Cruised over to Kāneʻohe Bay from town with our friend Morgan. Setting ourselves up for a more northern departure for Kauaʻi tomorrow morning! Late start leaving Ala Wai. I don’t think there’s a fuel dock on Kauaʻi, so we stopped at Kewalos one more time to fill the tanks. Beat upwind until the wind totally died around China Walls, so we motor sailed most of the rest of the way. Saw a few whales rounding Makapuʻu. Anchored at Secret Beach, made pesto pasta, and passed out 💤 It’s approximately 120 miles to Hanalei, should take us ~20hrs to cross the Kaʻieʻiewaho tomorrow AM.

Briefly back in the Ala Weird before we head off to Kauaʻi. The sail back from Molokaʻi was another fun downwind sail. Hand steered most of the way because our autopilots weren’t handling the conditions as well as we were. We weren’t able to experience a lot of bucket list places in Maui county, and Big Island certainly will remain in our rear view mirror. Upwind through the Alenuihāhā isn’t something we needed to put ourselves or Porter through, especially with the conditions we’ve been having the past few weeks. So, we reluctantly left Maui, found safe harbor (and sleep) on Molokaʻi, and returned to Oʻahu to say goodbye for real this time (and fix a couple things that broke, of course). Although we have the whole world to see, there’s something about Hawaiʻi that makes you forget there’s anywhere else to be. Maybe it’s the pace or the warmth, or the way even quiet moments feel full. Every departure feels like leaving a part of ourselves behind, even as we look ahead to the horizon. I know we’ll circle back someday, shaped by the miles in between.

We rarely get to sail downwind, so the sail from Kamalō to Lono was a fun one. 20 or so kts at 180 apparent and little waves. Wind got increasingly lighter as we sailed west, and would drop from 20 to nearly 0 at some points which wasn’t so fun. We love Hale O Lono, and have the whole place to ourselves. From the shells to the stars, the safe harbor and light winds, we’re happy campers after this past week of struggling in Maui. Lono feels like an old friend🫶

We were greeted by three reef manta rays as we entered the mouth of the channel into Kamalō. We anchored in 35’ in the western finger. The winds are blowing with authority, but the motion is gentle. We have >150’ of chain rode out and our 44kg Rocna set hard. I would take these conditions over the past few evenings every day of the week! Anything for a good nights sleep. Kamalō, once named Kamaloʻo, translates to “the dry place”. The slopes of Kamakou, a shield volcano and the highest elevation on the island (just shy of 5,000’), serve as the backdrop behind Kamalō. The eastern slopes are lush and green, whereas the western slopes, true to the name, are dry.

Mala pros: crystal clear water, great holding in 50-60’, abundant sea life along the wrecked wharf (sharks, uhu, uku, spotted eagle rays, sea turtles…), morning and evening Pu’unoa beach walks. Mala cons: rolliest anchorage ever. Wind isn’t consistent enough to set a swell bridle. Boat’s pointing in the direction of the current. Swell’s on the beam. Loosing my mind! Couldn’t find anywhere better to anchor on the leeward side of west Maui or along the foothills of Haleakalā. The trades are strong through the Pailolo and Alenuihāhā, as well as through the isthmus separating the two halves of the island. Our go-to guidebooks and Navionics led us to believe there would be at least one better option than Mala. Alas, there were not. The wind and swell directions just weren’t right. One more evening of no sleep at Mala. Tomorrow we try north, or send it back to Molokai.

Spent the day exploring the Olowalu petroglyphs after a restless sleep, kept awake by the howling wind and bridle tensioning under load. The petroglyphs are nearly half a century old and include etchings of families and sails ⛵️ Olowalu went from calm to heavy trades overnight. All weather models have been wildly inaccurate. We sent the drone up to check out two anchorages to the south of us which looked better than where we were. Upon leaving Olowalu for those anchorages, the wind piped up, just shy of 40kts. I know it’s easy to exaggerate conditions on the water, but I’m not. We looked at each other, shook our heads in disbelief, and turned around. We decided to try our luck back up north. The winds lessened around Lahaina and Mala, but strengthened again towards Kaanapali. We ended up anchoring in about 50-60’ of water outside the mooring field near Mala in a sandy patch on satellite imagery. I dove on the anchor from the dingy with just enough sunlight to illuminate the seafloor to ensure she was dug well. Not our favorite anchorage, but we’ll take what we can get…

