The Hans Christian 33 is a classic long distance passage maker and is without a doubt the biggest 33 ft sailboat made. The interior is as spacious as many 40 ft boats and includes features like a queen-size bed and a separate shower, often not found on much larger vessels, making it an ideal live aboard cruiser. Hans Christian build quality is legendary. From the interior joinery to the hull layup, Hans Christian yachts are some of the most reliable and highest quality yachts in the world.
One might expect a 33 ft boat with a capacity of 95 gal fuel and 100 gal water to have very little storage space because of the large tanks. However, the HC 33 carries her fuel and water in the keel leaving all the space under the settees and berths available for storage.
NAKIA is unique among Hans Christian 33s. Built in 1982 and owned for 26 years by a couple who has continuously maintained and upgraded her, she is a prime example of a ready cruising boat. Cruised full time since 2004 in Mexico, Central America, South America and the Pacific she is located in Honolulu, Hawaii. After making seven passages over 2,000 miles you might expect a boat to be weathered and beaten, but NAKIA is in excellent condition and all she needs is food and fuel to be ready to sail to anywhere in the world.
Many Hans Christians have badly weathered teak decks that are a maintenance nightmare. On NAKIA, all teak decks forward of the cockpit have been removed, sealed and coated with non-skid paint. The reduction in maintenance effort of this configuration is obvious, however the largest benefit comes from the reduction in heat absorption. Teak decks get very hot in the tropical sun and that heat can linger long after the sun sets. Thanks to the new deck, NAKIA is cool and comfortable even without large sun awnings.
The teak hatches have been removed and upgraded to Lewmar Ocean series hatches, again reducing maintenance and increasing reliability. An additional Lewmar hatch has been added over the pullman berth giving ample ventilation to a previously stuffy space.
The interior of NAKIA is as individual as her exterior. Two custom cabinets, one over the sink and another forward of the stove provide even more storage for the galley. The interior has been lovingly maintained throughout the years and glows with the rich color of Burmese Teak.
Interior Walk Through
Enter via the companionway into a cozy galley, to port, and main cabin. The galley has a double sink, 3-burner stove, refrigerator and ample storage space for cooking and serving utensils. Continuing forward leads into the queen-size pullman berth on the port side. Forward is the head, shower stall and chain locker. Proceeding aft on the starboard side is a large hanging locker, the navigation station and settee. Aft to starboard is the private double berth. Engine is conveniently located under the companionway stairs.
Here is a partial equipment list. NAKIA is a fully equipped cruising boat and has extensive spares. A complete list can be provided on request.
Engine
Yanmar 3QM30F, 30 HP
Hurth ZF 25M transmission
17" Maxprop
Electrical
Balmar 90 alternator
Qty 2 Kyocera 130 watt solar panels w/ Blue Sky MPPT solar controller
Cruising Equipment battery monitor/regulator
440 amp hours house battery
Group 27 engine starting battery
50 Amp battery charger
Alpenglow lights w/ dual color (white/red) and dual intensity
Electronics
Icom 502 VHF w/ remote mic in cockpit
Lowrance Elite 4-M chart plotter
Furuno 841 36 mile radar
Icom 706 HAM radio
PCT-IIex pactor modem
NASA AIS Radar
Garmin hocky puck GPS (for AIS, computer, and VHF)
Furuno LS-6000 fishfinder
SIMRAD (Robertson) AP11 below decks autopilot
Sharp 19" LCD TV on swing arm mount
Ground Tackle
Lofrans Tigress windlass
55lb Delta primary anchor
Fortress FX-55 storm anchor
Fortress FX-35 stern anchor
Bruce 22 lb 'position'/stern anchor
200 ft 3/8" Proof Coil Chain w/ 100 ft 5/8" nylon, primary rode
300 ft Yale 8 plait nylon rode w/ 75 ft 3/8" chain, secondary rode
200 ft Yale 8 plait nylon rode w/ 10 ft 3/8" chain, stern rode
Sails
Main w/ two reef points w/ Sunbrella cover
Working Jib (95%) w/ Sunbrella cover (needs replacing)
Staysail (hank on w/ boom) w/ Sunbrella cover
Light air jib (110%)
Nylon drifter
Asymmetrical .75 oz spinnaker in launcher bag
Rigging
Cape Horn self steering
316 standing rigging throughout w/ Norseman fittings
Profurl roller furling on forestay
Whisker pole mounted on mast track
Safety
Winslow 6-person offshore raft (2012 inspection good for 3 years)
GPS EPIRB
Solid cockpit railing
Automatic bilge pump
Cockpit mounted Henderson manual bilge pump
Galley
Force 10 3-burner stove w/ broiler
Adler Barbour Super Cold Machine ref. in re-insulated icebox
Custom cabinet over galley sink and fwd of stove
Charts/cruising guides
West Coast US
Mexico (and guides)
Central America
Line Islands
Cook Islands
Tonga (and guides)
Fiji (and guides)
Some New Zealand
Misc
Hardtop dodger
Many, many spares for main engine and other systems (complete list available)
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Monday, April 23, 2018
NAKIA pictures
After almost 27 years it's time to move on to another project. NAKIA is for sale. Here are a few pictures to show what we have. If you're interested, please contact svnakia@yahoo.com.
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| NAKIA's exterior showing the painted exterior teak. All the teak was varnished first, so if you prefer the natural look it will be easy to scrape the paint and re-varnish. |
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| NAKIA still has the original teak deck in the cockpit. The lazarette hatch, helm seat and propane locker hatch have all been rebuilt (the helm seat twice!). |
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| The foredeck area showing where the teak decking was removed and where the Lewmar Ocean 50 hatches were installed. The hatch in the back of this photo is not standard on any Hans Christian 33 and was added by me for better ventilation over the pullman berth. |
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| This photo shows more area where the teak deck was removed and replaced with non-skid. I also removed the wood Samson post and had this custom stainless one made in Mexico. |
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| This photo shows the hatch turtle. More custom work here. The original hatch turtle was rotted and falling apart. I built this fiberglass and plywood cover to replace it. It is heavily reinforced on the bottom and is super sturdy. Also shown are the two Lewmar Ocean hatches that replaced the leaking skylight. Every time you see a picture of this part of a Hans Christian 33 you will see a cover over that skylight, this is because it is impossible to stop from leaking! NAKIA needs no cover. |
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| NAKIA is not without exterior varnish, but we keep it under the dodger where it's protected. |
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| NAKIA's depth sounder (fish finder) and GPS data repeater is located in the companionway out of the weather. The unit swings out so it can be viewed from the wheel, and locks flush when not in use. The Robertson AP11 control head and custom engine gauge cluster are shown. |
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| This photo shows the custom cabinet at the end of the settee and the Sharp television mounted on a swing arm. |
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| The companionway stairs. |
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| Galley with 3-burner Force 10 stove, double sink and Adler Barbour cooled refrigerator. |
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| Double sink. The faucet is supplied by both a pressure pump for convenience and foot pump for conservation. |
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| The head, the pump handle is for the Lavac toilet. |
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| Another view of the head. |
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| Head sink, faucet and cabinet. |
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| Large hanging locker to starboard of the pulman berth. |
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| Navigation station with custom instrument panel. In this compact install you have GPS plotter, marine VHF radio (with repeater in cockpit), dedicated AIS receiver, HAM radio and AM/FM CD player. |
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| Pullman berth looking aft. |
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| Pullman berth looking forward. |
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| Port settee/saloon |
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| Port Settee |
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| Starboard Settee |
Monday, April 14, 2014
Maui waypoints
The day after my aunt and uncle departed Hilo on the Star Princess we had a short weather window to get to Maui - with none to come in the foreseeable future. We spent the day doing last minute shopping and taking on water in the small boat basin at the Suisan fish market. We motored out of Hilo at 4:30 PM for the uneventful overnight to Maui. In our admittedly limited experience with anchoring at Maui, we have yet to become fans of the island as a cruising destination. This has only been further reinforced by our current visit, which has been during a period of strong trade winds.
We initially tried an anchorage north of Pu'u Ola'i Point off a black sand beach next to a golf course:
{GMST}20|38.436|N|156|27.008|W|Maui|Puu Olai north{GEND}
This became very unprotected as the afternoon wind picked up, and we moved around to the south to Oneloa, or Mckenna, Beach:
{GMST}20|37.858|N|156|27.024|W|Maui|Big Mckenna Beach{GEND}
After a rolly night in the swell we thought we'd better move up the coast towards Lahaina. Even though we got an early start just after sunrise we had a nasty motor sail into the wind to get across Ma'alaea Bay where the wind was honking. We were covered in salt spray by the time we anchored east of Olowalu three hours later:
{GMST}20|47.913|N|156|35.635|W|Maui|Olowalu east{GEND}
We had a nice day catching up on our sleep and watching rainbows come and go over the mountain before sunset. But mid-way into our evening the wind came up and we spent the rest of the night listening to more wind than we've experienced in a long time. It only seemed to be getting worse by morning so we decided to make a break for it. Getting the anchor off the bottom was a team effort as I had to drive the boat into the wind while John brought in the chain. As the chain piled up I'd run down below to knock over the pile and race back out to the cockpit to do some more driving. Fortunately we got out of there without injury or breakage.
We motored close to the beach to stay out of the fetch and searching for anything that seemed calmer. Four miles closer to Lahaina we thought we had a spot, but it became windier after only an hour so we pulled up and moved on towards Lahaina again. We are now south of Lahaina at what our cruising guide calls Waianukole or Lahaina East. It's basically an open roadstead like Lahaina itself but we aren't in a pack of moored boats or off the noisy city. Although it is right in front of the noisy road:
{GMST}20|50.805|N|156|39.568|W|Maui|Lahaina east{GEND}
Worried that the wind would come up as fiercely as it had the night before, John didn't deploy our rocker stopper last night. But when the wind doesn't blow steadily the swell rolls us from side to side, and we had another night of poor sleep. Today we've had some gusts but nothing like the past couple of days. Even with the rocker stopper we're rolling heavily in the swell. The winds are supposed to die down later in the week and we'll try to get to Molokai then. In the meantime we haven't been off the boat since we left Hilo five days ago. Oh well, at least the water is clear blue and warmer!
We initially tried an anchorage north of Pu'u Ola'i Point off a black sand beach next to a golf course:
{GMST}20|38.436|N|156|27.008|W|Maui|Puu Olai north{GEND}
This became very unprotected as the afternoon wind picked up, and we moved around to the south to Oneloa, or Mckenna, Beach:
{GMST}20|37.858|N|156|27.024|W|Maui|Big Mckenna Beach{GEND}
After a rolly night in the swell we thought we'd better move up the coast towards Lahaina. Even though we got an early start just after sunrise we had a nasty motor sail into the wind to get across Ma'alaea Bay where the wind was honking. We were covered in salt spray by the time we anchored east of Olowalu three hours later:
{GMST}20|47.913|N|156|35.635|W|Maui|Olowalu east{GEND}
We had a nice day catching up on our sleep and watching rainbows come and go over the mountain before sunset. But mid-way into our evening the wind came up and we spent the rest of the night listening to more wind than we've experienced in a long time. It only seemed to be getting worse by morning so we decided to make a break for it. Getting the anchor off the bottom was a team effort as I had to drive the boat into the wind while John brought in the chain. As the chain piled up I'd run down below to knock over the pile and race back out to the cockpit to do some more driving. Fortunately we got out of there without injury or breakage.
