One of the best things about being a Marine for twenty years was the likelihood of being based near the water. My first duty station was Kaneohe Bay, on the windward side of Oahu. Me and two buddies scraped up all our housing allowance (and then some) to rent a place in Lanikai, just south of Kailua Beach. It was truly a paradise. With another Marine we went in on an old Hobie 16 (not pictured) and kept it on the beach. I snapped this pic in 1990-ish, can’t remember exactly, of the beach that was just steps from our house. Ok so it’s blurry and crooked, but was probably taken with an instamatic. The picture truly does not give the scene justice.

It was a perfect place to sail a cat. They call it the windward side of the island for a reason, and there was a reef offshore that let you have all the wind but none of the swell, perfect for a fast sail and more than a few capsizes!