KIALOA and 'Elele Evelyn O'Doherty have teamed up to bring you brief highlights of KIALOA paddlers from the East Coast! Tune in to meet more great people who simply enjoy paddling!
The tales our boards can tell: This Starboard All-Star arrived in Sag Harbor, NY last night on the Starlight Sailing Charters under clear skies and warm, spring weather. It had been separated from its owner, Kialoa paddler Kim Nalepinski, last year when Kim flew to NY to escape the path of Hurricanes Irma and Maria on St. John.
Kim lost everything in those storms, her home completely destroyed and her life turned upside down.
Miraculously, the board survived. As one friend tells it, Kim's apartment was wrenched open by the force of the winds on St. John during the hurricane and was in complete shambles. The board, left in the middle of the living room, was somehow untouched while the walls and furniture drenched and destroyed by the salt, moisture and humidity.
With the help of her friends on the island and other generous souls (we love water people!), Kim managed to secure passage for her All-Star on the Starlight where it arrived this June on a beautiful spring evening to Sag Harbor, New York.
Originally bought by her parents from One Love Beach in Greenport, NY, the board had been shipped to St. John where it was loved and ridden, survived the storm and has, at long last, returned home.
I was able to get out on the water with Kim last night as she told me the story of the board and we paddled the calm waters of Accabonac Harbor here in East Hampton, New York. Kim's face was incredulous, her tale epic, and the fact that she was riding along next to me with this beautiful board underneath her feet, astounding. As paddlers, we love our equipment. They become travel companions, confidants, and trusted steeds. Watching Kim glide along the pristine waters of the bay with her favorite Kialoa paddle (Pipes II, hi viz shaft) clutched in her hands and that Starboard underneath her feet, made me realize that everything has a way of coming full circle if we give it time and keep the faith.
Aloha to you, Kim, and everyone involved in this board’s safe passage! It is incredible what we can do when we work together.
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