Drakes Bay 2021

[Philpott]

Brendan Huffman is coming up for the Drakes Bay race. Very good. We got to know Brendan a bit while we were in Hanalei Bay. Here's a story:

Brendan on s/v Siren finished in a squall, in the middle of the night. Very rude of him but that's the way it goes. Maybe someone could change the rules, ask that people come in during banking hours only.

Synthia, Greg and I were on Sea Squirrell II, along with Margie Woods and Brendan's crew (sorry, forgot his name, very nice fella). Once we had off-loaded Margie and crew at Siren we went to collect John Wilkerson s/v Perplexity, who finished just behind Siren. By this time it's 2:30 in the morning and we were all tired. Not as tired as Brendan, obviously, but tired enough.

John wanted to stay aboard Perplexity and we received a radio call asking whether we could collect Margie, Brendan and crew, take them to shore. Margie's car was parked in the parking lot at the beach side of the Hanalei River. Okay. Sure, why not?

Collected them. Brendan's crew had a small cooler full of beer. We made room in the Sea Squirrel, headed to shore, remembered that the road up to Princeville had closed at 11 pm, did they want to change their minds, stay on Siren? No. Brendan wanted off the boat. Alrighty then. Off we go.

Synthia steers the Sea Squirrel brilliantly, right up to the boulders on the un-beach side of the Hanalei River. Still night time, mind you. Dark. Really dark. Synthia has to be careful to raise the 300 hp outboard as we approach the boulders, coasts in, we bump up, then Greg jumps into the water and holds the boat in place.

We remind the sleep deprived Brendan to put on and turn on his headlamp, and we all do the same. Brendan's crew gets into the chest-high water first, carrying the chest above his head. He's a strong guy. Young.

Then Margie slides into the water then Brendan. Then I do. Last. Reluctantly because it’s dark and there might be pythons in the water but what the hell.

We slip and slide up the slimy, moss covered boulders to the path through the jungle. We stumble through the jungle. Brendan and Margie are barefoot but they have their headlamps on. They are really good sports. They have impeccable manners.

Do they say, “What the hell? Why would you have a race to Hanalei Bay when you could go to Kaneohe instead?”? No, they do not.

Do they ask, “Where is the intrastructure for this race? We shouldn’t have to walk through the jungle in the middle of the night barefoot!”? No, they do not.

Instead Brendan says, “I can’t believe you guys have gone to all this trouble for us. This is really a trek. Thank you.”

Then we get to the 194 steps up along the construction site of the hotel. He falters for just a very small moment as he looks up. Then he laughs and starts up. Just off the boat, as the saying goes, and he heads up the steps to the top where we only have three more blocks to walk to the condo.

At the top of the stairs I look back and watch his crew set down the cooler and open it. He wants to celebrate Brendan’s achievement. I hear him ask, “Would you like a beer?”

“No, I’m good,” says Brendan.

Now, that’s what I’m talking about. I look forward to seeing him.