avionbianca   Blog for s/v Avion

We decided to stay in Hawaii for the winter.  Not returning to San Francisco in September, locks us into staying at least another 6-7 months in Hawaii.  April is the earliest weather window to sail back, and that assumes conditions are favorable.  Generally this means that the Pacific High is established on the coast of California.  This year, for example, the Pacific High moved into place very late in the season, the second week of July, just in time for the start of the Pacific Cup.  We will take our chances with the timing of our return, and leave only when a weather window opens.

The key to this decision to stay was reaching agreement with the Kewalo Harbormaster that we can stay in our current slip, C-9, until April of 2017.  We have permission to live on the boat.  Honolulu will be our base, and from here, we will sail around the Hawaiian islands. The C dock is a mix of commercial boats, catamarans, and sail boats, which makes it more interesting than your typical marina.  We have a tarp to provide relief from the sun and protection from the rain; and we love getting in the new hammock to watch the sunset, read or nap.

We have learned a great deal in our ten weeks in Hawaii, and there is much more to discover.  Number one on our list is seeing the humpback whales. They come to mate and give birth. They do a “trickle migration,” starting in December, and by February, whales are supposed to be everywhere. We will sail to Maui to see them.  Secondly, while in Maui, we want to go hike around the volcanic crater, and compare the sunrise and sunset. And thirdly, we want to go see the Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island, which recently started flowing lava directly into the ocean. We will  sail clockwise around the island and try to see the lava flow into the water from the boat.  We also hope that some family and friends might come to Hawaii while we are here, to share this experience.

We are happy to be back on Oahu.  We have been snorkeling on Ala Moana beach again, and this time saw a very big turtle up close. He was checking up out as much as we were checking him out.  Megan had a new little iPad set-up for underwater photography and was able to get two videos of him.

We went to the Blue Note to hear Chick Correa for Megan’s birthday.

On Friday, Tom went sailing on Firefly in a Friday Night Beer Can race sponsored by the Hawaii Yacht Club.

We are interested in the funny little cultural events that happen around us, like the Aloha Parade last Saturday, featuring Queens and Princesses from each island, marching bands and cultural groups (video of Hula group).

Over the weekend I cleaned the bottom with a soft sponge, completed a 250 hour tune-up on the new Yanmar engine.  I made good progress on the ongoing list of boat projects, so  Avion is ready to go.

Avion does not like to sit around for too long.  Stay tuned.

“Shadowing” a race is something we started doing in SF. If we wanted to do a race, but had not registered for it, we would join in and do the race; or, if we missed the race on a Saturday, we would sail it on a Sunday.   We sailed to Maui to participate in the Lahaina Return race, the most popular sailing race in Hawaii.  It was cancelled due to the unprecedented threat of two hurricanes, Madeline and Lester, hitting the islands just before the start on Labor Day, one to the south and one to the north.  We were in Moloki when the race was cancelled, and decided to sail the course of the race anyway. We wanted to learn about the race course, and sail downwind, from Maui to Oahu along the north coast of Moloki.

We enjoyed Lahaina.  The people at the Lahaina Yacht Club were very friendly, and we went there to eat several times.  The historic Banyan tree was a refuge from the sun, and the restored courthouse had a very good collection of historical artifacts from when Lahaina was the center of the whaling fleets in the early 1800s.  I liked the original flag that was taken down when the island transitioned from a nation to a territory on July 7, 1898. Megan bought a hammock, and almost bought a Hulu outfit. We rented a car for 24 hours to ran errands, and took a trip up to Honolua Bay to do research.  But after 6 days, we were ready to sail again.

The Lahaina Return race starts in Honolua Bay, a spot of the north western corner of Maui.  We sailed there from Lahaina last Monday and dropped anchor in a spot recommended by Charlies Charts, on an 18 foot sand bar.  It started raining shortly after our arrival, but it felt clean and refreshing. As soon as we were settled, I pulled out Finnegan (Barbarian Days) and reread the chapter on his life in Lahaina and surfing in Honolua Bay.  I love to read about places while I am in them.  He writes of massive waves in the winter months, and I was curious in the details of the waves and how they broke on the rocks. While anchoring, I had studied the bottom of the bay and could see how a wave would be shaped as it surged in from the north.

