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After spending nearly four months in Gentry’s Boatyard and Honokohau harbor, it was with some relief that we set off on the morning of September 1^st with a plan to visit Homomalino Bay (30 miles or 48 km south) for a few nights and then go around the south end of the Big Island to visit somewhere else.  We had enjoyed Kailua Kona but were ready for a change of scene.  Anyway, with a limit of 90 days per calendar year that we could stay in a State of Hawaii slip there, we had only 30 days left and wanted to save those in case we decided to return in December.  And when you are getting to know the harbor’s fish and turtles individually, it may be time to move on.  The fish that escaped from the dock at the end of my last blog was seen swimming around the harbor for several days afterwards which was absolutely astounding given the fairly forceful efforts to make it into someone’s dinner.

We were also confident that the boat would be in good condition for some inter-island cruising because the engine and propeller shaft had seemed quiet and stable when we took Tregoning out for some test-runs.  We combined these motoring jaunts with exploration of some of the State’s day-use moorings, about which we had recently learned.  In areas that are popular for snorkeling and diving, rather than have boats drop anchors and risk damage to the coral, the State of Hawaii (Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation) has installed moorings intended for day-use for an hour at a time.  The buoys for these moorings are about 10 ft (3 m) below the water surface so you have to have the GPS coordinates (available online) to find them and someone has to swim down to pull a line from the boat through the ring attached to the buoy. 

The moorings each have a locally significant name and some are in water a bit too deep for snorkeling while others are beside reefs that are perhaps a little shallow for some sailboats.  For example, we had a lovely snorkel from Tregoning at the “Golden Arches South” (with several underwater arches, shallow reefs, and plenty of fish but no burgers).  However, when we returned a few days later with Steve, Cheryl, and Amy aboard Gershon II, we found that site was too shallow during dips in the swell for their 7 foot (2 m) keel.  Instead, we moved to the nearby mooring on Dottie’s Reef.  The list of GPS coordinates shows mooring sites around most of the islands so now that we know how to use then, we look forward to exploring many more. 

The combination of sightings in the harbor, snorkeling at the local beach, and explorations at the State buoys had steadily yielded additions to our list of observed fish species such as, bluestripe butterfly fish, scrawled filefish, bandtail goatfish, redbarred hawkfish, bluestripe and grey snappers, and finescale triggerfish.  However, our remaining time in Kona was not entirely spent playing around the water.  We also had dental check-ups (all good) and Randall was fervently zapped by a dermatologist who clearly believed in freezing anything that looked worthy.  She also took a couple of small samples to biopsy so Randall had a week of wandering around with small unpleasant-looking blisters and a few stitches on his head.

Although Randall deserved plenty of sympathy for his discomfort, the morning before his dermatologist’s appointment I managed to twinge a muscle or nerve in my lower back which made me pretty useless for a couple of days.  We were lugging the old, ruined dinghy off the boat when it happened but fortunately it cleared up after a few days of rest and ice-treatments.  Doyle took the dinghy remains so that a friend of his could try to salvage anything useful. 

My back spasm came on top of a bad case of tendinitis in my right thumb which made it very stiff and sore, especially in the mornings.  Thus, by the time we left Honokohau Harbor, we were both feeling rather fragile and hoping for a smooth passage and anchorage at Homomalino.  We were fairly fortunate on both counts and once Randall deployed the improved, triangular roll-stopper, the boat’s motion was quite tolerable.  We found that our new smart-phone with mobile WiFi hotspot gave us internet access even in the almost deserted Honomalino Bay so we looked forward to a few quiet days at anchor where we could heal our wounds.

NOTE:  This blog entry will be repeated at the beginning of a new blog-section “Islands of Hawaii – 2011”.  If you request email notification when blog updates are made, do not forget to make a new request for the new blog section.

Aloha!

Our bid for escape from Honokohau Harbor ended up being a bit shorter-lived than we had anticipated.  After spending six nights thoroughly enjoying ourselves at Honomalino Bay, we pulled up the anchor on Wednesday morning (Aug 3^rd) intending to explore the next cove south, Okoe Bay.  This bay was also supposed to have good snorkeling and be well protected from northern swells.  However, it was very exposed to swells from the south and as we motored out to sea it was soon apparent that we had been well protected from these in Honomalino Bay.   So our plan became a day-trip to Okoe and to re-anchor at night in Homomalino.  At least that was the plan until we noticed that there was a very slight spray of water coming from the dripless seal on the propeller shaft.  As the name suggests, this seal should not leak so we suspected that the wobble on the rotating shaft was causing this problem.  We called Diesel Dan and within a few minutes we had turned northward and were headed back to Honokohau Harbor.

Although it was a bit disappointing to cut-short our visit to the southern part of the Kona coast, we were treated to the sight of numerous short-finned pilot whales as we cruised north.  There was a certain sense of comfort as we approached the now-familiar entrance to the harbor but this was dampened when we noticed how green and turbid the water had become inside the harbor.  I had been absolutely entranced by the fabulously clear water at Honomalino so that seeing the murky water in the harbor was rather depressing.  However, for whatever reason it occurred, it was only a temporary algae bloom and within a week the harbor water regained it former clarity and we were once more able to watch fish and turtles nonchalantly swimming among the docked boats.

The morning after our return, Doyle joined us on a test-run to look at the propeller shaft and we were soon all starting to reach the conclusion that tweaking the engine mounting was not going to stop the wobble and that a bearing part way along the unsupported length of shaft was going to be needed.  This need was finally confirmed when Steve on Gershon II told us about a graph he had seen that showed that for our diameter of shaft the unsupported length should be less than 4 ft (1.2 m) whereas ours was spanning a distance of about 7 ft (2.1 m).  Helpful email exchanges with my engineer brother, Andrew, confirmed this so Randall headed back to the mechanics’ shop on Monday morning armed with a copy of the graph that we had tracked down on the internet.

Much to our relief, Diesel Dan and Charlie (the machinist who had ordered and fitted our propeller shaft) not only agreed that a flange bearing was needed mid-way along the shaft but because they had recommended that we not replace the one that had been there previously (because it seemed likely to be responsible for part of the misalignment that had cause the old shaft to fail) we would not have to pay for this fix.  This was excellent news and the question then became whether such a bearing could be installed on the shaft without having to haul the boat out of the water again…a significant expense.  Although the new bearing could be slipped onto the shaft at the engine-end, there was insufficient room between the end of propeller and the rudder into which the shaft could be moved backwards to allow this.  In the end, Doyle took off the coupling that attached the shaft to the transmission and moved the whole engine forward until he had room to slip the new bearing onto the shaft and then slide it down to its point of attachment in the bilges. Thus, the work was done while the boat was in the water and the first sea-trial showed a great improvement with almost all the shaft wobble gone.  There would probably need to be some fine adjustments once we had spent a few more hours running the engine and everything has settled down but overall the situation was much improved.  Lessons have been learned all around and we will be more diligent in checking the shaft and engine alignment on a regular basis.

With all this completed, it would seem that we would take the opportunity to dash away again to set off on our much anticipated tour of some of the other islands…but not quite yet.  During our return visit to Honokohau we started ordering things, making appointments for doctor and dentist check-ups, and generally embroiling ourselves in bureaucratic communications that once started were going to take many days to complete.  So we decided to book our slip in the harbor until the end of August and content ourselves with some day-trips until then, when we would hope to depart for other islands for at least three months.

