As we wait for the Alenuihaha channel to calm down a bit, we've been exploring Kona. Remember the rivalry I mentioned before between Hilo and Kona over which side has "more aloha"? Well, the Kona side wins, hands down!
We've met so many great people in the harbor, in town, in the surrounding beaches...that it boggles the mind. A few days we've headed into town, only to return to the boat later to find gifts left on the boat by friendly locals. Avocados, limes, a giant 20 pound stalk of bananas, and a pack of cigarettes (even though neither of us smoke) have accumulated over the past week. The generosity never ceases to amaze.
Jon's parents flew in and spent a few days with us. We met up with some friends, both new and old, and were welcomed into a local home for the most amazing ono and pork with rice. It's an awesome feeling to be wholeheartedly welcomed into a home by people who've only known you for a few days!
The water is warm and clear, and provides wonderful snorkeling. Check out the new pics and videos on the site. In the meantime, we're waiting until Friday and Saturday to move on north, and finally cross the dreaded channel that I've been fearing.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Leeward Big Island
Nothing is as bad as when you are living in "that moment." For me, rounding South Point was an ordeal. More than 25 knots of wind behind us, 13 foot swell, and several squalls greeted us that night. There is definitely a reason why there are huge wind mills in the area. This reminded me of everything I disliked about the passage...
But then, all at once, we round the end of the island and start to head northward. The wind dies abruptly, the sun comes out, and the ocean begins to resemble a placid lake. The residual exhaustion is still there, but at least the worst is over!
So then we were anchored in Honomalino Bay near the sleepy fishing village of Miloli'i. This was still a bit of an uncomfortable position, as there was a bit of a swell coming into the area. We put out our "flopper stoppers," which look like a series of orange parking cones placed vertically on a line, with a heavy weight at the bottom. These are strung overboard on each side of the boat, and helps resist the back-and-forth swaying when we're broadsided. We still had a rocky night, but at least we were out of the hell that was South Point!
By this time we had already called Honokohau harbor twice to see if there were any slips open. Both times, the answer was yes. So, we decided to hit Kealakekua Bay in the morning, on our way up to the tranquil harbor. In Kealakekua, you'll find the Captain Cook monument in the area where he was killed. The base of this monument is a coral reef, with some of the best snorkeling you can find in the entire island chain. I was excited to finally experience the warm water with a pair of fins and my mask!
After anchoring in the area, we were greeted by a pair of sea turtles. They must of admired how well Jon set the hook. We then hopped in the dinghy and motored over to the monument. If you ever visit the big island, you NEED to come here. Check out the latest photos to see how crystal clear the water is, and the plethora of sea life teeming in the reef. My favorite was a neon-blue accented trevally, and a parrot fish with the most brilliant greens, blues and purples I have ever seen on an animal.
We decided it was time to move on, to get one of those slips in Honokohau. We finally motored up to the harbor, and started to fuel up at the dock. But, when calling the harbor master, we were told there were no more slips available. A little annoyed and sleep deprived, we'd have to backtrack to Kailua Bay, which is infamous for being rolly, rocky, and noisy as it's in downtown Kona.
Reluctantly, we headed back and set the anchor. We attempted the flopper stoppers, but they did little to help. An uncomfortable night was laid out for us.
In the morning, we made a big breakfast to try and compensate for lack of sleep. A phone call to Honokohau miraculously revealed that a slip or two was now open. I felt relieved and a bit angry, because I knew that they were probably available last night, but the dudes in the office probably didn't feel like dealing with us...but we were on our way.
The harbor master said to call him when we arrived. We did. Nobody picked up. We tried again. No luck. Ugh. I enjoy the laid-back Hawaiian style as much as the next person, but this was just ridiculous. Finally, we had contact, and were directed to an open slip.
This harbor has the most crystal clear water. We've seen four sea turtles, tons of tropical fish, two bat rays and have heard about the infamous 15 foot tiger shark that hangs out to munch on fisherman's scraps...and two unfortunate surfers during the last week. That somehow deters me from wanting to snorkel the pretty little beach at the harbor entrance.
