Owner & Captain Keahi Ho
Keahi truly has a lifetime of experience. Cruising the Channel Islands of California as an infant, the family sailed to Hawaii at the age of 5. Soon after coming to Hawaii his father began a career as charter boat captain, this introducing Keahi to the business side of sailing. Keahi spent countless days going on snorkel cruises to Molokai and Lanai, whale watches and sunset and dinner cruises.
When Keahi Ho was in high school his father bought him a small boat that he began to race. His passion for racing followed him to college where he began sailing for the University of Hawaii Sailing Team. This afforded Keahi a great opportunity to learn from and sail with the best sailors. At the time the UH Sailing Team was ranked in the top five in the country. Hawaii had a very active offshore racing scene while Keahi was in college on Oahu. Keahi sailed dinghies during the week and larger boats on the weekends. It was during this time that Keahi acquired his 100 Gross Ton USCG Captain’s License.
After four and a half years of college sailing that included a trip to the Olympic trials in 1996, Keahi began work as a charter boat captain on Maui. First he operated the Macgregor 65 First Class. First Class provided whale watches, “performance sailing,” snorkel cruises, and sunset sails.
Keahi took over the 65 foot, 37 ton, vessel America II. America II was a twelve-meter class sailboat that was raced in the 1987 Americas Cup in Australia. America II offered whale watches, “performance sailing,” and sunset sails. After eight years of being a charter captain Keahi became an electrician. Keahi spent five years as an electrician, during which time Keahi managed to stay active in the local racing fleet both on Maui and Oahu. He also managed to participate in the Pacific Cup, and the Transpac, which are two of the premier ocean races from California to Hawaii.
Keahi Ho bought GungHo in December of 2008. Since that time Keahi has completely refitted the boat, removing as much hardware from the deck as possible to prevent trip hazards and make the boat operate more efficiently. He has added cockpit coamings, which keep the passengers more secure and comfortable. He has installed a new rudder that is stronger and more efficient. The entire boat has been rewired and a refrigerator was installed. Since purchasing the boat in 2008 Keahi has raced and cruised the boat with his family throughout the Hawaiian Islands, and sailed to Tahiti and back in 2015.
In addition to running GungHo Sailing, Keahi is a Fire Fighter for Maui County. He is a certified First Responder and has real experience performing First Aid, CPR, ocean rescues, car accidents, brush fires and structure fires. He is also a Junior Sailing Coach with the Lahaina Yacht Club. Keahi has been coaching kids from 8-18 years old over the past five years. He is a US Sailing Level I Instructor.
Keahi has a lifetime of sailing and looking forward to sharing his knowledge with others.
Captain Marty Bishop
When asked why he is so passionate about GungHo Sailing, Marty muses, “I love everything about being powered by the wind on the ocean, sharing that energy with people and making a genuine connection with our guests. Every day out of Lahaina Harbor is different and epic. You couldn’t ask for a better place to sail. There is something new you can always learn while sailing, and that feeds my soul. Itʻs a very healthy obsession for me.”
When Marty has days off from his role as the main Captain on GungHo, heʻs likely out sailing on another vessel out of Lahaina Harbor with friends. His passion for sailing, and especially sailing in and around Hawaii, is palpable. Martyʻs knowledge of Maui and the surrounding islands is rich, and his love of storytelling makes being a guest on GungHo one for the memory books.
Marty has spent his whole life living on either an island or on a sailing vessel on the ocean. Hailing from the tiny island on the East Coast, Long Beach Island, Marty grew up sailing, fishing and surfing. Marty stepped out of his childhood home to 185 feet of dock right out the front door. As a young man, Marty’s lust for adventure inspired him to travel and explore the world. At the young age of 20, Marty arrived on Maui for a 2 week winter surf trip, fell in love with the ocean and lush mountains. By Day 3 in Martyʻs words, “I knew I was not going anywhere.”
Marty’s first Lahaina Harbor job was given to him by Keahi, who at the time was working as a Captain aboard the famed retired America’s Cup boat, America II. Keahi and Marty enjoyed the somewhat wild and windy trip that America II offered guests up in the trade winds. Marty began working on his Captain’s License and swiftly moved up to the role of Captain on several Lahaina sailing charter vessels.
Marty took a year’s hiatus off of life on Maui in 2010 to sail a large 150 foot yacht from New England down through the Southern Bahamas to the West Indies. He was able to compete in Big Boat Racing in the Caribbean and sailed a lot on various boats to feed his appetite to learn more about sailing. After about a year, Marty got homesick for Maui and came home.
Keahi and Marty spent several years racing GungHo on the local racing circuit, which allowed Marty to hone his skills as a sailor and captain. GungHo is still a competitive sailing yacht on the local Maui circuit.
Keahi and Ali can assure you that your time spent with “Majestic Marty,” as they fondly call him, will leave you uplifted, full of aloha…and definitely laughing.
