Maui Canoe Sailing on the Pacific Ocean

There are a so many great Hawaii travel activities to choose from that it can be a little overwhelming when planning a trip to Maui. As I waded into the Pacific Ocean pushing a sailing canoe in front of me, I wondered if I was doing the right one. Like so many travelers, I was on the island to relax and be a little pampered. And pushing a canoe into the ocean hardly constituted either, in my opinion. But no sooner did I climb onto the passenger netting of the boat than that all changed.

I was sailing with the folks at Maui Sailing Canoe as part of my Visit Maui-sponsored trip. And once again, just like my recent time kayaking on Molokai, I was on the water and out of my comfort zone. An horrific Ring-Around-the-Rosie incident during my childhood swim lessons kept me from ever becoming Michael Phelps before Michael Phelps was Michael Phelps. OK, yeah, maybe it’s more that I quit out of embarrassment opposed to the fact that I wasn’t able to go down the pool’s waterslides on a few days. Either way, since I can’t even doggie paddle, I tend to stay out of the water in favor of more landlocked activities.

I sprawled out in the netting and looked back at the beach in front of the Fairmont Kea Lani. I knew there was no way I could swim back there if the boat tipped. And so I was a little nervous. But as Captain Sage took us farther out to sea, I began to trust him and his abilities. I think it was all because he started throwing around observations about the tradewinds coming in; I don’t know how he could see the wind, but it comforted me to know he was looking out for our group while being informative and entertaining at the same time.

The sun felt good on my face, although it was not too hot thanks to the breeze blowing in over the ocean. It was really an ideal way to start my trip to Maui, enjoying a short cruise on a sailing canoe along the Wailea coast over the deep blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. It ended up not only being relaxing, but also a fun traditional activity; outrigger canoes, similar to the one we were on, have been used around the world for centuries. They even transported the first habitants across thousands of miles of ocean from other Polynesian lands.

Gaining more confidence, I sat up and stuck my feet over the edge and into the ocean. It was refreshing to once again get out of my sometimes too-limiting comfort zone and learn to live. Too often I get stuck in a routine, so this really helped loosen me up for so many more new and interesting experiences on Maui, many of which also opened me to trusting those I just met while trying something new. But those are other tales for another another. Now it’s simply just a matter of swinging my legs over and into the ocean and enjoying the ride.