We're going to hang out for at least a week, until the Alenuihaha channel calms down so we can cross over to Molokini, Maui, Lanai and Molokai. Everybody here is so damn friendly with rides, hitchhiking, and bar tabs, that we may not ever leave.
But then, all at once, we round the end of the island and start to head northward. The wind dies abruptly, the sun comes out, and the ocean begins to resemble a placid lake. The residual exhaustion is still there, but at least the worst is over!
So then we were anchored in Honomalino Bay near the sleepy fishing village of Miloli'i. This was still a bit of an uncomfortable position, as there was a bit of a swell coming into the area. We put out our "flopper stoppers," which look like a series of orange parking cones placed vertically on a line, with a heavy weight at the bottom. These are strung overboard on each side of the boat, and helps resist the back-and-forth swaying when we're broadsided. We still had a rocky night, but at least we were out of the hell that was South Point!
By this time we had already called Honokohau harbor twice to see if there were any slips open. Both times, the answer was yes. So, we decided to hit Kealakekua Bay in the morning, on our way up to the tranquil harbor. In Kealakekua, you'll find the Captain Cook monument in the area where he was killed. The base of this monument is a coral reef, with some of the best snorkeling you can find in the entire island chain. I was excited to finally experience the warm water with a pair of fins and my mask!
After anchoring in the area, we were greeted by a pair of sea turtles. They must of admired how well Jon set the hook. We then hopped in the dinghy and motored over to the monument. If you ever visit the big island, you NEED to come here. Check out the latest photos to see how crystal clear the water is, and the plethora of sea life teeming in the reef. My favorite was a neon-blue accented trevally, and a parrot fish with the most brilliant greens, blues and purples I have ever seen on an animal.
We decided it was time to move on, to get one of those slips in Honokohau. We finally motored up to the harbor, and started to fuel up at the dock. But, when calling the harbor master, we were told there were no more slips available. A little annoyed and sleep deprived, we'd have to backtrack to Kailua Bay, which is infamous for being rolly, rocky, and noisy as it's in downtown Kona.
Reluctantly, we headed back and set the anchor. We attempted the flopper stoppers, but they did little to help. An uncomfortable night was laid out for us.
In the morning, we made a big breakfast to try and compensate for lack of sleep. A phone call to Honokohau miraculously revealed that a slip or two was now open. I felt relieved and a bit angry, because I knew that they were probably available last night, but the dudes in the office probably didn't feel like dealing with us...but we were on our way.
The harbor master said to call him when we arrived. We did. Nobody picked up. We tried again. No luck. Ugh. I enjoy the laid-back Hawaiian style as much as the next person, but this was just ridiculous. Finally, we had contact, and were directed to an open slip.
This harbor has the most crystal clear water. We've seen four sea turtles, tons of tropical fish, two bat rays and have heard about the infamous 15 foot tiger shark that hangs out to munch on fisherman's scraps...and two unfortunate surfers during the last week. That somehow deters me from wanting to snorkel the pretty little beach at the harbor entrance.
We're going to hang out for at least a week, until the Alenuihaha channel calms down so we can cross over to Molokini, Maui, Lanai and Molokai. Everybody here is so damn friendly with rides, hitchhiking, and bar tabs, that we may not ever leave.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Off to Kona
Time to move on, we're off to the Kona side. We need to go down around South Point and up to our first anchorage, Honomalino Bay. We visited it by car yesterday, and it's a gorgeous black and white sand beach lined with coconut palms and a pod of Spinner dolphins hanging out in the center of the bay.
It's about 125 miles away, so we'll hopefully arrive in about 24 hours. The winds down at South Point were pretty vicious when we visited by car yesterday to see the Green Sand Beach. Hopefully, since the wind will be predominantly behind us, this will be a drama-free passage. Then again, this is Shenanigans, so you never know!
