“It was overwhelming satisfaction, and I couldn’t believe that we could actually come in that far north. I thought the only way to get across the channel was to come across the south. It felt good—we had a good line going across, and we were making good time, so we went with it. I turned my nose to the summit of Haleakalä, and that was a good angle, so we went with it all the way until I hit rock.”

The channel was kind to Owens, who paddled almost parallel to the waves under sunny skies, frequently catching bumps that propelled him along. Flying fish and curious seabirds accompanied him throughout the voyage. Fueled by Mendo Mate and Gatorade-Emergen-C-water mixes, he arrived at Manawainui on Maui’s south shore at 1:19pm after 6 hours and 54 minutes of paddling. No traditional paddleboard crossing across the ‘Alenuihähä has been documented.

                Owens then continued to paddle up the beautiful barren coastline an additional 15 miles to La Perouse Bay, where he arrived at 4:10pm. “My original intention was to go to La Perouse, and I thought the 30 miles was shorter than I anticipated, so I decided to give everyone a show,” Owens said.  

This is the first leg of Owens’ new mission to become the first person on record to successfully solo paddleboard across the channels that link the major Hawaiian islands. From Maui, he’ll cross to Lana‘i on the 18th. Upon returning to Maui, his 13-year-old son CJ will join him for a local nine-mile paddleboard race, and then they’ll solo-paddle together 15 miles across the Pailolo Channel to Moloka‘i. The adventure culminates in the 32-mile Quiksilver Edition Moloka‘i to O‘ahu paddleboard race on July 30, in which Chris and CJ will compete as a father-son relay team. Proceeds will go to Malama Na Pua Traditional Hawaiian Healing Center. For more information and interviews, contact Brian Emery at (808) 429-2255Owens departed from the Big Island’s ‘Upolu Point shortly after dawn this morning at 6:25am. Rain squalls and winds were blowing out of the east-northeast at 15 to 20 knots, and the ocean swells were a manageable 3 to 4 feet. The conditions were more favorable than Owens had expected as he began his epic paddle across the treacherous ‘Alenuihähä Channel toward Maui. This is the first leg of Owens’ new mission to become the first person on record to successfully solo paddleboard across the channels that link the major Hawaiian islands. From Maui, he’ll cross to Lana‘i on the 18th. Upon returning to Maui, his 13-year-old son CJ will join him for a local nine-mile paddleboard race, and then they’ll solo-paddle together 15 miles across the Pailolo Channel to Moloka‘i. The adventure culminates in the 32-mile Quiksilver Edition Moloka‘i to O‘ahu paddleboard race on July 30, in which Chris and CJ will compete as a father-son relay team. Proceeds will go to Malama Na Pua Traditional Hawaiian Healing Center. For more information and interviews, contact Brian Emery at (808) 429-2255

                “It was overwhelming satisfaction, and I couldn’t believe that we could actually come in that far north. I thought the only way to get across the channel was to come across the south. It felt good—we had a good line going across, and we were making good time, so we went with it. I turned my nose to the summit of Haleakalä, and that was a good angle, so we went with it all the way until I hit rock.”

The channel was kind to Owens, who paddled almost parallel to the waves under sunny skies, frequently catching bumps that propelled him along. Flying fish and curious seabirds accompanied him throughout the voyage. Fueled by Mendo Mate and Gatorade-Emergen-C-water mixes, he arrived at Manawainui on Maui’s south shore at 1:19pm after 6 hours and 54 minutes of paddling. No traditional paddleboard crossing across the ‘Alenuihähä has been documented.

                Owens then continued to paddle up the beautiful barren coastline an additional 15 miles to La Perouse Bay, where he arrived at 4:10pm. “My original intention was to go to La Perouse, and I thought the 30 miles was shorter than I anticipated, so I decided to give everyone a show,” Owens said.  

This is the first leg of Owens’ new mission to become the first person on record to successfully solo paddleboard across the channels that link the major Hawaiian islands. From Maui, he’ll cross to Lana‘i on the 18th. Upon returning to Maui, his 13-year-old son CJ will join him for a local nine-mile paddleboard race, and then they’ll solo-paddle together 15 miles across the Pailolo Channel to Moloka‘i. The adventure culminates in the 32-mile Quiksilver Edition Moloka‘i to O‘ahu paddleboard race on July 30, in which Chris and CJ will compete as a father-son relay team. Proceeds will go to Malama Na Pua Traditional Hawaiian Healing Center. For more information and interviews, contact Brian Emery at (808) 429-2255Owens departed from the Big Island’s ‘Upolu Point shortly after dawn this morning at 6:25am. Rain squalls and winds were blowing out of the east-northeast at 15 to 20 knots, and the ocean swells were a manageable 3 to 4 feet. The conditions were more favorable than Owens had expected as he began his epic paddle across the treacherous ‘Alenuihähä Channel toward Maui. This is the first leg of Owens’ new mission to become the first person on record to successfully solo paddleboard across the channels that link the major Hawaiian islands. From Maui, he’ll cross to Lana‘i on the 18th. Upon returning to Maui, his 13-year-old son CJ will join him for a local nine-mile paddleboard race, and then they’ll solo-paddle together 15 miles across the Pailolo Channel to Moloka‘i. The adventure culminates in the 32-mile Quiksilver Edition Moloka‘i to O‘ahu paddleboard race on July 30, in which Chris and CJ will compete as a father-son relay team. Proceeds will go to Malama Na Pua Traditional Hawaiian Healing Center. For more information and interviews, contact Brian Emery at (808) 429-2255