In the meantime we have continued to explore the area including plenty more snorkeling.  This has included numerous trips to the local beach where we have expanded our forays to include a beautiful section of coral right by the harbor entrance.  We also cycled to the popular Kahalu’u Beach at the south end of town (where I had previously snorkeled with Michael and Angus) and we cycled north to explore the impressive shoreline off Kaloko Fishpond at the north end of the Kaloko Honokohau National Historical Park.  On almost all these trips we saw a few species of fish that were new to us in Hawaii including a huge barracuda, speckled butterflyfish, flowery flounder, twospot lizardfish, crocodile needlefish, spotfin squirrelfish, bluespine unicornfish, and gilded triggerfish.  In the harbor, I also saw a pair of spotted eagle rays and, most surprisingly, a smooth seahorse slowly swimming in the open water.

Randall and I have walked along the shoreline south of our local snorkeling beach and found some glorious rock pools with deep, clear water, corals, and charming juvenile butterflyfish, zebra-head flagtails, and various species of blennies.  The “walk” is over boulders and lava (mostly pahoehoe) so it is a bit of a scramble in places but one day I may set-off to see if I can get all the way to town around Kaiwi Point.  It will need to be a day with relatively small swell because there are many small arches and blow-holes that produce dramatic spouts of water when the waves are large.

Our other recent expedition was to join a geology tour at the neighboring National Historical Park.  Retired Exxon geologist, Mark, volunteers to provide these weekly tours and he was extremely knowledgeable and friendly.  We were joined by a couple of other people, one of whom was a quarter-Hawaiian student in the University of Hawaii’s forestry program.  Ashley helped answer many questions about the vegetation and native culture.  Although we followed paths that Randall and I had walked along before, it was much more interesting to have our attention drawn to otherwise unnoticed things and to have what we were seeing explained.  This ranged from the tiny specks of green olivine crystals in the lava, to precious re-plantings of the endangered endemic loulu palm, to the distant, rocky edge of a holua.  We had read about the holua in the park brochure but it took Mark and Ashley to point it out and explain that it was a stone slide built in the lava for sporting use by the ali’i.  Sadly, we could not get close to it but this houla had been about 150 ft long (46 m) and was wide enough for two competitors to ride on their narrow wooden sleds at the same time.  Grass and the slick leaves of the Ti plant were used to line the slide but they could not have done much to ease the impact and pain of a wipe-out on the harsh lava substrate.

During our conversations with Mark we learned that a colleague of ours from Gainesville had recently visited the Park to provide advice about some invasive fish species.  We were sorry to have missed seeing our friend Leo but hope to be around when he next visits.  There have been a few other cruisers in the harbor including a family on the boat Calou who arrived from Tahiti and were getting the boat ready to return to San Francisco.  On the whole, however, the marlin-fishing season has starting to wind down with fewer charter boats out during the weekdays.  There has still been plenty of activity with boats being thoroughly cleaned, re-rigged (for different fish), and subject to maintenance work.  For a couple of days, we all watched as a good-sized giant trevally fish slowly swam around the docks with a trident spear-tip pierced through its back just below the dorsal fin.  It was a strange sight and despite various efforts to catch it (even being pulled onto the dock temporarily) it managed to escape and denied all the human observers an easy dinner.  I am not sure that the prognosis for this fish was good but I had to have some admiration for a creature that never gave up.

Are there any human beings who are not pleased by the sight of dolphins?  No doubt there are the curmudgeons who will dislike them just to be contrary and there may be the rare case of a person who has been frightened by one under extraordinary circumstances but, as any number of books, films, and live-shows testify, the presence of dolphins is almost always seen as a delightful treat.  Even though we have seen large numbers and various species of dolphins throughout our cruising experience and continue to be excited every time they appear, we had never seen them from within the water.

A small pod of spinner dolphins seems to frequent the area just outside Honokohau Harbor entrance so we had seen them a few times on our test-runs in and out of the marina and our departure on Thursday morning (July 28^th) was no exception.  Yes, our planned escape from  Honokohau ended-up being one day later than originally intended but we finally did pack-up the bikes, top-up the water tanks, and back-up the boat.  Oddly, we had a spot of bother trying to pay our last week’s-worth of dock-fees.   The Harbormaster’s Office was afflicted with a new online registration system that they had yet to master so they let us leave in debt (but phoned to “let us” pay by credit card the next day).

Once away from the harbor we contemplated the various options for anchorages on the west coast of the Big Island and decided to head south.  It was the penultimate day of the week-long International Blue Marlin Fishing Tournament so there were plenty of charter boats out.  We trolled a couple of lines to no avail but we did not care.  We were at sea again and the engine was humming nicely.  We hugged the coast to examine potential anchorages as we went by including a couple of loops into Kealakekua Bay to get a close view of the Captain Cook Monument (which Martha and I had only seen before from across the bay) and to inspect the small, potential anchorage in the sand at the south end by Napo’opo’o village.   The snorkeling is supposed to be good in the marine sanctuary in the northern part of the bay and it was busy with people swimming from kayaks, small motorboats, and large tour-boats.  In the midst of this we saw some dolphins so we planned to return once the dinghy was available to carry us from the anchorage to the monument.

We passed the small Honaunau Bay which is next to the Royal Grounds and Place of Refuge that Martha and I had so enjoyed.  The bay also has good snorkeling but according to our cruising guide (by Carolyn and Bob Mehaffy) the local residents have a reputation for not welcoming boats into the anchorage so that was probably a better site for a day-sail or visit by car.  The next bay south, Kauhako is also supposed to have a good anchorage and exceptionally clear water for snorkeling.  We were tempted to stop there as our guide specifically noted how friendly the residents of Ho’okena are and that “a pod of spinner dolphins makes it home” there.  But it was still early afternoon so we decided to push on another 15 miles (24 km) to the anchorage about which Steve from Gershon II has written in our book “I love this spot”.

Thus, we eventually arrived at Honomalino Bay and dropped anchor in about 25 ft (8 m) of stunningly clear water in a very large area of sand at the southeastern corner of the bay.  Although exposed from the west, we were sheltered from the southern and northern swells and the clearly-visible chain and anchor were beautifully dug-in to the sand (actually, the anchor itself was so perfectly buried in the sand that it was almost completely out of sight).  We were close enough to the rocky shore that snorkeling there from Tregoning would be easy but it all felt very safe and secure.

The Mehaffys must have visited this bay during the off-season because they waxed lyrical in the cruising guide about how remote and deserted the place was, at least during the week.  The five vacation homes had been boarded up with “little sign of recent habitation”.  This was clearly not the case during our visit as there were families all over the grey sand beach at the north end and out in the water enjoying paddle boards, kayaks, outrigger canoes, and a small, moored sport-fishing boat.  During the second day of our visit we were welcomed by Bob whose father had built the two distinctive, red-roofed cabins at the northwest corner of the bay in the 1940s.  Their family was on vacation from Oregon and he happily told us about the best places to anchor, snorkel, and explore lava tubes.  Bob explained that from the land the bay could only be reached by a rough 1 mile (1.6 km) path from the town to the north or via a 5 mile long (8 km), gated, private road over very rough a’a’ lava.  Thus, most of the people there were owners or guests of owners of the five beach houses.

Bob also told us how the March tsunami had swept all the vegetation off the northern point and had moved both of their wooden, red-roofed houses.  One house was subsequently repositioned on its original foundations but the other had been moved about 10 ft (3 m) and it was easier to just build additional pier-and-post foundations in its new location.  Having briefly entertained Bob and his grandson, Max, on Tregoning, we would have accepted his kind invitation to come over and visit their houses but by then we had officially given-up on the dinghy and it would have been a long swim. 