We had a lot of fun swapping stories at the cruiser's pot luck last Sunday night. Everyone is so friendly and willing to help their fellow yachtsman. We hope to see many of the boats anchored here in Radio Bay elsewhere in Hawaii. We are one of the last ones to get here, and now since we've pretty much seen all of Hilo, we're the first of the group to leave! Maybe we don't get this whole "relax, you're in Hawaii" business, but I'd rather like to think we have a limited time here, and want to see as much as possible in the 5 weeks we still have left.
We stocked up on food and have cleaned up the boat and ourselves, since we may not have facilities for a long time. If we can eventually get a spot in Honokohau, that would be best. But, from what we hear from the other cruisers, that may be a bit of a gamble...and that's why many of them are not leaving here yet. They feel that this is probably the most comfortable spot for us transient boats here in all of Hawaii, as far as amenities go.
Well, see you on the other side!
It's about 125 miles away, so we'll hopefully arrive in about 24 hours. The winds down at South Point were pretty vicious when we visited by car yesterday to see the Green Sand Beach. Hopefully, since the wind will be predominantly behind us, this will be a drama-free passage. Then again, this is Shenanigans, so you never know!
We had a lot of fun swapping stories at the cruiser's pot luck last Sunday night. Everyone is so friendly and willing to help their fellow yachtsman. We hope to see many of the boats anchored here in Radio Bay elsewhere in Hawaii. We are one of the last ones to get here, and now since we've pretty much seen all of Hilo, we're the first of the group to leave! Maybe we don't get this whole "relax, you're in Hawaii" business, but I'd rather like to think we have a limited time here, and want to see as much as possible in the 5 weeks we still have left.
We stocked up on food and have cleaned up the boat and ourselves, since we may not have facilities for a long time. If we can eventually get a spot in Honokohau, that would be best. But, from what we hear from the other cruisers, that may be a bit of a gamble...and that's why many of them are not leaving here yet. They feel that this is probably the most comfortable spot for us transient boats here in all of Hawaii, as far as amenities go.
Well, see you on the other side!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Volcanoes, Nude Hippies, and Black Sand
This place never ceases to amaze. Once you think you've seen the general stereotype, something different comes around the corner!
We were really looking forward to a "secret" hike that wasn't well known, even to locals, to Pu'u O'o, the vent that is the source of lava for Kilauea. To get there, you have to hike through miles of muddy wild rain forest. When we got to the trail head, however, there was a big sign that said "Trail Closed due to Extreme Volcanic Activity: Sulfur Dioxide Warning!" So apparently the island had different plans. We headed to Volcanoes National Park instead to check out their trails around Kilauea crater.
The dead, stark landscape is so alien when compared to surrounding lush rain forest. There is no flowing observable lava at the moment, but you can still appreciate the mass destruction that must occur when the real magma is present. The resulting black sand beaches that arise after the lava meets the ocean are an absolute dream.
On our one of our quests for the next hike, we saw a couple free-spirited hipsters on the side of the road with their thumbs out. We figured they looked pretty harmless, and picking up some hitchhikers may be kinda fun. They were on their way to Kehena Beach to chill out, so we decided to join them. On the way, we learned that this couple pretty much just lived wherever, worked whenever, and were part of a huge hippy following that tends to reside in the Puna (southeastern area) of the big island. Apparently, it's not difficult to get by in paradise.
We got to Kehena beach, and were greeted with pitch black sand in sharp contrast with foaming white and turquoise of the sea. Tons of people frolicked in the surf, all with huge smiles on their faces, and naked as the day they were born. Our new hippy buddy just turned to us and said "Hey man, welcome to Hawaii." Sweet.
Kapoho tide pools were similar, in that massive black slabs of lava meet the pounding surf. However, between these slabs, huge tide pools form, and are big enough to snorkel and dive in. Very beautiful.
