Still in Hilo

Father-son journey back to San Francisco on 26ft ketch (home built by the father, took 10 yrs to build)- leaving Hilo harbor this am after arrival back in 2017. 

Still in Hilo….

The weather window for the channel crossing has not really evolved. We almost went this past weekend and within 24 hours, both Saturday and Sunday that had potential, still, were marginal. Stephen and I hemmed and hawed and decided indecision is a decision. 

When conditions look great or terrible, it is easy to make a decision about to leave or not but when conditions are marginal, it is tough. We decided if we did leave it would be more due to a learning experience desired in heavy weather sailing. Since it would not be a passage and have an estimated time frame of 8 hours, just getting through the channel as the winds before and after would be fine  (40 miles from a NE entrance to SW rounding point of Maui), we considered this as a potential opportunity to advance our “bump tolerance” as we used to say in paragliding.  I say this because the Alenuihaha channel forecast was reporting avg speeds of 23-24 knots with gusts of 30-31. Unfortunately, it previously was reporting lower winds like high teens, 17-19 knots, and gusts mid 20’s but this changed within 24 hours before our tentative departure dates of last Saturday 12/12 and Sunday 12/13. Both potential days had a change in forecast extending the moderate trade wind forecast to “locally breezy” and keeping small craft advisory warnings posted as well. 

This beat the 40-knot gusts we have been seeing forecasted but still, we felt these are not the most desirable conditions for us.  I want to emphasize the “us” because many people are more comfortable sailing in bigger conditions. We would be heading downwind which makes a huge difference as opposed to upwind but typically we still choose more mellow conditions. This is a Beaufort scale of 6 (wind speed 25-31) which gives the wind a definition of a strong breeze. The next level up is a  Beaufort 7 which is considered a moderate gale (32-38 wind speed). 

Another factor that weighed into our decision is the proximity of landmasses. It is a narrow channel ( 26 nautical miles width-wise) with large volcanic peaks on Maui and Big Island. Are the gusts going to be laminar? Or because of these large volcanic peaks, Haleakala being 10,000ft on Maui, will the gust be coming from different directions?? Wind like water takes the past of least resistance, so will it come rushing over the top of this peak but also around the sides and down into the channel. Wind will also funnel into the channel like a venturi from the entrance to the end. Then we started to discuss are we in a hurry? Do we have to leave for some more emergent reason? Or is it just because we want a change of scenery… Is it because Jenny gets antsy and wants to get moving? Even though we have a great group of folks in the anchorage, a safe place to be, and all the amenities we need. Hmmm….

So we chose to stay put this past week. If we didn’t stay we would have missed meeting another new friend, a night out at Open Mic night in Hilo with fabulous local talent entertaining us, and seeing a 26-foot handmaid boat take off for San Francisco with just father and son! By the way, the father called the legendary sailor Bernard Moitessier, “Bernard”, because they were on a first-name basis. He has been in a knockdown in the Tasman Sea with his son who was a toddler at the time and his wife. He gifted us a celestial navigation book and he and his son actually DO Celestial Navigation for the passage, primarily the meridian passage of the sun. They were embarking on a quintessential father-son journey from Hawaii to San Francisco. WoW!! They sailed past us in the anchorage at 0630am on 6/15 and we gave them a nice send-off and sent some pictures digitally to enhance their memories and photo album. 

Hilo will always hold a special place in our hearts because it was the first landfall for us after our 1st passage. Lots of folks love Kona and the “Kona side” of the island but we don’t really care for big resorts and lots of people. The local feel of Hilo and the friendly culture of people make this place more attractive to us. We have had so many kind gestures from the locals and enjoyed being part of the community. 

We are once again looking at a potential weather window this weekend but it is too far out to know….Again, I must learn patience. I like this quote: “ Patience is the art of concealing your impatience.”  Guy Kawasaki ( interestingly born in Honolulu HI but one of the original Apple employees) 

BUT more profound: 

“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” Leo Tolstoy 

AND one more…. Stephen says often used in aviation: 

 I would much rather be here, wishing I was out there, then out there, wishing I was in here!

Hilo Farmer's Market

Sushi making on Soulstice

Big Tanker coming into port. Surprisingly quiet and minimal wake. Not a ton of traffic, usually one in am and one late pm to Radio Harbor adjacent to the anchorage. 

