My six weeks in Hanalei have ended and I have since sailed back to Kaneohe. Ling flew over to join me for the long sail back. It is usually a rough passage to windward back to Oahu but this time, while it was to windward, it was a pleasant sail in 10 kt wind and gentle seas. The night was nice and cool with many stars. We sailed into Kaneohe Bay at sunset after 36 hours.

I was not able to update my blog while anchored at Hanalei so I will have to fill in the highlights now. I had hoped to sail and anchor on the Na Pali coast which I did. With light trades I sailed along the incredibly beautiful cliffs of that coastline. The water is clear blue with the coral reef easily visible from 30 foot depths. There are many sea caves which can be explored. I found a reasonable anchorage just behind a small reef that projects out from the beach. Once I set my anchor in a small patch of sand I was able to snorkle around the area. There was the typical corals and fish common to Hawaii. I then swam to shore to explore the beach. There is a trail that when followed leads to an old Heiau. It is a very important spiritual place for the Hawaiians. It was made of large black lava rock formed in to walls with a pond in the middle. This was all right at the base of sheer cliffs. It was very still and quiet. Returning to the boat I settled down for the night with some fresh fish I had caught on the way there. The swell was wrapping around the small reef making the boat roll quite a lot so I decided one night would be enough and would sail back to Hanalei the next morning.

Going back further, I skipped over telling my "Big Fish" story earlier but now I can get into that. It was on the way to Kauai when early in the morning I had just put the fishing lines back out when I get a big strike. The line is peeling off the reel very fast but after slowing the boat I am able to stop him with only a little line left on the reel. Now the real fight starts. As hard as I could crank the reel I was not able to make any headway with this very big fish. I was sure it was an Ahi, probably around 200 pounds. So I am thinking with all this new line out I would just like to regain that and maybe see this monster but actually landing it was doubtful. How would I lift it up the side of the boat. And then what! So I turn the boat around and motor directly at him and rapidly reeling line back in. I get most of the line back when it suddenly tightens again. Now its back to the tug of war with him. It feels like I have solid rock not a fish on the line. They are amazingly strong. He must have been about 100 feet from the boat and spotted me when he started another run, again rapidly stripping line. At this point I'd had enough and quickly cut the line. The battle had lasted 90 minutes and I was exhausted with my right arm very sore and blood was dripping down my left arm. Had I not been alone I may have continued the fight with a different outcome. Being on a sailboat doesn't help either. I then gladly continued my sail on into Hanalei.