Harty mentors a first time Maui survivor
Two issues ago I posed the question in this very column ‘To Maui or not to Maui?’ The theme was originally inspired by a flurry of emails from Chris Grainger. You may remember Chris from an article a while back about returning to windsurfing. I plotted his wavy aspirations and progress after a long absence from the sport.
Anyway Chris felt that his windy life would not be complete without a trip to Maui. Hence the ‘should I go?’ question was laid at my door (so at least he’d have someone to blame should it fall short), which I chose to answer in a suitably non-committal article. “It’s the best and worst of times ... it’s what you make of it etc.”
The trick to Maui is to manage expectations, which are generally stratospheric. If you book into a 6 star $600 a night hotel in Mustique, you spend the whole time running your finger along the ledge looking for dust and flaws in a way you don’t in a scummy B&B in Bognor. So off he went and I insisted he kept me informed with daily ‘warts and all’ updates.
IRELAND VS. HAWAII
It was always going to be an angst-ridden start because the Maui project had replaced a trip with me to Kerry, his second favourite place in the world (Donegal being the first, Chris is Irish) – and his mood was helped even less by our Facebook posts of Irish sun and waves, while his first few days hadn’t quite lived up to the image.
“I think you are in Ireland at the moment? I wonder who has made the better choice!!!! It’s not at all how I expected it. Without your warnings I would be a very unhappy chap right now. No wind on the north shore. I have rubbed shoulders with world champions, but on the other hand it has rained constantly. I have been in waves once and I have spent £3,500 to get here! Should I be happy...? Or sad...?”
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