We decided to finally med-moor to the wall, which was an experience in itself! Not too crazy, but backing the boat up to a concrete wall between two million dollar yachts can be a bit nerve-wracking. Our neighbor Brian, a Hilo native, was way cool in helping us out, and is a really friendly guy. Our other neighbors, from Portland, may not be as cool or friendly, and were worried about us knocking their boat....but at least they invited us to the cruiser's pot-luck tomorrow night.
Hilo has been good to us, but we are running out of things to do! We may leave earlier for Kona than we thought. Instead of rounding South Point on Wednesday, we may take off on Monday. Still not sure, but a possibility!
Check out the picture section for new updates.
We were really looking forward to a "secret" hike that wasn't well known, even to locals, to Pu'u O'o, the vent that is the source of lava for Kilauea. To get there, you have to hike through miles of muddy wild rain forest. When we got to the trail head, however, there was a big sign that said "Trail Closed due to Extreme Volcanic Activity: Sulfur Dioxide Warning!" So apparently the island had different plans. We headed to Volcanoes National Park instead to check out their trails around Kilauea crater.
The dead, stark landscape is so alien when compared to surrounding lush rain forest. There is no flowing observable lava at the moment, but you can still appreciate the mass destruction that must occur when the real magma is present. The resulting black sand beaches that arise after the lava meets the ocean are an absolute dream.
On our one of our quests for the next hike, we saw a couple free-spirited hipsters on the side of the road with their thumbs out. We figured they looked pretty harmless, and picking up some hitchhikers may be kinda fun. They were on their way to Kehena Beach to chill out, so we decided to join them. On the way, we learned that this couple pretty much just lived wherever, worked whenever, and were part of a huge hippy following that tends to reside in the Puna (southeastern area) of the big island. Apparently, it's not difficult to get by in paradise.
We got to Kehena beach, and were greeted with pitch black sand in sharp contrast with foaming white and turquoise of the sea. Tons of people frolicked in the surf, all with huge smiles on their faces, and naked as the day they were born. Our new hippy buddy just turned to us and said "Hey man, welcome to Hawaii." Sweet.
Kapoho tide pools were similar, in that massive black slabs of lava meet the pounding surf. However, between these slabs, huge tide pools form, and are big enough to snorkel and dive in. Very beautiful.
We decided to finally med-moor to the wall, which was an experience in itself! Not too crazy, but backing the boat up to a concrete wall between two million dollar yachts can be a bit nerve-wracking. Our neighbor Brian, a Hilo native, was way cool in helping us out, and is a really friendly guy. Our other neighbors, from Portland, may not be as cool or friendly, and were worried about us knocking their boat....but at least they invited us to the cruiser's pot-luck tomorrow night.
Hilo has been good to us, but we are running out of things to do! We may leave earlier for Kona than we thought. Instead of rounding South Point on Wednesday, we may take off on Monday. Still not sure, but a possibility!
Check out the picture section for new updates.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Hilo
What a quaint little town! Everybody has been so friendly. The local security guards who have to escort us out of the Radio Bay area have been a huge help in arranging where we should eat, what rental car company to go with, etc. They are so laid back here; we had to pretty much beg the Agricultural inspector to come down and check us out. We cruised the dinghy around the entire Hilo bay, and admired all the jagged black lava rock juxtaposed with the graceful thin coconut trees sprouting between them. Quite a beautiful place.
Jon's brother Chris is here, he flew into Hilo yesterday. After we get some pesky little errands done like laundry and maybe a few boat repairs, we're going to start on all those splendid hikes we've been excited to check out.
Lots of the other cruisers med-moored to the back wall have so many years of experience, it makes us look like newbies. They've been to Mexico, sailed the South Pacific, New Zealand...many of them are still on one huge continuous trip. All have been super friendly and genuinely want to help out. What camaraderie exists amongst those who live a life on the water!
The "rivalry" (if you could even call it that, Hawaiians are the definition of mellow) between Kona and Hilo is pretty funny. It seems whomever is from one side of the island claims that the other side is really "lacking aloha." We will find out on the 25th, when we plan to cruise over to Kona by rounding South Point.