Dave and I departed early this morning before sunrise from Kaunakakai to try and beat the heavy trades to the Pailolo Channel. Shortly after our departure from Kaunakakai, we realized that was wishful thinking. We tried to hug the coast of Molokaʻi as best we could with 25 kts on the nose and wind chop, but outside of Kamalō, the wind and waves rose with the sun. We decided to make the jump across the Kalohi (Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi) and Pailolo (Molokaʻi and Maui) channels. The channels met us with teeth. Conditions in the channels were >25 kts sustained, up to 34 kts. At first, we were overpowered, but found balance with a triple reefed main and a sliver of our jib. Twice we tried our self-tacking staysail, twice we stowed it. Ultimately, it was too much sail area, so we stuck with our small jib and de-powered main. The acceleration on Ciao Bella doesn’t feel linear like our past boats felt. She doesn’t ease into speed, she lunges. You have to anticipate her sudden burst of energy, otherwise she’s hard to handle and rudely slips into a 30 degree heel that I don’t think she — or I — were meant to hold onto for long. The swell wasn’t Kaiwi-big, but it wasn’t small, either. We constantly had to pinch up to hit the waves appropriately. The trades have been blowing heavy across the state. At one point, we seriously considered turning back and cutting our losses by heading for Oʻahu, then Kauaʻi, and getting ready for the June passage north to Alaska. But something in me wasn’t ready to turn around, at least not before giving Maui a fair shot in these winds. The Big Island and the Alenuihāhā may remain on the horizon, for now. Part of my reasoning was wanting to get a better feel for how Ciao Bella performs in heavier conditions, and just as importantly, how I handle them. Dave has worked on the water and done two Pacific crossings since 2020. I can count the amount of times on one hand I’ve been in heavier conditions. It’s one thing to sail in moderate, comfortable weather. It’s another when conditions are more demanding. This wasn’t about pushing limits, it was about understanding where they are and what needs to be improved upon. Not screaming expletives when we heel over too much is one of them, lol. Alaska is beckoning, but Hawaiʻi still whispers her wisdom.

Crossing the Kaiwi this time was pretty standard, but the waves were sooo 💩. I think we’ve gotten really lucky with our recent channel crossings, so this one was a reality check! This past week on Oʻahu was potentially our last before we leave for Alaska in June. Had to wrap up a few loose ends and do some boat projects that required a dock. We made it over to Maui county and are planning on spending the next week or so over here. After, we may attempt the Alenuihāhā and check out the Kona coast of Big Island. From there, we can either practice an offshore passage to Kauaʻi or hit a few north shore anchorages on Molokai and Oʻahu one last time before we inevitably cross over to Kauaʻi.

On the last leg of our circumnav of Oʻahu, the fuel issue saga continues. The last two evenings at Pōkaʻi were quite rolly. Winds went from onshore to heavy trades the first day, so had to re-anchor as there’s not a ton of room to swing if you let out a lot of scope. We purchased this boat last October with about 250 gallons of 10 yr old diesel sitting in three large baffled black iron tanks. We hired a diesel polishing service and they didn’t complete the job ($1000 later) because their polisher broke. To get rid of diesel on island, you have to schedule a haz waste pickup at least two weeks in advance of a blue moon and after all the bureaucratic 🐂💩 it’s simply not worth anyone’s time. Not to mention disposing of that volume of diesel is also a logistical nightmare. So, our solution has been to dump additive and roundup in the tanks and run through it, refueling as necessary. We’ve gotten about 150 gal through after countless replacements of Racors and secondaries on the Yanmar which, although has been no small feat, has proven generally successful. This morning, to our dismay, we found out that our last 90 gal has turned into strawberry milk. Puttered along from Pōkaʻi to refuel another tank at the Ko Olina fuel dock. Lost power literally perpendicular to the fuel dock which was mildly traumatic and oh so embarrassing. Drained the Racor and replaced the secondary and all was well again on Ciao Bella. Barbers Pt was windy on the nose, but the waves were small so it was fine. Lots of security zones between Barbers Pt, Pearl Harbor, and Honolulu Harbor we had to avoid, plus a multitude of FADs, buoys, and tugs and barges that always seem to move towards you at the speed of light. I’m having sleep for dinner tonight 🍽️