First Kwaj Paddle and Storm

I was able to get my first paddling run on an outrigger canoe within a week of arriving on the island.  There are two canoes available on the island: Kahoku and Kila.  Both of the canoes originated on Johnston Island back in the 1990's and I was very familiar with them.  It's amazing how well they looked after 15+ years of being out in the hot and humid environment. The canoes are located at Camp Hamilton which is one of three beaches on the lagoon side of the island. The water was very warm and the conditions were flat. Five of us took the canoe out for about an hour run and needless to say, I was sweating like a _ig!!  Although it was a tough paddle, it was great to be back on the water.  We also saw a couple of sea turtles while we were out. There is a recreational group of paddlers that like to go  maybe once or twice a week unless the weather doesn't look like paradise. Hopefully, we can get the club motivated to build it up to promote some good training in the future.

Gus on his first island paddle (seat 5) from Camp Hamilton.



Maegan playing near the shore at Camp Hamilton beach area.



Mason trying to get used to being covered in sand all the time...

Gorgeous island sunset!

Another sunset from our living room windows...

The next day, we went to Emon Beach to play around and the next thing you know, a dark thunderstorm blew in while we were on the water. We hid under a covered pavilion and waited about 45 minutes for it to clear before deciding to head home in the rain (since we were wet anyway). It was crazy to think that the weather went from tropical hot and sunny paradise to torrential downpour within a span of 10 minutes. As you can see from the below pictures, it didn't keep Mason and Maegan from having fun. Since arriving we've only had two days of rain and clouds all day--it usually passes after a few minutes.

A little island fact: Kwajalein gets 100+ inches of rain per year, compared to Seattle with ~38 inches (and Tri-Cities ~6-8 inches, I believe). Fortunately, it rarely floods as the porous coral island sucks it up.

Maegan dancing in the rain storm.

Fresh rain water! Amazing how fast the island soaks it up.

Old man patiently waiting for the rain to pass...