avionbianca   Blog for s/v Avion

We sailed to Lanai on Tuesday, Dec.6th. The Kona Winds are here, meaning light winds between 5 to 15 knot winds in the channels. We found 12 to 15 steady knots of wind and with the full main and the #4 jib and averaged 7 knots boat speed  for two-thirds of our trip. Behind Lanai the wind shadow dropped the wind to an average of 5 knots, so we motor-sailed and kept boat speed over 6 knots.

We caught our first tuna fish yesterday. I bought a pink fly lure designed to attract tuna, and it worked. The fish was small but we had to keep it, as the hook was set deep in his jaw and it probably would not live if we threw it back. It was an Ahi, a red tuna very popular in HI.

We ate the Ahi tuna in an omelette for breakfast and lightly seared in a frying pan for dinner. Delicious.

We went snorkeling today outside the breakwater in Manele Bay and saw schools of fish reaming around the coral heads. We were watching a turtle when it decided to come up for air, and came right by me while I had my camera out. I got some clear pictures because he was very close to me and near the surface.

We are planning to cross over to Kona on the Big Island, but it is 85 miles from Lana’i. The trip could take 15 to 20 hours to complete so we need favorable conditions. Right now, there is not enough wind in the weather models. We did find more wind than forecast yesterday, but tomorrow has 3 knot winds and significant rain in the forecast, so we might wait until Friday. We can stay here another day, or go over to Lahina tomorrow. I will decide in the morning. Stay tuned.