We motored close to the beach to stay out of the fetch and searching for anything that seemed calmer. Four miles closer to Lahaina we thought we had a spot, but it became windier after only an hour so we pulled up and moved on towards Lahaina again. We are now south of Lahaina at what our cruising guide calls Waianukole or Lahaina East. It's basically an open roadstead like Lahaina itself but we aren't in a pack of moored boats or off the noisy city. Although it is right in front of the noisy road:
{GMST}20|50.805|N|156|39.568|W|Maui|Lahaina east{GEND}
Worried that the wind would come up as fiercely as it had the night before, John didn't deploy our rocker stopper last night. But when the wind doesn't blow steadily the swell rolls us from side to side, and we had another night of poor sleep. Today we've had some gusts but nothing like the past couple of days. Even with the rocker stopper we're rolling heavily in the swell. The winds are supposed to die down later in the week and we'll try to get to Molokai then. In the meantime we haven't been off the boat since we left Hilo five days ago. Oh well, at least the water is clear blue and warmer!
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| Ziggy sees a honu |
Hilo waypoints
Our passage from Molokai to Hilo was one long motor trip but the monotony of motoring was relieved by the sight of whales everywhere we looked until we cleared the far end of Maui just before sunset on March 6. We had an uneventful night with more whale sightings as we were about to enter Hilo harbor. We were anchored four nights to the west of Coconut Island:
{GMST}19|43.708|N|155|04.322|W|Hilo|Coconut Island{GEND}
On March 11 we went into Radio Bay and tied up to the wall there as usual. Unfortunately when John went into the DOT office to check in with the harbor master he was told that boats which have been in the State of Hawaii for more than 90 days are no longer considered "transient" and are not allowed berthing in Radio Bay. This was news to us since it's never been a problem when we've made multiple visits in past years, but they are now enforcing the heretofore ignored rule.
{GMST}19|43.883|N|155|03.147|W|Hilo|Radio Bay{GEND}
When they insisted we leave immediately we moved to Reed's Bay where we dropped the hooked in 33' over a rocky shelf, and backed towards shore ending up in about 10' of water. John sighted down the red channel markers to do our best to keep out of the channel when the wind shifted because you don't want to be in the way of the cruise ships or tugs and tows.
{GMST}19|43.841|N|155|03.721|W|Hilo|Reed's Bay{GEND}
We experienced high winds and huge swells coming over the breakwater during a few stormy days, so on March 16 we moved out to the protection of the breakwater to get out of the wind fetch which was very bad in Reed's.
{GMST}19|44.463|N|155|04.197|W|Hilo|Breakwater{GEND}
We were very happy to be in Hilo for two important reasons. In March our good friends Frank and Lynn of M/V Nova came out for their first visit to the Big Island and treated us to two fun-filled days of sightseeing. It had been about eight years since we'd seen them but we picked up our friendship again as if it were still Fourth of July on the Delta. Then on April 9 we actually got to wave to people we know when the Star Princess brought my aunt and uncle to Hilo! They too treated us to a full day of island time while we acted as their unofficial tour guides. We had last seen them eight years ago when we drove John's truck from Oregon to San Carlos, Mexico. We felt very fortunate that we could be in Hilo for both visits since we so rarely get to see old friends and family.
{GMST}19|43.708|N|155|04.322|W|Hilo|Coconut Island{GEND}
On March 11 we went into Radio Bay and tied up to the wall there as usual. Unfortunately when John went into the DOT office to check in with the harbor master he was told that boats which have been in the State of Hawaii for more than 90 days are no longer considered "transient" and are not allowed berthing in Radio Bay. This was news to us since it's never been a problem when we've made multiple visits in past years, but they are now enforcing the heretofore ignored rule.
{GMST}19|43.883|N|155|03.147|W|Hilo|Radio Bay{GEND}
When they insisted we leave immediately we moved to Reed's Bay where we dropped the hooked in 33' over a rocky shelf, and backed towards shore ending up in about 10' of water. John sighted down the red channel markers to do our best to keep out of the channel when the wind shifted because you don't want to be in the way of the cruise ships or tugs and tows.
{GMST}19|43.841|N|155|03.721|W|Hilo|Reed's Bay{GEND}
We experienced high winds and huge swells coming over the breakwater during a few stormy days, so on March 16 we moved out to the protection of the breakwater to get out of the wind fetch which was very bad in Reed's.
{GMST}19|44.463|N|155|04.197|W|Hilo|Breakwater{GEND}
We were very happy to be in Hilo for two important reasons. In March our good friends Frank and Lynn of M/V Nova came out for their first visit to the Big Island and treated us to two fun-filled days of sightseeing. It had been about eight years since we'd seen them but we picked up our friendship again as if it were still Fourth of July on the Delta. Then on April 9 we actually got to wave to people we know when the Star Princess brought my aunt and uncle to Hilo! They too treated us to a full day of island time while we acted as their unofficial tour guides. We had last seen them eight years ago when we drove John's truck from Oregon to San Carlos, Mexico. We felt very fortunate that we could be in Hilo for both visits since we so rarely get to see old friends and family.
Oahu waypoints
It's hard to believe it's been four and a half months since I last wrote a blog, but time passes quickly even when we're not cruising. John insists we're still in cruising mode. I on the other hand, look at it as simply living aboard in the U.S., even if the State we're in happens to be as exotic as Hawaii.
In January we celebrated John's 50th birthday with the help of many friends. In February I flew to Portland and John did a weekend haulout at Keehi boat yard with Chris from Privateer as his hired help. I returned to Honolulu at the end of the month where John had Nakia tied up at the Kaneohe Yacht Club, a very beautiful and welcoming facility.
We rented a Smart car for three days and covered Oahu from coast to coast.
We returned the rental car and departed the yacht club dock on February 23 to anchor in 42' at the "sand spit" in Kaneohe Bay. All the tour boats take Sunday off and the spit was crowded with locals enjoying the sun and shallow water. It reminded us very much of the California Delta scene with a backdrop reminiscent of the Marquesas!
{GMST}21|27.510|N|157|48.304|W|Kaneohe Bay|Sand Spit{GEND}
After two nights on the spit we motored a few miles to the far northern end of the bay, to the "secret beach" anchorage off of Kualoa Beach Park. On our way into the channel (leave the markers - topped by decoy owls - to the west to stay off the reef) we saw five turtles before dropping the hook in about 15 feet.
{GMST}21|30.080|N|157|50.710|W|Kaneohe Bay|Secret Beach{GEND}
From the park we rode our bicycles north past the Polynesian Cultural Center to the Hukilau Cafe for some ono loco moco and Teriyaki beef.
On March 3 we departed Oahu for a long day trip to Molokai. We motored all morning and saw red-footed boobies, an albatross (I swear!), and whales showing off everywhere. We made a three night stop in Molokai where we did laundry and another bike ride out to Mile 16 (me) and beyond to the end of the road (John). One night we had dinner at Paddler's and stayed in town late enough to get "hot bread" from the Kanemitsu Bakery. This is an interesting, if not particularly gourmet, experience that I can now check off my list.
We departed Molokai for the overnight passage to Hilo on March 6.
We rented a Smart car for three days and covered Oahu from coast to coast.
We returned the rental car and departed the yacht club dock on February 23 to anchor in 42' at the "sand spit" in Kaneohe Bay. All the tour boats take Sunday off and the spit was crowded with locals enjoying the sun and shallow water. It reminded us very much of the California Delta scene with a backdrop reminiscent of the Marquesas!
{GMST}21|27.510|N|157|48.304|W|Kaneohe Bay|Sand Spit{GEND}
After two nights on the spit we motored a few miles to the far northern end of the bay, to the "secret beach" anchorage off of Kualoa Beach Park. On our way into the channel (leave the markers - topped by decoy owls - to the west to stay off the reef) we saw five turtles before dropping the hook in about 15 feet.
{GMST}21|30.080|N|157|50.710|W|Kaneohe Bay|Secret Beach{GEND}
From the park we rode our bicycles north past the Polynesian Cultural Center to the Hukilau Cafe for some ono loco moco and Teriyaki beef.
On March 3 we departed Oahu for a long day trip to Molokai. We motored all morning and saw red-footed boobies, an albatross (I swear!), and whales showing off everywhere. We made a three night stop in Molokai where we did laundry and another bike ride out to Mile 16 (me) and beyond to the end of the road (John). One night we had dinner at Paddler's and stayed in town late enough to get "hot bread" from the Kanemitsu Bakery. This is an interesting, if not particularly gourmet, experience that I can now check off my list.
We departed Molokai for the overnight passage to Hilo on March 6.
Wednesday, January 01, 2014
Ala Wai Harbor, Oahu
We were misled by a forecast that indicated lighter winds for our Sunday sail from Molokai to Oahu across the Kaiwi channel. Instead of 15 knots down from 20, we had 20 knots and more in the gusts. It wasn't dangerous but it was wetter and more boisterous than we find enjoyable. Ziggy had a hard time settling down and he had to try several different sleeping places before he was finally able to relax in his bed. Fortunately no one threw up. We saw a few whale spouts and passed near one when we were off Diamond Head. We later learned that it's fairly rare to see them in so close to Waikiki.
We were warmly welcomed by our friends on Sarana, Pura Vida, and Privateer. We passed a safety inspection required by the DLNR before being assigned a slip. We were very well prepared except for our navigation running lights, which we hadn't thought to test after John did some rewiring up in the bow. When those failed to light I kept the inspector occupied with checking off items like PFDs, flares, signal horns, fire extinguishers, ship's papers, etc. while John pulled out his tools and fixed the wiring and a burned out bulb. We sure didn't want to have to make another appointment to return to the DLNR dock later!
We are now settled in at the transient end of the 800 dock. I wish we'd put our names on the waiting list for a permanent slip here years ago, but we hear that slips are awarded based more on who you know than what your actual position on the list is. We like moving around more than staying in one spot anyway, so maybe we'll play the island hopping game until we think of something we'd rather do instead. For now at least, we can't beat sunrise over Diamond Head, surfers just on the other side of the breakwater, friends to play with, cool nights, warm days, and fireworks every Friday night courtesy of the Hilton Hawaiian Village resort.
We are very grateful for the life we're living, and we wish all our friends and family the same sort of satisfaction for 2014. Happy New Year!
{GMST}21|17.033|N|157|50.603|W|Oahu|Ala Wai Harbor{GEND}
We were warmly welcomed by our friends on Sarana, Pura Vida, and Privateer. We passed a safety inspection required by the DLNR before being assigned a slip. We were very well prepared except for our navigation running lights, which we hadn't thought to test after John did some rewiring up in the bow. When those failed to light I kept the inspector occupied with checking off items like PFDs, flares, signal horns, fire extinguishers, ship's papers, etc. while John pulled out his tools and fixed the wiring and a burned out bulb. We sure didn't want to have to make another appointment to return to the DLNR dock later!
We are now settled in at the transient end of the 800 dock. I wish we'd put our names on the waiting list for a permanent slip here years ago, but we hear that slips are awarded based more on who you know than what your actual position on the list is. We like moving around more than staying in one spot anyway, so maybe we'll play the island hopping game until we think of something we'd rather do instead. For now at least, we can't beat sunrise over Diamond Head, surfers just on the other side of the breakwater, friends to play with, cool nights, warm days, and fireworks every Friday night courtesy of the Hilton Hawaiian Village resort.
We are very grateful for the life we're living, and we wish all our friends and family the same sort of satisfaction for 2014. Happy New Year!
