In October of 2003, I sailed on the Hokulea. We went from O'ahu to Molokai. Ti went in 2000. It was a hard journey but quite thrilling and certainly humbling. Interesting though that when I think of the Hokulea, my "ride" across that part of the pacific doesn't come to mind at first. Actually, I think of Eddie Aikau.
Last year, I was working at the local hospital here on the North Shore of O'ahu and we were in the middle of a meeting when I heard someone ask, "What does that mean, 'Eddie would go'?" She was referring to a bumper sticker that is very common on the islands. . . I also had one on my truck when I lived in Utah. Now, I could understand this question if the asker was new to the community or had never been to Hawai'i but she was neither. (Already triggered by that). But what stunned me was that the person she asked had lived in Hawaii on the North Shore for about 15 years, was a self proclaimed surfer girl, and told a completely completely COMPLETELY distorted narrative of who he was and why he is revered. She said, "He was a surfer who would go and surf any wave no matter how high." OK, it's one thing to not know the answer to a question and acknowledge it but it's another to make up history and tell it as if it were true! In all fairness, there is a little myth out there saying that Mark Foo once looked at some huge waves and muttered "Eddie would go", but that was not how this chick answered. So for the record, this is why I kept the bumper sticker of "Eddie Would Go" on the truck I bought from my sister and her husband.
Eddie was a lifeguard on the North Shore who went to great and sometimes dangerous lengths to save lives in the sometimes daunting waves of the ocean. . . He would go out to save a life no matter the size of the wave. Thus, Eddie was a hero because Eddie would go. That alone is awesome. Reminds me of the scripture John 15:13. Look it up!
The night after my trip on the Hokulea, I heard a slightly different take on the saying. Master Voyager and personal friend of Eddie Aikau, Nainoa Thompson, told the story of being with Eddie on the Hokulea when it capsized at sea. It was apparent during his talk, that after almost 30 years, the experience was still quite devastating. In 1978, the Hokulea capsized when it was in its' first leg of the trip from Hawai'i to Tahiti. It hadn't left Hawaiian waters yet. Eddie wanted to get help for his friends and fellow voyagers, so he paddled off on his surfboard toward land. He was never seen again.
For the lives that he saved and the life that he gave, Eddie would always go.
