Puanani Voyages

  Aloha All, We made it! Not that there was any doubt. I have every confidence in Puanani’s ability in blue water cruising. Also, the crew onboard were all blue water sailing veterans in their own right. One thing we were not. Fishermen! Neither boat caught any decent pelagic fish the entire cruise. Our tackle and techniques were proven during past voyages. We even bounced our gear and practices off local experts. Still no fish! My biggest takeaway from this cruise was that our islands are second to none. Having sailed to some beautiful destinations, including Tonga, Fiji, Tahiti, New Zealand, I can attest that Hawaii takes a backseat to none of them. These islands still take my breath away! Everyone take care and stay well. Outline Of Our Track Around the State of Hawaii

  Aloha All, again, We did a little hiking along the shoreline of Waikolu Bay. The cliffs there are extremely dramatic. The trade winds blow in and get directed then redirected along the steep walls and shoot downdrafts onto the water’s surface. This makes for abrupt wind shifts in the bay. We seemed to be tucked into an eddy in the corner so it really didn’t affect us until later in the afternoon. Jonathan took an opportunity to launch his drone and capture some breathtaking footage of Puanani and Makaòiòi at anchor. I’ll share a link to the footage in a later post. We left Waikolu early this morning and immediately deployed the fishing lines. This is our last ditch effort to redeem ourselves and catch just one, please just one, real fish before arriving back at Kaneohe. I’ll update you before I close out this chapter on our COVID-19 Stacation Around The Islands Cruise. Everyone take care and stay well. logan Statue Found Hiking Along The Beach At Waikolu Bay Makao'io'i In The...

  Aloha All, Keawanui turned out to be a fantastic place to anchor. Lived up to all the hype from sailors who raved about the place. I need to go back and spend more days tied up there. Too many things to explore. The reefs, the waterfalls, the caves. All amazing! We moved west along the coast toward Kalaupapa about two miles and into Waikolu Bay. To get there we had to shoot a narrow slot between a large rock (Okala Island) and a sharp rock outcropping from the headland. Noodle described the experience in a Haiku as nothing short of “Asspuckeringly narrow!” It really was exciting for sure. Especially when it’s your boat. The anchorage turned out to be excellent with a large sand pit in the corner. Holding in sand always let’s me sleep a little better. More on this later... One of the  Many  Caves Explored Via Dinghy Heading For Waikolu Bay From Keawanui Waikolu Bay Anchorage Clay Enjoying a Dip in Cool Running Waikolu Stream Waikolu Bay Drone Video Footage https://drive....

  Aloha All, After a very good night’s rest at Honolua Bay we awoke to another fantastic sunrise. Actually, we didn’t get up until after official sunrise. Only a smattering of rain the entire 19 days we’ve been on this journey. Not even enough to warrant thinking about getting our foul weather gear out of stowage. Amazing! We did a nice lazy breakfast of omelettes, fried rice and coffee then set about making Puanani ready for sail. Right around 9:00 am we departed my favorite anchorage for Molokai. Sailing along the north coast of Molokai is spectacular! I lost count of the number of waterfall that tumble more than a thousand feet from the towering cliffs. The highest cliffs in the State. We tucked in behind a rocky outcropping about a third of the way along the coast and into Keawanui. A small anchorage, usually max 1-2 boats. We have three boats anchored in here right now. Makaòiòi, Puanani, and one sailed by a family from Oxnard, CA. “How’d you find this place?”, Clay asked. “No...

  Aloha All, We made our move from La Perouse Bay to Honolua Bay yesterday. I was happy to bail out of La Perouse. The waters are flat and protected as long as you anchor up against the east cliffs. The wind was just as strong coming over the cliff as if we were still in the Alenuihaha Channel. That makes for a very un-restful rest stop. Maybe it’d be better in less than nuking trades. No to be this time. Got an early start to our next destination, Honolua Bay. Relatively uneventful but beautiful scenery all along Maui’s south shore.  I never get tired of that view! Honolua is my most favorite summer anchorage that I’ve ever sailed into. Very protected from wind and wave.  Take a look at the photo and you’ll agree. We were paid a visit by the "Maui Tribe," my oldest daughter and her family. It was awesome to see Pua and play with the three grandchildren. Fortunate too as they replenished our ice and lettuce stores. On our way to Molokai now.  More one that later. Tak...

Aloha All, Moved from Kawaihae to Nishimura Bay yesterday. Picked up Clay’s son, Jonathan, at Mahukona Landing after anchoring. It’s just a short dinghy ride away from Nishimura Bay. Proved most fortuitous for Puanani.  Jonathan is a great asset and  crew mate. The winds at Nishimura were strong and gusting stronger. We were tucked in relatively close to shore so the water was calm. It did give as a prelude for what we were in store for the following day. Enjoyed an awesome ribeye steak dinner aboard Makaòiòi before retiring to our vessel to get some rest. First thing the following morning, we transported Bo’s wife, Marcie, to Mahukona. We then completed preparations for crossing the Alenuihaha Channel. Once ready, we pulled anchor and hoisted sail. Maybe a bit too much sail. We started with two reefs in the mainsail and a partially roller furled headsail. As soon as we hit the wind line we took off at a very good clip. All was great, we thought. The ocean hadn’t cast its vote...