{GMST}21|17.033|N|157|50.603|W|Oahu|Ala Wai Harbor{GEND}
Hale o Lono Harbor, Molokai
Saturday, December 28
It was easy enough to motor the dozen or so early morning miles from Kaunakakai to Lono on the 24th. But getting the anchor set was a different story. Three times in three different places John dropped the anchor in the silty water and each time it dragged through what must be only dirt and sand on the bottom. Since we weren't getting anywhere with our primary anchor (a 45 lb. Delta) John decided to add a Fortress anchor in tandem. While we appear to have slipped back about 20' in the past few days, we are secure enough. The big wooden schooner that arrived a few hours after us has put out a line to shore in an attempt to keep in place. We're closest to the entrance where the effects of the swell are more noticeable, but our rocker stopper keeps us comfortable.
After putting another coat of varnish on the companionway doors (and realizing that meant we couldn't lock up the boat - oh well) we went out Christmas morning to hike up the hill (and through a gate posted Private Property) to the bluff overlooking the anchorage. From there we retraced our route and walked past the boats to the eastern beach. An older couple who had passed us on the dirt road earlier were set up for a day of fishing using their truck for shade. After seeing us gazing over the top of a locked gate to a road beyond, the man beckoned us over to tell us that we could access it more easily if we continued a bit farther along the beach. We appreciated his friendly assistance very much and found the road without any trouble.
This was a quiet walk through a forest of scrubby trees, but without any beach access until we reached an old camp of some sort. The largest building (which I had thought was a house when saw it from a distance in the boat) turned out to be an open kitchen and dining area. Half a dozen small sleeping sheds were scattered to either side of the main building. Constructed of wood, abandoned, and damaged by termites, it appears to have been a nice place for a hunting or fishing vacation long ago. Two large water cisterns are visible on the bluff across the dirt road, but plumbing, and even a septic tank, are now in ruins. Sadly we also found the bones and even some hide remaining on what were clearly a doe and small fawn laying next to each other by one of the sheds. A third skeleton was outside another shed.
Friday we struck out in the opposite direction towards the western point, walking the beach for awhile and then switching to a dirt road paralleling the beach. This was another mostly shady morning walk through a monotone of scrubby thorn trees, catching the briefest of glimpses at quail and cardinals. It was quiet, surprisingly free of trash, and the dried up mud was covered in deer tracks, with more bones along the side of the road. We counted three feral cats on this walk which made a total of four counting the one John saw earlier near the quay. Fresh paw prints ran the entire length of the beach as one of them must have made an early morning search for something to scavenge. From up on a bluff overlooking a cove we saw a sea turtle fighting the swell as it fed among the rocks.
The harbor was a very popular place for locals and tourists alike over the holiday but they were usually gone by mid-afternoon for the long drive back to Kaunakakai. It's a very peaceful place but after a few days there we were ready for the bright lights of the big city.
{GMST}21|05.174|N|157|14.918|W|Molokai|Lono Harbor{GEND}
It was easy enough to motor the dozen or so early morning miles from Kaunakakai to Lono on the 24th. But getting the anchor set was a different story. Three times in three different places John dropped the anchor in the silty water and each time it dragged through what must be only dirt and sand on the bottom. Since we weren't getting anywhere with our primary anchor (a 45 lb. Delta) John decided to add a Fortress anchor in tandem. While we appear to have slipped back about 20' in the past few days, we are secure enough. The big wooden schooner that arrived a few hours after us has put out a line to shore in an attempt to keep in place. We're closest to the entrance where the effects of the swell are more noticeable, but our rocker stopper keeps us comfortable.
After putting another coat of varnish on the companionway doors (and realizing that meant we couldn't lock up the boat - oh well) we went out Christmas morning to hike up the hill (and through a gate posted Private Property) to the bluff overlooking the anchorage. From there we retraced our route and walked past the boats to the eastern beach. An older couple who had passed us on the dirt road earlier were set up for a day of fishing using their truck for shade. After seeing us gazing over the top of a locked gate to a road beyond, the man beckoned us over to tell us that we could access it more easily if we continued a bit farther along the beach. We appreciated his friendly assistance very much and found the road without any trouble.
This was a quiet walk through a forest of scrubby trees, but without any beach access until we reached an old camp of some sort. The largest building (which I had thought was a house when saw it from a distance in the boat) turned out to be an open kitchen and dining area. Half a dozen small sleeping sheds were scattered to either side of the main building. Constructed of wood, abandoned, and damaged by termites, it appears to have been a nice place for a hunting or fishing vacation long ago. Two large water cisterns are visible on the bluff across the dirt road, but plumbing, and even a septic tank, are now in ruins. Sadly we also found the bones and even some hide remaining on what were clearly a doe and small fawn laying next to each other by one of the sheds. A third skeleton was outside another shed.
Friday we struck out in the opposite direction towards the western point, walking the beach for awhile and then switching to a dirt road paralleling the beach. This was another mostly shady morning walk through a monotone of scrubby thorn trees, catching the briefest of glimpses at quail and cardinals. It was quiet, surprisingly free of trash, and the dried up mud was covered in deer tracks, with more bones along the side of the road. We counted three feral cats on this walk which made a total of four counting the one John saw earlier near the quay. Fresh paw prints ran the entire length of the beach as one of them must have made an early morning search for something to scavenge. From up on a bluff overlooking a cove we saw a sea turtle fighting the swell as it fed among the rocks.
The harbor was a very popular place for locals and tourists alike over the holiday but they were usually gone by mid-afternoon for the long drive back to Kaunakakai. It's a very peaceful place but after a few days there we were ready for the bright lights of the big city.
{GMST}21|05.174|N|157|14.918|W|Molokai|Lono Harbor{GEND}
Friday, December 27, 2013
Kaunakakai Harbor, Molokai
Tuesday, December 24
We had a second enjoyable stay in Kaunakakai, though not as much fun as our first visit because we didn't have the loan of a friend's car this time. Exploring the island end to end was the highlight of our last visit. We were happy to be able to get back and forth to town on our bicycles but our days were mostly routine.
John began the chore of spiffing up the doors and brightwork outside the companionway, getting a few coats of varnish on everything while we had a little down time. I stuffed my backpack full of laundry and rode to the nearby Friendly Isle laundromat for a quick wash, bringing it all back to the boat for line drying. Splitting it up over a couple of days made it feel like less of a chore.
I hung out at the charming little library where the only drawback is the lack of electrical outlets for charging. A friendly librarian let me plug my computer into one of their power strips, but they have a posted policy of "no charging" and I didn't want to impose after the first time. Hilo is still my idea of the perfect library with an outlet at almost every table in the open air courtyard.
We thought we'd combine a night out with some "free" Wifi by going to Paddler's restaurant for their Thursday local music night. Our server bent over backward to get us seated where I could plug in (I swear I'm buying a new battery when we get to Honolulu!), and then it turned out that local music night had died over the slow summer and wouldn't start up again until after the holidays. But we ate a huge meal of shrimp and mahi mahi fettucine (complete with bread and a generous salad) for me and a hearty burger and fries for John.
After spending $4 on two soft serve ice cream cones from the pizza place we smartened up and bought pints of Dave's Hawaiian ice cream for $5 instead. The pre-packed pints were frozen solid and the clerk even wrapped it in newspaper for us so we could ride back and eat it on the boat. The Molokai Mud Pie was good and the chocolate Macadamia nut was a rich dark chocolate. Ono!
Our most ambitious outing was a bike ride on Saturday out to the Mile 16 marker at the east end of the island. The ride is mostly flat with several short uphill slopes and I only had to walk my bike one or two times. I love my rusty road bike from craigslist but it's an old 5-speed and I'm permanently stuck in second gear. This is great for getting me around on the flat parts of town, but is useless on hills that would normally be no problem for me. After Mile 16 we decided we'd had enough and turned around in front of a house with a beautiful shiny blue tile roof. We stopped in at Mana'e Goodz 'n' Grindz for drinks and took a beach break at Puko'o Harbor back at about Mile 13. The return ride was an easy downhill run with the breeze at our backs, which was a good thing because I was definitely done when we rolled into the Molokai Drive-In.
This is a great little local hangout with free Wifi in their air conditioned dining room. They also have covered outdoor seating at picnic tables and clean bathrooms. This place is so much better than any McDonald's or Burger King. We were also happy to notice that Subway is no longer in business in Kaunakakai. Molokai has done an excellent job of keeping out the generic chain stores you find everywhere else.
But one thing we don't really get is their opposition to small cruise ships like the Safari Explorer which docked at the pier while we were there. We saw many signs outside homes saying things along the line of "no cruise ships," and at one point a year or two ago the SE actually had to stop coming to Molokai for a time. I can understand wanting to keep out the mega ships - which wouldn't want to visit sleepy Molokai anyway. But with only 36 eco-minded passengers, the SE seems like the perfect fit for Molokai. People who take small ships are generally interested in more remote locations and are more sensitive to leaving small footprints in the first place. So where's the harm to the locals if these people spend a day touring Molokai? The Molokai Princess ferry can carry four times as many day-tripping tourists from Maui six days a week. What's the diff?!
The other thing that became a perplexing downer for us were all the No Trespassing, Keep Out, and Private Property signs seen posted everywhere. We not only saw these on the larger properties spread out along the highway (where it might be possible for a tourist to get confused looking for beach access or a hiking opportunity - maybe), but also in a densely populated local neighborhood where no tourist would normally venture. What's going on here? Do neighbors not know to stay out of each other's yards? It leads a visitor to think there's a significant petty theft problem on this island...
We attempted another bike ride out the west end of town but gave it up after only three miles. The hills were too steep and numerous for me, and the "ride" became a hot walk in the sun. Instead we explored some more neighborhoods, admired the very brand new looking fire station, and headed to the Drive-In for refueling.
After putting it off all week, I finally walked into the Kanemitsu Bakery the day before we left to ask about "night bread." But of course Monday is the only night they don't sell hot gooey sweet breads in the alley after 8 PM because the bakery is closed on Tuesdays. Look it up on yelp if you're curious - I can't write about it until we've done it. Next visit for sure!
{GMST}21|05.035|N|157|01.707|W|Molokai|Kaunakakai Harbor{GEND}
We had a second enjoyable stay in Kaunakakai, though not as much fun as our first visit because we didn't have the loan of a friend's car this time. Exploring the island end to end was the highlight of our last visit. We were happy to be able to get back and forth to town on our bicycles but our days were mostly routine.
John began the chore of spiffing up the doors and brightwork outside the companionway, getting a few coats of varnish on everything while we had a little down time. I stuffed my backpack full of laundry and rode to the nearby Friendly Isle laundromat for a quick wash, bringing it all back to the boat for line drying. Splitting it up over a couple of days made it feel like less of a chore.
I hung out at the charming little library where the only drawback is the lack of electrical outlets for charging. A friendly librarian let me plug my computer into one of their power strips, but they have a posted policy of "no charging" and I didn't want to impose after the first time. Hilo is still my idea of the perfect library with an outlet at almost every table in the open air courtyard.
We thought we'd combine a night out with some "free" Wifi by going to Paddler's restaurant for their Thursday local music night. Our server bent over backward to get us seated where I could plug in (I swear I'm buying a new battery when we get to Honolulu!), and then it turned out that local music night had died over the slow summer and wouldn't start up again until after the holidays. But we ate a huge meal of shrimp and mahi mahi fettucine (complete with bread and a generous salad) for me and a hearty burger and fries for John.
After spending $4 on two soft serve ice cream cones from the pizza place we smartened up and bought pints of Dave's Hawaiian ice cream for $5 instead. The pre-packed pints were frozen solid and the clerk even wrapped it in newspaper for us so we could ride back and eat it on the boat. The Molokai Mud Pie was good and the chocolate Macadamia nut was a rich dark chocolate. Ono!