The finally condemnation of the dinghy was both frustrating and a relief.  That morning we had flipped it over on the foredeck where it had sorrowfully rested since we had used it to power the prop-less Tregoning into Honokohau Harbor.  After pumping it up and detecting the large leaks from the pitiful patches over the separating seams, we had cleaned off as much as possible of these old patches and their assorted glues remnants.  We had one more type of glue to try but the gap in the seams seemed wider than ever and it was not possible to get their surfaces smooth and clean nor to get them flat enough to apply even pressure.  Randall made a half-hearted application of glue but we could quickly tell that it would never seal firmly or completely enough and we declared our long battle of the leaks to be officially over. 

Relieved of any further need to try to keep the dinghy afloat until we got to Seattle (where we had thought we would have the most choice for buying a new one) we resolved that when we returned to internet-land we would work out how to get a new dinghy while we were in Hawaii.  A few days later during an enthusiastic and much-appreciated phone call from Jan, we learned that their inflatable-bottomed dinghy had come to grief in Alaska after bouncing on some mussel-covered rocks, so the option of getting a rigid-hulled inflatable is starting to look a bit more attractive.

While it is difficult to make a convincing argument to most of our working friends that our current life-style is not one long vacation, we did regard our stay in Honomalino Bay as a definite respite from all the boat projects that we had been working on since we had gone into Gentry’s Boatyard.  Other than the constant boat tasks of cleaning and polishing, we had identified only two projects that deserved our immediate attention. Having quickly dispensed with the potential work on the dinghy, the remaining assignment was to deploy a satisfactory roll-stabilizer (a.k.a. “flopper-stopper”).

As previously noted in these blogs, when there is little wind, sailboats have a tendency to lie side-on to the waves which can result in an unpleasant rolling motion if there is much swell.  The number of shallow bays suitable for anchoring in the Hawaiian Islands is low due to the steep, volcanic shorelines and most of those with significant protection have been developed into harbors and towns.  Thus, almost all of the remaining bays are exposed to swells from some direction and developing an effective roll stabilizer is considered essential to comfortable gunk-holing (short-distance cruising from one anchorage to another).  We had talked about this at some length with Steve who was building himself a new one when we first met him and Randall had built a prototype from two rectangles of ply-wood joined by a long piano-hinge.

On our first evening at Honomalino we swung the boom out to one side (held astern by the mainsheet and forward by a preventer line) and hung the prototype from a block attached to the far end of the boom.  Despite attaching four lead-shot weights from a diving belt we had not sufficiently accounted for the buoyancy of the ply-wood and it floundered around at the water surface.  However, the concept seemed to be working and our first night was a little disturbed (one is always super-sensitive to changes in noise or motion during the first night at a new anchorage) but appeared a bit calmer than it might have been without the device.  The idea was that as the boat rolled into the waves the hinge would close making the ply-wood form a V in the water and the flopper stopper would sink.  As the boat tried to roll back away from the swell the device would be pulled upwards in the water, the hinge would open, and the flat square of ply-wood would provide resistance that dampened the boat’s rolling motion.

By the next morning some of the screws were popping out of the hinge so we hoisted the prototype aboard and over the next few days added more weight (bags that I sewed from spare fabric and filled with sand) and replaced the hinge with loops of rope.  While this design worked temporarily, it was going to need substantial modifications to strengthen the rubbing ply-wood edges and to make a more robust hinge.  So using a jig-saw we cut the unused half of our original sheet of ply-wood into a large triangle (rounding off the corners) and attached the weights so that it would be heavier at the top corner.  In this case during a down-swing of the boom when the harness ropes were slack the heavier corner would dive down into the water.  On the up-swing the three-rope harness would tighten and flatten the triangle to provide maximum resistance against being pulled up.  Although the swell was not particularly large, we managed to convince ourselves that the boat’s motion was being dampened by this new design (which was based on Steve’s example) and the next step was find the optimal depth for deployment (away from the water surface but not so deep that it could swing under the boat).    

As satisfactory as this project eventually became, the greatest on-board pleasures of this week at Honomalino were lounging in the cockpit to read, admire the sunsets, or just gaze into the sunlit, crystal-clear water.  But nothing, in my opinion, could beat the daily snorkeling forays.  Just to the south of the boat, coral-topped rocks started in about 25 ft (8 m) of water and swept up steeply to the rocky shoreline.  At low tide we clambered ashore at a small exposed sandy beach to examine one of the lava tubes that Bob had mentioned.  It was necessary to crouch-down to follow it back into the low lava cliff but after rising a little the tube then turned a corner and dropped down with a smooth pahoehoe floor towards a pool of clear water.  Using my diving flashlight, I crept down to the water’s edge but I resisted the temptation to go further.  With little sight of the daylight, no lines to follow back out in case of flashlight failure, and my single, narrow-beamed light being insufficient to really see what lay underwater, my cavern-diving training made me respectfully cautious.  Randall followed me far enough in to see the tube and the pool of water but we decided to leave further explorations to the bolder and hopefully better-equipped members of Bob’s family.

Around the southern end of the bay there were beautiful, peaceful “gardens” of various small, multicolored corals and deep, rock-bound troughs of turbulent water through which we could swoop with the appropriate surge or ebb of the waves.  There were rock overhangs and caverns into which to peer and isolated coral heads perched out in the open sand.  This variety of habitats was accompanied with a diversity of reef fish that allowed us to find species that were new to us on every excursion.  These 20 or so additional species (endemics underlined) included the handsome reticulated butterflyfish, three species of blennies, three chromis species (the chocolate-dip, oval, and agile), the “perky” black-and-white Hawaiian dascyllus, three species of goatfish (island, blue, and whitesaddle), the bigscale soldierfish, and out in the sand the panther flounder, Pacific threadfin, and the blackside razor wrasse.  These were in addition to many of the same colorful species that we had seen at Honokohau.  We also found a large (2.5 inch-long or 6 cm) humpback cowry in the sand that was empty and absolutely gorgeous (but difficult to photograph as it was so glossy).

In some of the sheltered, shallows it was possible to hang in the water for long periods and watch individual small fish darting in and out of the convoluted cauliflower and antler corals. However, I did make one error of judgment as I tried to get a closer look at a soldierfish that was lurking under a large overhang.  I managed to glance at it twice without incident but on the third attempt a wave caught my sky-pointing feet and pushed my right ankle closer to the overhang than intended.  I pride myself on never brushing against coral but on this occasion my error was punished not by a coralline scrape or sting but by finding four small black sea urchin spines embedded just below my ankle.  I removed what I could in the water but the delicate spines tended to break-off before being fully withdrawn.

Some urchin spines are toxic, causing severe pain disproportionate to their size, but I was lucky and by the time I got back to the boat the slight ache I had initially felt had dissipated and the small spines had either worked themselves out or were buried in the skin.  There was a small black “tattoo” where the spines had left their pigment and our marine medical-guide suggested that if this remained after 48 hours then spines were still embedded and would require surgical removal.  My luck held and by the next day the tattoo had faded and I could touch the area without discomfort.  It was a salutary lesson. 

However well all these close-encounters with fish and invertebrates ended, they were still not the highlight of our stay at Honomalino Bay.  This started around 8 am on Saturday when about 30 spinner dolphins cruised into the bay.  This behavior of coming into shallow bays during the day and feeding in deep water at night is typical for Hawaiian spinner dolphins.  Some pods show such strong site fidelity that this is how tour boats can make a daily promise that they can take people to swim with dolphins.  But there is something particularly special about having dolphins visit and surround your own boat.

