Da Slipper -- Journal of the Pacific-Hawaii Crossing by a Windsurfer

THE JOURNAL OF DA SLIPPA II (continued)

9/2 2000 hours. Tuesday. At 1810 or 6:10 PM, LAND HO! Saw Haleakala just before sunset. Had plenty of birds today. They fly around the kite and check me out. Having dinner now, the "Last Supper". Twice cooked noodles with sun dried tomatoes in a parmasean wasabi sauce. Good enough for "A Taste of Lahaina". Very rough tonight. The Arrival

Finally! After 47 days of sailing alone in the vast Pacific Steve Fisher arrives on the shores of Kaanapali. His ultimate goal and the vision he had never lost sight of for ten years, came true as he "smeared a handful of sand all oveer his face. "

9/3 - Wed. Was a rough night. That`s OK, got a dry calm bed tonight. Can`t find Maui. She`s in the clouds somewhere. Very strong winds, this will be the hardest day. Saw plenty of Maui lights last night, but gone today. Can`t be too impatient. That`s when mistakes happen. 21*20N 156*17W.

Made landfall at 6:10 PM today. This day was definitly the toughest one that I have sailed since I left California. Very gusty winds, 15 - 30 knots. Didn`t fall in the water until I got 1/4 of a mile off of the north shore of Maui, an area called "Windmills". A blast of wind came from the shore and catipulted me on to the sail and mast. My left leg nailed the mast and nearly broke. 2400 miles sailed and I nearly break my leg 1/4 mile from Maui! While I sailed from Kapalua to Ka`anapali, the winds were really gusty. After sailing all day, I was beat tired and to have the winds that intense, was at times pushing me over the edge. The winds stopped about 1/2 mile from Black Rock, so I had to de-rig and row the rest of the way. With a current against me, an exhausted body, a very sore leg, I realized "it ain`t over til` it`s over". Someone saw me from the north side of Maui and notified people in Ka`anapali, so when I got there, a crowd of 200 people had gathered. Once I got to the beach, the ultimate goal still had to be achieved. With the crowd gathered around waiting for me to speak, I took a handfull of sand and smeared it all over my face. A screamed came out from my inner core and my ultimate goal had been achieved!

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Although his friends and supporters showered him with leis and congratualtions, the media barely even noticed. But even so, Fisher still has a funny story about his 'fame' after completing the journey. "I did not not receive that much media attention. No interviews on the beach, but a few newspapers did a write-up. Did an interview for a magazine called "AQUA" a few months later. ESPN aired a show called the "Hawaiian Sports Adventure", that was seen worldwide many times. I was more of a celebrity in Toledo, Ohio, where my family lives. The mayor wanted me to be the Grand Marshall for their Thanksgiving Day parade. I declined with a thanks, but no thanks."

The Greeting

Steve Fisher receives a lei from an admiring wahine (lady) after collapsing on the sand after his trip. Much to the stunned disbelief of those who doubted his ability to make it, Fisher's unannounced arrival created cheers and contrversey alike.

Fisher hopes to have the ability to interact over the World Wide Web so that the future trips will be documented live. Plus, he says, the only thing better than making another journey like this again "will be sharing it with others, especially the keikis (children) of the world, so that my trips might inspire other future explorers."