Our most ambitious outing was a bike ride on Saturday out to the Mile 16 marker at the east end of the island. The ride is mostly flat with several short uphill slopes and I only had to walk my bike one or two times. I love my rusty road bike from craigslist but it's an old 5-speed and I'm permanently stuck in second gear. This is great for getting me around on the flat parts of town, but is useless on hills that would normally be no problem for me. After Mile 16 we decided we'd had enough and turned around in front of a house with a beautiful shiny blue tile roof. We stopped in at Mana'e Goodz 'n' Grindz for drinks and took a beach break at Puko'o Harbor back at about Mile 13. The return ride was an easy downhill run with the breeze at our backs, which was a good thing because I was definitely done when we rolled into the Molokai Drive-In.
This is a great little local hangout with free Wifi in their air conditioned dining room. They also have covered outdoor seating at picnic tables and clean bathrooms. This place is so much better than any McDonald's or Burger King. We were also happy to notice that Subway is no longer in business in Kaunakakai. Molokai has done an excellent job of keeping out the generic chain stores you find everywhere else.
But one thing we don't really get is their opposition to small cruise ships like the Safari Explorer which docked at the pier while we were there. We saw many signs outside homes saying things along the line of "no cruise ships," and at one point a year or two ago the SE actually had to stop coming to Molokai for a time. I can understand wanting to keep out the mega ships - which wouldn't want to visit sleepy Molokai anyway. But with only 36 eco-minded passengers, the SE seems like the perfect fit for Molokai. People who take small ships are generally interested in more remote locations and are more sensitive to leaving small footprints in the first place. So where's the harm to the locals if these people spend a day touring Molokai? The Molokai Princess ferry can carry four times as many day-tripping tourists from Maui six days a week. What's the diff?!
The other thing that became a perplexing downer for us were all the No Trespassing, Keep Out, and Private Property signs seen posted everywhere. We not only saw these on the larger properties spread out along the highway (where it might be possible for a tourist to get confused looking for beach access or a hiking opportunity - maybe), but also in a densely populated local neighborhood where no tourist would normally venture. What's going on here? Do neighbors not know to stay out of each other's yards? It leads a visitor to think there's a significant petty theft problem on this island...
We attempted another bike ride out the west end of town but gave it up after only three miles. The hills were too steep and numerous for me, and the "ride" became a hot walk in the sun. Instead we explored some more neighborhoods, admired the very brand new looking fire station, and headed to the Drive-In for refueling.
After putting it off all week, I finally walked into the Kanemitsu Bakery the day before we left to ask about "night bread." But of course Monday is the only night they don't sell hot gooey sweet breads in the alley after 8 PM because the bakery is closed on Tuesdays. Look it up on yelp if you're curious - I can't write about it until we've done it. Next visit for sure!
{GMST}21|05.035|N|157|01.707|W|Molokai|Kaunakakai Harbor{GEND}
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Maui to Molokai
Tuesday, December 17
We were motoring along in the calm hours of the morning, anxious to cross the Pailolo channel between Maui and Molokai before it got too windy. About an hour before reaching Lahaina I saw something yellow floating in the distance. At last, we'd found a kayak! It was only a short, hard plastic, kid's kayak but maybe it could float me. John fished it out of the water and it fit perfectly on Nakia. I began to have visions of paddling around quiet anchorages when John made a call on the VHF radio in a half-hearted attempt to find the owner. A charter operator came back with the possibility that it had come from a nearby camp. John Googled the camp name on his phone and gave them a call. He was routed to their kayak guy who said it wasn't theirs but it might be his buddy Chris'. John called Chris who correctly identified the kayak and agreed to meet us at the Lahaina harbor entrance by paddling out on his SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard). While John stressed about being delayed an hour over the whole thing (and running into too much wind in the channel) I was excited about the happy ending of reuniting the wayward kayak with its anxious owner.
The wind did pick up and we had a good sail across with the added bonus of a pair a whales breaching and crashing back into the water with splashes you couldn't miss. We ended up sailing right out of the wind line and motored into the familiar waters of Kaunakakai Harbor. I was dismayed to find four tired looking sailboats (one dismasted) on permanent moorings plus a large orange mooring buoy reserved for the Molokai Princess ferry. But three of them were far back in shallow water and we managed to tuck into a spot between S/V Koa Kahiko and the MKP ferry buoy.
We took the bikes in to lock them up on shore and to check things out. The harbor master's office was already closed for the day but John took one of the self-pay envelopes back to the boat with us. One nice surprise was to find that anchoring at Molokai is still a bargain at .10/foot plus $2 per person per night, or about $2 less than it costs us to stay at Radio Bay. On the downside the public bathrooms are worse at Molokai and we obviously can't run water or electricity to the boat at anchor like we can at RB. When we got the seldom used checkbook out to pay we discovered that the last check we wrote was also to DNLR for anchoring at Molokai on 1/4/11! It has taken us seven years to write 24 checks...
{GMST}21|05.035|N|157|01.707|W|Molokai|Kaunakakai Harbor|{GEND}
We were motoring along in the calm hours of the morning, anxious to cross the Pailolo channel between Maui and Molokai before it got too windy. About an hour before reaching Lahaina I saw something yellow floating in the distance. At last, we'd found a kayak! It was only a short, hard plastic, kid's kayak but maybe it could float me. John fished it out of the water and it fit perfectly on Nakia. I began to have visions of paddling around quiet anchorages when John made a call on the VHF radio in a half-hearted attempt to find the owner. A charter operator came back with the possibility that it had come from a nearby camp. John Googled the camp name on his phone and gave them a call. He was routed to their kayak guy who said it wasn't theirs but it might be his buddy Chris'. John called Chris who correctly identified the kayak and agreed to meet us at the Lahaina harbor entrance by paddling out on his SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard). While John stressed about being delayed an hour over the whole thing (and running into too much wind in the channel) I was excited about the happy ending of reuniting the wayward kayak with its anxious owner.
The wind did pick up and we had a good sail across with the added bonus of a pair a whales breaching and crashing back into the water with splashes you couldn't miss. We ended up sailing right out of the wind line and motored into the familiar waters of Kaunakakai Harbor. I was dismayed to find four tired looking sailboats (one dismasted) on permanent moorings plus a large orange mooring buoy reserved for the Molokai Princess ferry. But three of them were far back in shallow water and we managed to tuck into a spot between S/V Koa Kahiko and the MKP ferry buoy.
We took the bikes in to lock them up on shore and to check things out. The harbor master's office was already closed for the day but John took one of the self-pay envelopes back to the boat with us. One nice surprise was to find that anchoring at Molokai is still a bargain at .10/foot plus $2 per person per night, or about $2 less than it costs us to stay at Radio Bay. On the downside the public bathrooms are worse at Molokai and we obviously can't run water or electricity to the boat at anchor like we can at RB. When we got the seldom used checkbook out to pay we discovered that the last check we wrote was also to DNLR for anchoring at Molokai on 1/4/11! It has taken us seven years to write 24 checks...
{GMST}21|05.035|N|157|01.707|W|Molokai|Kaunakakai Harbor|{GEND}
Maui Lite
Monday, December 16
Well, Maui has never been high on our list of islands to visit by boat and this time was no exception. We pulled into La Perouse Bay just before sunrise and John found a patch of sand for the anchor. We didn't plan to go ashore but it looked like an interesting place with several people driving in to take a look at it. Unfortunately, after breakfast and a morning nap, conditions had deteriorated and we weren't comfortable rolling in the swell.
We left La Perouse at Noon and motored around the back side of Molokini for a look at that. The snorkeling side was already choppy so we gave it a pass and continued on to Point McGregor. We ended up too close to some rocks to the left on our first anchor set, but after a second try we were satisfied with our position directly below a ridge of wind turbines. This anchorage has absolutely nothing to recommend it. There is no place to go ashore and it's right under a busy highway. But John put up our Christmas lights and we probably made a lovely sight for people not used to seeing a sailboat anchored in the middle of nowhere. If you don't plan to visit Lahaina before continuing to Molokai, then this is probably a more protected spot to spend the night - but that's all I can say in its favor.
We saw several humpback whales throughout the day - spouts, a baby breaching clear out of the water, and lots of fin waving and tail fluking. Maui is great for whale watching this time of year, but I recommend taking one of the early morning tours. After the wind came up by late morning we overheard VHF radio chatter about passengers getting sick when one boat went looking for whales out in the rougher waters between the islands!
{GMST}20|35.425|N|156|24.998|W|Maui|La Perouse Bay{GEND}
{GMST}20|46.595|N|156|31.477|W|Maui|Point McGregor{GEND}
Well, Maui has never been high on our list of islands to visit by boat and this time was no exception. We pulled into La Perouse Bay just before sunrise and John found a patch of sand for the anchor. We didn't plan to go ashore but it looked like an interesting place with several people driving in to take a look at it. Unfortunately, after breakfast and a morning nap, conditions had deteriorated and we weren't comfortable rolling in the swell.
We left La Perouse at Noon and motored around the back side of Molokini for a look at that. The snorkeling side was already choppy so we gave it a pass and continued on to Point McGregor. We ended up too close to some rocks to the left on our first anchor set, but after a second try we were satisfied with our position directly below a ridge of wind turbines. This anchorage has absolutely nothing to recommend it. There is no place to go ashore and it's right under a busy highway. But John put up our Christmas lights and we probably made a lovely sight for people not used to seeing a sailboat anchored in the middle of nowhere. If you don't plan to visit Lahaina before continuing to Molokai, then this is probably a more protected spot to spend the night - but that's all I can say in its favor.
We saw several humpback whales throughout the day - spouts, a baby breaching clear out of the water, and lots of fin waving and tail fluking. Maui is great for whale watching this time of year, but I recommend taking one of the early morning tours. After the wind came up by late morning we overheard VHF radio chatter about passengers getting sick when one boat went looking for whales out in the rougher waters between the islands!
{GMST}20|35.425|N|156|24.998|W|Maui|La Perouse Bay{GEND}
{GMST}20|46.595|N|156|31.477|W|Maui|Point McGregor{GEND}
Hilo Wrap Up (on passage to Maui)
Sunday, December 15 - night watch
It's finally time to leave Hilo and we are midway into our overnight crossing to Maui. John found calm weather for us to transit the locally infamous Alanuihaha channel. Thus far the weather has been so calm that we've motored most of the way. But it's either that or a hairy sail in boisterous seas - no thanks!
Regarding our stay in Radio Bay, I forgot to mention that the Harbor office no longer accepts any form of payment other than a local check or a money order. Every cruising boat we spoke with, especially the foreign ones, were confounded by this archaic method of payment, especially since it requires a tedious bus trip to Walmart or the Post Office and then another visit back to the Harbor office. They are adamant about payment in advance which for us meant several trips to Walmart for money orders as we extended our stay from week to week.
I also didn't make it clear that Security will no longer escort you from your boat out to the main gate. Instead you are required to land your dinghy on the beach. We eventually found it easiest to land in the extreme right hand corner of the beach to avoid grumbling from the members of the private Palekai canoe club, none of whom seemed to know that we had no other option for landing.
In addition to the noises of the container terminal we also discovered that the Coast Guard ship Kiska often performed some sort of training drill at around 0430. They started the outboard motor on their tender mounted on the rear deck of the ship, ran it for a bit, and then shut it down. This was only mildly disturbing to our sleep because Ziggy is usually pestering us to wake up by then anyway.
One evening John was sitting in the cockpit after dark when he heard a screech and located an owl perched on a tall structure. From then on if I heard the screech, I ran out to see the owl flying across the sky, illuminated by the Harbor flood lights, either on its way out to hunt at night or returning to roost somewhere before sunrise. We identified it as a barn owl by its size, color, and its unique call.