Richard's Point- snorkeling area/great for sea turtles

Enjoying an IPA at the Hilo Tavern

Hike in Waipio Valley with the honeymooners, Colby and Kelley

Wild horses

Colby and Kelley from St. Louis on their Honeymoon- befriended them and had a great day hiking and took them to Soulstice for drinks and appys. They have never been on a sailboat!

We are pickling :)

Still making bread! 

Treat Yo' self! Fancy coffee

Meeting Karen! A good friend of my friend Lynn Ludivig. She lives in Hilo and met us for coffee:) Lovely woman and so enjoyed our get-together!

Open Mic night fun! Left to right - Ian in the background and next to him Quinn ( Ian on a schooner he is selling, from Haines AK and returning to commercial halibut fishing, Quinn is a pilot and returning to AK as well), Ron on Freya 38ft ( single-hander - sailed from CA but Cape Horn on his sailing resume accomplishments), Stephen and Mike on Ingrid 38ft (single-hander, just spent last 2 years in FP and heading back to Oregon (previously world champion snowboarder on resume and bush pilot in AK!)
So fun all the cool peeps you meet cruising! 

The Big Island

Hawai’i - The Big Island - Made Landfall May 15th, 2021

The Big Island is home to 5 major volcanoes: Kilauea, Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, Hualalai, and Kohala. Kilauea is a volcano that had a large eruption in the spring of 2018. Mauna Kea is the tallest volcano and the tallest mountain in the world when it is measured from the ocean’s floor to its peak on the Big Island. It measures 10,210 meters or 33,500 feet which is taller than Everest at 29,029ft. This island also contains 8 different ecosystems on one island. You can go from the jungle to the snowy plains of Mauna Kea. It has a population of 186,738 with Hilo being the capital and largest city. Another cool fact: Captain Cook, the famous British navigator, and explorer was killed by the natives of Hawaii on February 14, 1779, in Kealakekua Bay. History reports this was due to his crew taking advantage of the hospitable Hawaiians and in return retaliation ensued. OK, our brief introduction to the Big Island and some history included done but I wanted to let everyone know if you have not been here before that this island is very diverse compared to the other islands. 

The Hawaiian culture as many may already know is so considerate and thoughtful of Mother Nature. They are taught from a young age Aloha Aina “love of the land”. This concept is pervasive in the culture and the recognition of how everything is intimately connected on the planet. Therefore giving Aina respect and appreciating her resources is vital. Another popular Hawaiin word is Kai. This is a word for sea or ocean but also can mean restoration and recovery. We met a local Hawaiian tutu ( grandma) who is fostering 3 kids who recently had a tragic experience. She brought them to a park on the water and said they needed the saltwater for healing. She also said another important ritual is to take your shoes off and “feel” the aina, this is very important too - this is how you connect to the energy of the land/Mother Nature. The tutu also gave us a huge tip that there is a kimchi starter you can buy at the local grocery store that made Stephen giddy with excitement. He loves kimchi! 

We expressed to her how we were enamored by the lovely trees in the area, the Koa and the Banyan, and a pine we saw with the tiniest of pinecones. She was able to tell us which were native and which were invasive. What I find fascinating is that all the local people are well versed in their flora and fauna and their history. From young to old they are able to impress you with their love of their cultural heritage! Our good friends from Montana who moved here greater than 10 years ago have learned the culture, the history, and her son calls adult women “auntie” &  adult men “uncle.” It is believed that all adults are responsible for caretaking the children even if they are not related. Again, another feeling of community and 'it takes a village' theory. 

We note that despite the large crowds of folks who gather at the beach or park every weekend and even weekdays, there is no trash!! They pick up after themselves and the water edge and the land adjacent to the park are trash-free. There are park bathrooms that are clean and lots of toilet paper and outside showers for anyone to enjoy.  When COVID hit it, the tutu explained it was not as tragic as for some others. They were already used to being independent of the economic machine. It has long been commonplace to share food like buying a cow or pig and dividing up between multiple families, subsistence fishing, and vegetable gardens to provide for all. This reminds me of the Mexican culture as well. 