More pictures are in our album area below, if you'd like to see some shots from the passage and a couple here from Radio Bay.
Jon's brother Chris is here, he flew into Hilo yesterday. After we get some pesky little errands done like laundry and maybe a few boat repairs, we're going to start on all those splendid hikes we've been excited to check out.
Lots of the other cruisers med-moored to the back wall have so many years of experience, it makes us look like newbies. They've been to Mexico, sailed the South Pacific, New Zealand...many of them are still on one huge continuous trip. All have been super friendly and genuinely want to help out. What camaraderie exists amongst those who live a life on the water!
The "rivalry" (if you could even call it that, Hawaiians are the definition of mellow) between Kona and Hilo is pretty funny. It seems whomever is from one side of the island claims that the other side is really "lacking aloha." We will find out on the 25th, when we plan to cruise over to Kona by rounding South Point.
More pictures are in our album area below, if you'd like to see some shots from the passage and a couple here from Radio Bay.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Island in the clouds
Imagine sailing to a remote location. As you near your destination, you would expect to eventually see it on the horizon, correct? Well, the big island was playing hide and seek with us all day, until we finally caught up with it!
The entire surface of the island was obscured by thick cloud cover, even though the rest of the environment on the ocean was looking pretty clear and sunny. I started to doubt myself; maybe I entered the coordinates incorrectly into the GPS, and this whole time we've been sailing into nothingness! But no, we were on track. As the sun started to set, we had a welcoming committee. A monster whale surfaced near us, and just the exposed part of its back was the size of our boat. I thought we had seen some pretty sizeable leviathans back home near Santa Cruz island, but this one definitely takes the cake as the single biggest living thing I have ever seen.
As night fell and the miles left whittled down, we noticed the twinkling lights of the coastal cities off on the horizon. The lights reflected up on the thick cloud cover above, conveniently acting like big "Steer Here!" signs. Once we got close to Hilo Bay, we participated in a bit of a bad habit amongst cruisers--we sailed into an unknown harbor at night. Usually, it's best to just wait it out until morning, so that you may more clearly navigate all the quirks that you've yet to experience. But we were both excited to be here, stubbornly over-confident, and (once again) ignoring our intense sleep-deprivation.
The actual bay of Hilo has a massive underwater reef that protects it from the incoming swell. This, of course, needs to be clearly marked with bright lights, or else there will be a giant pile of wrecked boats. Unfortunately, though, the background for us was the city of Hilo, all lit up like Vegas! (Ok, maybe not that obnoxious, but sleep-deprivation, remember?). So, judging where to turn and to what degree was a bit tricky, but we managed through the major parts of the harbor until we squeaked back into Radio Bay.
What a cute little spot for transient boats! As the sun rises, we can see the wall in the back for "med-mooring," which is sort of like backing your car into a parking spot, and then climbing up a ladder onto the dock. Or, there is a larger middle area where you can just drop your bow anchor normally. That's what we decided to do, and were rewarded with the tranquilly flat water of a swimming pool, some personal palm trees off to the side of us, and a little chorus of those Hawaiian frogs that make a high pitched chirping sound. Now we will blow up our inflatable dinghy to get to the dock.
So, naturally, we are too excited to sleep! We'd rather go take a shower, clear up with the agriculture department and harbor master, and go get some grub. Oh yeah, and reteach ourselves how to walk--as we stand on a totally stable boat without movement, we still shimmy and lean and sway as if we're doing some kind of stupid dance. We look like two drunk toddlers, haha!
Later on we can put up some pictures of the passage, and maybe some final thoughts about what we learned from our trip over and how we can improve on our journey back. That trip back isn't until July, though, so until then we are off to explore this tropical paradise. I'm already in love with Hilo, and I haven't even left the boat yet.
Final Transit Time from Channel Islands Harbor, CA to Hilo, HI: 18 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes
Total Miles Traveled: 2346 (a few extra than necessary, but sailing isn't always in a direct line!)
