Puanani Voyages

Aloha All, The sail, or rather motoring, across the Kaulukahi Channel to Niihau was a dream. Light winds, calm seas on a sunny morning. I’m told that those were uncommon conditions for these waters, for sure. I’m glad we decided to circumnavigate Lehua Rock before we arrived at Niihau. Lehua Rock is one of those ancient lava structures with rugged features that change as you round the island. You can imagine how it was formed by looking at the horizontal layers of lava that change with elevation. Particularly interesting was a collapsed crater on the north side that had a huge crack in the western wall. We took a lot of photos of each other’s vessels with that most conspicuous feature in the background. After the photo session we proceeded to anchor inside a little bight on the northwest tip of Niihau. That portion is known as Puu Kole. The anchorage is protected from the easterly trades and accompanying seas. The funny thing is that the wind direction changed throughout the day, comin...

Aloha All, We moved up the Na Pali Coast of Kauai from Haena to Nualolo by motor sailing as close as we dared to the cliffs, caves, and waterfalls. Spectacular scenery. Puanani and Makao'io'i overnighted at Nualolo where an ancient Hawaiian village remains, protected of course, to this day. We swam to shore to explore the village and were amazed to see intact walls and structures, all made to precision with what rocks were available to the inhabitants. Pretty impressive. We also found a herd of turtles beached under the towering cliffs, not 20 feet from a “DANGER, Falling Rock” sign.  Can’t they read!? We are now on our way to Niihau, a privately owned island west of Kauai. We’ll anchor off Niihau and prepare for the three day, or thereabouts, sail to the Big Island.  As of right now, Makao'io'i leads in the fishing contest, one to ø!  We hope to surpass them in them in next few minutes. Wish us well! Take care, stay well. logan One of Many Along the Na Pali Coa...

Aloha All, Sorry, last post’s title was a little misleading. Should have read something like, You Meet Fellow Kamehameha Schools Graduates in the Strangest Places”  Anyway, we left gorgeous Hanalei Bay for a three mile jaunt up the coast to Haena, Kauai. Tucked into a little anchorage inside the reef where “Tunnels” surf break is.   Tunnels is where famous pro surfer, Bethany Hamilton “ lost her arm to a shark. We’ll stay here for lunch then move up the coast to another anchorage for the night. Stay tuned, stay safe, stay well. logan

Aloha All, Left Hanalei this morning after a dawn surf session. Had a couple folks out on longboards so we traded waves for the better part of 30 minutes. Tom and Tim, friendly enough, until they weren’t.  Might have changed when I told Tim, a “Kamehameha Schools" graduate, that I attended the “Kamehameha School’s Windward Campus.” He looked a little puzzled so I told him, “You may know it by its other name. Castle High School!” Tom and Tim went in and left me to have the spot to myself.  Hope I didn’t offend him.  I thought only Punahou grads were sensitive like that. Them and Saint Louis! Take Care and stay well. logan Day Anchorage at Haena.  Most  Beautiful!

Aloha All, Settled into the anchorage at Hanalei with no associated drama.  Always a good sign.  Went about readying for a couple of days stay here.  I know right, breaks my heart! My stalwart crewmate, Clay Hutchinson, and I decided the order and priority of work is: stow items only needed for underway; inflate the dinghy; place the outboard motor into operation. After that it’s on to swabbing the decks.  Wait!  There’s still, some of that out-of-season north swell breaking on the point! “Clay, ferry me and a surfboard out to the lineup. We need to test the dinghy anyway!” “Don’t worry about picking me up after, I’ll paddle back to the boat.”  Caught a few nice chest high rights. Better not "kook-out" on my first time surfing here. Satisfied with some great water-time, I started paddling back to the boat. Big mistake! Not a good judge of distance.  Should have taken Clay up on his offer to come get me. Oh wells! Stop whining and get on with it. Made i...

Aloha All, We sailed on through the night arriving at Hanalei Bay, Kauai and dropping anchor at 9am. It was nice to be greeted by and escorted by a pod of porpoise as is customary here. 10 or so other boats already at anchor. There’s a lot of room so no worries there. I’m super happy to be back in one of my favorite spots. Many awesome memories of previous sails to Hanalei. It remains unspoiled. Maka Oi Oi arrived several minutes before us. All vessels and crew are safe. Take care and stay well. logan PS, I’ll get some photos uploaded as soon as we come across a WiFi hotspot. Customary Dolphin Escort Into Hanalei Bay

Aloha All, We spent a beautiful night in Waimea Bay preceded by a gorgeous sunset with a tinge of a “Green Flash.” We enjoyed a wonderful dinner aboard our buddy boat, Makao'io'i , before retiring to our respective vessels and bunks. An out-of-season north swell began filling in, naturally at 3am, making the anchorage slightly rolly but manageable. Everyone slept like babies right through it though. This evening, just after sunset, we’ll depart for Kauai. If our calculations prove correct we will be on the approach to Hanalei Bay at dawn on Saturday. Sorry about the current lack of photos. Seems we need a high speed internet connection to upload. Everyone take care and stay well. logan

Aloha All, Departed Oahu exactly as planned. A surprisingly lazy start considering the intensity of the wind coming out of Waimea Valley. Now that we’ve cleared the Lee of the island we have trade winds out of the east at 12-18 knots of our starboard beam. That’s just a lot of nautical verbiage to say we are nicely making way. About 50 miles more to sail and we couldn’t ask for better conditions.  Hope Maka o'io'i  is enjoying the ride as well. I’ll let you know when we see Kauai. Take care, stay well. logan Makao'io'i Hoists Sail Outside Waimea Bay, Oahu

Aloha All, We departed Kaneohe at 8 this morning. Winds gusting to 20 something knots from the east. Brisk sailing but well off the wind for a nice ride. No fish caught; one lure lost. The fish win this leg. Wait! We have ice cold beer! So we win this round! I’ll post a coupl e pics as soon as I can get this app to work on my phone. Take care and stay well. Logan

A loha All, We are currently on a departure hold. Our Buddy Boat, Maka O’i O’i, is experiencing an electrical issue. We will continue to prepare for our departure while our Buddy Boat’s skipper scrambles for a fix. I’ll update you on our situation as information becomes available. Please study the attached diagram and be prepared to brief me, in detail, as to what in the world it means. Take care and stay well. logan

Aloha All, As I’m sure everyone is aware, the COVID 19 situation has postponed our plans to sail to the South Pacific. Next season, Inshallah! Instead, we plan to sail around the, always beautiful, State of Hawaii. Current departure is scheduled for one week from now. Let the scramble to ready the vessel and crew begin. I’m super excited. Stay tuned.