Making the Most of your PacCup Experience - Cruise the Hawaiian Islands

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR PACIFIC CUP EXPERIENCE - CRUISE THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

By Bill Leary

Your sailing adventure doesn’t have to end after finishing the Pacific Cup and arriving at the Kaneohe Yacht Club. You’ll be making landfall in one of the most rewarding cruising grounds in the Pacific, and after sailing 2,500 miles to get here, it would be a shame not to take advantage of all that it offers.

North swells and variable winds plague Hawaii’s waters during the fall, winter and spring, which then limits cruising sailors to a few protected all-weather anchorages. But from May through August, the north swell disappears and the trade winds blow reliably, which opens up many great anchorages throughout the island chain.

Still, Hawaii is a challenging place to sail at any time of the year. The trade winds can be strong, particularly during the summer months when the North Pacific High is deep and stable. These strong trade winds and the seas they build are amplified as they funnel through the narrow channels between the islands and make channel crossings, particularly those in the easterly or upwind direction, bumpy and wet. Protected small boat harbors are scarce and often dilapidated, and there’s little room available for visitors. That’s the down side. The up side is having some spectacular and unspoiled anchorages all to yourself.

Kaneohe Bay, home to Pacific Cup host, Kaneohe Yacht Club, is one of the few fully protected bodies of water in Hawaii. Great anchorages in the seven-mile-long bay include the famous “Sandbar”, Hakipu’u at the westernmost end of the bay, and the leeward side of Coconut Island where you can find shelter from strong trade winds. Other protected summer anchorages on Oahu include Pokai Bay, on Oahu’s western shore and Waimea Bay on the North Shore. You’ve probably seen videos of surfers riding 30-foot waves in Waimea Bay during the winter, however that same bay provides a calm, safe and beautiful cruising anchorage during summer months.

As Kauai lies in the general direction of the sailing route back to the Mainland, many Transpac and Pacific Cup boats stop for a visit on the way home. Hanalei Bay is a spectacular summer anchorage on Kauai’s north shore, and four miles to the west is Haena, a fully protected and easily entered keyhole in the reef. On the reef outside Haena is “Tunnels”, one of Kauai’s premier surf spots, and directly shoreward from the anchorage is Haena Beach Park and the Haena Dry Cave.

Haena is the last anchorage before you reach the Na Pali coast - nine miles of some of the most spectacular and photogenic coastline you’ll ever see. While sailing along that coast you will often see hikers on the Kalalau Trail 1,000 feet above you. Those hikers can take three days to reach Kalalau Valley, while the sail down the coast takes just a couple of hours. At the western end of the Na Pali coast is Nualolo, a protected anchorage in the lee of a reef where you’ll find the best snorkeling in the state. Directly ashore lies Nualolo State Park, an abandoned ancient Hawaiian village that can only be reached by boat. The remoteness of this park has kept the ruins intact, and it looks as if the ancient Hawaiians only recently departed.

The forbidden island of Niihau is a short day sail to the northwest, and there are many protected anchorages on the island’s west coast. Niihau is a privately owned island, but like all of the Hawaiian Islands, the offshore waters and beaches up to the vegetation line are considered public property and are accessible to all. Because Niihau is seldom visited, the island is great for beachcombing. The author once collected 60 Japanese glass balls (fishing floats) on the beach there in a little over an hour. Endangered Hawaiian monk seals are also frequent visitors to Niihau and it is not unusual to see them basking on the beach or stopping by your boat to check you out.

Where to go from Niihau? You could depart for the Mainland or slog back to windward to Kauai or Oahu. Another option is the 300-mile close reach to the Big Island of Hawaii. It takes a couple of days to get there, but is far easier than beating back to Oahu because sheets are eased and you are far enough to leeward of the islands to avoid the strong winds and heavy seas found in the channels between the islands. Once you reach the Big Island, it is downhill all the way back to Oahu!

The Big Island’s 14,000-foot Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea volcanoes shelter the 40-mile-long Kona Coast from the trade winds. Thermal conditions are the norm on this coast, with gentle sea breezes during the day and land breezes at night, making for truly tranquil cruising. Okoe Bay at the remote southern end of the coast is a favorite anchorage. It is common to awake there in the morning to find the boat surrounded by schools of spinner dolphins that have rested for the night in the bay. Snorkeling is outstanding and hiking ashore along the old “Kings Highway” and through the ruins of ancient Hawaiian villages is exhilarating. You can still clearly see the debris

North Shore Molokai

Cruising continued

that accumulated at the high water mark 20 feet above sea level during the 2011 tsunami. Great anchorages to the north of Okoe Bay include Honomalino, Kealakekua Bay (where Captain Cook was killed by the Hawaiians), Kiholo, and Nishimura Bay.

Crossing the 40-milewide Alinuihaha Channel in the westerly direction is an easy broad reaching day sail. There are good anchorages at La Perouse Bay at the south end of Maui or at Honolua Bay at the north end of the island. The old whaling port of Lahaina is a must stop. If you’re lucky, the harbormaster might be able to find a temporary berth for you in the Lahaina Small Boat Harbor, or if they are available, you could pick up one of the mooring balls outside of the harbor that Lahaina Yacht Club maintains for visiting yachts. As a last resort you can anchor in the Lahaina roadstead. It is a bit rolly, but the West Maui Mountains block the trade winds so conditions are usually benign.

Molokai’s north shore has 3000-foot sea cliffs - the highest in the world - and this coastline was featured as the last bit of dry land in Kevin Costner’s movie, “Waterworld”. Nestled in among the valleys along these cliffs are two great anchorages, Keawanui and Waikolu. Adjacent to the Keawanui anchorage are sea caves to explore by dinghy and a 100-foot waterfall that empties onto the beach. And keep in mind that the north shore of Molokai is a mere 50 miles away from Kaneohe Yacht Club. But, it’s almost dead to windward from Oahu - not a pleasant trip in heavy trades - but it’s a reasonable sail if the winds back off or shift from their normal easterly direction.

So when you are planning your post-Pacific Cup itinerary in Hawaii you might want to consider an additional Hawaiian Islands cruise as it could be the highlight of your trip. There are some cruising guides available that provide more detailed information to assist you. The Mehaffy cruising guide is a good one, and is available from West Marine or online bookstores.