Aloha All, We left Kua Bay, a gorgeous gem of an anchorage. It’s about 20 miles north of Honokahau Harbor where we re provisioned. Kua Bay has a nice sandy beach and the anchorage is all sand bottom in less than twenty feet of water. Perfect for hanging out overnight. The swimming was awesome for exercise but not a lot to see if you’re snorkeling. Kind of like driving through the Midwest. All corn, wheat, and soybean fields look the same. Pretty, but monotonous. We’ve started a little tradition here among the cruising squadron officers. Everyone must come up with an original, voyage related, Haiku at each anchorage. No Haiku, no dinner! So far we’ve accumulated some amazing submissions. Go to “ https://mokupea.blogspot.com/?m=1”  to review them. Some of the Haiku are pretty deep. Especially when you consider the authors. I think you’ll be inspired. I know I am. It was a raucous sail up the coast to Kawaihae.  The wind built up with gusts well into the high 2 0s.  Fortunat...

Aloha All, Yesterday we displaced to a small bay 20 miles up (north) from Okoe Bay. This new anchorage was a bit challenging as the holding was not as reliable as was Okoe. Oh that’s right we grabbed an underwater fixed mooring at Okoe. Kind of cheating but one, you sleep better, and two, it saves the coral from your sweeping anchor chain. This new anchorage, I’m told, is known as Nawaawaa (sp). I can’t confirm that because it’s not on the charts. Anyway, if you drill down (zoom in) on our track, you’ll see that it appears that we were being chased by a swarm of bees. One of Clay’s good friends, let’s call him Bob. Has a house at Nawaawaa. Bob paddled out on his SUP to spend some time getting reacquainted with Clay. One of the things we were particularly interested in gleaning from Bob was his local fishing knowledge. Bob reviewed our techniques and equipment then assured us that we were doing everything right and should catch fish. We hadn’t! I mean a real pelagic fish anyway. The nex...

Aloha All, Departed Okoe Bay mid-morning. The last time we were here was in December of 2017. I don’t remember Okoe being as wonderful as it was on this visit. The water was crystal clear morning, noon and night. Visibility was excellent both above and below the waterline. With the full moon you could clearly see the shadow of Puanani on the bottom, 30 feet down. What was particularly encouraging was the healthy coral growing all over the bay. The reefs close to shore were teaming with fish. Aquarium type fish. We were hoping the spinner dolphins performing off shore would pay us a visit but I don’t think we rated very high on their list as an audience. Oh well! We are motoring north toward Kealakekua Bay where we plan to spend the next day or two exploring. About a 20 mile trip. I’m sure it’ll be amazing. Fishing lines are out and confidence is high. I’ll let you know. Take care and stay well. logan Makao'io'i at Anchor in Oko'e Bay Under Night Vision Neighboring Boat Cele...

Aloha All, Great crossing so far! We are less than 20 nautical miles off Okoe Bay. Despite the requirement to adjust to unfamiliar wind directions yesterday and this morning, it’s been a great sail! Caught two fish, aku (skipjack tuna). One yesterday and the other today. Each one a “fatty!” Let both go as we are still in the hunt for a “real” fish. Mahi-mahi or ono preferred. We’ve also had a booby bird sitting on our bow thoughout darkness. Both of them not contributing much to our efforts. More concerned with looking pretty and replaying that scene in the movie, Titanic. But they left behind few little presents before departing. Thanks! Only a scant sprinkling of rain so far. Dodged all squalls. Mostly sunny days and clear nights with a near full moon to light the way. We're intent on keeping on the sunny side of life here! Take care and stay well Logan Looking Toward South Point; Heading Toward Oko'e Bay

Aloha All, We got off to a great start on this leg to the Big Island. Wind filled in and the direction was favorable and then more favorable. Puanani was in her element and responding as if she had someplace to go and knew how to get there. Chef Clay cooked up the snapper we caught earlier at Niihau. I did my best to toss him around the galley by maintaining top boat speed. Clay definitely won this battle as his baked, panko crusted snapper was out of this world. Clay also had the last laugh because he/she who cooks does not do the dishes. I have some bruises to show for it too! Back to the helm. I took first watch so my crewmate could get some rest. The wind and waves picked up through my shift. So much so that I wished for a little reprieve so the comfort level could return to at least “acceptable”. I got what I requested when we passed the Kauai Channel and got behind the wind shadow of Oahu, also known as the “Gathering Place.” Seems Oahu saw fit to gather up all available wind and...

Aloha All, Anchor was up at 0608 this morning. We left Keawanui Bay after a great night’s sleep. Cup of coffee in hand and fishing lines out we motored south until the wind filled in then hoisted sail. That’s when you catch a fish. As soon as you’re occupied with other pressing matters. In this case it was a nice sized Uku (grey snapper). Perfect for tonight’s dinner. The forecast calls for excellent conditions, even improving, over the course of our voyage to the Big Island. We intend to make landfall at Okoe Bay. This bay provides great protection from the trade winds and is a great location to regroup after a long passage. It’s located between Kona and South Point on the west coast of Hawai’i. If you look at our track you’ll see we are making pretty good progress as of this post. Take care and stay well. logan One of Two Aku, Skipjack Tuna, Caught Enrout to Big Island