The anchor did not hold; it dragged slowly into the middle of the bay.  I pulled out a second reference book (Mehaffy), and it recommended anchoring in the middle of the bay, so I let the anchor find it’s own spot to set. Avion swung on the anchor in response to the swell coming in from the north, and alternatively, to the wind. The wind was often strong enough to hold her sideways to the swell, generating a moderate rock-and-roll in the boat.  The pattern was actually enjoyable, after you gave into it, but we both slept lightly. The next day,  we had hoped to snorkel, but that was not possible; the water was chocolate brown with run-off from the river that flowed into the bay.  Surfers were in the water near  the rocks, but there were no waves, so we just relaxed, took turns in the hammock, observed and discussed strategy for “our race.”

We left on Wednesday at 7:00 am, when the race would have started.  We sailed toward the northeast tip of Moloki.  As we came around the point, we saw a dark squall moving in the same direction. It eventually overtook us and we were in it for about 3 hours, at times in rather heavy rain and 25 knots of wind. We sailed under the main sail only with a double reef and the boat was happy. The air was warm, and we comfortable in our rain gear.  We could see well enough to be safe, and the rain was strong enough to beat down the waves and make interesting patterns. It was dynamic and the pattern of the rain beating down on the waves was beautiful.

The north coast of Moloki is undeveloped and will probably never be. Once I saw the volcanic structure of the steep 3,000 to 4,000 foot cliffs I understood. Many waterfalls jumped out at us as they were all full of water, flowing at maximum capacity. In one area, we motor sailed in close to get a good look, and could hear the crashing and cascading water.  Very exciting.

We sailed past the peninsula where the Leper Colony was located.  There are still 60 people living there.  The plan is to convert it to a national or state park, once they have all died off.  It will be quite a beautiful pace to visit.  We sailed to a a spot on the western coast of Moloki near where a failed Sheraton resort is located, with beautiful beaches. We anchored under a bluff that protected us from the wind.  In the morning, I swam through the heavy current to the beach and explored.  I was surprised to find pieces of white coral scattered on the beach, and lodged into holes in black lava boulders.  I brought several pieces back to Megan, but she said they were still alive and made me throw them back in the water.

We decided to sail off the anchor.   We raised the sail, but only half way. Avion is a dynamic boat; she wants to move. The current was strong, and with a 24 knot wind gust, she surged forward against the anchor line.  We had not raised the sail fully, so the boom was low and swinging in the cockpit, and at some point bumped Megan in the head (her Red Sox hat protected her).   I was unable to pull up the anchor, and had to wait and be patient. After a couple of minutes, the wind let up just enough to relax the anchor line,  and I was able to quickly pull it up and secure the anchor.  We were under way.

The rest of the day was “champagne sailing,” downwind in moderate winds of 20-24 knots in the beginning, and then 15-19 knots the rest of the way to Oahu.  We sailed the 40 miles in about 6 hours, between 7 and 8 knots of boat speed, under just the main.  We started with a double reef in the beginning, went to a single reef in the moderate wind.  In the last third of the trip, I tested the NKE gyro-pilot in true-wind mode, and it did fine.  We sailed around Koko Head and Diamonhead around 5:30 pm and saw Hoinolulu again.  We decided to sail into our slip at Kewalo Harbor, and dropped the main, once out of the wind, as we would finish in a race.

So, we did the race.  We may have been the only boat to sail the course this year. We needed two days, but came in first, and learned a lot about the places along the course. Now we want our tee shirts. Stay tuned.

After the two hurricanes passed the islands, we sailed from Moloki to Maui in about 6 hours.  We had 25 to 30 knot winds in our face at the start of the crossing, but it calmed down to 20-24 knots, and we were able to raise the main sail with a double-reef.  We made 6 to 7 knots on a tight reach across the channel.  After we got into the wind shadow of Maui, the winds died and we motored down to Lahaina.  The Lahaina Yacht Club has eight mooring balls outside the harbor, and we took #2, and settled down.  At dusk, we rowed the inflatable into the harbor to walk around the Old Town area. I like to row, but this mooring ball was pretty far out, and the return trip took forever in the dark. The next day, we rowed back in against the wind and the current to make our landing official with the Lahaina Yacht Club and the Harbormaster.  While meeting with the Harbormaster, we asked about a slip and he sail he had one available.  When there is a choice between a slip and a mooring ball, a slip is the obvious choice.  We moved that afternoon into the harbor, slip #84.  We now have water and electricity, and can walk into town whenever we want.