Stephen and I have both been to Hawaii on several occasions and eventually can say we have seen all the islands you can travel to. When I worked as an ER travel nurse in Oahu 20 years ago (Yikes)  that afforded me the ability to travel to all the islands at that time as well.  But... I will say sailing to and from islands and living on Soulstice in Hawaii is new and exciting! 

During our first week in Hilo Matt and Amahra stayed to explore the island. As soon as we got cell service approaching landfall, Matt was on the internet researching the availability of rental cars and Airbnbs. They were able to score an Airbnb in downtown Hilo and a rental car. The rental car was a big challenge as it is nationwide but also due to it being high school graduation week. Another mutual friend who works as a Naturopathic Doctor on the North Shore of Oahu, Lauren,  flew over and met up with us too. I had also contacted Arturo Oti, an ER MD, I worked with at Carson Tahoe Hospital in Carson City, NV who has a condo in Kona, to see if he was around. In fact, he was and able to drive over for an afternoon to see Soulstice and enjoy a nice walk & lunch in the adjacent Japanese Park called Lili’uokalani Park and Gardens. What a treat! He saw Soulstice in Seattle as were preparing for our passage to Mexico in 2018. One other connection as mentioned earlier was meeting with the Velasquez family. Dianne is a Montana friend who lived in Missoula and of one of the girl’s from the Montuckybama posse. She now lives in Kona with her husband Dave, son Santonio and their 1 yr old black lab Kai.  

In addition to all of these friend meet-ups, we did some road travel to the Volcanoes National park, Hawaii Tropical Bioreserve & Garden, Hilo Farmers Market, Rainbow Falls, the Boiling Pots, Wail'ale falls, Akaka falls, and the black and green beaches. For refreshments, we stopped at the Ola Brewery. Great IPA! Kona brewery was visited too so Matt & Amahra could bring some T-shirts back for friends. Later on during our 2nd week in Hilo, Stephen and I rented a car for 2 days to hike to the summit of Mauna Kea. I was able to summit and took Diamox the night before and morning of as I have gotten mild AMS (altitude mountain sickness)  before and I felt great. The hike down did get to my knees and I was grateful to have hiking poles. Stephen took Diamox the morning of but he did suffer some mild AMS and at 12,400ft decided to descend. Still a fantastic hike and great vertical! 

Most people would agree Hawaiin cuisine is YUMMY!!! Plate lunches, musubis, saimen, poke, mango, papaya… I could go on and on... We enjoyed it all and more! But after week one, we did commit to cooking on the boat to save $$$ ( most meals are at least $12-20). For Matt and Amahra, who live in Alaska, there was not much sticker shock for restaurants or at the grocery store. Stephen and I coming from NV and spending the last 2 cruising seasons in Mexico did not like the pocketbook squeeze despite being well aware of the expenses of visiting Hawaii.  

Our next big challenge is crossing the Alenuiha’ha Channel with alenuihaha meaning “great billows smashing”. Others have comedically called it the  I’ll -end-you-ha-ha channel. This is the channel crossing between the Big Island and Maui. It has been referenced as one of the most dangerous in the world due to strong winds and high seas that funnel between the narrow pass of approximately 26 nautical miles.  Winds spilling over and around the peak of Haleakala at 10,023ft on Maui and the volcanic peaks of the Big Island in addition to the Venturi effect of the narrow pass can at the least double the winds and waves through the channel. We have been doing our due diligence and checking the weather daily to include channel and buoy reports. There was a weather window the first week we were here and another one at the end of our 2nd week. We felt like we have been so busy with touristy stuff and visiting that we wanted to wait for the next weather window. And so here we are…. Now the marine and channel forecast is showing gusty conditions into next week - gusts in the '30s with 7ft wind waves in the channel so we are staying put! 

You do have to pay to anchor here and we are paid up until June 9th. It is not cheap. $10 pp/per night and $5.15 for the boat/per night. That is ok because now we will focus on some other chores to do before leaving.  These include a rigging check by sending me up the mast, white vinegar our stainless for corrosion treatment, get some slime off our water line, & one more laundry.  Did I mention due to the brackish water in this anchorage ( a spring from an aquifer in town spills into Reed's Bay) our TDS meter (total dissolved solids) reads lower than normal when making water and instead of 5 gallons/hr we are making 6.5 gallons an hour! Bonus!

