I was on a mission to catch Alan; Alan's paddling an f18 & is the same age as me + rated in the top ten paddlers on Maui so I'm trying to catch Alan. So I catch this unreal runner surfing it for bulk & unluckily fall, Jack has a big grin on his face as he surfs by. As I jump back on my SUP my coiled leg rope wraps around the lace of my board shorts & undoes the knot & pulls my pants around my ankles. I'm thinking do I waste time tying my board shorts up or do I keep going (because when you fall you loose so much ground). So I keep paddling as every second counts it must have looked funny me running up the beach holding my board shorts up. Congratulation go to Dave Kalama & Andrea Moller for winning the Naish race I came in 16th overall & 3rd in the over 40's (I was more than happy with my result). I'd like to thank Amir Armel for shaping me a great SUP mate, that Bullet is just SIC - again thanks Amir + it's a real buzz & a laugh a minute hanging around the Maui guys - I just love them blokes & I don't mean that in a gay-way.

Its time to leave Maui & a very sad day that was, but I'm going to Molokai for my final leg of the journey. So I jump on the Molokai ferry & again the Pai'lolo channel is doing its stuff - you could actually feel the bow of the ferry being lifted up by the ocean swell & I'd be standing on the top deck of the of the ferry just mind surfing the ocean troughs. Arrive at Kaluakoi Villas at like 10:00pm Friday night as I wanted two good nights rest prior to the race as I've trained for 7 months for this race & still haven't had a beer. My wish was to finish 2nd to Dave Kalama in the over 40's SUP unlimited SOLO division, in a time of 5-5 ? hours - that was my focus. It's the morning of the of the Molokai race 32 Punishing Miles I'm up at 5:00am to give myself an hour to eat my extra large bowl of tuna bolognase. I've found that whenever I paddle between 30-50kms I'll eat a big bowl of spaghetti bolognase for dinner then back it up again for breakfast, very hard to stomach it for breakfast but hey I've got to fill my V8 Diesel motor body with high octane food as my body burns one kilo of weight per 10 kilometres. + I'd wear a 3 litre camelback filled with apricot nectar + a 1.5 litre of just plain water adjoined to the camelback. Its 6:30am & it's just KAOS at the beach with 150 competitors. Means there's 150 boats in the bay, talk about stress! I eventually found my support boat & good friend Captain Matt Dunbar, watching Matt drive his boat in a crowded bay with 150 other boats is inspiring stuff. Matt could drive the boat without thinking with one hand steering the boat & the other hand constantly moving the gears forward-reverse, forward-reverse & so on & come within inches of other boats & not collide. (Some of the elite SUP's would rock up to the Molokai race with 2-3 Unlimited SUP's just so they'd have the right SUP on race day - now that Professionalism) There were 65 SUP's at the starting line with an out going tide (stoked) the siren goes at 7:30am & away we GO! Most of the competitors went north, some went south & a couple of us went straight ahead. The first 7 miles was hard going with a north wind & a north swell, the next 20 miles was OK the wind went east around 20+ knots you could find some nice runners but you really had to read the ocean. You could see support boats scattered all over the Kaiwi channel. It's a real buzz mowing down the paddleboarders as they get a half hour head start, but the paddle boarders always have the last laugh when you hit China Walls. The next 4 miles the ocean has gone funny again, got very hard to find runners but luckily we had an incoming tide (stoked) Hux who was on my support boat yells out Livio Menelau is only 200 metres ahead, to me that was good news as that means the elite weapons are not very far in front. Once I got to China Walls only a mile and a half from the finish line I've hit that dreaded Maunalua Bay 25+ knots head wind talk about punishing. I reckon I was going backwards at one stage & now the paddleboards get to have the last laugh because they can lie down to get out of that head wind & fly by. I was very happy with my Molokai result after what happened to me in 2008. I got my wish finished 2nd to Dave Kalama & did it in under 5 ? hours & to be only 12 minutes (about 2 kilometres) behind James Watson, as James is the best SUP paddler in Australia with congratulation going to Jamie Mitchell for taking out his 9th Molokai win. Also congratulation to Andrea Moller for wining the female SUP SOLO division in 6 hours. After the Molokai Presentation with plenty of liquid refreshments I got a little bit fly-blown & it was time to catch a flight home to Australia in the morning. I was only home one day and caught a flight to Fiji that cost me $610 in excess baggage - (if you want to play you have to pay) as I had 6 x surfboards, 1 x Stand Up, 1 x paddle, fishing rods & a large suit case.

Bula: - For the best-greatest FIJIAN holiday click onto www.namotuislandfiji.com/ & escape to your Namotu atoll oasis where Scotty & Mandy O'Conner are your host. It's the ultimate in 5 star resort accommodation catering for your every saltwater need. Whether you want to hang on top of the water for surf or dive deep underneath with a spear, maybe get dragged along by the wind kite boarding - wind surfing or even a paddle down wind, fishing will blow your mind (tight lines) I had many rapalas destroyed (that would make you cry). & island hoping is a must in the afternoon. The food will fill a 400 pound man's appetite with sashimi for appetizers every evening + I guarantee you will drink around 15 stubbies of Fiji Bitter every night & the kava bowl is always (high tide). When the sun goes down the activities begin $5-$10 US entry fee is the standard rate bet = $300 US up for grabs per game, LCR is the ultimate crowd pleaser, followed by Kelly pool, table tennis or crab racing. & then there's karaoke for the brave - just don't give me the mike I sing like Jed Clampett from the Hillbillies (embarrassing):- Vinaka vakalevu

Phil, inspiring stuff. Thanks for posting. See you over there for the first couple of races. cheers Dave

Will we see this stuff in a mag soon,best read ever thanks!

Love this one.....

pb12

Great story Downwinder. 3 malikos in one day is very impressive, I've yet to do the double.

Dave K. has the record at 6. He did it on a Wednesday previous to a weekend maliko race, (which he won). Ironically, 6 maliko's in a row is not such a big deal for Dave if you compare it to his other endurance paddles. His feats are mind boggling.

If they call you 'iron' Mike, what does that make Dave?

Excellent story. By the way, that's my old board on Hux's truck. Mark made me another just like it - just a bit lighter.

Hope Maui serves up some nuking wind on your next visit. You deserve it and will certainly appreciate it.