Monday, May 16, 2011
The Friendly Brit
We are so close, we can smell the pineapple in the air! Not really, the wind is blowing us toward the island, but you get the idea. We are getting very impatient and looking forward to being safely anchored in Radio Bay to regroup and fix minor issues with the boat. Most of all, can't wait to GET A FULL NIGHT OF SLEEP! We have about 200 miles left, so we are hoping to arrive Wednesday morning, if all goes well.
The other night I was sailing along at the helm and the AIS system went off again. Jon woke up and looked at it with me. We saw a tiny blip only moving 5.3 knots or so toward our stern. There was no real danger upon us, so we kind of ignored it and continued on with our night.
A few minutes later, an English chap hailed us on the radio. It ends up the other vessel, S/V Nomad, had just one guy aboard coming from Panama on his way to Honolulu. He was 36 days out on his trip, and we were the first people he had talked to that entire time! After Honolulu, he said he planned to sail on to Alaska to visit some friends.
This man shared with us that he had already circumnavigated the globe solo once before, and said he "just doesn't want to go back to Europe right now." He has been cruising like this for 11 years, all by himself on his 34 foot boat. He was eager to talk and did so for almost the entire 3:00-4:00 am shift! I can't say that I blame him though, everybody needs somebody to chat with now and then, and we were probably the first chance he had to ramble.
He asked why were we going back to California so soon, and we replied that we still had to work/go to school for a living. He chuckled and said he had forgotten the meaning of the word "work." What a life!
We have been running the kite during the day, and dutifully taking it down at night (See? We really did learn our lesson from last time!) We have a slight tear in the spinnaker that needs to be fixed, and the after-guy (one of the connection points between spinnaker and boat) has almost totally chafed through. Quite the steep learning curve when it comes to figuring out the exact wear and tear on using gear long term.
We picked our spirits up by starting to plan all of the hiking trails we will visit on the big island. Of course we will check out some waterfalls, rain forests, and hopefully flowing lava. One of the hikes will be through a lava tube that is so pristine, only a park ranger can escort you there. They want to keep its exact location hush-hush, I guess.
And, of course, I am excited to pick out the restaurants that we may stop by.
We miss everybody and we miss land.
The other night I was sailing along at the helm and the AIS system went off again. Jon woke up and looked at it with me. We saw a tiny blip only moving 5.3 knots or so toward our stern. There was no real danger upon us, so we kind of ignored it and continued on with our night.
A few minutes later, an English chap hailed us on the radio. It ends up the other vessel, S/V Nomad, had just one guy aboard coming from Panama on his way to Honolulu. He was 36 days out on his trip, and we were the first people he had talked to that entire time! After Honolulu, he said he planned to sail on to Alaska to visit some friends.
This man shared with us that he had already circumnavigated the globe solo once before, and said he "just doesn't want to go back to Europe right now." He has been cruising like this for 11 years, all by himself on his 34 foot boat. He was eager to talk and did so for almost the entire 3:00-4:00 am shift! I can't say that I blame him though, everybody needs somebody to chat with now and then, and we were probably the first chance he had to ramble.
He asked why were we going back to California so soon, and we replied that we still had to work/go to school for a living. He chuckled and said he had forgotten the meaning of the word "work." What a life!
We have been running the kite during the day, and dutifully taking it down at night (See? We really did learn our lesson from last time!) We have a slight tear in the spinnaker that needs to be fixed, and the after-guy (one of the connection points between spinnaker and boat) has almost totally chafed through. Quite the steep learning curve when it comes to figuring out the exact wear and tear on using gear long term.
We picked our spirits up by starting to plan all of the hiking trails we will visit on the big island. Of course we will check out some waterfalls, rain forests, and hopefully flowing lava. One of the hikes will be through a lava tube that is so pristine, only a park ranger can escort you there. They want to keep its exact location hush-hush, I guess.
And, of course, I am excited to pick out the restaurants that we may stop by.
We miss everybody and we miss land.
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