We watched them for a while from the deck and once it was apparent that they were not just passing through, I donned my mask and fins and slipped into the water.  Randall kept a watchful eye on me from the boat and soon the dolphins came close enough for me to see them clearly underwater.  From alongside, the handsome longitudinal grey and white bands, the long, slender beak, and the curious eyes were so much more distinct than what we could ever see from above the water surface.

The dolphins circled around the bay in a very calm and rhythmic manner and I soon realized that most of them had their eyes closed and were perhaps sleeping.  I did not make any sudden or chasing motions but by slowly drifting away from Tregoning I soon found myself within the path of the pod.  Dolphins repeatedly passed beneath and on all sides of me and there were no signs that my presence particularly influenced their behavior.  Randall soon joined me and we quietly and calmly communed with these glorious creatures in this spectacularly clear water.  In the true sense of the word, it was absolutely awesome.

After an hour or so, our good fortune had been noticed by others on the shore and throughout the morning about 20 people swam or paddled out to enjoy their own dolphin experience.  As Bob passed by, he mentioned that this happened every so often but it was always treated as a special occasion.  We were very impressed with how respectfully everyone behaved and how long some of the children stayed in the water.  By the afternoon, most people had returned to shore and the pod was a bit more active with a few individuals tail-slapping, spy-hopping (holding their heads vertically out of the water), leaping, and performing their characteristic longitudinal spins. For a while after they had departed in the late afternoon the place seemed positively forsaken without them.

Swimming with wild dolphins was for us one of those bucket-list ambitions that I cannot describe with sufficient adequacy.  (Rent the movie “The Bucket-List” if you are unfamiliar with that term.)  I must confess that to me the idea of swimming with tame dolphins that you could hold onto is still incredibly thrilling but it was hard to imagine anything that could beat what we had just experienced in the natural environment.  And then on Tuesday morning a smaller pod of about 15 spinner dolphins arrived to repeat the performance but with one additional twist.  From the boat I spotted a couple of small dolphins in the pod and it was charming to see them try to surface like the adults.  Sometime they succeeded but other times their blows were followed by more of a belly-flop than a graceful forward roll.  I then noticed a tiny one, whose belly was quite pink rather than white, being lifted to the water surface by an adult.  Perhaps this was not the season or place for birthing but I could not help wondering if I just seen the first breaths of a newborn.

This group was a little more wary of the boat and it was quite a while before they came close to me after I got in the water.  But my patience was rewarded and I could clearly see the three juveniles, one of which was perhaps no more than a third the size of the 6-7 ft-long (2 m) adults.  For one amazing moment, one of these youngsters seemed curious about me and started swimming quickly and directly towards me.  In the cartoon movie we would have frolicked together as new best friends as the adults watched benevolently.  Instead, as I hovered motionlessly in the water trying to look as unthreatening as possible, one of the adults gave an effortless-looking flick of its tail and smoothly redirected the errant calf back into the safety of the pod. It is difficult not to anthropomorphize about such intelligent and captivating creatures but I will remember my view of that moment of youthful curiosity and enthusiasm for a long time.

For the last couple of weeks, the dock-lines have been holding Tregoning so firmly at Honokohau Harbor that we have not found it easy to stir ourselves from this easy living.  But having occupied ourselves with boat projects (mostly woodworking for Randall and sewing for me), more excellent snorkeling, and various on-shore activities (movies, shopping, etc.) it feels as though it is time to get going again lest we forget how.  So tomorrow (Wed July 27^th) or soon thereafter we plan to head out and see where the winds and currents take us: maybe to Hilo or maybe to Maui.

We have talked to some local cruisers about places to go and times of year to stay in harbor (Jan & Feb) so we have a better idea of what we might do.  Randall has built a crude prototype for a “roll stabilizer” (weighted wooden board that is held off the boom to one side) that we will try out in the first rolly anchorage but we also expect that we will use moorings and docks more than we did in Panama.  One of our new friends/informants, Steve took us out one afternoon on his 50 ft (15m) steel sailboat Gershon II which has a beautifully bright drifter sail (large, lightweight jib).   We enjoyed trading stories and saw a pod of short-finned pilot whales close to shore (the winter time is when humpback whales are most numerous). 

I have continued to enjoy wandering around the docks on the sunny mornings when the light picks out every detail in the crystal clear waters of the harbor.  Large turtles are a common sight grazing along the harbor walls and we often see a spotted box fish feeding on the algae on our stern mooring line.   I have checked the new paint on the hull to find only a little algal growth on the rudder (where its vertical position allows it to catche the morning and evening sun).  My first attempt at this inspection was cut short just before I got in the water when a passing boater asked me if I knew about the 14 ft (4 m) tiger shark swimming inside the harbor entrance.  That explained the several small boats circling around with loads of snorkelers peering over the side.  We subsequently heard stories that four different tiger sharks had recently been seen entering the harbor (presumably attracted by fish carcasses that are supposed to be dumped in the open sea not in the harbor).   We were also warned about a large black-tipped shark seen just as we started one of our local snorkels but we have yet to see these beasts ourselves.   We are not too put off by these reports but it does make us extra attentive and wary when inspecting the hull or snorkeling at the shore.

I estimate that we have seen at least 66 species of reef fish during our first 3 months here.  While I do not have my own pictures to illustrate their beauty the following website has some good photos http://www.marinelifephotography.com/fishes/fishes.htm.  At our local beach and rocky shoreline the dominant families are (endemic species underlined) the butterfly fish (12 species: threadfin, speckled, saddleback, lined, raccoon, oval, multiband, ornate, fourspot, teardrop, common longnose, and big longnose); damselfish (6 species: Hawaiian sergeant, Indo-Pacific sergeant, blackspot sergeant, blackfin chromis, bright-eye damselfish, and Hawaiian Gregory);  goatfish (3 species: square-spot, yellowfin, and manybar), hawkfish (3 species: stocky, arc-eye, and blackside),surgeonfish and unicornfish (10 species: Achilles tang, whitespot surgeonfish, whitebar surgeonfish, convict tang,  brown surgeonfish, orangeband surgeonfish, sailfin tang, yellow tang, goldring surgeonfish, and orangespine unicornfish); triggerfish (4 species: black, pinktail, wedgetail, and lei); and wrasses (9 species: pearl, yellowtail coris, bird, ornate, Hawaiian cleaner, rockmover, belted, saddle,  and Christmas).  We have seen at least four species of moray eel but they are not always easy to identify (although one was the distinct zebra moray).  The parrot fish are rather confusing also but the Moorish idol, peacock grouper, barred filefish, trumpetfish, and cornet fish were all very distinct.

In addition to the common English name and the binomial scientific name, many species of fish also have a Hawaiian name.  Some of these are short and memorable like Ono (wahoo) and ahi (yellowfin tuna), some are short and not easy for us to remember nairagi (striped marlin), and others are long and, after much practice, are quite fun to remember such as the humuhumunukunukuapua’a (wedgetailed triggerfish).   The trick with long Hawaiian names words is to separate out the repeated units (humu-humu nuku-nuku) and when there are a lot of vowels, start at the end and add progressively on the front.  (I apologize to Hawaiian linguists for not using all the correct diacritical symbols.)

