Over the winter of 1981-1982 it got totally nuts. Every day was amazing. We were adventure sailing on the channels, doing long speed runs in the open ocean, and trying everything we could imagine. Maui wasn’t the place to be building composite items, or doing anything that required high tech equipment, but somehow we always found something that would do the job. We needed everything, all the time. The windsurfing equipment that was available was generally not tough enough to handle the everyday strong wind of Maui. I don’t think the original designers of these items had any clue that they would be used that hard, or for so many days in a row. Maui was already showing her true colors, and those were almost always harsh.

We had an old friend working for us now. The ‘Crow’, Ken Kauffman, had slipped his Folkboat, Mecca, on Kauai, and came to Maui to work and earn money for cruising.

He was a fanatic surfer, soon to be windsurfer, and lived a Spartan existence on the little twenty-five foot lapstrake sloop. We were close ever since he had ‘apprenticed’ his way into sailmaking while I was running Sail Services in San Diego. He helped to build out the loft there, and soon was doing handwork and cutting for the growing business. So having him show up again in Maui was great.

Since we wanted to go sailing every day, and could, the work hours schedule was very flexible. Someone was in the place almost 24/7. The ‘office’ end of the building had a junk couch from a dumpster, a drawing table, and a desk. The rest was just floor, and one table. The large space was quiet late at night, town shut down, the tire shop and auto body neighbors were gone, and the stereo could be heard with the volume low.

One night we were just dreaming, the Crow and I. What if we could mutate? What would you find as a fun form if given an infinite choice? That’s when 'Homoicthyaries Hawaiiana' was discovered lurking in our common genetic memories. I quick sketched the basic idea we discussed, and we laughed and rapped about their physiology, lifestyle, and capabilities. Then I went home and left Crow to his sleep (he was living in the loft). That night he drew a more advanced cartoon of our friend.

I always liked he sunglasses that we added. She got a real personality then.