Sailing a Tallship Around the Hawaiian Islands


Marimed Foundation   
    The blog has been quiet this last week because I have been out at sea sailing around the islands of Oahu, Moloka'i, Lana'i, Koho'olawe, and Maui aboard the tallship Makani Olu. The Makani Olu (Gracious Wind) is owned and operated by Marimed Foundation, a non-profit organization involved with sail training since 1988. The 96-foot, three-masted staysail schooner, retrofitted for sail training in Hawaiian waters, is the central component of a model experiential education and treatment program for at-risk adolescents built around ocean voyaging.
   
   The Makani Olu is a 96', three masted schooner. Different groups ranging from elder hostel to private parties can set sail aboard the Makani Olu. This trip was a bit different. Marimed runs a house for troubled boys and occasionally brings them out aboard the Makani Olu as a character and team building endeavor. These boys, 14 through 17, face difficult emotional and educational challenges and require something more structured and restrictive than school or home-based services, but do not need to be hospitalized or incarcerated. This program specializes in adolescent males with conduct disorders and those dually diagnosed with chemical dependency. There were chaperons (youth counselors), as well as a therapist on board.
 
    I was first mate for this voyage and it was to be one of my toughest voyages yet, at least mentally. I have always been surrounded by very eager, excited, and enthusiastic people on these voyages in the past. I figured my enthusiasm would wear off on the boys, especially those in my watch. But even after a week at sea, sailing around the Hawaiian islands, snorkeling with sea turtles, watching the bioluminescence at night, and setting sails in small craft advisory conditions didn't break through to the kids in my watch. However, some boys really started to come around. One in particular was very outspoken about how he didn't want to come in the beginning and had a complete reversal, loving it at the end! Except for some broken heads that would not be fixed, despite our best efforts, the boat performed admirably and brought everyone safely back to Oahu.

Kaneohe Bay
Makani Olu at the end of the pier







The boys playing football on the sandbar

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