Stephen and I have been contemplating our plans and we are giving it up to the universe and Pele. Pele is the goddess of volcanoes and fire and the creator of the Hawaiin islands. If she feels we should stay in Hawaii for now then we shall.

🤟🤟🤟

Rainbow Falls

The Boiling Pots ( so we typically walk here from the Marina to give us a nice RT 10.4 mile hike to work off our plate lunch)

Nice neighborhood we walk through to get to Boiling Pots. We met Jared, a Portuguese gentleman who lives in the same house since he was 1yr old. 

Arturo Oti, friend and ER MD at CTH, has condo in Kona

Amahra, Lauren, & Matt

Lauren, Matt, Amahra & Stephen in Kilauea caldera

Very cool Orange Pompon tree

Black Sand Beach

Stephen loves hammocks and this would be an ideal spot. In Minden, he would have a hammock set up in the backyard and called it the Relaxation Station.

Hellooooo!!!! 

Kim Chee starter! 

Well after multiple attempts to move this picture before the post haircut picture it remains here. 

Dianne, Santonio & Dave

Dave brought delicious salsa and scorpion jelly for us!! 

Self timer :)

So there is a big controversy over these buildings that hold powerful telescopes. Most are remotely controlled by the way. Some are outdated and decommissioned yet they leave them standing. This has caused local turmoil because they wanted to build yet another large telescope without removing these structures. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/01/new-front-emerges-battle-build-giant-telescope-hawaii

Jenny bought homemade cookies, lychee jam and passion guava jam at Mr. Ed's Bakery. https://m.facebook.com/pages/Mr-Eds-Bakery/136524069745097

We pickle now!!! Thanks Amahra- we cannot believe we have not done this before. Krysi & Ryan our friendlords ( ha!  aka previous landlords) started to pickle this past summer but we did not inquire about the brine - super simple! 

I saw this older couple on the park bench and thought how sweet:)

Mauna Kea finally in view from Soulstice

one of our dinghy landing spots! we have dinghy wheels, lock goes around tree and OB is locked FYI

Stephen in front of the lovely Koa tree - hardwood and Hawaiin canoes, furniture, jewelry made from this tree. 

Banyan Tree

Lili'uokalani Gardens - this is where we do nice walks and I attempt to run now :)

Banyan Drive appropriately named. The trees have placards as they were planted by famous people. 

This is a fish market and during the day has a daily line out the door for poke- Stephen, Arturo and I got lunch here! 

Nice lawn chair view! Hike to Wai'ale Falls

Wai'ale Falls - just past Boiling Pots another mile. 

Richard Loe on his 79th Birthday. He is a single-hander on a boat called Firewater, an Ingrid ketch. He has made 30 crossings now from Mexico to Hawaii. We met him up in Washington and then again Catalina and now here. He plans to head back up to AK in the next month. When conditions get big he says he just retreats into the cabin and drinks whiskey😜So his boat is appropriately named. 

MESSAGE FROM PACIFIC PUDDLE JUMP NETWORK: 

"Bonjour, 

The maritime borders to French Polynesia remain closed.  Next week they are opening up the airways for tourism from Europe for vaccinated travelers.  Some restrictions are being eased on Tahiti and Moorea, but still no movement on the lifting of restrictions on Yachts.  The authorities are gradually lifting restrictions with a wait and see what comes from those changes.  If the number of cases in FP remains stable there is hope for the future. 

There is another facture to consider here, where will you go from here.  Even if they let boats in, Fiji appears to be the only option for continuing West.  So, I imagine the authorities here are concerned about allowing too many boats in with nowhere to go after.  I certainly would be.

On another note, we've had some boats come without permission, in the hope of things changing while they were on route. DON'T DO THIS.  Boats arriving here without permission are being fined and told to be on their way.  While the fines are not super painful, the fact you have to keep going may be.  Here on Nuku Hiva things have been fairly loose due to a lack of enforcement personnel.  But, when you get to Tahiti, there is no such lack of personnel and they do regular patrols looking for boats in violation.

I hope this information is helpful. 
Kevin Ellis
Yacht Services Nuku Hiva

WE ARE STILL CAREFULLY WATCHING WHAT IS  MARITIME RULES FOR TRAVEL IN FP......