Sailing Adventure on the SSV Makani Olu: Part 2 of 3

Sailing to the "Forbidden Island" of Ni'ihau on the SSV Makani Olu

Coming into the Forbidden Isle, Ni'ihau

  The adventure gets real as we leave the protection of Haleiwa and set sail across the Kauai Channel towards Ka'ula Rock. I was pretty excited for a couple of reasons. This would be the first time I would be in charge of my own watch and the whole tall ship while on deck, the winds and waves were supposed to be strong and big but at our backs, and I had never even heard of our destination.
  
Ka'ula rock is located 23 miles (37 km) west-southwest of Kawaihoa Point on Niʻihau, and about 150 nautical miles (280 km) west of Honolulu. The island is actually the very top of a volcanic tuff cone that rests on top of a larger, submerged shield volcano. At its highest point, the island reaches a height of 548 feet (167 m). The ocean has carved large sea cliffs on the sides of the island. There is a large cave on the northwest side of the island called Kahalauaola (Shark Cave).
Because of erosion, the island is slowly shrinking.
Kaʻula, which he spelled as "Tahoora", was one of the first five islands sighted by Captain James Cook in 1778. While the adventurer in me held great hopes of jumping in the water here and feeling like I was in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands the wind and seas had different ideas...

Clear Blue of Ni'ihau

Sunset at Anchor

  It is hard to show in pictures the true degree of ocean waves. The trip across took a little less than two days and had us running with the wind at our backs the entire time. The boat was flying along at six knots however the new student crew had another battle to contend with, sea sickness. Having the waves on our stern and quarter meant a rocky trip. Add to that the intermittent crashing waves that would crash into the boat making the bunks down below shutter and you have a recipe for seasickness. My entire crew was down and out, which meant I was at the helm for the whole shift locking it down for C watch. Luckily my stomach held strong and even in the windy conditions I was able to enjoy the fact that the engine was off, the sails were full, and I was earning my keep.

Lehua Rock

  Not all spirits were as high as mine. Grumblings from the student crew began. "We didn't sign up for this." "We weren't prepared for this." "Can we skip Ka'ula Rock and spend more time at Hanalei Bay?" So as Ni'ihau came into view a meeting was held by all who weren't incapacitated and it was decided to tuck into an anchorage on the west side of Ni'ihau for the night and head straight for Lehua Rock early the next morning. I was on the helm again during this time and with two jibes we were sailing around the backside of Ni'ihau with an offshore wind but protected from the waves. Spirits started rising as the conditions improved and with the knowledge that we would be in protected waters for a while.

Our small boat

Grey Snapper at Lehua Rock

  So no Ka'ula Rock but we were getting to see a close up look at the 'Forbidden Island' of Ni'ihau. Even though it is one of the eight main Hawaiian Islands, Ni'ihau is privately owned by the Robinson family and off limits to all but those Hawaiian families who live there. Hawaiian is still the primary language spoken by the residents on the island. Being that Ni'ihau is in the rain shadow of Kauai and not tall enough to create its own rain there can be periods of intense drought on the island. In these times residents can escape over to Kauai until rains replenish their water supply.

Brown Boobies returning to Lehua Rock

Kekoa enjoying the snorkeling

  We had great conditions as we sailed around the north side of Ni'ihau towards Lehua Rock. Lehua is a tuff cone just off the eastern tip of the island. It reminded be of a huge Molokini. Due to the orientation of its opening, the backside was the place to be for calm waters on this day. Luckily our first mate, Kalei, had experience running scuba charters from Kauai to Lehua rock so he was able to find us a mooring that we could hook up to for the day. Once we were tied up I immediately grabbed my snorkel gear to check out the beautiful water. Before I was even in the water a curious monk seal had already surfaced nearby to check out us.

Ehu and Kalei

  All day was spent adventuring around Lehua and exploring its underwater treasures. Huge schools of bait fish huddled away from predators like giant trevallys, rainbow runners, and grey snapper. Wary monk seals kept there distance as they eyed me from afar. Rocky pinnacles rose up for the clear blue depths. And a pod of bottlenose dolphins swam up to see us. Every time I dove under the water the sounds of humpback whales singing just offshore added to the bliss of the moment.

Birds of Lehua Rock flocking at sunset

 We watched the sunrise that morning over this magical place and we stayed until the sun had set. Boobies, shearwaters, terns, and frigate birds all provided endless bird watching opportunities that are so rare in the islands to the south. This day would act as the moral booster the crew needed to turn a feeling of seasick helplessness to a motivated excitement. A and B watch really started coming alive and even my down and out C watch started showing its first signs of life.

Next installment: Rough Then Smooth to Kauai and Beyond.