Friday Full On
Back to the fabled out-and-back Ironman swim course this morning, where our guests set challenges for themselves: they could swim the entire 2.4 (actually a tad longer) miles, or half that distance. We let them decide “on the fly”, as well. When we arrived at the Kona Pier, the ocean was flat calm, no wind or swell. A first for us here! The water wasn’t quite as clear as we had hoped, but this was due to a recent coral spawning event, so we can live with that.
The Ironman swim course is set up with a series of buoys lining the first portion of the swim, ending with the “King’s Buoy” at the 1.2 turnaround, then a long ½ mile stretch with no markings at all until the turnaround buoy. It can be really hard to see from a swimmer's eye height, so it’s always nice to have our 6’-4” guide Ryan in his neon yellow shirt on a paddleboard leading the way. Kekau brought Luise to the King’s buoy and back to the pier, then swam back out to usher more swimmers in. Luise was rock-solid as always, and made the bold-for-her decision to not go further than she had planned - unusual for her! Luise, 84, has nothing to prove in the water, and having done the full course twice before, has nothing to prove here!
Kristen arrived with an injured shoulder. She can’t stroke with her left arm at all (until she gets it fixed), so she swims with only her right arm, a swimmer snorkel and a pair of fins on her feet. She entered this swim thinking she’d turn around at the King’s Buoy, but decided to do the whole thing after seeing how calm the conditions were. After we went about 100 yards past the buoy, the wind picked up. Then it picked up some more. Kristen, undaunted, plowed ahead.
By the time we reached the turnaround buoy, there were whitecaps. Mary Anne and Bridget had already rounded the buoy and headed back to the pier. Kristen and I waited for Heather and Debbie, not far behind at the turn around. A few celebratory photos then back to business. The swim back was pretty bumpy, but our swimmers worked with the water and Ryan guided us to the smoothest route.
Lots of high-fives and hugs back at the pier, then we sent everyone off on their own for lunch. Have I mentioned anything about the shave ice in Hawaii? We all hit Scandie’s after lunch for a much deserved icy treat, and it did not disappoint. Ice cream in the middle of a shave ice cone and snow cap drizzle on top? Mahalo.
Back at the hale, naps. Some of us splashed around the bay a little bit. Heather dragged in her big camera for some swimmer portraits and fun photos of another rock running session.
Clare and Dan were off getting ready for a trip to the main land, so they left me in charge of heating up short ribs, rice, and bok choy. I did a little impersonation of Dan, then Clare. More work needed on that, but I’ll be just as glad to have the real thing next year! Ryan set up his projector and a screen, and we settled in to watch one of Heather’s famous slide shows. Laughs, tears, ooohs and aaaahs.
This group of swimmers were open and game for anything. They soaked in every drop that Hawaii offered. Charlie is a huge inspiration to all of us, an 86 year old open water swimmer.
We’ll take them for a swim in our home bay early in the morning, then say goodbye. We turned in early, like the mongoose and the Francolin birds that roam around this little slice of heaven. One more morning to wake up to the sounds of Hawaii. We leave, but the aloha always calls us back.
Hopper
