Sailing Adventure on the SSV Makani Olu: Part 1 of 3

  Adventure week has come and a grand adventure has been undertaken. I have been signed on as second mate aboard the 96ft 3 masted tall ship Makani Olu for the first week of April. I am just coming off an amazing week of scuba diving, underwater photography, and exploration with Heidi on Maui and already excited to head back out for adventure.

  I wasn't quite sure about sleeping arrangements, watch schedules, or even the sail plan but at 8am Monday morning I was ready with my sleeping bag, camera, and foul weather gear. The crew consisted of Captain Emma, 1st Mate Kalei, 2nd Mate Dai Mar, and 13 student crew. We separated in three watches on a modified Swedish watch system. 2 six hour watches during the day, and 3 four hour watches at night. With no steward on board whatever watch was on duty leading up to a meal would be in charge of cooking and setting out that meal.

  The sail plan was bold, and we soon found out that to do everything on the plan would be a bit unattainable. From Kaneohe Bay on Oahu's east side we would sail to Haleiwa on the north shore, over night there, and wake up for a wedding on board the next morning. Yep that's right, the captain got married and the first mate officiated the wedding, which was barefoot, breezy, and with a Hawaiian flare.

  After the wedding the sailing would get serious. Sail through the night to Ka'ula Rock which is about 20 miles west of Ni'ihau, get in the water if we can, and continue sailing to Lehua rock located just off Ni'ihau's NE tip. Followed by a day exploring Lehua rock before crossing the channel to the Na Pali coastline of Kauai. From here the sail plan takes us to Hanalei Bay on Kuau's north shore before a big crossing back to Kaneohe Bay on Oahu. All this in seven days.

The trip started out a bit ominously with Captain Emma coming down with a stomach bug. Hoping for a speedy recovery for her wedding the next day and the trip in general, Kalei and I took the first two watches on our way around to Haleiwa. It was pretty amazing making it out of Kaneohe Bay and setting our course and our sails to the north. I was looking for an adventure and I found it.

  The ride was a bit bumpy with steady winds. My "C" watch was struggling a bit with sea sickness but we made it around to Haleiwa and anchored shortly after dark. I was pumped to have the trip underway and anxious to see how it would play out with big winds in the forecast.

  Stay tuned for the next installment... the 'Forbidden Island' of Ni'ihau!

Location: Honolulu County, HI, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Leaving a comment is a great way to provide feedback, ask further questions, and inspire more answers...so go for it.

Popular posts from this blog

Secret Maui Waterfall

Image
  No matter how quick a trip to Maui might be there will be hidden gems found and great times had. After a little snafu with my flight I made it standby to Maui, picked up my rental car, and rushed off to meet my friends on the road to Hana. We met at Frog Pond, one of our favorite swimming holes near the beginning of the road to Hana. After some rock hopping and cliff jumping here we decided to check out the hidden waterfalls at mile 11. I'm not sure what the name of these falls are but there are two of them, each with their own swimming holes. It is just off the highway but separated by lush jungle. A rope swing beckons the adventurous and rocks warmed by the sun give you more than enough reason to while away the afternoon.
Read more

Hidden Ulupalakua Lava Tube, Maui

Image
  High above the crowded beaches of South Maui lies a hidden secret adventure that only those in the know will ever experience. Hidden only a thousand yards or so off a well traveled road around 4,000ft in elevation sits a massive cave which angles slowly down the side of Haleakala volcano. The amazing formations inside and the cave itself were formed by lava, creating an underground tube to transport the lava farther down the slope of the volcano. The same thing can be seen actively happening on the Big Island currently. Luckily this lava tube is all dried up making it much safer to explore. However the loose rocks and obvious cave ins leave some cause for concern.   Part of this adventure is just finding the entrance. This included a dirt road, a jeep trail, jumping an old stone wall, then bushwhacking through dense brush for about tweny-five minutes before finding the lava tube entrance. It was surrounded by ferns, just like the famous Thurston Lava Tube in Volcanoes ...
Read more

Search for Chameleons, Maui

Image
  You never know what might be hiding in your backyard. Here on Maui there have always been tales of people finding Jackson's chameleons in their bushes. The trick is to travel a few thousand feet up Haleakala volcano to Makawao, Pukalani and Kula towns where the temperature is a little cooler and it is a bit wetter, perfect conditions for chameleons.   There are no native reptiles on Hawaii. These beautiful chameleons were released or escaped from the pet trade. Luckily they have not become invasive like many other introduced species, however they have increased in population and seem to be doing quite well in the higher elevation areas. Heidi and I went on a search the other day at our friend's house in Kula and were shocked to find a dozen different chameleons in her side yard hedge. They were mostly at eye level, and were curled up asleep for the night. We found them easily enough with flashlights since they seem to sleep near the outer edge of the hedge at night. ...
Read more