This is one of those things you hate to admit, but we were enchanted by the nightly Coqui chorus. After a day trip to Costco and Kona with Fabio and Lisa of S/V Amandla we stepped out of the car in Hilo to the familiar sound that meant we were home. The Coqui frog is a non-native species that has overrun parts of Hawaii, and drives the locals absolutely bananas. Until just recently there was a government program attempting to control the problem, but it has been discontinued as a lost cause. You can hear them doing solos during daylight hours, but it's at night that they sing loudly and in unison. We apologize profusely for loving the happy sound of "ko kee'" repeated ad nauseum!
One day we rode our bikes to Uncle Billy's General Store to use their Wifi. As we were surfing the web a tsunami siren began wailing away. We immediately started to shut down our computers, ready to race back to the boat, when we realized that no one else appeared to be concerned. Hmmm. We asked a local about it and learned that the sirens are tested the first Monday of every month. Yup, it was 12/2. Having been through three tsunami evacuations we take the warnings very seriously no matter how far away from our location the quakes occur.
Ziggy and I began a new activity which I hope to resume in the calm waters of the Ala Wai Marina when we get to Honolulu. At the end of each day he waited for me to return from my shower, eager to jump into the dinghy and go for a row around the harbor. I used the opportunity to get in a few licks with the cat brush while he was otherwise distracted. He hates being brushed but whenever he became agitated by it I dropped the brush and began to row again. That immediately shifted his focus and averted any aggressive behavior. As we approached other boats he was brave and appeared ready to jump ship. But when we got too close to shore or any unfamiliar object he slunk down and crawled under my legs, yowling with concern. I'd row us back to Nakia where he could leap to the safety of home. I'm sure we were a source of amusement to at least a few of the cruise ship passengers I could see watching us from high above. It's not often you see a cat perched on the bow of an inflatable dinghy!
Late one afternoon we came home after a long day off the boat. I climbed down the steps to the salon and was puzzled by small grey bits of something on the carpets. What had Ziggy found to tear up? It wasn't until my eyes adjusted to the dimmer light down below and traveled up to the rug opposite the nav station that I saw the bird wings - which were all that remained of what had probably been a sparrow. That and some downy grey feathers tumbling in the breeze. We sprang into action rolling up the carpets and shaking the debris into the water. John saw what looked like vomit sink through the water so at least Ziggy had already gotten it out of his system and we didn't have to worry about him throwing up later.
For an "indoor" cat he really does get to enjoy more of the great outdoors than a true house cat, and without most of its hazards. We are hoping to find him a permanent land-based home here in Hawaii, and I thought it would be great to find a rural place far from cars where he could roam and hunt. We met a very kind man who is convinced that a boat is no place for a cat. He's read the same books I did when we first moved aboard in which some very famous cruisers lose cats over the side. But when I start thinking about Ziggy being "free" on land I think of him picking up fleas, getting abscesses from fighting other cats, being chased by vicious dogs, or getting hit by a car. On the other hand I can't imagine him being cooped up in a house without access to the sounds and smells of life outside. I think he actually has it pretty good with us, and it will be hard to let him go should that day ever arrive.
It's finally time to leave Hilo and we are midway into our overnight crossing to Maui. John found calm weather for us to transit the locally infamous Alanuihaha channel. Thus far the weather has been so calm that we've motored most of the way. But it's either that or a hairy sail in boisterous seas - no thanks!
Regarding our stay in Radio Bay, I forgot to mention that the Harbor office no longer accepts any form of payment other than a local check or a money order. Every cruising boat we spoke with, especially the foreign ones, were confounded by this archaic method of payment, especially since it requires a tedious bus trip to Walmart or the Post Office and then another visit back to the Harbor office. They are adamant about payment in advance which for us meant several trips to Walmart for money orders as we extended our stay from week to week.
I also didn't make it clear that Security will no longer escort you from your boat out to the main gate. Instead you are required to land your dinghy on the beach. We eventually found it easiest to land in the extreme right hand corner of the beach to avoid grumbling from the members of the private Palekai canoe club, none of whom seemed to know that we had no other option for landing.
In addition to the noises of the container terminal we also discovered that the Coast Guard ship Kiska often performed some sort of training drill at around 0430. They started the outboard motor on their tender mounted on the rear deck of the ship, ran it for a bit, and then shut it down. This was only mildly disturbing to our sleep because Ziggy is usually pestering us to wake up by then anyway.
One evening John was sitting in the cockpit after dark when he heard a screech and located an owl perched on a tall structure. From then on if I heard the screech, I ran out to see the owl flying across the sky, illuminated by the Harbor flood lights, either on its way out to hunt at night or returning to roost somewhere before sunrise. We identified it as a barn owl by its size, color, and its unique call.
This is one of those things you hate to admit, but we were enchanted by the nightly Coqui chorus. After a day trip to Costco and Kona with Fabio and Lisa of S/V Amandla we stepped out of the car in Hilo to the familiar sound that meant we were home. The Coqui frog is a non-native species that has overrun parts of Hawaii, and drives the locals absolutely bananas. Until just recently there was a government program attempting to control the problem, but it has been discontinued as a lost cause. You can hear them doing solos during daylight hours, but it's at night that they sing loudly and in unison. We apologize profusely for loving the happy sound of "ko kee'" repeated ad nauseum!
One day we rode our bikes to Uncle Billy's General Store to use their Wifi. As we were surfing the web a tsunami siren began wailing away. We immediately started to shut down our computers, ready to race back to the boat, when we realized that no one else appeared to be concerned. Hmmm. We asked a local about it and learned that the sirens are tested the first Monday of every month. Yup, it was 12/2. Having been through three tsunami evacuations we take the warnings very seriously no matter how far away from our location the quakes occur.
Ziggy and I began a new activity which I hope to resume in the calm waters of the Ala Wai Marina when we get to Honolulu. At the end of each day he waited for me to return from my shower, eager to jump into the dinghy and go for a row around the harbor. I used the opportunity to get in a few licks with the cat brush while he was otherwise distracted. He hates being brushed but whenever he became agitated by it I dropped the brush and began to row again. That immediately shifted his focus and averted any aggressive behavior. As we approached other boats he was brave and appeared ready to jump ship. But when we got too close to shore or any unfamiliar object he slunk down and crawled under my legs, yowling with concern. I'd row us back to Nakia where he could leap to the safety of home. I'm sure we were a source of amusement to at least a few of the cruise ship passengers I could see watching us from high above. It's not often you see a cat perched on the bow of an inflatable dinghy!
Late one afternoon we came home after a long day off the boat. I climbed down the steps to the salon and was puzzled by small grey bits of something on the carpets. What had Ziggy found to tear up? It wasn't until my eyes adjusted to the dimmer light down below and traveled up to the rug opposite the nav station that I saw the bird wings - which were all that remained of what had probably been a sparrow. That and some downy grey feathers tumbling in the breeze. We sprang into action rolling up the carpets and shaking the debris into the water. John saw what looked like vomit sink through the water so at least Ziggy had already gotten it out of his system and we didn't have to worry about him throwing up later.
For an "indoor" cat he really does get to enjoy more of the great outdoors than a true house cat, and without most of its hazards. We are hoping to find him a permanent land-based home here in Hawaii, and I thought it would be great to find a rural place far from cars where he could roam and hunt. We met a very kind man who is convinced that a boat is no place for a cat. He's read the same books I did when we first moved aboard in which some very famous cruisers lose cats over the side. But when I start thinking about Ziggy being "free" on land I think of him picking up fleas, getting abscesses from fighting other cats, being chased by vicious dogs, or getting hit by a car. On the other hand I can't imagine him being cooped up in a house without access to the sounds and smells of life outside. I think he actually has it pretty good with us, and it will be hard to let him go should that day ever arrive.
Wednesday, December 04, 2013
Tuned in to Radio Bay
We have obviously been enjoying our stay in Radio Bay on the Big Island of Hawaii very much since we've now been here for one month. It isn't for everyone - indeed, most cruisers seem to dislike it - but we're willing to put up with the negatives in exchange for the positives.
First of all, if you are noise sensitive, you will not like staying here for very long. We are tied up to a concrete wall with big wooden ladders mounted on the face of the wall. The wall is actually the edge of a large shipping container storage area/parking lot which is part of the Port of Hilo. We are separated from the semi-trucks and containers by a chain link fence, and harbor security will no longer escort us across the property to the gate through which cruise ship passengers transit. In addition to the rumble and back-up alarms beeping from trucks moving containers, there is a storage silo which periodically emits a startling burst of pressure, something like "ch!" or "pssst!" But after awhile all of this is only white noise for us. Besides which we spend most of our days off the boat and things are usually quiet at night. I actually get a vicarious thrill at the sight of a cruise ship docking just across the pier from us. It's fun to listen to their on-board announcements and watch the people on their cabin balconies looking down and perhaps wondering where our snug little boat has been. We share this moorage with the Kiska, a small Coast Guard ship home-ported here. Their daily ritual of "Call to Colors" before raising flags in the mornings brings back fond memories of living in Alameda, CA across from Coast Guard Island. The early morning arrival of the young men and women serving on the ship reminds me of my own youthful years served in the Air Force.
Our access to this part of the shore is confined to: one working electrical box, water faucets, and a bathroom/shower building adjacent to the parking lot for the Coasties. There used to be a second electrical box which would give hours of juice for a quarter. That may be why it has been dismantled. But $.25 for one hour at a time is fine for our basic needs. The covered picnic table, trash cans, and shelves for a trading book "library" are still next to the bathrooms. As with our previous visits the bathrooms do not get much attention beyond the emptying of trash and replenishment of paper products. But I appreciate knowing I can luxuriate in a long hot shower, just steps away from the boat, whenever I want, especially if we've been out riding our bicycles around Hilo.
Having a bicycle since we've been cruising is nothing new to John. He had a used bike to get around Mazatlan during his 2012 summer there when he was house-sitting and working on the boat every day. So he was very anxious to buy another one as soon as we arrived from French Polynesia. He found an inexpensive mountain bike at Walmart, and we bought a used road bike from an ad on craigslist for me. I am astounded by how much more flexibility we have with the bikes. They have freed us from the tyranny of the local bus system.
When we visited Hilo in 2009, 2010, and 2011 the buses were free. The route we use most often runs in a circle from the beach parks east of Radio Bay, past the Port of Hilo, along the waterfront to the downtown bus terminal, up through town with stops at colleges and high schools, to the Prince Kuhio shopping center, then down towards the bay, past the airport, past Radio Bay again, and terminating at the end of the beach parks road. It's a long circuitous route if all you want is to go to the grocery store. But we were content to put up with it when it was free to hop on and off as many times as we needed. In fact, we thought it was a pretty great deal.
But free rides don't usually last forever so we weren't surprised when friends wrote us that the bus was now $1. What shocked us was arriving in Hilo to find that the fare had doubled to $2 as of July 1, 2013. This still wouldn't be out of line if it allowed you to make multiple stops along your route, as I've experienced with most mass transit systems in the U.S. But many of the island bus routes run so infrequently that a 2-hour transfer is often not enough time. And that's assuming you can even get a transfer. Apparently you cannot use a transfer to reboard and continue on the same bus route. Instead you have to transfer to a different route (some of them cover the same territory). Transfers are one-use only and the date and time are laboriously handwritten as you wait to exit the bus. Seriously! On the plus side, the fare is $2 no matter how far you're traveling on a particular route.
