The Build

It's getting close, but how did we get here?

It had something to do with COVID.

This is the first computer render of Aukai.

Another render of the Salon in our chosen finishes.

On Saturday, March 14, 2020, Trina and I were in Stockholm. COVID just wiped out our neighborhood supermarket. One day normal shopping the next, an empty store and empty streets. The world was closing down all around us, and it was happening on an hour-by-hour timeline.

We did not want to be in Sweden without family and familiar institutions. So we scrambled. We found a route from Stockholm through Amsterdam to Narita to Honolulu. After a surreal forty-five hours, we were in Hawaii.

This SAS flight to Amsterdam was completely empty. The flight attendant said the airline had just ceased operations indefinitely.

Within days of our arrival, Hawaii closed down completely. Even the beaches and parks were closed. We walked in the neighborhood for exercise - but we also had Iki, our 18ft Boston Whaler at Kaneohe Yacht Club.

Kaneohe Bay is an enormous sheltered windward playground with reefs, beaches, anchorages, sea life, and astounding views. The State started regulating boating - no more than four on a boat and only from the same family... and they closed parts of the bay that are popular for swimming and parties. But there was wiggle room in the rules. We spent at least 120 days during the first year of COVID out on Iki.

Every day we went past a really nice Fountaine-Pajot 44. It looked like the ultimate play platform. Growing up cruising on our parents boats and spending summers in Hanalei bay, we were itching for a way to spend more time on the water.

Then -- one day on our way out of the slip at KYC headed to our picnic spot, we saw Ticket to Ride. We'd chartered a bunch of Cats in the Caribbean, but this was something totally different from those boats. It was impressive. Really impressive. It looked fast but also nice. Premium and precision. Carbon accents, carbon rig... The mark on the boat said HH55. I'd never heard of it.

Google said - Morrelli & Melvin (Gunboats and racing Cats) all carbon, high-performance luxury cruising cats... clearly out of my reach.

I had the bug. It was COVID, and these people were out there sailing the world. I started looking at factory boats like the Fountaine-Pajot - big, comfortable platforms - my son Kian looking over my shoulder grimacing and sending me links to Sea Wind, Kinetic, Outremer, and Balance.

Sometime later, Kian sent me another link - HH is introducing a relaxed version of the 50, the same M&M-designed hulls but made of fiberglass, an aluminum rig, and fixed keels. Slightly more affordable and less intimidating but still ferocious lines like TTR.

I checked out the"OC50" about 20 times and compared it to the other performance options. By this time, I had ruled out the "fatter" slower factory boats.

I woke up one day and told Kian to find a contact at HH. We picked up the phone and reached out to their Rep, Chris Bailet. Pretty quickly, I told him to draw up a contract for the OC50. We sent our deposit (point of no return) and started making choices about the build.

About a month in, I started thinking a lot about the rig. I wondered why I would put a big, metal rig on such a nice boat? Surely, if there is one major upgrade to consider, it's the rig.

After about five more upgrade iterations, Chris calls me and suggests the obvious - go all carbon (but we insisted on keeping the keels for sanity's sake).

Soon after, we went to Miami to meet the HH team and step on a real HH50. We met Catherine, Lickety's owner, and she gave us at least two hours of detailed insights and advice (Thank you!). I mentioned the keels at some point late in the day, and Catherine looked at me like I was insane.

"Oh no, no, no.. you don't build an HH50 Sport and put mini keels on it!"

So that was that.. We were in, crazy daggerboards and all.

Here they are - Aukai's daggerboards ready to ship.

Here is Aukai, popping out of the mold.

Here she is early in the build.

Aukai with branding and the subtle boot stripe at the yard in early July, Xiamen China. Check out the custom LED lighting across the aft cockpit roof and around the exterior coachroof.

The nav station is about to be sprayed with its finish coats - even the furniture is custom-built carbon core - super strong and light.

Here is a render of the Salon from the aft deck. Real teak outside and some tough-as-nails plastic stuff inside (I hit the samples with a hammer and could not make a dent or mark). The pedestals on the tables will be matte black to accent the dark walnut cabinets.

The platform above the Davits is a solar surface on carbon, giving us extra kws.

HH5008 - Aukai's first swim test.

In early June, we went to Xiamen. China immigration is no easy matter, but after 3 hours of interrogation, they let us in. Chris was waiting patiently in baggage claim. The next morning we went to meet her for the first time.

Trina sees her for the first time. Chicken skin!

We are about eight weeks out from delivery in Long Beach. Stay tuned.

More to come!