MV Dirona travel digest for Hilo To Honolulu 2012

Position: 19°43.88'N, -155°3.15'W

Looking east across Radio Bay from the sea wall.

Position: 19°43.88'N, -155°3.15'W

Double rainbow over Hilo.

Position: 19°43.88'N, -155°3.15'W

Hawaii Petroleum brought a truck over this morning and we took on 1,100 gallons of diesel.

Position: 19°43.88'N, -155°3.15'W

Bringing the bike ashore to ride into Hilo. Radio Bay is inside the container port, and an escort is required to leave the area by land. The "easiest" way to go anywhere is via the public shore access along the east side of the bay.

Position: 19°43.88'N, -155°3.15'W

I did put my helmet on after this shot.

Position: 19°43.40'N, -155°4.79'W

The ride into town was pleasant and easy--Hilo is bicycle-friendly. A bike lane ran the first third or so. The rest of the way was through a shoreline park where this picture was taken.

Position: 19°43.41'N, -155°5.09'W

Ron Rubin of N46-079 Alcyone told us about Hilo's excellent farmers market.

Position: 19°43.88'N, -155°3.15'W

I filled two bicycle panniers with purchases.

Position: 19°43.88'N, -155°3.15'W

View north across Radio Bay from the seawall.

Position: 19°43.88'N, -155°3.15'W

Anthuriums from the market.

Position: 19°43.88'N, -155°3.15'W

Around sunset, a dozen paddles launched this outrigger canoe and set off into Hilo Bay.

Position: 19°43.88'N, -155°3.15'W

Starfruit and Rambutans from the farmer's market for our breakfast fruit.

Position: 19°43.88'N, -155°3.15'W

Malasadas from the market. On past visits to Honolulu, we would pick up a load of delicious fresh-baked malasadas from Leonard's Bakery en route to Hanauma Bay. We called them sinkers because we ate so many before we went snorkelling that we joked our heavy stomachs would sink us.

Position: 19°43.88'N, -155°3.15'W

Hilo pilot boat heading out to meet the cruise ship Celebrity Century.

Position: 19°43.88'N, -155°3.15'W

Celebrity Century approaching Hilo Bay.

Position: 19°43.63'N, -155°5.33'W

We ran the bikes ashore in the dinghy for a tour of the Hilo area. The photo was taken on the Puueo St. bridge.

Position: 19°43.58'N, -155°5.43'W

Looking down the Wailuku River, the 2nd longest in the state, from the Wainaku Ave bridge to Hilo Bay. In the distance is the Puueo St. bridge we were on earlier.

Position: 19°43.58'N, -155°5.43'W

Small waterfall on Wailuku River, looking west from from the Wainaku Ave bridge. About 3 miles upriver is 80' Rainbow falls.

Position: 19°43.50'N, -155°5.33'W

Jennifer got a flat, but James replaced the tube with little delay.

Position: 19°43.37'N, -155°5.17'W

We had a delicious Margarita-enhanced lunch at Casa de Luna.

Position: 19°44.74'N, -154°58.74'W

We left at 4:30am to pass around the south side of the island and begin a cruise up the Kona Coast.

Position: 19°41.80'N, -154°55.40'W

Position: 19°11.33'N, -155°22.89'W

Crater in old lavaflows along the south end of the island. We couldn't see any lava flowing from our vantage. The last time we were in the area, by jeep over a decade ago, lava was flowing into the water in tremendous explosions of steam and rock.

Position: 18°53.43'N, -155°39.57'W

Windmills at Kalae, aka South Point, the southernmost point in the US. The wind was blowing in the high 30s and the waves were huge as we rounded the point--amongst the biggers we've encountered. One rolled us 26 degrees.

Position: 18°57.75'N, -155°48.89'W

We'd be arriving at our intended anchorage at Okoe Bay in the dark. Not ideal, but the entry didn't look difficult and we could always bail and keep running if we weren't comfortable.

Position: 19°8.66'N, -155°54.85'W

Looking north to Hanamalo Point from the anchorage at Okeo Bay. Due to our late arrival, we weren't tucked in close to the beach for better swell protection as we could have been. But the boat motion still was tolerable.

Position: 19°8.66'N, -155°54.85'W

Beach house to slightly to our south. The area was mainly pretty deserted the entire time we were there.

Position: 19°8.66'N, -155°54.85'W

Sunset from the anchorage.

Position: 19°32.00'N, -156°1.94'W

We departed early to reach an anchorage at the north end of the island, and from there cross Alenuihaha Channel the next morning. As we neared Kailua Kona, many boats like this one were offshore.

Position: 19°34.08'N, -156°2.51'W

View of Kailua Kona as we approach Keahole Point.

Position: 20°11.38'N, -155°54.23'W

The view looking north from the anchorage at Nishimura Bay. The bay is unnamed on the chart, but is described in the Mehaffy's Cruising Guide to the Hawaiian Islands. We've found the book a useful resource. We've always been comfortable in unusual or exposed anchorages, but these past couple of stops are way beyond anything we've done: we're basically hanging off the edge of the Pacific Ocean, with only slight wind and swell protection in one direction from the shoreline. This is pretty much what we expected for Hawaiian anchoring, and we're loving it.