The corals at our local snorkeling site were not very varied but the overall impression of the fish diversity and the larger schools of the more numerous species swimming in the gin-clear water around the rocks was, for me, both stunning and supremely relaxing.  I love it!  We look forward to finding more fish species and seeing different types of coral at new sites…if we can just get the dock-lines untied…

Within a day of Tregoning being returned to the water, the first inklings of a major Change-of-Plan could be detected (at least in my mind).  As we realized that it might take several attempts to get the propeller shaft and engine properly aligned, as we saw the opportunities to visit our friends on other islands diminish, and as we learned that one could stay in a State-run harbor for up to 90 days per calendar year (provided that they had available slips which is not always the case), so the idea began to be bantered about that we spend the winter in Hawaii rather than continuing to try to rush to Alaska by August.  Interestingly, although we threw this new idea around as we talked with others (the notable exceptions being our mechanics who needed to know that we were still trying to get going), for about a week it became the “Great Unspoken” between us.

Michael and his crew on Touch Rain had not only had a very uncomfortable voyage to Alaska with major problems of salt-water leakage from the decks into the cabins but they had run into a gale in the last few days of the passage.  They made it to Sitka all right and Jan was very glad to be reunited with them but it was going to take a few days to get the boat cleaned, fixed, and dried, the latter being limited by the lack of warm sunshine that made wet cushions and clothing such a minor annoyance in the warm tropics. 

This description made me somewhat less enthused about setting off soon on a similar passage with the prospect of spending the winter in Seattle seeming very sociable but not as comfortable as a winter in Hawaii.  Knowing that we would not be able to join Jan and Michael again during the rest of their one-year cruise was the thing that made us most hesitant to abandon our 2011 Alaska plans.  However, on Friday July 8^th with the engine running smoothly but still a noticeable wobble in the propeller shaft, after a surprisingly brief debate we decided to be thankful that we had been able to join Touch Rain for a few days in Hilo and abandoned our rush to get to the Pacific Northwest. 

What a relief!  Once the “big change” was agreed upon, we knew there would be various logistical details to sort out but life suddenly reverted from being a slightly panicky, get-ready-to-go mode to being in the much more relaxed status of what-is-the-rush-to-get-that-done?  It looks as though we can stay in a slip here at Honokohau for another week or so while Doyle continues to improve the fine-adjustments on the motor-mounting and shaft stability.  After that, we still hope to motor around to Hilo to clock-up our first 50 hours of running the engine and then we plan to go exploring more of this and other islands.

Of course, we cannot ignore the potential threat of hurricanes (which, fortunately, do not make direct hits very frequently), tsunami, and (we hope, only the occasional) inability to find a comfortable place to anchor or dock when the surf is up.  But we will hope for the best with regard to those issues (and keep an eye-out for the storm forecasts and ear-out for the warning sirens) and try to make sensible plans for avoiding the effects of higher swells in the winter.  Already, we have been taking time off from boat projects to go snorkeling more often (still finding new fish species on each trip to the local beach) and we have thoroughly hiked through the neighboring Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park. 

This park preserves the coastal sections of two ahupua’a which were the traditional land divisions that ran from the uplands down to the sea, where extended family groups fished, farmed, and lived self-sufficiently.    The park is diverse with turtles feeding right at the shoreline, endemic (black-necked stilts and Hawaiian coots) and native (black-crowned night herons) birds in the reconstructed fishponds and fish-traps, glorious views along the coastal path, and cultural treasures such as the King’s Highway, water-side heiau, elevated rock planters for crops, and petroglyphs carved into flat rock surfaces.  We are so lucky to have been delayed somewhere with such captivating natural and historical surroundings.

Most days we have been taking Tregoning out of the harbor to run the engine at difference speeds so that we can evaluate the stability of the engine mounts and the propeller shaft.  Sometimes Doyle comes with us, other times he makes adjustments based on our observations.  Each time the conditions improve but there remains a wobble in the shaft at certain RPM that is still not acceptable.  Doyle is used to working on 30 ft (9 m) sport-fishing boats with pairs of large engines and short propeller shafts so he admits he is learning a lot from our boat. While this might not seem terribly reassuring, we are currently satisfied that progress is being made and so the process is worth continuing.

Doyle reckons that he has worked on almost every diesel engine in the harbor at some point which is probably in the order of 140 boats out of a total harbor capacity of around 175.  We have been learning a bit about the local sport-fishing industry from him, various friendly captains, and from listening to the VHF radio discussions during the weekend fishing tournaments.  On the July 4^th weekend, we got to see the weigh-in for the winning blue marlin caught on Sunday.  It was a huge fish weighing an impressive 641 lbs (290 kg).  The next day was the Blue Marlin World Cup which is a tournament participated in by big-game fishers all around the world on the same day.  Only marlin bigger than 500 lb (227 kg) qualify and not many of that size had been caught by the time the day started in Hawaii.  The tournament-winning fish was caught here on the boat “Maui Jim” and Doyle estimated that in prize-money and side-bets, the fish was worth about $250,000.

Blue Marlin are deep-water fish and although more are caught off Costa Rica the biggest ones are mostly caught off the Kona coast.  Here the water depth drops off to 3,000 ft (915 m) within 2 miles (3.2 km) so fishing can begin immediately on leaving the harbor.  This the height of the fishing season and 30 to 50 large boats may be fishing in the tournaments each weekend.  At least half of that number is out every day with charters and fishers in numerous small, trailerable boats are trying their luck as well.  Marlin over 1,000 lbs (550 kg) are landed very occasionally but most fish caught are around 150 lb (70 kg).  In tournaments and repeat charters, smaller fish are usually tagged and returned but quite a few are taken on first-time charters or where someone plans to sell the more tender small-marlin meat.  Being surrounded by so many boats that appear to be catching marlin so frequently, it is difficult to see that this fishery can be sustainable even without commercial fishing ships but so far no one here has mentioned a significant drop-off in catches.

Blue marlin are not the only fish that are landed by the sport-fishers.  In Honokohau it is traditional for boats returning to harbor to fly small flags showing what fish they have caught or tagged.  Apart from the marlin, these are most commonly tuna (ahi or yellow-fin being the most popular), ono (wahoo), and mahi mahi (dorado), with the occasional shark.  Most days it seems that about 30% of the returning boats have at least one flag flying so it is not difficult to see why this is a favored place for sport-fishing.

All this activity makes the harbor a busy place and encourages early-rising since many sport-fishing boats leave between 6 and 7 am.  The boats that take people diving and snorkeling (10 to 20 a day) usually leave between 8 and 9 am or in the late afternoon (apparently night dives are popular here) so we typically wait to take Tregoning out until after all that traffic has left.   We have become more proficient at getting Tregoning in and out of our assigned slip (bow tied to the dock and stern tied to a mooring) but we try to stay out of the way of the efficient and highly maneuverable power-boats.  Generally everyone has been very friendly and appears to be enjoying themselves so the atmosphere is cheerful and fun.  Still, now that we know that we have time to explore the islands, we are really looking forward to finding some quiet anchorages and spending some time with no immediate neighbors.

The 1,500 mile-long (2,400 km) chain of Hawaiian Islands has been formed as the Pacific plate moves slowly to the northwest over the Hawaiian hot spot.  The Big Island of Hawaii at the southeast end of the chain is the youngest and largest island with the upwardly convex curves of the shield volcanoes still distinctly visible (as with the youngest of the volcanoes in the Galapagos Islands).  The influences of prolonged erosion that have created steep and dramatic peaks, valleys, and cliffs on the older islands are minimal on the Big Island.  However, this is more than compensated for by the unusual scenery and drama of the recent lava flows of the active volcanoes.

