Sunday morning we woke up with the sun and watched as several kayakers launched early that morning. Rick and I were quick to get packed up and ready to go as we watched the waves get bigger and the wind picked up. I'm sure the crew was ready to launch by 8, but it seemed like we had been ready for hours before we shoved off.
Since Kalalau was tricky to get into (two of our four kayaks hulied), we knew it would be tricky to get out. We decided to send out the kayaks without rudders first since they would be more difficult to launch. Six of us tried to launch Rhian and Dawn--they were unable to keep the boat straight over the waves and tipped over. The front of the boat hit Rhian in the chest and knocked the wind out of her. She was floating in the water, gasping for breath, as the boat washed back on shore. We pulled Rhian ashore--she was bruised but ok. We were all discouraged and scoured the beach for a place to launch. I thought we'd have to stay in Kalalau yet another night...
We were dragging a kayak down the beach when Amanda and Craig said we were going to launch our boat. I was very nervous since I had just watched Rhian and Dawn crash and burn, and I knew that it was up to me to keep the boat straight. Great. Criag and I launched and paddled hard forever, bucking waves and keeping straight--somehow we made it out past the surf. It wasn't long before all 4 boats had made it on to the water safely.
The beginning of Sunday's paddling was very easy and relaxing. I found my muscles loosened up quickly and the wind was behind us. The shore was riddled with caves, and I actually got to enjoy the view this time since I took my Bonine for sea sickness. It was very nice--an enjoyable paddle.
We stopped for lunch at Miloli'i Beach, the only other place on the Na Pali Coast where it's legal to land your kayak. There was a channel through the reef so I had to line up channel markers to steer properly--reminded me of IFR flying. It was an easy landing and soon all 4 kayaks were safe on the beach.
Miloli'i is very remote, and we had the whole beach to ourselves for a while. Kayaking is the only way to get to this beach, and it had some pretty nice facilities (more composting toilets and an actual shower!). The beach was surrounded by a huge cliff face and we saw a monk seal and her pup. A little lunch under the shade trees, and we were ready to shove off for our last leg of the journey.
Half of our crew decided to spend a night at Miloli'i, but the other four of us had to work on Monday. Craig and I teamed up again as we had the whole trip, and Rick was teamed up with Larry, the guy no one really knew. He was a new roommate of one of the other kayakers and Larry apparently had a lot of kayaking experience. I'd say he's in his 60s and out of shape... anyway, we shoved off in our two kayaks for the last few hours of kayaking.
We had made a custom of travelling within earshot of one other kayak and keeping the other two in sight. After launch, it appeared as though the other boat was coming. Then they were out of sight. Then it looked like Rick was giving the distress signal, but when I looked again, they were paddling. We hung back and eventually they caught up to us, all flustered. Rick said they were going in circles and he had to physically push the kayak off of rocks with his paddle. Apparently Larry didn't know how to use the rudder on the kayak and wanted us to put it up for him. He said he could steer without the rudder, but after five or ten minutes, he was failing at that and we put the rudder back in the water. I could tell Rick was very uncomfortable and we were getting nowhere fast, but there was no easy fix short of going back to Miloli'i and reloading everyone. If we were to play musical chairs and put Craig steering one boat and I in the back of the other, we risked losing the paddles and kayaks and tipping and possibly injuring or tiring ourselves. Somehow we were going to have to make this work.
Just as we had separated the two boats and had begun paddling again, their boat hulied. Everyone was fine and everything was very secure on the top of the boat, but the waves were picking up and if they didn't stay perpendicular to the waves, they would tip again. They righted the boat and got everyone on (though Larry got on backwards and was attempting to get his life jacket--all the rest of us were already wearing ours) and we started paddling again. Although we could tell that this would be a trying journey, we kept our boats within 100 feet of theirs for guidance and support.
The seas calmed after rounding the bend, and the water was like glass. It was odd; it seemed as though Craig and I were constantly coasting along waiting for Rick and Larry as they paddled with all their might. We thought maybe it was because our boat was heavier due to the leaky hatch. We could tell too that the other two were not having a good time and kept arguing about who was not pulling their weight... Craig and I couldn't help from laughing and singing as we looked over at them.
After about an hour of fairly decent paddling, we could see Polihale beach where I had parked the car. Personally, I was a little disappointed we had reached our destination so soon--Craig and I were having a great time and my arms felt great! It was stressful, though, constantly worrying about the other kayak. And with due cause--we were a mere 30 minutes from landing when they hulied once again in the open ocean. After righting the kayak, it was discovered that Larry had left one of the water-tight seals open to the hull of the boat letting the boat fill with water the whole time they were paddling. He thought it was a cup holder. The back half of the boat was under water. We had the pump in our kayak and Rick was pumping the water out onto his face because, for some reason, it was the only way it would work. There was so much water in it that he pumped out some, and decided they would try and paddle the last little way into the beach.
They got back on the kayak, paddled for about 30 seconds, and flipped over again. We realized it would take forever to pump it out, so we decided to tow it in. We tied their kayak to the back of ours and kept them floating in the water. I couldn't steer at all since Larry was holding on to my rudder. Nice. Seriously, this guy had kayaking experience? Luckily we were near Polihale and there were a ton of people on the beach--we flagged down some jet-skiiers who pulled in the kayak and carried the guys in. Apparently the kayak hulied again as they brought it in. Craig and I landed beautifully at Polihale which is known for its tricky landings.
Rick really impressed me with his patience. Craig and I both thought there would be a fight on the beach when we arrived--the tension was terrible and both men were at wits end. But all was well and Rick and I walked up to my car, let the air out of the tires, drove down on the beach, loaded up the kayaks, and we were done with our adventure. But oh, did we have stories to tell...
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