Blue ʻĀina 2026: A Year of Mālama Kai on Maui
This is a living archive. We'll continue updating this page throughout 2026 as new Blue ʻĀina sails take place, highlighting the people, partnerships, and conservation work helping care for Maui's oceans and reefs.
For more than 15 years, Blue ʻĀina has been one of the ways Trilogy Excursions gives back to the ocean that has shaped our company since 1973. What began in 2010 as a crew-led effort to clean Maui's reefs has grown into a community stewardship program that brings together local nonprofits, conservation organizations, volunteers, residents, and visitors with one shared purpose: to care for the ocean through action. Learn more about what Blue ʻĀina is here.
While many Blue ʻĀina sails focus on removing marine debris from Maui's reefs, others support scientific research and habitat restoration through partnerships with organizations like The Marine Institute at Maui Ocean Center, Mamaʻs Fish House, or the Lahaina Restoration Foundation. Whether we're cleaning a reef, recovering corals of opportunity for restoration, or supporting marine conservation research, every Blue ʻĀina sail is rooted in the same idea: mālama kai—caring for the ocean that sustains us all.
This page is a living archive of Trilogy's 2026 Blue ʻĀina sails. As the year continues, we'll update it with each stewardship event, highlighting the conservation work completed, the organizations we partner with, and the people who continue to show up for Maui's reefs.
2026 Blue ʻĀina Stewardship Timeline
January
With peak whale season in full swing, January is one of Trilogy's busiest times of year. While we weren't able to host a Blue ʻĀina sail this month, our commitment to mālama kai continued through responsible wildlife viewing, reef-safe practices, and sharing the importance of ocean stewardship with thousands of guests on Maui.
To take a look at our December 2025 Blue ʻAina Sail, click here.
February
Plans for a February Blue ʻĀina sail were ultimately put on hold as repeated winter storms created unsafe ocean conditions on Maui. While we always look forward to getting back on the water to support conservation efforts, the safety of our crew and volunteers comes first. We look forward to resuming our stewardship sails as soon as conditions allow.
March
With calmer spring conditions returning, Blue ʻĀina was back on the water for our first stewardship sail of 2026. This community reef cleanup invited both residents and visitors to join Trilogy in caring for Maui's nearshore reefs through hands-on conservation.
After sailing to a local reef, participants geared up with reef-cleaning kits and entered the water to remove marine debris that can damage coral, threaten marine life, and impact the health of Maui's reef ecosystems. Once the cleanup was complete, volunteers had the opportunity to snorkel, enjoy food and refreshments aboard, and connect with others who share a passion for protecting our ocean.
Blue ʻĀina has always been about more than cleaning reefs—it's about bringing people together to mālama kai. Every piece of debris removed is a small step toward healthier reefs, and every volunteer who joins us becomes part of a community working to protect the places we all love.
April
April's Blue ʻĀina sail took a different approach to caring for Maui's reefs. Instead of focusing on marine debris removal, Trilogy partnered with The Marine Institute to support ongoing coral restoration efforts.
Working alongside The Marine Institute's team, volunteers helped recover corals of opportunity—living coral colonies that had naturally become dislodged from the reef by waves or other natural events. Rather than leaving these corals to an uncertain fate, they were carefully collected and transported to The Marine Institute's land-based nursery, where they can be stabilized, monitored, and grown before eventually being returned to Maui's reefs.
As coral reefs continue to face increasing pressures from warming ocean temperatures and other environmental stressors, projects like these play an important role in building healthier, more resilient reef ecosystems. While the work may look different from a traditional reef cleanup, it shares the same purpose: protecting the ocean for future generations.
Mahalo to The Marine Institute for inviting us to support their restoration work and for the incredible dedication they bring to caring for Maui's reefs every day.
May
After partnering with The Marine Institute in April, we were grateful to spend another day on the water together in May, continuing to support their coral restoration work at Olowalu.
If you've ever snorkeled on Maui, there's a good chance you've experienced a reef that's connected to Olowalu in some way. Often called Maui's "Mother Reef," it's one of the island's most important reef systems because it helps replenish reefs throughout Maui Nui. Keeping Olowalu healthy doesn't just benefit one stretch of coastline—it helps support the future of reefs across the region.
That's what makes The Marine Institute's work so meaningful. By recovering naturally dislodged corals and caring for them in their land-based nursery, they're giving living corals a second chance before returning them to the reef. Every healthy coral that can be restored contributes to the long-term health and resilience of this remarkable ecosystem.