Seven large shield volcanoes are associated with the Big Island, two of which are sub-marine.  The oldest is Mahukona, a peak 3,600 ft (1,100 m) below sea level, 20 miles (32 km) northwest of the Kona Coast and the youngest is Lo’ihi, at a similar depth and distance south of the island.  It is estimated that Lo’ihi will emerge either as a separate island or as an extension of the Big Island within about 50,000 to 100,000 years.  Randall is wondering whether he can stake a claim on that land before the rush of other speculators!

Kilauea on the island’s southeast coast is one of the most active volcanoes in the world with more than 60 distinct eruptions since 1840.  The most recent eruption, which has covered park roads and destroyed a visitors’ center and private houses, started in 1983 and continues to emit volcanic gases and ooze lava to the east of the main caldera.  The Kilauea caldera is the focal point of Volcanoes National Park.  Having had such a rainy visit there in May with Michael and Jan, Martha and I enjoyed a spectacular day in the park on June 12^th.  The Crater Rim Drive was still mostly closed due to high sulfur dioxide emissions but we visited the Thurston Lava Tube and drove all the way to the end of the Chain of Craters Road where we admired the Naulu Sea Arches and I clambered over the lava that had closed the road in 1983.  In addition to enjoying the glorious scenery, we admired the vegetation and just outside the Jaggar Museum we came very close to a pair of the endemic and endangered nene geese. 

To the northwast of Kilauea and covering the greatest surface area of the island, the peak of Mauna Loa tops the largest volcanic mountain in the world with an overall relief from the ocean floor to the summit of 56,000 ft (17,100 m).  Mauna Loa has erupted 34 times since 1843, most recently spreading lava around its peak in 1984.  As well as covering the southwest corner of the island and stretching east to Hilo, lava from Mauna Loa has surrounded the third youngest and westernmost volcano on the island, Hualalai.  From our slip in the harbor, we can just see the north side of the summit of Mauna Loa, to the southeast of Hualalai, the volcano that dominates our eastern horizon.  The most recent eruption of Hualalai was in 1801, lava from which underlies the Kona International Airport just four miles (6.5 km) to the north of the harbor.

With an elevation of 13,796 ft (4,206 m), Mauna Kea is the tallest of the Hawaiian volcanoes and it dominates the northeastern part of the island.  It is a dormant volcano that has not erupted in the last 4,400 years and it shows evidence of glacial activity from three separate glacial periods.  In the winter, snow and temperatures well below freezing are not unusual on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa leading to the local boast that this is “the only place in the world where one can ski in the morning and hope to land a 500 lb (227 kg) blue marlin in the afternoon”.   Because of an inversion layer that occurs above 6,000 to 8,000 ft (1,830 to 2,440 m) throughout the islands, the summits of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea experience clear and dry weather most of the year with less than 20 inches (50 cm) of annual rain or snow.  As a consequence of the clear skies, the top of Mauna Kea positively bristles with astronomical observatories.

The oldest of the visible volcanoes, Kohala, is at the very northern tip of the Big Island.  Its southern flanks have been covered by lava flows from Mauna Kea with the town of Waimea sitting on the intersection of these differing surfaces. On June 18^th, Randall, Martha and I drove around and over this volcano and enjoyed visiting the towns of Hawi and Waimea.  The west side of Kohala and north side of Mauna Kea are dry and the older lava here is covered in grasslands rather than rainforests. In Waimea, we hoped to visit the museum for the Parker Ranch which at one point was the largest single ranch in the USA but due to the economic downturn the museum had closed.  If this was a bit of a disappointment, our visit to the lookout point over Pololu Valley, at the end of the road around the north end of the island, was certainly not.

About 250,000 years ago, a huge landslide occurred on the northeast side of Kohala.  The landslide extended from the volcano’s summit (then at 8,500 ft or 2,600 m) and was 12 to 13 miles (about 20 km) wide at the shoreline.  Debris traveled about 80 miles (130 km) northeast into the ocean and it must have created a large tsunami.  The Pololu Valley Lookout is at the northern edge of the landslide zone and the Wiapi’o Valley Lookout (which I had visited on a previous trip) is at the southern edge.  The views at Pololu inland towards the peak of Kohala and south along the coast are very impressive and the cliff below appears to drop away precipitously.  It was, thus, surprising to see quite a few people walking around on the pebble beach at least 500 ft (150 m) below.

While Randall and Martha visited the town Hawi, I hiked down the zig-zag, dirt and rock path to the beach.  We had estimated 30 minutes for the descent and 60 minutes for the ascent but they only took me 10 and 20 minutes, respectively, the appearance from the top of the cliff being very deceptive.  It was another glorious day and the rounded, black and grey pebbles of lava on the beach made a spectacular contrast to the blue and white surf.  As much as we love visiting places on the boat and snorkeling in the clear waters, it is particularly invigorating and liberating to hike, bike, or drive to obtain some elevation and view the sea and landscapes from above.

My previous visit to the State of Hawaii included Maui, Oahu, and Hawaii (the Big Island) and was very much focused on the current status of invasive species with little appreciation for the history of the islands. With various sources of historical reference, both factual (our Mehaffy cruising guide and assorted National Park brochures) and fictional (Michener’s 1959 book “Hawaii”), now seems like a good time to learn about the human events that have shaped this archipelago.

Polynesians in sturdy, double-hulled canoes were thought to have first traveled the 2,000 miles from the Marquesas between AD 100 and 700.  The deliberateness of their search for new lands is indicated by their cargoes of animals (pigs, dogs, chickens) and plants (taro, coconuts, bananas, yams, breadfruit, sugar cane, paper mulberry – to make kapa or bark cloth – and ti plants – with leaves for weaving).  The first Marquesans were thought to be fierce and cannibalistic but over time they became more peaceful.  In the 12^th Century the last Polynesian invasion arrived from Tahiti and there followed several centuries of isolation during which time numerous chiefs ruled and fought between the islands.  The highest caste of chiefs and nobles, the ali’i were respected and protected by a rigid system of kapu law that had a religious basis but regulated most aspects of Hawaiian’s lives.  While some of these laws now seem immensely sensible in ensuring a sustainable use of natural resources, others seem highly arbitrary and positively abusive with the death penalty imposed for most infractions.

Various gods were worshiped and in a land where inexplicable catastrophic events were not uncommon (such as volcanic eruptions, tsunami, earthquakes, and hurricanes) it is perhaps not surprising that certain gods were associated with such events (e.g., the goddess of fire Pele expressed her displeasure through eruptions and lava flows).  Because breaking kapu was thought to anger the gods and, sooner or later, result in catastrophe, the harsh penalties, slavish obedience, human sacrifices, and strict caste divisions were sustained for a long time.

In 1778, Captain James Cook with two ships sailing north from Tahiti unexpectedly found the islands and provided them with the first recorded Westerners’ name of the Sandwich Islands.  Cook was initially greeted as a god but the islanders soon became disillusioned as he proved unable to prevent damage to his ships during storms.  Tensions rose between the groups and when Cook tried to take a chief hostage in an attempt to leverage the return of a stolen cutter, he and four sailors were killed at Kaelakekua Bay on the Big Island.

While Cook’s unfortunate experience marked the beginning of Western contact and the many changes that this would bring, perhaps the most devastating influence of his visit were the Western diseases that the sailors spread to the vulnerable islanders.  It is estimated that there were 300,000 Hawaiians in 1778 but during the following 100 years that population dropped to below 50,000 and now, pure Hawaiians are thought to number less than 5,000.