We have been sailing for 2 months, living on a boat, and doing incredible things. Our relationship has been strong and steady, but we both realized we needed some down time.  My allergies flared-up and I started having trouble sleeping, and I needed to rest.  Thus, we have not been terribly ambitious here on Maui.   We gave each other some space to take took long walks, hang out under the huge Banyan tree  near the harbor, visit the Lahaina Yacht Club, and watch some USOpen Tennis (Serena lost to Pliskova) .  Megan decided to buy a hammock for the boat, and I found a place to hang it in the shade, along the boom, so we now have a nice cool place to “hang” (literally) and read, watch the incredible sunsets or sleep.

While we were in Moloki, and old tennis friend called me out of the blue, and asked if I was back from Hawaii yet. I said no, we were still in Hawaii, on the island of Moloki. He said, I have an old friend who lives on Moloki, you have to look him up, he owns a gas station near the harbor.  I went to the two gas stations in the town of Kaunakaki, and learned that Ed had sold his station, and retired, but his wife was working in a credit union. The lady at the gas station said, just go talk to her, she will give you Ed’s number.  So I did; I found her, and she was friendly and interested and said she would tell Ed about my visit.  An hour later, they called and invited us to dinner at the local pizza place.  We connected on many levels.  Ed was born on Moloki, but grew up in the East Palo Alto, and worked for HP, and we had common friends, so the conversation flowed easily.  We both had plans for the next day, but agreed to have breakfast the following day, Saturday, at the Bakery.  After breakfast, they drove us around the island.  They took us to the overlook and the clouds cleared long enough so we could see the peninsula on the north side where the old Leper Colony was housed, and to a beach with an old peer with good snorkeling (we went there the next day).  The dialog was strong enough that we met for dinner that night, at the Cookhouse. We spoke about the economics of life on the island, ranch that owns 60% of the island, the failed Sheraton resort, barges and ferries (the one ferry will shut-down next month), and the several businesses that Ed had started on the island.  He created about 50 jobs on Moloki.   Ed and his wife made our stay in Moloki a much deeper and satisfying experience.

We are planning to leave Lahaina this afternoon, or maybe tomorrow (if we can find the Patriot’s game on TV in a sports bar).  We will sail up to Honolau Harbor on the northern tip of Maui, and drop a hook for a couple of days.  It is supposed to be a great spot for snorkeling, if the water is clear, and the winds are mild.  Then we will sail along the wild and undeveloped north side of Moloki.  The terrain is so rough that there are no roads, so some places can only be reached by boat.  We will then return to Honolulu, and our slip at Kewalo Harbor.

It is time to make a decision about our return to “the mainland,” as the locals say.  Do we stay for the winter, and continue to sail the islands, or return to SF in late September?  The weather window for a return trip closes by the end of September.  If we stay, the next weather window is April of 2017.  So, this is a big decision.  While in Lahaina, we learned that the humpback whales come in January to mate and give birth; we still want to do the sunrise/sunset at the cater on Maui; and there is an active volcano on the big island, and the lava is now flowing all the way to the ocean.  So if we stay, there is lots to do.  The obvious choice is to stay, but we are doing things with intention, so we will evaluate the options when we get back to Oahu.  Stay tuned.

Avion is in a safe slip Kaunakakai,  the main harbor of Moloki. We just learned the the Lahina Return Race has been cancelled due to the double hurricanes.  Madeline hit Hilo this morning, and will pass to the south. The prediction is we will get 25 knot winds tonight but hopefully the heavy rain and swells should stay to the east and south.  Lester is due to pass by to the north on Saturday, but throw off heavy winds and 15 foot swells to the windward side of the islands, and in the channels. Thus, we will stay here until things settle down.

We rented a car and drove 34 miles out to the eastern end of Moloki this morning. The Halawa Valley was the site of the first settlement, very remote with a big waterfall. We wanted to hike to it, but hiking was not allowed due to the “Double Trouble.” Oh well, there are plenty of other places to hike over the next few days. 

 We are now talking about heading over to Maui after the storms pass and the trade winds settle in again. Stay tuned.