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Maui Sailing America IIThat's what happened to us on the America II Maui sailing yacht. Okay, maybe everyone is invited, and maybe anyone that pays can go. But we were still thrilled to sit on the same deck and sail in the same racing hull that had participated in the America's Cup in Freemantle Australia in 1987.
1987 America's Cup
The crew told us the history of the yacht as we left the berth in Lahaina Harbor.
Dennis Conner's Stars and Stripes beat our boat (America II) in Fremantle Australia in 1987 to represent the U.S., and then went on to beat the Australian yacht to return America's Cup to America. There was a lot of bad blood between the American and Australian crews, primarily resulting from changes in racing hull design where each side thought the other had an unfair advantage in technology.
Sailing Maui on a Racing Yacht
After learning about all this racing intrique, we were ready to join the racing royalty and see for ourselves if America II had the right stuff.
The day was overcast and a bit cool, and winds are not generally very strong in the morning. But we were amazed at how fast we sailed in the light wind. And we really got the feel of racing when the crew turned the yacht - water spray splashed us, boons and masts whipped around right over our heads as we ducked, sails snapped as they caught the wind, and the boat deck was at such as severe angle that we held on to anything tied down that we could find. We would sail at an angle in one direction, then do a quick turn to the opposite direction when we sailed against the wind.
Maui Whale WatchingWe were on the two hour Morning Whale Watch, so we slowed down from sailing to watch humpbacks. Because the yacht is relatively small and low to the water (compared to some of the large whale watching boats), we had a unique, close up perspective of the whales.
We had this happen on another trip, also when we were in a smaller boat which calls their cruise the Ultimate Whale Watch. Our picture doesn't do justice to the thrill and excitement we had watching a whale the size of a school bus glide just a few feet under us.
This was definitely 'up close and personal' compared to larger and noisier boats. At one point an active group (pod) of whales swam by us. In the picture below, one whale is breaching (rising out of the water), while another whale is exhaling air through the blowhole on the top of its head, while another whale is about to dive.
Cost and ScheduleYou can choose from several different sails on the America II that are about $40 for adults and $20 for children 12 or under. They also offer two hour private charters for up to 28 people for about $700.They offer a morning, afternoon and sunset sail as well as a whale watch sail during whale watching season. 
To get more information about sailing on the America II, or to schedule a sail, click here to go to the Barefoot Tours website. Click on Maui, then select SailingCharters, then select America II.
Or call 888-820-2097 to talk to a Maui sailing tour expert right now (they're on Hawaii time).
Tell them Randy Willis sent you.
America II Maui Sailing VideosSailing and whaling made for a memorable morning in Maui. You can view a video of our America II morning whale watch by clicking on the PLAY button in the image below.
America II in Time Magazine 1986
From Time magazine (March 3,1986):
The best the Americans could do [in the preliminaries] was a third, turned in by America II, the New York Yacht Club contender. This year every [yacht] sports some variation of Lexcen's winged keel; America II boasts not one but seven sets of wings that can be snapped on and off at will. Not that anyone outside the heavily guarded American camp has seen them. The America II crew members made themselves widely unpopular in Fremantle by jostling docksiders and forming a human barricade when cameramen ventured too close. Said an New York Yacht Club spokeswoman: 'Underbodies are private parts.'
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And they may have had the same unique perspective of us. A humpback whale approached our boat, then dove and swam under it as we watched.
Another whale swam right by us with its pectoral fin high out of the water - the tip of the fin was higher than our heads as we sat on the boat deck.