The weapons and metals that the Westerners brought to Hawaii, were also responsible, in part, for the unification of the islands by King Kamehmeha I by 1810.  Previously, one or more chiefs had ruled on each island but using the advantage of Westerners’ weapons, Kamehameha expanded his rule from the Big Island by conquest or political pressure.  While this ambitious and shrewd ruler strictly maintained the feudal system of kapu he also established trading with the Westerners, particularly for the aromatic sandalwood that was much prized in Asia.  However, the kapu system was abolished after his death and once the slow-growing sandalwood had been over-exploited, supporting foreign whaling ships became the primary source of international revenue.

In 1820, the expansion of whaling coincided with the landing of the first missionaries from New England at Kailua on the Kona Coast.  These Western settlers were highly influential, not only in religious conversion and condemnation of traditional modes of dress, dance, music, and sexual mores but they also established a written version of the Hawaiian language (with only 12 letters in the alphabet: a, e, h, i, k. l, m, n, o, p, u, and w), set up schools, and soon proved to be industrious entrepreneurs. As huge sugar cane and pineapple plantations and large cattle ranches became established, workers were encouraged from China, Japan, Portugal, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Eastern Europe, resulting in one of the most multicultural and ethnically diverse populations on earth.

In 1893, a group of American businessmen took over Honolulu and established the Provisional Government of Hawaii.  The Kingdom of Hawaii was ended when Queen Lili’uokalani was pressured into abdicating.  Hawaii formally became a possession of the United States in 1898 and after much political wrangling (including objections from other sugar-producing states) in 1959 was ratified as the 50^th state of the Union.

Although much of the native Hawaiian culture was suppressed by the early Western colonizers, a great respect and interest in the history and traditions has resurfaced in recent years.  A detailed map of the Big Island shows that the coastal areas are crowded with historical monuments, sites, and parks and the interpretive dances hula and traditional feasts, the lu’au are being embraced to maintain cultural identity and as immensely popular tourist events.

Although we did not attend a lu’au during Martha’s visit, we were fortunate enough that June 10^th was King Kamehameha Day (a State holiday) and the on the following day (Saturday) there was an impressive parade along the waterside Ali’I Drive in Kailua Kona.  The theme of the parade this year was “wahine (women) on horseback” and although there were a few floats and cars carrying illustrious persons, the main participants were groups on horses representing each of the main islands.  Each group had a flag-bearer, queen, two female attendants, and two male supporters, all on well-behaved horses decorated with flowery or leafy leis.  The women wore beautiful leis, cloaks, and long dresses of bold colors that varied by island and the queens were supremely graceful and welcoming.  It was a great pleasure to see such well trained horses and confident riders in an area better known by most for its residents’ surfing prowess.

Each group of horses was followed by a “clean-up” crew, ensuring that the road remained safe and with some imagination as to their own costumes (one group had tee-shirts marked as the “Bomb Squad”) were heartily greeted by the sympathetic crowd.  The equine theme was reflected in the parade of ranchers and a couple of young boys who were expertly cracking a long whip.  The parade moved at a sedate pace but the crowds remained relaxed and were also able to watch out-rigger canoe races in the bay behind the sea-wall.

Although the sea-wall itself was intact, sections of the adjacent side-walk and other waterfront structures showed signs of damage from the March tsunami.  This included ground-floor parts of the large King Kamehameha Hotel (restaurants not accommodation) and a sacred area with a temple by the hotel’s beach.  This area was being restored so we had to be satisfied with a view from afar.  However, the first missionary church, built in 1836, although clearly visible from the water, was sufficiently high on the inland side of Ali’I Drive to have been undamaged by the tsunami.  Its exhibition showing the model of the ship that brought the first missionaries from Boston and accounts of their voyage and settlement was fascinating.  

We attended the parade and visited these local sites with Randall but he remained working on the boat when Martha and I took our rented car to see the local Ethnobotanical Garden run by the Bishop Museum.  We had a pleasant and highly educational walk around the garden which is at about 1,400 ft (430 m) above sea level in the town of Captain Cook.  From a view point next to a large stone temple platform or heiau on the south side of Kealakekua Bay, we saw the distant monument marking the site of Captain Cook’s death.  We then visited St Benedict’s “Painted Church”.  This small wooden structure is remarkable for the way that the priest painted the inside walls, especially behind the altar, to give a 3-dimensional perspective of a much larger building.

We also toured the National Historical Park at Pu’uhonua o Honaunau, a few miles south of Kealakekua Bay.  On a flat point of land where a sheltered canoe landing and freshwater were available various ali’i of the Kona district had established an important royal residence.  Once containing several thatched buildings within a coconut palm grove into which very few people would be allowed, the royal grounds are now open for anyone to view reconstructed temples, a canoe longhouse, rocks carved for food preparation or playing a board-game called Konane, and the royal fishponds.  Wooden images, or ki’i, stand watch at the canoe landing and at the temple that once held the bones of 23 ali’i.  These statues show that entrance of commoners to these royal and sacred places was kapu.     

A Great Wall dating from around 1550 and subsequently repaired, up to 10 feet high and 17 feet thick (3m by 5m) and made of tightly fitting, stacked lava rocks (with no mortar), separated the royal grounds from the tip of the peninsular which was a Place of Refuge, or pu’uhonua.  Anyone who broke kapu but could get to this area before being caught, could be absolved by the priest and return home safely.  During times of war, non-combatants or defeated warriors could also shelter there with immunity until the battle ended and they pledged allegiance to the victor.

The exhibits at this National Historical Park were mostly simple but it was not difficult to imagine how the place might have looked when it was inhabited.  The grounds also had a great tranquility and it was easy to see how the flat lava rocks, the sandy beach and ponds, and the sheltering palm trees would have been very attractive as royal and sacred sanctuaries.  Martha and I left in peaceful moods and with an increased knowledge and respect of Hawaiian history.

After 41 days at sea without stepping on land as we sailed to Hawaii from the Galapagos Islands, we have just ended 49 days on land without stepping on a floating boat.  For us, that is a case of going from one extreme to the other.  But now Tregoning is back in the water and after working so hard on her we are looking forward to a few days of rest and relaxation.  Randall only took off two whole days during our seven boatyard weeks (I joined Martha for a few more days of sight-seeing) but I do not suppose that we can expect too much sympathy from our non-retired readers!

Tregoning was gently lowered into the harbor yesterday morning all bedecked in her new black bottom paint, her new red boot and cove-stripes, and her touched-up and waxed cream-colored topsides (the above-water part of the hull).  She was carrying her repaired and polished stern rails, a glistening new engine and propeller shaft, and the old bronze propeller had been sanded and waxed to a dazzling shine.  Mechanic Doyle was with us to inspect the engine and prop shaft during our first in-water run.  The engine had been tested briefly in the yard (running hose-water to cool it) so we knew that should start but it was still a relief to hear it rumble into life before we pulled out of the security of the travel lift’s sling. 

In most sailboats, backing-up can be a bit of a challenge.  Having replaced the steering cables the helm was a little stiffer than previously so as we reversed out of the travel-lift dock, Tregoning seemed particularly intent on doing things her own way.  So as a plethora of power-boats we coming and going around us, rather than trying to turn in the narrow channel we ended up reversing the whole way out of the harbor until we came to the large turning basin just inside the dog-leg of the harbor entrance.  Thankfully, the other boat captains were patient with us, presumably because they were used to the odd habits of large sailboats, because they recognized us and sympathized with our long in-yard internment, or most likely because they know Doyle who was cheerfully greeting by name everyone we inconvenienced.