So we are happy to have our bikes safely secured and waiting for us on shore. While most of Radio Bay is taken up by Port of Hilo operations, there is one small corner which is shared by the private Palekai paddle club and the park in which it resides. We row to this stony shore and lock our dinghy to an exposed tree root out of the way of the larger beach where the big canoes are launched. We wanted to keep our bikes locked to a post under the covered club picnic area to protect them from the rain. After some complaining from guys who hang out at the club drinking in the afternoons, John bought a truce with a six-pack and we moved the bikes over to the Port's fence.
It is so very nice to have only a short row over calm, protected water to come and go from Nakia. I don't have to stress out about getting salt spray splashed on my town clothes, John doesn't have to hassle with the outboard motor, and we're only steps away from a gorgeous walk or bike ride along one of the most interesting stretches of coastline in the area. There are half a dozen different beach parks connecting the shore, each with their own personality and facilities. Most of them are very kid friendly with natural or human assisted shallow wading pools. Some have outdoor showers and no bathroom; others have bathrooms complete with changing rooms and showers. Most provide picnic tables and one has thoughtfully placed each table under its own gazebo for shelter from the sun and rain. Based on our brief tours I would say each one of them offers the sight of green sea turtles feeding on "grass" covered rocks below the water's surface.
On a long day of riding, with multiple stops at various beach parks, we easily saw more than one turtle at each site. There were even turtles popping their heads up inshore of a crowded surf spot. We've also seen humpback whales outside the breakwater, and we sat and watched spinner dolphins swimming with snorkelers 150 yards off shore. Flocks of egrets fly west over the boat at sunrise, returning east at sunset. Colorful finches fly up out of the grasses. The foliage seems even more exotic and varied than that of Tahiti but, as John likes to point out to me, that's probably due to the many non-native species introduced here.
While we spend much of our time shopping, running errands, and making use of public places with free Wifi, we are definitely enjoying the natural beauty and refreshing climate of Hilo. We will eventually be moving on to Honolulu but, for now at least, we're in no hurry to leave Radio Bay!
First of all, if you are noise sensitive, you will not like staying here for very long. We are tied up to a concrete wall with big wooden ladders mounted on the face of the wall. The wall is actually the edge of a large shipping container storage area/parking lot which is part of the Port of Hilo. We are separated from the semi-trucks and containers by a chain link fence, and harbor security will no longer escort us across the property to the gate through which cruise ship passengers transit. In addition to the rumble and back-up alarms beeping from trucks moving containers, there is a storage silo which periodically emits a startling burst of pressure, something like "ch!" or "pssst!" But after awhile all of this is only white noise for us. Besides which we spend most of our days off the boat and things are usually quiet at night. I actually get a vicarious thrill at the sight of a cruise ship docking just across the pier from us. It's fun to listen to their on-board announcements and watch the people on their cabin balconies looking down and perhaps wondering where our snug little boat has been. We share this moorage with the Kiska, a small Coast Guard ship home-ported here. Their daily ritual of "Call to Colors" before raising flags in the mornings brings back fond memories of living in Alameda, CA across from Coast Guard Island. The early morning arrival of the young men and women serving on the ship reminds me of my own youthful years served in the Air Force.
Our access to this part of the shore is confined to: one working electrical box, water faucets, and a bathroom/shower building adjacent to the parking lot for the Coasties. There used to be a second electrical box which would give hours of juice for a quarter. That may be why it has been dismantled. But $.25 for one hour at a time is fine for our basic needs. The covered picnic table, trash cans, and shelves for a trading book "library" are still next to the bathrooms. As with our previous visits the bathrooms do not get much attention beyond the emptying of trash and replenishment of paper products. But I appreciate knowing I can luxuriate in a long hot shower, just steps away from the boat, whenever I want, especially if we've been out riding our bicycles around Hilo.
Making my way from the boat to the ladder using a stern line
Climbing the ladder to the top of the wall
Made it! Now it's time for a shower.
When we visited Hilo in 2009, 2010, and 2011 the buses were free. The route we use most often runs in a circle from the beach parks east of Radio Bay, past the Port of Hilo, along the waterfront to the downtown bus terminal, up through town with stops at colleges and high schools, to the Prince Kuhio shopping center, then down towards the bay, past the airport, past Radio Bay again, and terminating at the end of the beach parks road. It's a long circuitous route if all you want is to go to the grocery store. But we were content to put up with it when it was free to hop on and off as many times as we needed. In fact, we thought it was a pretty great deal.
But free rides don't usually last forever so we weren't surprised when friends wrote us that the bus was now $1. What shocked us was arriving in Hilo to find that the fare had doubled to $2 as of July 1, 2013. This still wouldn't be out of line if it allowed you to make multiple stops along your route, as I've experienced with most mass transit systems in the U.S. But many of the island bus routes run so infrequently that a 2-hour transfer is often not enough time. And that's assuming you can even get a transfer. Apparently you cannot use a transfer to reboard and continue on the same bus route. Instead you have to transfer to a different route (some of them cover the same territory). Transfers are one-use only and the date and time are laboriously handwritten as you wait to exit the bus. Seriously! On the plus side, the fare is $2 no matter how far you're traveling on a particular route.
So we are happy to have our bikes safely secured and waiting for us on shore. While most of Radio Bay is taken up by Port of Hilo operations, there is one small corner which is shared by the private Palekai paddle club and the park in which it resides. We row to this stony shore and lock our dinghy to an exposed tree root out of the way of the larger beach where the big canoes are launched. We wanted to keep our bikes locked to a post under the covered club picnic area to protect them from the rain. After some complaining from guys who hang out at the club drinking in the afternoons, John bought a truce with a six-pack and we moved the bikes over to the Port's fence.
It is so very nice to have only a short row over calm, protected water to come and go from Nakia. I don't have to stress out about getting salt spray splashed on my town clothes, John doesn't have to hassle with the outboard motor, and we're only steps away from a gorgeous walk or bike ride along one of the most interesting stretches of coastline in the area. There are half a dozen different beach parks connecting the shore, each with their own personality and facilities. Most of them are very kid friendly with natural or human assisted shallow wading pools. Some have outdoor showers and no bathroom; others have bathrooms complete with changing rooms and showers. Most provide picnic tables and one has thoughtfully placed each table under its own gazebo for shelter from the sun and rain. Based on our brief tours I would say each one of them offers the sight of green sea turtles feeding on "grass" covered rocks below the water's surface.
On a long day of riding, with multiple stops at various beach parks, we easily saw more than one turtle at each site. There were even turtles popping their heads up inshore of a crowded surf spot. We've also seen humpback whales outside the breakwater, and we sat and watched spinner dolphins swimming with snorkelers 150 yards off shore. Flocks of egrets fly west over the boat at sunrise, returning east at sunset. Colorful finches fly up out of the grasses. The foliage seems even more exotic and varied than that of Tahiti but, as John likes to point out to me, that's probably due to the many non-native species introduced here.
While we spend much of our time shopping, running errands, and making use of public places with free Wifi, we are definitely enjoying the natural beauty and refreshing climate of Hilo. We will eventually be moving on to Honolulu but, for now at least, we're in no hurry to leave Radio Bay!
Wednesday, November 06, 2013
Passage Stats, Tuamotus to Hawaii
Well we arrived in Hilo yesterday just at Noon. We were tied up by 12:30 and by 12:31 I was drinking a cold beer thanks to Jon on Pura Vida. The crew on Pura Vida took us out to dinner at Cronies restaurant for huge burgers and beers. I have to say that is the nicest landfall welcome we have ever had!
Here are a few statistics on the passage we just completed. It took us 23 days 3 hours and 12 minutes to travel from Anse Amyot, Toau to Hilo, Hawaii. If we had been able to go directly, as in an airplane, it would have been 2195 miles. But this was impossible since there were some islands to go around, and we needed to follow a different route to ensure good wind. So our original plan was to sail a route of 2541 miles. How far we actually sailed is kind of a hard number to come at because each of our various tools (knot meter, GPS, navigation computer) have their own opinions of how far we had to go to sail those 2541 miles. But here's what the various opinions are:
The Navigation Computer says we went 2743 miles. This is error prone because the computer just adds up the distance between points that it lays down every 10 seconds. Sometimes the points, because of minor GPS errors, are farther apart than they should be. With almost 13000 points in the track from Toau to Hilo the errors add up.
The GPS says we went 2530 miles, but this is only adding up our day to day total mileages.
The knot meter says we went 2668 miles. I think this one is most accurate, though it's probably a little long.
So using the knot meter distance and our time we get an average speed of 4.8 knots.
John
{GMST}19|43.89|N|155|03.18|W|Arrived Radio Bay, Hilo, Hawaii|Radio Bay{GEND}
Here are a few statistics on the passage we just completed. It took us 23 days 3 hours and 12 minutes to travel from Anse Amyot, Toau to Hilo, Hawaii. If we had been able to go directly, as in an airplane, it would have been 2195 miles. But this was impossible since there were some islands to go around, and we needed to follow a different route to ensure good wind. So our original plan was to sail a route of 2541 miles. How far we actually sailed is kind of a hard number to come at because each of our various tools (knot meter, GPS, navigation computer) have their own opinions of how far we had to go to sail those 2541 miles. But here's what the various opinions are:
The Navigation Computer says we went 2743 miles. This is error prone because the computer just adds up the distance between points that it lays down every 10 seconds. Sometimes the points, because of minor GPS errors, are farther apart than they should be. With almost 13000 points in the track from Toau to Hilo the errors add up.
The GPS says we went 2530 miles, but this is only adding up our day to day total mileages.
The knot meter says we went 2668 miles. I think this one is most accurate, though it's probably a little long.
So using the knot meter distance and our time we get an average speed of 4.8 knots.
John
{GMST}19|43.89|N|155|03.18|W|Arrived Radio Bay, Hilo, Hawaii|Radio Bay{GEND}
Tuesday, November 05, 2013
Days 22&23 Tuamotus to Hawaii
We had good sailing for most of this time. Sunday night the wind lightened a bit but it was still keeping us moving above four knots. The seas were smoother as well. We had another good day on Monday, but soon after sunset the wind started backing off until we only averaged four knots in our 8-9 PM hour. By that time we'd had enough and were ready to motor on through to the finish, if that's what it was going to take. By the time I came on watch at 0400 this morning it had been raining steadily. At 0730 the overcast lifted her skirts just slightly enough for us to say, "Land Ho!" at the sight of waves crashing on the shore of a spit of dark volcanic coastline.
We have already reversed the berths, moving all the junk stored for the passage on our Pullman sleeping berth (with clean sheets!), and returning it all to its normal place in the quarter berth (our garage while at anchor and our sea berth for long passages). The laundry bags are bursting at the seams from our mantra of, "everything must go!" - to the laundromat that is. Pura Vida is renting a car for a day and we will pitch in on the cost so that we can get all the laundry done in one visit.
We only have a little while longer to turn the corner into Reed's Bay! I'll send an official arrival entry after we are tied up in Radio Bay.
Day 22 Stats
Course: 307 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 130 nm
Water Temp: 79.2 to 79.7 F
Engine Hours: 0
Day 23 Stats
Course: 310 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 125 nm
Water Temp: 79.5 to 80.2 F
Engine Hours: 13
{GMST}19|41.5|N|154|56.1|W|Tuamotus to Hawaii Day 23|Day 23{GEND}
We have already reversed the berths, moving all the junk stored for the passage on our Pullman sleeping berth (with clean sheets!), and returning it all to its normal place in the quarter berth (our garage while at anchor and our sea berth for long passages). The laundry bags are bursting at the seams from our mantra of, "everything must go!" - to the laundromat that is. Pura Vida is renting a car for a day and we will pitch in on the cost so that we can get all the laundry done in one visit.
