Photo from Maui Card
The moment my Facebook post was up about arriving at Maui’s Maalaea Harbor for the Ali`i Nui’s Sunset Sail comments began pouring in. The eagle eyes of Ali`i Nui fans singled out the 65′, custom-built, catamaran’s name in an instant and congratulated me on my good fortune. It didn’t take long to see why.
Photo by Bekah Wright
A warm welcome awaited, replete with cocktails and refreshing, bite-sized chunks of pineapple.
Photo by Bekah Wright
The friendly crew made sure guests settled in comfortably. Loved chatting with them, especially Gwen and Nick, who shared their own travel and sailing experiences.
Recently, young Nick has been globetrotting to locales like Switzerland and Brazil. He’s chosen to experience these destinations by volunteering and sharing his skills.
Especially, loved hearing Gwen’s story about how destiny brought her together with the Ali`i Nui. I was impressed by her determination to dive into the opportunity, uprooting her life in Washington state to move to Maui. She let me know a good part of journey came from making connections with guests on the Ali`i Nui. I felt so honored to have met her.
Photo by Bekah Wright
As the sun dipped into the ocean, we all jockeyed for our favorite position on board to soak in the view.
Photo by Bekah Wright
I loved gazing back at Maui and seeing the island’s gentle edges dipping into the Pacific.
Photo by Bekah Wright
Before long the call came, “Dinner is served!” Truth be told, they called this spread appetizers, but it sure felt like dinner to me. Laid out around the bar were platters and platters of fresh fare, much of it from Ali`i Nui’s own farm.
Photo by Bekah Wright
Photo by Bekah Wright
Photo by Bekah Wright
I passed on the shrimp due to allergies, but loaded up on veggies, Caesar salad, roasted potatoes, hummus pita and beef stuffed with mango. Delish! As for dessert, that came via a birthday cake in Paul Steele’s honor. There were hot, chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies, too. Okay, maybe they weren’t hot, but in my memory, they were fresh out of the oven.
Photo of Paul Steele by Bekah Wright
Paul wasn’t the only one being honored that night with the bestowing of special leis by Keli`i Brown of the Maui Visitors Bureau. I got one composed of the sweetest pink rose buds for my birthday. Rick and Steve got leis for their 10th anniversary.
Photo by Bekah Wright
We were definitely a happy bunch. As the sun went down, we headed up top for a group photo. The wind made for some interesting photos.
Photo by Nancy D. Brown
Speaking of interesting, this was about the time seasickness got the best of me. It doesn’t take more than merely looking at a photo of light, rolling surf for queasiness to strike me. Earlier, Gwen had pointed out the boat’s sweet spot for when the stomach starts roiling.
Turns out, getting seasick on the Ali’i Nui comes with perks — the captain lets you steer the boat! Um, my steering wasn’t the best, I must admit. Probably the reason this person was sharing the sweet spot with me.
After introductions were made, we learned fate had, like with the Ali`i Nui and Gwen, brought us together in our seasickness. Jovelyn and I had been working together via email for years, but never met face-to-face. In getting to know each other in person, I forgot my queasiness and marveled, yet again, in Maui’s magic.
Photo by Bekah Wright
To learn more about the Ali`i Nui or to book a sailing expedition (snorkeling, tradewind and sunset sails available) visit http://www.aliinuimaui.com. For information about Maui visit http://www.gohawaii.com/maui.
