A VISIT TO LONO HARBOUR

The fireworks display last night was quite monotonous, all the fireworks seemed the same roman candle type things.  No whiz bangs or bombs.  Maybe they are not allowed here.

I awoke this morning early, someone was launching a boat from the jetty and making a big noise about it.  Oh well, it was a nice cool morning and after a cup of tea and fresh Papaya taken in the cockpit I was ready to go.

My plan was to wait for the easterly trades to set in around ten.  But I was impatient this morning, the anchor was up just after eight and we motored out of Kaunakakai Harbour.  The wind outside was light from the west so we sailed back the way we had come for an hour.  Then the east wind kicked in and we were pushed down the coast towards Lono harbour.

Today was only a short hop, I only had the staysail up and we ran downwind at between three and four knots close along the coastline, just outside the reef line.  The land here is dry and brown coloured, no roads, houses or signs of habitation.

By one in the afternoon we were anchored in Lono Harbour along with one other boat.  Lono is a small sheltered harbour, not used by any commercial traffic.  There is nothing ashore here, just a dusty dry track to somewhere.

Shortly after anchoring the boat was visited by numerous honey bees.  They were looking for water.  I put a bowl of water on the foredeck and put out some wet cloths.  Word got around quick and within an hour there were hundreds of bees at the water, which is kept topped up.  As the sun went down the bees disappeared ashore.

The wind blew quite hard in the afternoon then started to die off at six, when I launched the Kayak and went ashore for a walk.  I walked to the top of the hill overlooking the harbour.  A long dusty hot walk but the views from the top are worth it.  My major discomfort were prickly thorns that penetrated through the soles of my flip flops.

I have managed to secure a berth at the Waikiki yacht club for tomorrow night.  Berths in Honolulu are as rare as hen’s teeth now as the Trans Pac yacht race is headed this way. I think there are fifty plus boats that potentially need to be berthed this year.  Anyway, once in Honolulu I hope to be able to secure a berth somewhere / somehow so I can receive my visitors arriving next week.

The last time I had an alongside berth was over a month ago now.  I have a heap of laundry and things to get sorted and the boat to get cleaned up.  The sort of things you need to be alongside to do properly.

In the morning I will say goodbye to Molokai and set out across the Kaiwi Channel to Honolulu.  It should be a good sail; the forecast is for fifteen to twenty-five knots easterly wind.