We only have a little while longer to turn the corner into Reed's Bay! I'll send an official arrival entry after we are tied up in Radio Bay.
Day 22 Stats
Course: 307 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 130 nm
Water Temp: 79.2 to 79.7 F
Engine Hours: 0
Day 23 Stats
Course: 310 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 125 nm
Water Temp: 79.5 to 80.2 F
Engine Hours: 13
{GMST}19|41.5|N|154|56.1|W|Tuamotus to Hawaii Day 23|Day 23{GEND}
Sunday, November 03, 2013
Days 20&21 Tuamotus to Hawaii
These were two of the most difficult days of the passage. For the most part we sailed with only the deeply reefed main and the staysail. Before I came on watch at Noon on Saturday I lay in the quarter berth listening to waves breaking on the side of the boat and splashing into the cockpit. When one of these sent a fine mist of salt spray through the aft facing porthole I decided it was time to close it up tight.
A couple of hours later I had just finished recording our hourly progress in the log and was standing in the galley with the open book. A bigger than usual wave came crashing into the cockpit and pouring into the galley, all over me, the steps, the fridge, the stove, and the sink. A few drops even made it as far as the counter top where our TV is stowed. John also discovered a few inches had made it into the lazarette. We spent the next hour cleaning up that salty mess, and I'm sure we'll be wiping up residue from hidden nooks and crannies for weeks to come. After that we closed the top slider and put one drop board in the hatch!
Then Ziggy began his usual routine at 4 PM of bugging me to feed him dinner. I normally manage to hold him off until at least 4:30, so I petted him some and then ignored him as he sat on the table watching me eat some canned peaches. Well, I guess the stress is getting to him too because, quick as lightning, he decided to viciously attack my right forearm. All four fangs sank deep into my skin with either additional teeth or a few claws also leaving their mark. My angry reaction was to swat him in return, which only sent peach juice everywhere as he beat a hasty retreat. I couldn't believe the degree to which my arm started throbbing and felt like it was on fire. I doused all the puncture wounds with alcohol and rubbed Mupirocin into them (an antibiotic ointment our vet recommended for just such events). John wrapped me up with gauze and tape so I wouldn't get blood on the sheets when I went off watch at 5 PM. Needless to say I asked John to feed Ziggy and I've been keeping my distance ever since. Anybody want a free cat?
The good news is that as of this writing (Sunday afternoon) we are still on track for a Tuesday arrival. We are pushing as hard as we can to make that happen before sunset so that we can get tied up to the wall in Radio Bay. Pura Vida arrived safely after sunrise this morning, and they report they are the only boat there! We are looking forward to joining them for some food and fun.
Day 20 Stats
Course: 308 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 132 nm
Water Temp: 81.7 to 80.6 F (trending down)
Engine Hours: 0
Day 21 Stats
Course: 307 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 131 nm
Water Temp: 81.0 to 79.2 F (trending down)
Engine Hours: 0
{GMST}17|02.6|N|151|27.6|W|Tuamotus to Hawaii Day 21|Day 21{GEND}
A couple of hours later I had just finished recording our hourly progress in the log and was standing in the galley with the open book. A bigger than usual wave came crashing into the cockpit and pouring into the galley, all over me, the steps, the fridge, the stove, and the sink. A few drops even made it as far as the counter top where our TV is stowed. John also discovered a few inches had made it into the lazarette. We spent the next hour cleaning up that salty mess, and I'm sure we'll be wiping up residue from hidden nooks and crannies for weeks to come. After that we closed the top slider and put one drop board in the hatch!
Then Ziggy began his usual routine at 4 PM of bugging me to feed him dinner. I normally manage to hold him off until at least 4:30, so I petted him some and then ignored him as he sat on the table watching me eat some canned peaches. Well, I guess the stress is getting to him too because, quick as lightning, he decided to viciously attack my right forearm. All four fangs sank deep into my skin with either additional teeth or a few claws also leaving their mark. My angry reaction was to swat him in return, which only sent peach juice everywhere as he beat a hasty retreat. I couldn't believe the degree to which my arm started throbbing and felt like it was on fire. I doused all the puncture wounds with alcohol and rubbed Mupirocin into them (an antibiotic ointment our vet recommended for just such events). John wrapped me up with gauze and tape so I wouldn't get blood on the sheets when I went off watch at 5 PM. Needless to say I asked John to feed Ziggy and I've been keeping my distance ever since. Anybody want a free cat?
The good news is that as of this writing (Sunday afternoon) we are still on track for a Tuesday arrival. We are pushing as hard as we can to make that happen before sunset so that we can get tied up to the wall in Radio Bay. Pura Vida arrived safely after sunrise this morning, and they report they are the only boat there! We are looking forward to joining them for some food and fun.
Day 20 Stats
Course: 308 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 132 nm
Water Temp: 81.7 to 80.6 F (trending down)
Engine Hours: 0
Day 21 Stats
Course: 307 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 131 nm
Water Temp: 81.0 to 79.2 F (trending down)
Engine Hours: 0
{GMST}17|02.6|N|151|27.6|W|Tuamotus to Hawaii Day 21|Day 21{GEND}
Friday, November 01, 2013
Days 18&19 Tuamotus to Hawaii
We've been sailing with the "second" reef in our main sail; the staysail; and a scrap of jib which gets trimmed in and out for squalls. Second reef is a misnomer because our main sail only has two reefs. The first is a reasonable reduction and we sail with it in often. But the second reef wasn't calculated correctly and it brings the main down to almost the size of a storm sail (itty bitty). John has been meaning to add another reef point in between the two to increase our options.
18-22 knot winds bring boisterous seas and we are now in the hard home stretch to Hawaii. If you've ever flown there from the mainland, these are the conditions you look down on from the comfort of your jumbo jet and say, "I sure wouldn't want to be in a sailboat out in that!" Nothing dangerous, just messy white caps and waves breaking on the side of the boat now and then (soaking the cockpit). Down below we keep a firm grip and/or brace ourselves against two opposing points with our legs/feet to keep from being thrown across the boat because we never know when one of those waves is going to hit. We can expect another day or two of this and then we're hoping it backs off a little.
Thanks to everyone who confirmed official reports of my comet/meteor sighting. Even though I thought it was spectacular, it's nice to know that it was significant enough to make the news.
I can't remember if I've mentioned this before. If you're interested in more details about our weather conditions and progress, go to http://www.pangolin.co.nz/yotreps_reporting_boat_list where the Pacific Seafarer's Net is tracking Nakia. John (HAM call sign KE6HUA) reports in with them by HF radio every evening with our daily stats and they post it for all of you to see. This is a HAM net run by dedicated volunteer amateur radio enthusiasts all over the Pacific. In case of an emergency, they are the best people we could hope to have watching our backs for us. We can't thank them enough for being there every night of the year!
Pura Vida is way out ahead of us and hopes to be in Hilo by Noon on Sunday. If we can keep up our current rate of progress we're looking forward to making landfall sometime late Tuesday night.
Day 18 Stats
Course: 310 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 127 nm
Water Temp: 81.0 to 82.0 F (trending down)
Engine Hours: 0
Day 19 Stats
Course: 309 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 127 nm
Water Temp: 81.0 to 81.5 F
Engine Hours: 0
{GMST}14|18.8|N|147|53.8|W|Tuamotus to Hawaii Day 19|Day 19{GEND}
18-22 knot winds bring boisterous seas and we are now in the hard home stretch to Hawaii. If you've ever flown there from the mainland, these are the conditions you look down on from the comfort of your jumbo jet and say, "I sure wouldn't want to be in a sailboat out in that!" Nothing dangerous, just messy white caps and waves breaking on the side of the boat now and then (soaking the cockpit). Down below we keep a firm grip and/or brace ourselves against two opposing points with our legs/feet to keep from being thrown across the boat because we never know when one of those waves is going to hit. We can expect another day or two of this and then we're hoping it backs off a little.
Thanks to everyone who confirmed official reports of my comet/meteor sighting. Even though I thought it was spectacular, it's nice to know that it was significant enough to make the news.
I can't remember if I've mentioned this before. If you're interested in more details about our weather conditions and progress, go to http://www.pangolin.co.nz/yotreps_reporting_boat_list where the Pacific Seafarer's Net is tracking Nakia. John (HAM call sign KE6HUA) reports in with them by HF radio every evening with our daily stats and they post it for all of you to see. This is a HAM net run by dedicated volunteer amateur radio enthusiasts all over the Pacific. In case of an emergency, they are the best people we could hope to have watching our backs for us. We can't thank them enough for being there every night of the year!
Pura Vida is way out ahead of us and hopes to be in Hilo by Noon on Sunday. If we can keep up our current rate of progress we're looking forward to making landfall sometime late Tuesday night.
Day 18 Stats
Course: 310 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 127 nm
Water Temp: 81.0 to 82.0 F (trending down)
Engine Hours: 0
Day 19 Stats
Course: 309 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 127 nm
Water Temp: 81.0 to 81.5 F
Engine Hours: 0
{GMST}14|18.8|N|147|53.8|W|Tuamotus to Hawaii Day 19|Day 19{GEND}
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Days 16&17 Tuamotus to Hawaii
A whole lot of motorin' goin' on! At least it seemed that way. Looking back at the stats I guess there was more light air sailing in the mix, including one brief attempt at using the spinnaker to keep us moving. The good news is that in the dark hours of this morning John turned off the engine and we started romping in the bigger seas and white caps of a stiff breeze. We still have a hot sun, warm sea temps, and big clouds with lots of overcast (which somehow don't do a thing to help dampen the intense heat), but hopefully we are finished with any lingering effects of the ITCZ and are in the home stretch now.
We are definitely there in terms of time. There's something reassuring about being able to say, "We'll be arriving in Hilo one week from today." And after that to be counting down days that make up less than a week! Actually it's the night countdown which is most significant because those are the hardest to get through when you're tired. Although at least there's some relief in the cooler temps of the night.
We've seen lots of birds most days. Shearwaters, a petrel here and there, terns, and even a dedraggled looking Masked Booby yesterday. But the coolest thing so far happened last night at 11:35. I was out in the cockpit doing my horizon scan and looking forward. A flash of light made me turn my head to the West where I'd watched the sun set earlier. I didn't even think "shooting star" initially because the thing was like a yellow ball of fire, at least twice the size of a planet, and diving left to right just above the clouds on the horizon before it burned out. I don't recall seeing a tail so I wouldn't call it a comet. Let me know if you hear of any satellite flame outs in the news...
Linda
Day 16 Stats
Course: 321 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 97 nm
Water Temp: 83.5 to 81.3 F (trending down)
Engine Hours: 7.8
Day 17 Stats
Course: 319 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 118 nm
Water Temp: 84.9 to 81.5 F (trending up then down)
Engine Hours: 13.6
{GMST}11|35.1|N|144|34.4|W|Tuamotus to Hawaii Day 17|Day 17{GEND}
We are definitely there in terms of time. There's something reassuring about being able to say, "We'll be arriving in Hilo one week from today." And after that to be counting down days that make up less than a week! Actually it's the night countdown which is most significant because those are the hardest to get through when you're tired. Although at least there's some relief in the cooler temps of the night.
We've seen lots of birds most days. Shearwaters, a petrel here and there, terns, and even a dedraggled looking Masked Booby yesterday. But the coolest thing so far happened last night at 11:35. I was out in the cockpit doing my horizon scan and looking forward. A flash of light made me turn my head to the West where I'd watched the sun set earlier. I didn't even think "shooting star" initially because the thing was like a yellow ball of fire, at least twice the size of a planet, and diving left to right just above the clouds on the horizon before it burned out. I don't recall seeing a tail so I wouldn't call it a comet. Let me know if you hear of any satellite flame outs in the news...
