Boards and Paddles for 2008 Showcase Arriving

Exciting days, boards and paddles for the 2008 Maui Sup Board and Paddle Showcase are arriving. Good thing that Hawaiian Island Surf and Sport has agreed to receive and store most of them, and several of the Oahu-based manufacturers are [Read more]

New Flatwater Sup Catalog from Starboard

Starboard is accelerating their Sup program with a new catalog focused on flatwater models. While a few custom designers have built flatwater boards and several innovative builders have released [Read more]

Standup Journal Joins With Kenalu.com To Host The 2008 Maui Sup Board And Paddle Showcase.

We have a big announcement: Standup Journal – the first Sup print magazine – has joined with us at Kenalu.com to host the 2008 Maui Sup Board and Paddle Showcase. [Read more]

Mama’s Fish House

Why would you go to a restaurant where Mai Tais are fifteen bucks.

Because it’s worth it.

Mama’s is a gorgeous place. Actually it’s way past gorgeous. There’s an unobstructed view across the empty beach (it’s not private, but you have to come through the Mama’s entrance to get to it) to crashing waves. There’s the glorious entry, the unique architecture–even the valet parking stand is amazing, the wonderful bar. I halfway expect to meet Humphrey Bogart there someday (and by the way, how much of a man do you have to be to make the name Humphrey represent unadulterated toughness).

The food is excellent, the prices are scary. Just realize you’re going to drop a hundred bucks per person and get over it. Their wines are not stratospherically priced, though maybe I just feel that way after experiencing truly absurd wine prices in Aspen ($300 for Newton unfiltered Merlot at the Montagne restaurant in the Little Nell Hotel–a $40 bottle at any wine store). At any rate, wine prices at Mamas are rational if not a bargain.

Their Ahi Poke is excellent, as is the Lobster soup. Salads and soups are fabulous. They always bring you an amuse bouche (yeah, yeah I know, there’s supposed to be some accent marks in there someplace), usually a bisque, and it’s always excellent and not enough (that’s the idea, eh?). The bread plate is irresistable, slightly sweet fresh baked bread loaves. All the fish entree’s are extremely fresh, caught that morning. They always give the name of the local fisherman that caught the fish. Local fishermen tell me that if their name gets on the menu that means they had a very good day, because Mama’s needs a lot of fish.

Here’s some pictures. If you don’t realize that this is a must go place, at least once per trip to Maui, then I just can’t help you.

I have a friend in Portland who’s a fairly wealthy guy (owns a big car dealership) who has eaten in some of the finest restaurants in the world. He’s a hard guy to please and very outspoken when he doesn’t like something. When he’s in Maui he eats at Mama’s almost every day.

Enough talk, here’s some pictures. In looking at these I felt the place came off looking a little Disney. It’s not.

This series is the valet stand. The valet stand!! Where they keep your car keys! Sure, it’s the first thing you see, but how many restaurants figure out that such a prosaic thing can make a big impression. These folks aren’t assuming you’re going to figure out this place is special–they let you know right away. And they don’t insult your intelligence and taste with a grass hut or something hokey. This is one interesting structure.

The walkway has a gecko pattern to the concrete that looks like something from an Escher painting.

Mama’s beach is beautiful, though the close reef makes entry into the water tricky. It’s a famous surf break, though the long paddle means you’re more likely to see windsurfers in the wave.

Testers–Contact Me

I was getting ready to send all the folks that have signed up to participate in the 2008 Maui SUP Board and Paddle Showcase an email with directions for how this is all going to work, and discovered that the file was corrupted. I have some of the names, but not all. Please contact me ASAP and I’ll send you the information. One person I KNOW I haven’t been able to find (browsing back through emails) is a Lt Cmdr in the Navy who plans to come over from Oahu. If that’s you, email me right away. ust send the email to editor at kenalu dot com (Confusion to the spambots — I hope)

First Reader Photo

We’ve had our first photo uploaded from a Ke Nalu reader: Judy, from Bend, Oregon. Judy says:

“We had just come in from the reef just north of Honokohau Bay. Jack Gillen guided us to the offshore reef where (thankfully) we didn’t encounter any of the local tiger sharks as we tried our first SUS in the islands. We hadn’t surfed since 1968…rusty, but enthusiastic. We love this new sport.”

It’s a little small (next time Judy, please send us photos that are about 1024 X 768 pixels, or what your photo software probably calls mid sized), and it may not be the most astonishing action shot ever, but it’s emblematic of the excitement of SUP, and that people can get into the sport at any level.

Thanks Judy, we’ll be sending you a Ke Nalu rash guard as soon as they are printed.

How to Paddle Straight

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/EfLXV5Iekxc" width="285" height="242" wmode="transparent" /]I shot this with the new rear deck camera mount. It looks like a useful angle. I’m going to try one waist high. Only problem is you’ll be staring at my ass. Hmmm. Maybe not.

Tomorrow–Maui!!

Sam is as nervous as a cat. Whenever we bring his crate up from the basement he stays even closer to Diane than usual–which is not that easy for a dog that spends his life ten inches from her knee. I think he’s concerned about being left behind. I can’t blame him–the weather in Portland sucks out loud right now. [Read more]