SVSoulsticeAdventures: Hanalei Bay

Kauai Hanalei Bay

Stephen and I left 7/8 from Honolua Bay to come to Kauai. We had previous intentions of anchoring on the south side of Lanai but the southern swell discouraged us. It would not only make the anchorages rolly but would disrupt the visibility of water and make anchoring even more concerning for the risk of dragging anchor. We chose to sail along the north shore of Molokai which is known to be stunning with magnificent green lush peaks with some over 4,000 ft high spilling water over their lips creating a Hollywood tropical movie scene. Mt. Kamakou at 4,970ft is the highest on Molokai.

It was a broad reach sail that afforded good speeds but despite our speed and hand lines out, no fish to be caught. We were able to see potential anchoring spots that were recommended in our Hawaii cruising guide. Again, many of these recommended anchorages still with the risk of coral and lava rock to consider, and finding the “sandy patch” to anchor in most ideal. We could have spent a night perhaps in one of these spots but trade winds were going to kick up and then make our sail to Kauai more challenging, so we decided to enjoy the scenery and continue with our planned route to Hanalei Bay. It was 198 nm from Honolua Bay, Maui to Hanalei Bay, Kauai.

We arrived just before sunset, a 36-hour sail as projected, to Hanalei Bay. It is a large bay with a generous sandy bottom, affording many boats a place to moor. There were approximately 20 boats in the anchorage when we arrived and still plenty of room. Mike, on SV Easy, was slower than us and was not going to make it in by sunset. He chose to be conservative and heave to, which means setting up a sail configuration to basically stall the boat. You have to account for drift/current but this way he can rest and plan for a morning arrival in the bay with plenty of light. Cruisers choose to do this if they are unfamiliar with a new anchorage. Hanalei is a bay you could come into in the nighttime and be safe but his decision is the most optimal. We also noted many boats here unfortunately do not put an anchor light on, which they should for safety.

It has been just over 3 weeks here now in Kauai. This bay is a lovely, sandy spot with a 2-mile long beach and has 3 rivers that intersect it, Hanalei, Wai’oli, and Waipa. It also has a backdrop of waterfalls and mountain peaks with elevations of 1,000-4,000ft high. Based on precipitation, you can sit in the cockpit, drink your coffee, and count waterfalls with the number changing daily. This typically is the bay’s off-season. The winter is a busy time because the north swell rolls in and it becomes a surfing destination. Laird Hamilton and his wife Gabby apparently reside here and take advantage of this gorgeous surf destination. Our local friends gave us the beta on that and that also Pierce Brosnan resides here.

We have enjoyed open water swimming the shallows of the bay with great clarity and doing some paddleboarding. It does get very windy early on so paddleboarding can be a challenge for sure! We have made dinghy rides down the Hanalei River, which is bordered by hibiscus bushes the entire way.

During our 2nd week in the bay, Alise Robertson and her family came to Princeville for holiday. They and another family had been planning a Hawaii vacation for over a year but due to COVID have had to make many changes in their plans. Eventually, it all worked out and they had a house rental in Princeville for the two families to share. Stephen and I did purposely plan to sail to Hanalei in time for their holiday so we could see them. Unfortunately, the trade winds have been locally breezy, aka gusts in the 30’s, so we did not take them out for day sail. They generously offered to pick us up in Hanalei and we were able to share some meals and do some hiking with them. There are road closures so at times we have had to paddleboard over to another beach across the river, lock up the paddle-boards in the woods and hike up to a paved road for pick up. That was a fun adventure too. They would drop us off, it would be raining and night time and we put our headlamps on and made our way back to the paddleboards and then paddle back to Soulstice. It was like a nighttime stealth mission to get home. Always an adventure with the logistics of getting off and back to the boat when in an anchorage. We were grateful for the company and it was really fun to have Nevada friends here in Kauai and be able to appreciate the gorgeous sights together.

After they left, we were fortunate to get a rental car, really a rental truck! Carolyn, a friend of SV Easy Mikes’, rented her Toyota Tacoma to us. She was giving the local cruisers a “deal” since her normal rental price is $250/day and she IS getting that! WoW!! You cannot even find a rental car to rent in Hawaii these days or much less anywhere for that matter I hear. So… We had a lovely week of cruising around Kauai with specific destinations and one of those being Waimea Canyon. Stephen and I have both been to Kauai before and Waimea Canyon but so many years ago we hardly remember. We enjoyed two amazing hikes on the Awa’Awapuhi Trail and the Nu’alolo trails which afforded us incredible views and were DRY!!! That side of the island is much drier and has no mud slogs :) They both came with some decent elevation gain to earn those vantage points.

We also took advantage of the transportation and went to….. Ta-Da: Laundromat Express -YAHOOOOOO!! Laundry had not been done in 3 weeks- how fantastic! For whatever reason, Hanalei Bay has everything you need including a post office but does not have a gas station or a place to do laundry. Additionally, our transportation allowed us to get propane and dinghy gas replenished, oh yeah, and a short Costco trip! Another great venture was a splendid walk on the 7-mile paved path in Kapa’a with spectacular shoreline views. We even walked some it again to make our prosecco and hammock time feel earned afterward.

Now we are awaiting a weather window to sail back to Oahu. When I say back it is because I mean it is upwind sail heading East. The trade winds are intense this week at 25-30 knots and so we are looking for something a bit more mellow since that kind of wind on the nose (bow) so to speak means not moving very fast, very uncomfortable ride, beating up your boat a bit, and lots of tacking. We would like teens - gust in low 20’s. This upcoming Saturday/Sunday has potential.

The anchorage also is thinning out. Some of our cruising friends that had itineraries of sailing to the Aleutian Islands, Oregon and California have all left! We are tracking them all on their Predict Wind trackers, many have the Iridium Go. It is fun to see other folks’ trackers and their postings. Despite all their different destinations, the one goal on every return that way north is to skirt around the Pacific High on its top/north side and catch the westerlies (range between 30-60 degrees latitude) eventually. It is like a moving bowl of jello but inside that big blob is NO wind! So it is most ideal to avoid otherwise your trip could be VERY long and most folks do not carry that much fuel just to motor through on such a long journey. Best case scenario for S. Ca and Aleutians which are shorter destinations 2 weeks but most others to Mainland Alaska and Pacific NW 3-4 weeks.

Nuff’ said for now! The next stop after this Oahu and Soulstice will be put in a slip in Ko Olina Marina.