The sea-trail was deemed highly successful. Then engine performed well, we quickly became used to the new feel of the steering wheel, and the new drip-less seal on the propeller shaft was, well, dripless.  A small amount of water appeared in the bilges the source of which we will need to track down and the shaft had a slight wobble which Doyle will realign by adjusting the motor-mounts next week but the latter is not unusual when a boat hull settles back to its natural shape in the water.  The only other excitement was that despite the mild swell, Wendy’s support pole became detached from its base-plate again and Randall had to rescue it from tipping over onto rotating the wind turbine.  Some additional set-screws and a firm lashing to the repaired stern rail should now have taken care of this.

We had rented a slip in the harbor (from the State at $14 per night) for a week just so that such adjustments could be made after launch.  We also looked forward to enjoying a few more relaxing days in Kailua Kona snorkeling, going to movies, visiting the neighboring National Historical Park, and doing all the things we had expected to be doing in the Hawaiian Islands. For breaking-in the new engine, there is a clearly defined regimen of speeds at which to run it and for how long.  So we are planning to motor to Hilo at the end of next week and then return to Kailua Kona for Doyle and Dan to provide the engine’s 50-hour service.  As for our plans after that, we have still to discuss these in detail.  Until we were actually in the water with a functioning motor we resisted the temptation to make further plans but we still hope to see something of the other islands before we make the passage east to the mainland. 

Michael and his crew of two friends on Touch Rain are only 400 miles from Sitka, Alaska, so we are glad to hear that all is going well for them and envy them their early arrival there. (For various reasons, Jan is sitting-out this passage in Olympia but apparently her advance food-preparation has been greatly appreciated.)  We have already decided that we will go to Alaska next summer but whether we get there briefly this year or aim further south in British Columbia before going to Puget Sound for the winter, remains to be seen.

Honokohau Small Boat Harbor is mostly occupied by 20-30 ft long (7-10 m) sport-fishing boats.  Some go out every day as most of them are charter boats but this morning we watched as about a third of the harbor’s occupants paraded out in time for the 7 am start of this weekend’s fishing tournament.  Last weekend the harbor was abuzz with about 80 small (trailered) boats in the first tournament of the summer season and there seems to be a tournament every weekend for the next month or so.  A good time for marlin, tuna, wahoo, and mahi mahi to go visit their relatives elsewhere but it is good to see the local businesses thriving.  We will mostly stick to watching the beautiful reef fish while we are snorkeling but Randall will be itching to cast the lines overboard when we motor to Hilo.

Oh, joy!  Today our shiny new engine was delivered to Diesel Dan’s.  We can see it sitting in his shop from Tregoning so we sneak a satisfied look every now and then.  Having painted much of it bright white, Randall is getting the engine room ready and the plan is to install the engine on Monday.  It will take at least a couple of days to get everything connected and the propeller shaft is not here yet so we are still not exactly sure when we will return to the water…but the end is in sight.

After a long day of almost continous application, we finished the bottom painting yesterday so Tregoning looks much better with a smart black hull.  We still have the boot stripe to repaint and the stern rails to re-install but the parts are ready and those tasks should not take too long.

Randall’s sister, Martha, arrived on Tuesday and given the tricky stepladder, heat, and chaos in the boat she is happily installed in a pleasant hotel overlooking the bay in town.  We have cycled there for a couple of evenings to join her for dinner.  In celebration of our progress we are taking the weekend (or most of it) off from boat jobs and are renting a car to go on some sightseeing expeditions (and run a few errands).  It just happens that today is a State holiday for King Kamehameha Day and tomorrow there will be a parade in town with lei-clad horses among other things so we are looking forward to watching that.

Solid progress at last…

Today we were finally able to order the new engine, transmission, instrument panels, propeller shaft, bearings, etc.  Doyle and Randall winched the old engine out of the small engine room on a chain hoist slung over a heavy metal rod, and then removed it from the boat using the boom as the support for a bigger hoist.  It was very heavy (460 lb or 209 kg) and a tight fit through the companionway but the operation was completed with no damage to the boat and no serious injuries other than when Doyle whacked his elbow soundly (mostly to the sound of muffled curses) in the engine room.

Once the old engine and transmission had been removed it took several days to work out exactly what combination of new parts was needed and to find competitively priced sources.  Wiring the money to pay for the engine will probably take another day or two before anything can be shipped from the mainland so it will be further couple of weeks before things arrive and can start going into place.  In the meantime, we have been cleaning the filthy engine room and bilges in preparation for a new coat of paint.  All the while we continue repairing blisters on the hull and get ready to sand and repaint it.  Next week I will get the sewing machine out and start work on repairing the sails, bimini, sail-cover, and fabricating covers for various items such as the barbecue grill, jerry-jugs, etc.  So we are not lacking in boat projects to keep us occupied.

Life in the boatyard is not too bad other than the fact that the boat is in a constant state of messy confusion with tools and parts sitting on almost every flat surface.  We have shore-power so without worrying about the batteries we can listen to music when we want and watch DVDs each night including Michael’s copies of the Horatio Hornblower collection, which we really enjoyed.  It is interesting watching the neighboring boats come and go including a huge catamaran that was 30 ft wide (9m) and which only just fit through the yard gates and down the boat ramp.  We have even become familiar enough to be invited to the occasional lunch barbecues that local captains or business owners hold in the yard, with my baked dessert contributions becoming quite popular.

Our folding bikes allow us to visit the stores and services (e.g., laundromats) which are easily available within a few miles without having to rent a car.  We have even been able to walk to some excellent snorkeling sites on either side of the harbor inlet.  Michael and Angus visited last week during the removal of the propeller shaft.  This was not the simple matter of sliding the shaft out as we had hoped but required taking off the rudder and then sawing through the shaft where some rusted bearings had jammed it.  So after joining us for lunch, Randall stayed on the boat while three of us went to a popular but pretty snorkeling site at the south end of Kona, Kahalu’u Beach.

Almost every species of fish that we see in Hawaii is new to us and many of them are absolutely dazzling.  The Moorish idols that we had first seen at Coiba, Panama, where they had seemed so extraordinarily ornate are common here and, quite frankly, do not seem unusually spectacular given the bright colors and complex patterns on so many of the other reef fish.  I had hoped to be able to identify the fish using our Pacific Ocean Reef Fish book (the biologist in me cannot resist putting a name to them) but it concentrates on the western Pacific and only includes a few Hawaiian species, so I may have to get a local book as there are so many species unique to Hawaii.  The good news about this is that we will be able to snorkel at the same nearby sites several times before I stand a chance of becoming familiar or bored with the local fish.

Our sightings of bird life have been more limited.  After taking photos of birds so easily in the Galapagos Islands, it is much more challenging here where they are generally more skittish.  Most birds we see around town are introduced species with the common mynas, house sparrows, and zebra doves being most numerous.  We have also seen a few of the brightly colored northern cardinals (red), common waxbills (red eye-stripe and bill), and saffron finches (yellow and red).  While we would have to go further upland to see most of the native terrestrial birds, we have seen some native water birds including the great frigatebird, red-footed boobies, white-tailed tropic birds, and black-crowned night heron.  While on our way to snorkel at the neighboring Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park, we looked at one of the ancient fish ponds there and saw one each of the rare, endemic black-necked stilt and the Hawaiian coot.  In the tidal pools along the shoreline we were also able to watch several Hawaiian green turtles nonchalantly feeding on the algae, with just one or two turtles per pool.

It was difficult to say good-bye to Michael and Angus when they returned to Hilo.  The next day (May 19^th) they sailed to Maui where Jan rejoined them a few days later.  We so envy them their relaxed cruising around the islands but still hope that our work will be finished in time to join them in Alaska in August but we shall just have to wait and see.