As a family company that's spent more than five decades on these waters, we're proud to support that mission however we can. Providing a boat and helping transport the team and their equipment may seem like a small role, but it's one way we can give back to the ocean that has given so much to us.
June, July and august
We weren’t able to schedule Blue ʻĀina sails during June, July, or August as our boats stayed busy through the summer and changing weather made it harder to find the right windows to get out for a cleanup. By August, several tropical systems were affecting Hawaiʻi, including Hurricane Lala, which brought heavy rain and strong winds to Maui County.
But that didn’t mean the conservation work stopped. We still found ways to lend a hand when we could, including getting out to Molokini with Mālama Kai Foundation to help assess coral damage.
It wasn’t a Blue ʻĀina sail, but it was still a chance to show up for Maui’s ocean—and that’s what this program has always been about. By September, we were ready to get the Blue ʻĀina crew back on the water.
September
Mama’s Fish House employees gather at Māʻalaea Harbor with bags of trash they collected before heading out for the September Blue ʻĀina reef cleanup.
On September 20, we welcomed the Mama’s Fish House ʻohana for a Blue ʻĀina cleanup that started right at Māʻalaea Harbor.
Before heading out on the water, we spent some time walking around the harbor together, picking up trash along the way. From there, we boarded the boat and headed out to South Maui waters to keep the cleanup going below the surface.
Once we reached the cleanup site, everyone got to work. The Mama’s team and Trilogy crew were in the water together, pulling up fishing wire, hooks, and some surprisingly large boat chains from the reef.
The ocean has always been a big part of the story at Mama’s Fish House. Floyd and Doris Christenson built the restaurant around fresh fish and relationships with Maui fishermen, and those relationships continue today.
Their grandson, Eldon Christenson, joined us for the sail. We asked him what the ocean means to him personally.
““The ocean has always been a sanctuary for me. Every time I’m in the water I feel more grounded and thankful. It reminds me to breathe and reset. It’s the ultimate form of self-care.””
That personal connection is a big part of why Mama’s continues to support Blue ʻĀina. Eldon shared that without the ocean, Mama’s Fish House simply wouldn’t exist. The fishermen and families they work with depend on healthy ocean resources, and supporting Blue ʻĀina is one way the Mama’s ʻohana can give back to the waters that have given them so much.
A massive, heavily encrusted chain rests on the deck after being pulled from the water during the September Blue ʻĀina reef cleanup with Mama’s Fish House.
@sailtrilogy Five years of showing up for Maui. 💙🌊 On September 20, Mama’s Fish House sponsored their fifth Blue ʻĀina sail with Trilogy, bringing their team aboard for a day dedicated to giving back. Together, we cleaned up around the harbor before heading out on the water for a reef cleanup — removing everything from fishing line and rope to a massive rusted boat chain from the ocean floor. The impact continued back on shore, with Mama’s Fish House selecting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Maui to receive a $1,000 donation as part of the day. Blue ʻĀina is made possible by businesses that choose to invest in the place we all call home. We’re incredibly grateful to Mama’s Fish House for continuing to show up year after year. 💙 Interested in getting your company involved in a future Blue ʻĀina sail? We’d love to have you aboard. #SailTrilogy #BlueAina #MamasFishHouse #MalamaMaui #MauiCommunity ♬ grim - SUPERNOVA BOY
Riley Coon of Trilogy and Eldon Christenson of Mama’s Fish House present a $1,000 donation check to Boys & Girls Clubs of Maui during the September Blue ʻĀina sail, with the group gathered aboard the boat holding a Blue ʻĀina banner.
“It’s [Blue ‘Aina] something we love and look forward to every year. We are a family business, and we appreciate that Trilogy is one too. We want to support them and this cause every year, because it’s wonderful and makes a difference”
Mama’s Fish House also donated $1,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Maui as part of the sail. Eldon shared that supporting Maui’s youth felt like a natural fit because of the organization’s work giving young people resources to thrive and helping strengthen the community.
Mahalo to the Mama’s Fish House ʻohana for another day of showing up for Maui’s ocean. We’re grateful to share the water with people who understand that mālama kai is something we practice together, one day at a time.
Mahalo to everyone who has volunteered, partnered with us, or joined a Blue ʻĀina sail. We look forward to sharing the next chapter as the year continues.