We crossed the Alenuihaha Channel from the Big Island to Maui on 10 June. As suggested by our cruising guide, we did a pre-dawn departure from Nishumura Bay, and had crossed the channel by around noon. The trade winds accelerate through the channels between the islands, so we were on a screaming fast reach (6-7 kts) in a gusty 25 kts of wind with waves building to 10 ft as we closed on Maui. After crossing, we had planned to anchor in La Perouse Bay; however, after rounding Cape Hanamanioa, we found that the winds were still strong and the rocky shoreline did not look inviting, so we carried on towards Lahaina. Passing Oneloa Beach (Big Beach), we were enticed by the long stretch of sand and calm conditions, and put down our anchor. We swam to shore and walked the beach, very reminiscent of our Mexico days.
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| Maui from the Alenuihaha Channel |
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| Swimming to shore at Oneloa Big Beach |
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| Sunset over Maui with Molokini on the left |
On 11 June we departed from Oneloa, and stopped by Molokini on our way to Lahaina. Molokini is a small crescent shaped islet that is the rim of an extinct volcanic crater. Because the cove inside the crescent is so protected, it is a fantastic snorkeling site. However, finding and securing to a submerged mooring around the edge of the crater is no easy task. We were fortunate to watch a tour boat leaving to know the approximate location of one of the mooring balls, and Matt was able to dive down to pick up the pennant line of the buoy that was submerged about 10 ft. It was totally worth the effort because the water clarity was unbelievable, the coral was beautiful, and there were a huge number of fish species that we hadn't seen before.
After leaving Molokini, we made the short hop over to Lahaina, which is a great town with adorable water front buildings and lush volcanic mountains as a backdrop. We were able to tie up to a Lahaina Yacht Club mooring ball (no reciprocal yacht club membership required), and they generously gave us a temporary membership to be able to shower and eat at the yacht club. The Lahaina Roadstead was indeed as rolly as everyone says, and it was a half-hour row in the dinghy from the boat into the harbour.
We stayed in Lahaina for 5 nights (11-16 June) and were fortunate to catch up with Crazy Love there to swap stories about our passages across from Mexico. We also hiked the beautiful 'Iao Valley, snorkeled with a sea turtle at the Black Rock at Ka'anapali, and caught the Kamehameha Day parade. Lahaina was a great stop, certainly not to be missed!
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| Lunch at the Lahaina Yacht Club with Crazy Love |
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| 141 year old banyan tree |
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| Our first shave ice (so not just a snow cone!) |
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| Kepaniwai Heritage Gardens |
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| 'Iao Needle (1200 ft) |
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| Picking fresh wild raspberries |
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| Ridge line hike |
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| Wild raspberries on French toast |
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| Kamehameha parade |
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| Kamehameha parade |
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| AEOLI lies to her mooring with Lana'i behind |
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| Snorkeling at Ka'anapali |
After departing from Lahaina, we headed to Honolua Bay, where we anchored for one night. The trip upwind in the Pailolo Channel had bigger wind and waves than we expected being close to the coast, but the snorkeling at Honolua Bay was well worth it. We swam with a family of sea turtles, and there was so much live coral and so many different fish species that we only pried ourselves out of the water when our digits were numb from being cold. Crazy Love then joined us for a BBQ, and we enjoyed another great evening.
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| Crazy Love |
We left Honolua Bay on the morning of 17 June, and had a screaming fast crossing of the Pailolo Channel, close reaching in more big wind and big waves. After we arrived on the north side of Molokai, we changed to a slow downwind sail so that we could enjoy the beautiful scenery. The north shore of Molokai has the tallest sea cliffs in the world, and the spectacular coast line can really only be seen by private vessel or helicopter tour (of which we saw several). We anchored for lunch at Wailau Valley, and afterwards continued our slow downwind sail close to the coast. Finally, we met up with the Crazy Love at anchor at Okala Island, probably the most scenic anchorage we have ever been to. We stayed two nights at Okala Island, enjoying the dramatic scenery and the great company. The anchorage was reasonably protected from the trades, however localized strong north winds were gusting, making for a somewhat uncomfortable lee shore situation.
We continued on around to the west side of Molokai on 19 June, and anchored at 'Ilio Point, in Kawakiu Nui Bay. We had a lot of trouble setting our anchor in a sand patch, though certainly not for lack of trying. We had a quick snorkel to shore, and enjoyed our last night at anchor before heading to the big city of Honolulu!
Maui And Molokai Album
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