My Definition Of “Tropical Islands” Has Been Expanded To Maui!

My family trip to Maui is creating wonderful family memories and is also educational.

When I think of tropical islands, my mind always goes to the Caribbean. But, my California family members think of Hawaii. So, that is where we all went this week.  This is the second Thanksgiving my extended family has spent in the Hawaiian Islands. 

This year we selected the Four Seasons Resort on Maui as our headquarters with a total of 14 joining us.  What a great choice we made.  Last night our Thanksgiving feast was out on the lawn just above the breaking waves with torches lit around our table as our only lighting with the full moon.  It was a magical night of sharing our mountain of blessings together. 

I am always on the lookout for interesting cultural aspects of any tropical island I am visiting. This week my focus has been on the ancient art of outrigger canoe paddling.  The Four Seasons Resort is only one of two hotels in all of Hawaii that is certified to have an outrigger paddling program. 

Rob, Michael and Gary are the leaders of this program.  We have joined them early each morning for a 45 minute workout along the Wailea coast line.  They have also organized a canoe team from the hotel with Lisa, one of the wait staff, as a coach of their co-ed team.  Their 2006 canoe competition gained them 12 first place finishes and one second place finish – pretty impressive given the number of canoe clubs on the islands.  The closest club open to anyone to join is the Kihei Canoe Club, just about ten minutes from the resort.

The perpetuation of this ancient art has gained momentum in such a manner that it is now an honor if you are able to join a Canoe Club.  They have two sections of their racing season – sprint season and long distance season.  The sprint season has distances from a quarter mile to three miles.  The long distance season has races up to 40 miles, and even a race between islands. 

Our short work out each morning gave us an appreciation of what a paddling pace is at 65 paddles a minute, and remembering that the teams can keep this pace for hours!  The competitive teams train and practice year round and are tremendous athletes.  Next time you are on the Hawaiian Islands, check it out.  Let me know what some of your experiences have been with this ancient Hawaiian traditional sport.

I am off today for meetings with several real estate developers who are creating two 5-star fractional ownership opportunities for our worldwide real estate clients.  I will report back in the next day or so as to what I discover.  Until then…