We have distilled many (at least 25) conversations about sailing around the islands of Hawaii into a sail plan. Starting on the docks of the Kaneohe Yacht Club, we asked questions and gathered local insights into places to go on a boat. Some of it had to be filtered through many years of sailing experience from old salts. The cross-referenced the best suggestions several times with Charlies Charts, along with several other maps and resources. The foundation of our plan is to participate in a race, The Lahaina Return Race, a downwind race from Maui to Oahu on Labor Day, Sept. 5th.
We leave at first light tomorrow to sail to Moloki. We expect to get to the small harbor of Hale-0-Lono by mid-day. The prediction is that the seasonal trade winds are returning, and we want to get ahead of that event. We hope to find 15 knot winds, versus the 25 knot trade winds that normally make the Moloki Channel a rough crossing. Once we are in the lee shore of Moloki, we should be able to relax and explore. Moloki is a 34 miles long and is rumored to have great natural beauty, and we will find out. We will then have the option of going to the island of Lanai, or the Molokini, the remnant of a volcanic crater. Lanai has an old barge harbor that is deep enough for Avion to enter, but the other 2 harbors are too shallow. We might just go straight to Molokini, as it is rumored to have great snorkeling. We will definitely go there.
The next big choice is where to go on Maui. We will probably go into Lahaina, and check in with the Lahaina Yacht Club and pick-up our tee shirts for the race. Apparently there are limited slips available in the harbor, so we might have to drop an anchor off the old Mala Wharf and use the inflatable to go ashore. The race starts from a harbor on the north-western tip of Maui, Honolua Bay, so we will go there one or two days before the race. It offers protection from the trade-winds and is supposed to be a great place to drop a hook.
The Lahaina Return race on Labor Day starts at 8:00 AM and is downwind to the Honolulu. The awards party is the same day, 12 hours later, at the Hawaii Yacht Club. The expectation is that you sail hard all day and then party. We will then return to our skip here at Kewalo Harbor. It is a fairly busy commercial harbor, but we have a good slip on the C dock, where it is quiet.
Needless to say, to be ready to sail tomorrow morning, we have done a huge amount of work. Good teamwork can be very productive. The list of things accomplished includes: installing new zincs (the first time I have ever done this myself), installing 2 new house batteries (the old batteries were not holding a charge, thanks you West Marine for free delivery), sending the main sail out for repair (several small holes from the upper spreaders) , purchasing 2 new jib sheets (solid red), purchasing micro-fiber sheets and towels (cotton never dries), filling-up the tank with diesel (and 3 jerry cans), carrying the propane tank to City Mill to be refilled (just 1.2 gallons but it will last 4 weeks), cleaning clothes (Megan found the “IDo Laundry”), and purchasing a bunch of food and fluids for a ten day trip. We are now ready. It is now time to get some sleep. Stay tuned.
We decided to move Avion over to a guest dock at the Wikiki Yacht Club for the weekend. The main sail is getting several minor repairs, so we motored from Kewalo Harbor to Ala Wai Harbor. On the way, we saw a big, thick and full-spectrum rainbow. We have been seeing them the past few days in the late afternoons while swimming; they have all been dramatic sights, with the clouds sitting high on the mountains, and Diamondhead in the distance. This time a true double-ended rainbow appeared with both ends visible. I was certain we would be able to find the pot of gold at one end. Here is the short video Megan shot of the rainbow with my editorial comments.
We will spend 3 nights at the Wikiki YC, and use the pool, take hot showers, and sit at the bar to watch some Olympics. (Can you believe Ryan Lochte?). We will return to Kewalo Harbor on Monday to prepare to sail to Molokai and Maui for 10 days. We are planning to take our time and explore the north coast of Moloki, while the water is flat. We have several leads on places where we can drop a hook and snorkel. The trip is motivated by the Lahaina Return, a downwind race from Maui to Oahu on Labor Day, Sept. 5th. Stay tuned.
We sailed Avion to Kewalo Harbor in Honalulu last Friday. We left Kaneohe Bay at 6:00 AM and had an easy day sail around the south side of the island. We have a slip here for two months in this commercial-boat harbor. We are actively considering staying longer, although redevelopment plans for Kewalo Harbor are pending so we may have to change marinas. From here, we can explore longer-term options in the area.
Each day we go out in discovery mode to find the things and services we need now that we are here in Hawaii. We have found places to buy things like goggles with prescription lenses, snorkels with two tubes, flippers, swimming suits that will dry (quickly), flip-flops, short pants, rash-guard tee-shirts, kickboards, and other equipment so we can play in the water. We have found places to buy food and ice, fill prescriptions, and send mail. After these exploratory trips mid-day, we go to the beach at Ala Mona Park to swim in the late afternoon.
On Wednesday, we spent most of the day at the beach. We went to the beach at 11:00am in the morning, to catch the high tide. Once we were all geared-up, I realized we have may have invented a new mode of playing in the water: snorkel-surfing. I swam out beyond the reef to where the surfers were catching the breaking waves in my snorkel gear and kickboard. The surfers ignored me while I hung with them and watched the waves form and surge by us. By stretching out with the kickboard and kicking with the fins, I was able to ride some waves for a short distance. But with my new goggles and snorkel, I found that looking down at the fish was more interesting. I saw much larger, more colorful fish, swimming in schools. I just hung around and watched the fish.
Eventually, I realized that Megan had not followed me out, that I was alone, and the wind was blowing me side-ways to the beach. I wondered if I might be exposed to a rip-tide. I took a minute to catch my breath, found a bearing (a new high-rise building), and started swimming up-wind, against the tide. I swam out and around the surfers, into a section of heavy waves, and slowly made progress toward an area with heavier waves. Eventually I got into the larger waves letting them carry me back over the reef and into shore. I followed my bearing back to Megan, who was waiting for me on the beach.
We will go snorkel-surfing again to take another look at the big fish on the outside of the reef. This time we will go together, staying together.
The new picture at the top of the blog is from our launch-spot, on Ala Mona beach. Megan took it, using panorama-mode on an Apple-device. It is just 5 minutes from the boat.
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