Linda
Day 16 Stats
Course: 321 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 97 nm
Water Temp: 83.5 to 81.3 F (trending down)
Engine Hours: 7.8
Day 17 Stats
Course: 319 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 118 nm
Water Temp: 84.9 to 81.5 F (trending up then down)
Engine Hours: 13.6
{GMST}11|35.1|N|144|34.4|W|Tuamotus to Hawaii Day 17|Day 17{GEND}
Monday, October 28, 2013
Days 14&15 Tuamotus to Hawaii
By the end of week two of our passage we were still firmly in the grasp of the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone) and an East setting current. We began motoring after sunset on Saturday and didn't shut the engine down until dawn on Monday. During that time we had hours of rain, some of it a light drizzle and some of it a good soaking, though none of it was enough to wash the encrusted salt off of the life lines, as hard as that is to believe.
We typically have sea birds following the boat at night, and we assume they are fishing in the glow of our running lights. We can't see them but we can hear their hideous squawking which at times sounds exactly like a cat screaming. Near midnight on Saturday the clamor of a few birds was especially loud but I ignored it until John woke up to say it sounded like the loudest cries were coming from the side deck above where he was in the quarter berth. As I collected my wits and a flashlight, Ziggy shot past me out the companionway. I followed him on to the side deck where I caught him in the beam of the light with a large bird in his mouth. I scruffed him by the neck to make him release the bird, which then fell to the deck on its back, wings spread open, unmoving. Moving quickly so that Ziggy wouldn't have a chance to regain control of his trophy, I gingerly grasped a wing between my thumb and forefinger and flung it over the side, and, I'm sorry to say, most likely to a watery grave. Usually Ziggy's prey flies up and away the second he releases his grip. But because this one didn't make a move when it was freed, or again when I picked it up, I suspect it was already seriously injured before Ziggy got to it. Perhaps it misjudged the motion of the boat and accidentally flew into the rigging, falling to the side deck, and doing more injury trying to get out of the maze of life lines. Or Ziggy might have been the last straw to finish it off. I looked for it in our Seabirds book and, based on the brief look I had of it, it appears to have been a juvenile Sooty Tern. It deeply saddens me that our mere presence in a speck of vast ocean is enough to inadvertently threaten the lives of wild creatures.
Day 14 Stats
Course: 006 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 123 nm
Water Temp: 81.5 to 82.9 F
Engine Hours: 14.2
Day 15 Stats
Course: 356 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 104 nm
Water Temp: 82.6 to 83.5 F
Engine Hours: 18.0
{GMST}08|49.7|N|142|17|W|Tuamotus to Hawaii Day 15|Day 15{GEND}
We typically have sea birds following the boat at night, and we assume they are fishing in the glow of our running lights. We can't see them but we can hear their hideous squawking which at times sounds exactly like a cat screaming. Near midnight on Saturday the clamor of a few birds was especially loud but I ignored it until John woke up to say it sounded like the loudest cries were coming from the side deck above where he was in the quarter berth. As I collected my wits and a flashlight, Ziggy shot past me out the companionway. I followed him on to the side deck where I caught him in the beam of the light with a large bird in his mouth. I scruffed him by the neck to make him release the bird, which then fell to the deck on its back, wings spread open, unmoving. Moving quickly so that Ziggy wouldn't have a chance to regain control of his trophy, I gingerly grasped a wing between my thumb and forefinger and flung it over the side, and, I'm sorry to say, most likely to a watery grave. Usually Ziggy's prey flies up and away the second he releases his grip. But because this one didn't make a move when it was freed, or again when I picked it up, I suspect it was already seriously injured before Ziggy got to it. Perhaps it misjudged the motion of the boat and accidentally flew into the rigging, falling to the side deck, and doing more injury trying to get out of the maze of life lines. Or Ziggy might have been the last straw to finish it off. I looked for it in our Seabirds book and, based on the brief look I had of it, it appears to have been a juvenile Sooty Tern. It deeply saddens me that our mere presence in a speck of vast ocean is enough to inadvertently threaten the lives of wild creatures.
Day 14 Stats
Course: 006 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 123 nm
Water Temp: 81.5 to 82.9 F
Engine Hours: 14.2
Day 15 Stats
Course: 356 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 104 nm
Water Temp: 82.6 to 83.5 F
Engine Hours: 18.0
{GMST}08|49.7|N|142|17|W|Tuamotus to Hawaii Day 15|Day 15{GEND}
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Days 12&13 Tuamotus to Hawaii
Wow, talk about feast or famine. Our 10 AM Wednesday to 10 AM Thursday run was crystal clear with a fair wind for fast sailing. This may have been a 24-hour distance record for Nakia. But by 9 PM Thursday night we had lost the wind and had to motor the rest of the night.
I saw dolphins off in the distance both days. They must have been concentrating on feeding as they didn't approach the boat. Although it looked like some of them were goofing off by jumping clear out of the water. Thursday's sunset was on a very clear horizon and I got a good look at a green flash while John was talking to Pura Vida on the HF radio. Friday afternoon the seas were so calm that I noticed we were sailing through a large patch of what John calls Sailor by the Wind jellies. These look like solid, small, opaque bubbles floating on the surface with some dangly bit of animal underneath; though not with tentacles like the blue Agua Males in Mexico. I was amazed at how many appeared, seemingly all of a sudden, and at how they were gone after about 10-15 minutes.
These were two very good days in spite of the motoring!
And I owe an apology to all you hard working, 9-5 people reading our blog. After getting an email from a good friend in which she described all the personal projects they are juggling on top of their careers I realized that I'm the one with too much time on my hands! Maybe it's time to get a real life...
Linda
Day 12 Stats
Course: 000 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 149 nm
Water Temp: 76.3 to 78.6 F (up and down)
Engine Hours: 0
Day 13 Stats
Course: 003 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 129 nm
Water Temp: 77.9 to 79.0 F (up and down)
Engine Hours: 10.2
{GMST}05|03|N|142|25|W|Tuamotus to Hawaii Day 13|Day 13{GEND}
I saw dolphins off in the distance both days. They must have been concentrating on feeding as they didn't approach the boat. Although it looked like some of them were goofing off by jumping clear out of the water. Thursday's sunset was on a very clear horizon and I got a good look at a green flash while John was talking to Pura Vida on the HF radio. Friday afternoon the seas were so calm that I noticed we were sailing through a large patch of what John calls Sailor by the Wind jellies. These look like solid, small, opaque bubbles floating on the surface with some dangly bit of animal underneath; though not with tentacles like the blue Agua Males in Mexico. I was amazed at how many appeared, seemingly all of a sudden, and at how they were gone after about 10-15 minutes.
These were two very good days in spite of the motoring!
And I owe an apology to all you hard working, 9-5 people reading our blog. After getting an email from a good friend in which she described all the personal projects they are juggling on top of their careers I realized that I'm the one with too much time on my hands! Maybe it's time to get a real life...
Linda
Day 12 Stats
Course: 000 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 149 nm
Water Temp: 76.3 to 78.6 F (up and down)
Engine Hours: 0
Day 13 Stats
Course: 003 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 129 nm
Water Temp: 77.9 to 79.0 F (up and down)
Engine Hours: 10.2
{GMST}05|03|N|142|25|W|Tuamotus to Hawaii Day 13|Day 13{GEND}
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Days 10&11 Tuamotus to Hawaii
Neptune sent dolphins to escort us up out of the Southern Hemisphere! No sooner had we signed off with Pura Vida after our 0700 radio sked with them yesterday than we were surrounded by a nice big pod of dolphins. We weren't sailing particularly fast but they swam with us for quite awhile, showing off their babies as they zig-zagged across our bow. Last night they joined us again on both our night watches. We can always hear them squeaking and whistling through the hull down below before we actually see them outside in the dark. I think Ziggy hears them but since he doesn't look over the cap rail to see them, he isn't very interested. We were hoping they might escort us right over the Equator but they must have decided to return to the warmer waters behind us.
We took our second salt water bath of the passage while it was fairly calm at Noon yesterday. John turned the boat downwind for a smoother ride and ran a short length of hose from the cockpit wash down "faucet" out on to the leeward side deck. We turned on the salt water pump and lathered up with our trusty Head & Shoulders shampoo. The cold water was a bit of a shock at first but soon turned refreshing as we scrubbed off a few days of salt and sweat. Then we took turns getting a fresh water rinse from the sun shower which John sets up to hang from the dodger back in the safety of the cockpit.
In between baths we rely on pre-moistened wipes to take the edge off. Unfortunately, as I try different brands, I'm never certain how effective these are going to be until we actually use them. After one of our first passages using a wipe with a sickening "baby powder" aroma, I've tried to find unscented brands. The best ones were an adult sport wipe by, I believe, Nivea, which we found in Tahiti in 2010 and haven't seen since. Second best were the citrus scented Big Ones by Wet Ones, but at only 35 to a pack (and opened earlier in the season), we've already managed to finish them on this passage. So now we are left with 80 unscented Huggies Natural Care wipes which are baby-sized, roll under your hand as you use them, and tear to pieces after only a few brisk strokes. What a provisioning miscalculation that was.
Speaking of provisioning, we just finished off a roll of foil wrap that we opened in August, 2010 (we track things like this). I guess I thought it would last forever at the rate it was going because we don't have another roll on hand. It's a good thing we don't use it often!
Day 10 Stats
Course: 020 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 116 nm
Water Temp: 80.8 down to 78.6 F as we sailed North
Engine Hours: 0
Day 11 Stats
Course: 012 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 129 nm
Water Temp: 79.0 down to 77.0 F as we sailed North
Engine Hours: 0
{GMST}00|29.1|N|142|34.2|W|Tuamotus to Hawaii Day 11|Day 11{GEND}
We took our second salt water bath of the passage while it was fairly calm at Noon yesterday. John turned the boat downwind for a smoother ride and ran a short length of hose from the cockpit wash down "faucet" out on to the leeward side deck. We turned on the salt water pump and lathered up with our trusty Head & Shoulders shampoo. The cold water was a bit of a shock at first but soon turned refreshing as we scrubbed off a few days of salt and sweat. Then we took turns getting a fresh water rinse from the sun shower which John sets up to hang from the dodger back in the safety of the cockpit.
In between baths we rely on pre-moistened wipes to take the edge off. Unfortunately, as I try different brands, I'm never certain how effective these are going to be until we actually use them. After one of our first passages using a wipe with a sickening "baby powder" aroma, I've tried to find unscented brands. The best ones were an adult sport wipe by, I believe, Nivea, which we found in Tahiti in 2010 and haven't seen since. Second best were the citrus scented Big Ones by Wet Ones, but at only 35 to a pack (and opened earlier in the season), we've already managed to finish them on this passage. So now we are left with 80 unscented Huggies Natural Care wipes which are baby-sized, roll under your hand as you use them, and tear to pieces after only a few brisk strokes. What a provisioning miscalculation that was.
Speaking of provisioning, we just finished off a roll of foil wrap that we opened in August, 2010 (we track things like this). I guess I thought it would last forever at the rate it was going because we don't have another roll on hand. It's a good thing we don't use it often!
Day 10 Stats
Course: 020 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 116 nm
Water Temp: 80.8 down to 78.6 F as we sailed North
Engine Hours: 0
Day 11 Stats
Course: 012 degrees True
Trip Mileage: 129 nm
Water Temp: 79.0 down to 77.0 F as we sailed North
Engine Hours: 0
{GMST}00|29.1|N|142|34.2|W|Tuamotus to Hawaii Day 11|Day 11{GEND}
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