Position: 20°11.38'N, -155°54.23'W

The Mauna Kea observatories are just visible in the distance from the anchorage.

Position: 20°11.38'N, -155°54.23'W

At anchor as the sun sets, with the flopper-stopper (passive at-rest roll stabilizer) deployed. We've never used it before other than in testing--we're not that senstive to boat motion and didn't really notice it until we tried to launch the tender. The dinghy swung dangerously when we got it in the air off the chocks, and we didn't feel comfortable launching it with that much motion. The flopper-stopper made a huge difference.

Position: 20°11.38'N, -155°54.23'W

Enjoying the sunset from ashore.

Position: 20°11.38'N, -155°54.23'W

Position: 20°20.13'N, -156°7.37'W

We're about halfway across Alenuihaha Channel, between the Big Island and Maui. The winds funnel and increase in strength here, and can generate hazardous conditions when strong tradewinds blow. The Mehaffy guidebook says the channel has a repution as being one of the worst in the world--a tugboat caption told the authors a wave here had torn the pilot house off his 60-foot steel tug. We were up at 3:30am to cross so winds would be lightest. So far we're seeing the moderate conditions we deserve for the time we got up: seas mostly 6-8'. We're getting a good push from the current as well, and are doing better than 8.5 knots.

Position: 20°29.53'N, -156°21.97'W

Windmills being installed at Pohakueaea Point.

Position: 20°37.75'N, -156°26.95'W

367-foot Pu'u Ola'i Hill above the anchorage at Oneloa Beach.

Position: 20°37.75'N, -156°26.95'W

Lifeguard tower on the beach. We could hear the lifeguard over a loudspeaker, warning beachgoers of the dangerous surf.

Position: 20°37.75'N, -156°26.95'W

The Island of Molokini viewed from the anchorage.

Position: 20°37.75'N, -156°26.95'W

This tour boat, packed with passengers, cruised slowly along the beach past our anchorage.

Position: 20°37.75'N, -156°26.95'W

Switching from cold-water to warm-water diving. We didn't have to do a lot, mostly just get the neoprene booties and 3mm suits from storage, and stow the drysuits and cold-water gloves and hoods. We also removed the drysuit pressure hoses from our regulators. Wonder when we'll put those back on again?

Position: 20°38.18'N, -156°27.30'W

Tourboat approaching the point off Pu'u Ola'i. We saw several boats there throughout the morning, and the Mehaffy guide indicated this was one of the best snorkeling sites on Maui's west coast. We later ran the dinghy over and dove there ourselves. Fabulous!

Position: 20°37.75'N, -156°26.95'W

Coffee at sunrise in the cockpit. We're definitely in paridise.

Position: 20°38.18'N, -156°27.30'W

Glass-bottomed tour boat out to view the coral reefs.

Position: 20°37.75'N, -156°26.95'W

The flopper-stopper (passive at-rest roll stabilizer) in action. A line runs from the end of the pole up to the mast to hold the the pole parallel to the water. Lines fore and aft keep the pole perpendicular to the boat. And a 4'x2' folding metal plate is suspended from the end of the pole via a ring that connects by a short length of chain to each corner of the plate. As the boat rolls towards this side, the plate drops and folds. When the boat rolls back, the plate lifts and opens, resisting the boat motion like a parachute to reduce the return roll. The open plate is visible through the water. The small line coming in from the bottom left is a retrieval line. We initially attached the retrieval line to the ring with the suspension line, but found it twisted and tangled in the suspension line, preventing the plate from opening.

Position: 20°37.75'N, -156°26.95'W

Sunset viewed from the flybridge

Position: 20°37.75'N, -156°26.95'W

Somehow the dinghy, trailing of Dirona's stern on a floating yellow line to it's bow, managed to wrap itself twice around the flopper-stopper guyline overnight. James just freed it.

Position: 20°37.94'N, -156°29.76'W

Dive gear ready to load into the dinghy. We ran over to Molokini to dive the inside of the crater, but conditions were too rough to safely leave the dinghy. So we did a nice relaxing dive at the point off Pu'u Ola'i again instead. The next day, we heard two dive boat operators on the radio discussing whether to dive at Molokini. Conditions were rough, but apparently much better than the day before when we'd gone.

Position: 20°37.75'N, -156°26.95'W

We have a Max-Air 240-volt electric dive compressor (model 35LS-E1/220) mounted in the lazarette. It's a small-capacity unit, light on features, but it works effictively and so far we are quite happy with it. On the previous boat, we had a gas-powered Max-Air unit that worked well, and that's one of the reasons we went with the Max-Air electric version for the current boat. The electric version has some real advantages: we don't have to mess with gasoline and so can run it right in the lazarette, and the unit is much quieter.

