Our first two dives near Lahina on Maui were sobering. The ocean had very little life to it. We learned later that many of the easily accessible dive spots have been killed by all the sun screen in the water. Later in the week, we traveled to an under water spire off of the island of Lanai which showed only slight coral bleaching. Sea turtles, parrot fish, and much more abounded. We were joined by our daughter Margot and her sweetheart, Desmond.
We took off for the island of Molokai escorted by a pod of Spinner Dolphins.
Desmond was treated to his first sail ever, which included a full drenching as he sat in the cockpit, winds blew at 27 kts. and waves slammed over the rail. It was a fast trip and we slid into the quiet, small town harbor of Kaunakakai at sunset.
Young men were swimming to a buoy and back. We waved a warm "aloha" and one of the young men shouted to us, "Go back! Go back home where you came from!" Our hearts fell. We were so saddened by that reception, we talked about pulling anchor in the morning and leaving without going ashore. A man we had met in Lahina had told us he never traveled to Molokai anymore as he didn't like going where he wasn't welcome. Interestingly, the nick name for Molokai is "The Friendly Island".
Instead, we decided to at least check out the famous pillow bread from the local bakery. At night, they close the bakery and sell the pillow bread out of the back alley. Walking down the long narrow, dark alley, we were confused and wary, unsure if this could really be the place.
Far down the alley, a passage way branched off and we could see a light at the end.
People were gathered, chatting with each other, waiting for their orders. Still thinking of our encounter in the harbor, we were surprised to find folks cheerful and curious about our journey. It was welcoming.
We got cinnamon, butter and sugar on a soft round, 12" loaf and like our new acquaintances, tore into it with our hands.Yumm!
A car rental from Dusty's Repair, the local (rather than Alamo) fellow allowed us to wander the island. At 10 by 35 miles, Molokai can be traveled slowly in a day. The farmers market added fresh tomatoes, onions, bananas, oranges and cucumbers to our provisioning.
To the east, we saw a pristine valley.
But moments later, it cleared showing the community below the cliffs, said to be the tallest sea cliffs in the world.
Finally, the west side of the island has the longest white sand beach in the state and it was nearly deserted.
We were so glad we hadn't let one unhappy man spoil our visit. We were met by warm and kind people everywhere. We hoisted our anchor the next morning and motored past the rugged terrain of the sea cliffs.
We arrived in Honolulu at night, wowed by the immensity of the city!
Honolulu, even more than Lahina, is brimming with tourists parting with their money. Cranes sprout on nearly every spot as new hotels, condos and retail space soar into the air. The architecture is creative, but who knows about sustainability. Hawaii has met or broken its own heat record 20 times in the past month. The island has an excellent recycling system and a state bottle deposit law that provides a steady 5 cent/bottle or can income for the homeless who abound here. On the other hand, Waikiki sports stores for Gucci, Rolex, Christian Dior, and more. It's a plethora of who's who of expensive fashion. The wide open doors lure people in with the air conditioning that pours onto the sidewalks. On the lighter side, the local ABC Stores, a kind of liquor/convience/tourist trinket chain offers Obama options. You can get an Obama bobble head for your car, or a can opener in surf board or ukulele style.
Just what I needed?
We got the "kids" off safely after a delightful nine days with them. They chipped in at every turn and learned new skills along the way. It was a joy to be with family! We completed a few minor repairs (remember: the reason people sail is to be able to fix their boats in exotic places!). The sailmaker put a third reef in the mainsail to manage storms more easily. This form of removable nip and tuck allows much more flexibility, especially with the large mainsail of a J Boat. Here's hoping we don't need it. Here I am replacing the back stay onto the mast.
We had a delightful and delicious dinner aboard Desmiada (Portuguese for "Too Much") as the guests of the commodor of the Hawaiian Yacht Club and his wife, whom we had met in the harbor at Molokai. They were kindred spirits, understanding the the fragility of the world and refusing to be in denial. They also turned us on to some of the local spots
and gave us suggestions for our next leg to Kauai. We sail in the morning, making way for the Trans-Pac race boats starting to arrive from the mainland. The 105' trimaran, Lending Club 2 arrived two nights ago, having dropped out of the race before it began to take advantage of a weather window. They set the new course record of 3 days, 18 hours from Los Angeles to Honolulu. We hit 12 kts twice in 10,000 miles, they averaged 24.6 kts. for over three days. We do 150 nm on a good day, the averaged just under 600 a day! And we are considered a fast boat!
Wish us fair winds and following seas.
Reading about you from Bellingham. Fair winds!
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