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Sacramento, California, United States
so salty pieces of coral from surfing Hawaii in the 60's and 70's getting reef pounded living in my body fall through my skin from time to time!

sailing to Oahu

Jimi Hendrix was playing on Oahu. I had never sailed. Surfed Mexico, California, Hawaii! Aw, how hard could it be to sail 90-110 miles from Kauai to Oahu? Piece of cake, right? Remember it was the 60's! This is so bad. We thought we were looking at Kaiena Point,Ohau, knowing we weren't going to make the concert! But at least we were in site of Oahu-wrong! Coy, who had never sailed before, me,who had never sailed before, jeff and Abbott etc. We were looking at the sleeping giant on Kauai! We had done three-sixty's in the night! We sailed on the only tri-marran I've ever sailed on ( except later ) in my life, missed the concert! It was at the Waikiki Shell Ampitheater ( Moon eclipsed . We finally made Nawilwili Harbor! The Skipper tried to give us his boat saying, " It's trying to kill me"! We watched him go stark raving mad not even realising that had we got caught in the channel current we were on our way to Japan! Remember it was the 60's and we were going to see Hendrix. I left out some of the good stuff but I will make up for it later!

Friday, September 17, 2010

Choices at infinities Kauai-Pakala

         Great wave to ride but how does one get there?  When I was young I surfed Trestles.  It was a hard place to get to.but a great place to ride.  Ask the marines.  They studied and tried to catch us at Camp Pendelton.  Could only catch a few grimmies.
        I don't really mean that but I do mean this.  On the island of Kauai ia a wave that's kind of like Doheney or " Killer Cowells" Ha! in Santa Cruz.  It is a great place to learn how to move a surfboard and at the same time express yourself..
        How many wave riding locations are blocked by private property. A surfer is a trespasser.  What if you are a star? Or rich? 
       Pakala, Kauai.  was part of the Robinson (sugar cane) plantation.  To ride Pakala. one had two choices for an entry point.  A two mile legal walk-with your board from the Waimea River or a very quick run from the road through his land to the beach.  You can see the break from the road.  It isn't even a quarter mile!  So here is the story.
        Kieth Robinson and his paniolos actually roped some of my friends as they ran through that short pasture.  This means they didn't get to surf that day because they had to go to the Lihue police dept. and pay $25 dollars and in certain cases they didn't get their surfboards returned.
        Can you imagine being lassoed by a cowboy on horseback or in his jeep on your way to 6' Pakala's?
I could add that it might be really depressing if you were under the influence of psychedelics!  Never happened to me.  But I was there...
         Lumahai Valley, KalalauValley, and the island of Niihau are still owned by a Robinson.  Not many people have been to these places but I have.  I think they, like all founding haole missionary, business oriented possessers of the land, have given most of what they stold back to the people.  No more agriculture!
Tourism. #1.........
         So it comes down to this...  To surf Pakala;;  Do you walk from the Waimea River OR Do you take the chance?   Your call......
       

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