Position: 20°38.85'N, -156°29.19'W

We departed early this morning to cross Pailolo Channel between Maui and Molokai before the winds came up. Pailolo Channel isn't considered as hazardous as Alenuihaha Channel between the Big Island and Maui, but conditions there still can be rough. The forecast today is for 30-knot winds and 14-foot seas.

Position: 20°44.14'N, -156°34.96'W

Windmills on the south slope of 3,000' Puu Anu.

Position: 20°46.78'N, -156°37.81'W

4,000' Lihau and 3,000' Uluala flank Olowalu Stream.

Position: 20°51.12'N, -156°41.86'W

Several tour boats were leaving Lahaina Harbor as we passed. At least a couple of dozen boats were anchored along the roadstead in front of town. Marina space is limited in Hawaii--very few harbors have room for transient boats and even some of the commercial boats have to anchor out.

Position: 20°59.10'N, -156°48.92'W

We just passed through the junction of Pailolo, Auau, and Kalohi Channels, locally known as The Slot. The Coast Pilot reports that high winds and dangerous currents occur there. The wind has been blowing a steady 30 knots since we entered Pailolo Channel, and the waves have mostly been in the 6-8' range on the beam. Passing through the Slot, however, we got hit with two 15' waves in close succession. The first rolled us to the limit of the stabilizers and the second pushed us over 26.2 degrees.

Position: 21°1.00'N, -156°51.39'W

The tug Kokua taking big waves working upwind through Pailolo Channel.

Position: 21°1.88'N, -156°52.61'W

Lighted buoy off the entrance to Kamalo Harbor. Wave heights had settled, but the wind still blew at a steady 30 knots.

Position: 21°1.88'N, -156°52.61'W

Heeled over in the wind as we look for the break in the reef to enter Kamalo Harbor. The least depth through the entry channel is only eleven feet.

Position: 21°2.68'N, -156°52.93'W

The reef, and the channel through, is clearly visible on the satellite map view of our entry track. The reef also was obvious in daylight as we proceeded. The favored anchorage at the east arm head felt a little too tight at only 100 yards across, particularly given the wind. So we returned out and anchored in the larger west arm head instead. The cove there was 150 yards across, but we still had to position the boat carefully so that we could put out adequate rode of 150' in the 30' depths.

Position: 21°2.72'N, -156°52.46'W

Two high-speed sportfishing boats were tied off to the pier runs at the east arm head. A third arrived later, and two trucks drove down the shore towards the boats. We didn't take the dinghy ashore, but landing there to access the road looks easy.

Position: 21°2.68'N, -156°52.93'W

View to Kamalo Gulch from the boat. The wind continued to blow in the high 20s, but the reef protected us from the big waves and the boat hardly rocked. While we quite enjoyed the last few anchorages, having a little more wave shelter was nice for a change. The holding here was excellent too--the anchor came up the following morning encrusted in a thick mud the raw-water sprayer barely could penetrate.

Position: 21°2.68'N, -156°52.93'W

Waterfalls dropping hundreds of feet into Kamalo Gulch.

Position: 21°2.12'N, -157°0.74'W

We were up just before 4am this morning to cross Kaiwi Channel, between Molokai and Oahu, before the afternoon winds picked up. The winds still were blowing from the east in the high 20s when we left Kamalo, but the forecast for Kaiwi looks reasonable: east winds 20 knots with 8-foot wind waves. Leaving the anchorage was a little challenging with the wind, darkness and tight quarters, but we took it slow and had no trouble. One advantage of the big winds is we're getting a nice push through Kalohi Channel: we're making over 9 knots.

Position: 21°2.48'N, -157°4.01'W

Fresh papaya before breakfast.

Position: 21°4.28'N, -157°17.57'W

The winds have settled down as we cross Penguin Bank at the west end of Kalohi Channel, but we continue to make excellent time.

Position: 21°6.64'N, -157°24.53'W

We can just make out Makapu Head, eighteen miles away on the southeastern tip of Oahu. Conditions in the Kaiwi Channel are about as predicted: 20-knot winds from the east with 9-10-foot seas on the beam. And we're still making nearly 9 knots. If it stays like this, we'll have an fast, easy run into Honolulu.

Position: 21°8.50'N, -157°29.59'W

We can see Diamond Head now--it's only twenty miles away. We've lost a knot of speed, but still should arrive in Honolulu by early afternoon.

Position: 21°11.16'N, -157°36.85'W

The winds stayed about 20 knots from the east, but about halfway across the seas built up to 15-17' and were breaking above the pilothouse. The boat did fine, but we were rolling a fair bit.

Position: 21°12.97'N, -157°42.48'W

We're directly south of Koko Head and Hanauma Bay now. The waves still are large, but are settling down a bit as we get into the lee of Oahu.

Position: 21°14.71'N, -157°48.32'W

A different view to Diamond Head than we're used to seeing.

Position: 21°15.52'N, -157°49.92'W

The iconic Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki beach.

Position: 21°17.22'N, -157°50.57'W

Moored across from Starr, also of Seattle, at the Waikiki Yacht Club.