Kallima: sailing in Hawaii

Twelve days after the Marquesas, we arrived at Hilo and its bucolic port…set in a harbor zone, with wagons, containers, work-boats which start at 5.30 am, and the airport a stone’s throw away. Leaving from Hilo, the night at sea was quite rough, with non-stop squalls until 3 am. We then stopped in a little anchorage at the north-west headland of the island of Maui. It’s in a marine reserve, with some beautiful coral and tame turtles. Frequented during the day by the dayboats which bring tourists to swim for an hour or two, but for us it was a magic, deserted anchorage in the evening, before trying to find the island of Molokai, where we anchored in Kaunakakai harbor. Then Kallima continued west, with a stop in one of the very rare sheltered spots in the area, in this case a disused former harbor where we found three other boats. And finally a last leg to reach Honolulu, with a little bonito hauled up on deck as we passed the 20,000 mile mark on Kallima’s log. We found a small peaceful family marina, far from the madness of the town and the Ala Waï public marina on Waikiki seafront. I have to tell the truth and point out that our charming marina was a stone’s throw from the airport and…close to a cemetery! Idyllic as a setting. But at least we were able to find room, which isn’t easy for a cat like ours. During our walks ashore, we discovered that Ala Waï was far from full, contrary to what we had been told on the telephone. Moral: it’s always best to go and look on the spot! We finally left Honolulu…without any real sadness. Nothing had us dreaming, and the way the State of Hawaii welcomes (or rather doesn’t welcome) boats doesn’t encourage us to recommend that you come cruising here. Of course there are variations. The other islands are both more beautiful and more welcoming. We were won over by the welcome from the customs officers at Hilo, charmed by the turtles in Honolulu Bay, on Maui, amused by the peaceful life in Kaumakakai harbor on Molokai, and surprised by the former harbor at Haleolono on the same island, which has become one of the main anchorages in the archipelago, in the middle of nowhere! Finally Hanalei bay on Kauai, in the north of the archipelago, is very beautiful. There are some nice walks to be done on this island, to stretch the legs before the crossing to Alaska!

Who: Brigitte & Serge
Where: Hawaii
Boat: Catana 47
Blog: www.voyagedekallima.blogspot.com