At anchor in Okoe Bay, Big Island
At 230PM yesterday I awoke from my nap, went up on deck, and saw Puanani powering into Okoe Bay about 2 miles away. A few minutes later Bo and I pulled Maka'oi'oi's anchor and powered the mile to Milolii where he waited offshore in the big boat while I took the dinghy in to get Marcy. Our timing was perfect. She and I arrived at the small boat landing simultaneously. Being 4th of July, and a beautiful day, there were about fifty people swimming and jumping off the concrete pier. I couldn't power into the pier without risking chopping some little kid up, so I killed the engine fifty feet out and paddled in. The transfer of Marcy, bags of gear, ice, and provisions from concrete pier to dinghy and dingy to Maka'oi'oi went seamlessly. Nothing and nobody dropped overboard - a minor miracle, and we were quickly on our way to Okoe. Maka'oi'oi arrived there at 330 to find Clay and Mark still screwing around with Puanani's anchor. We got lucky on Maka'oi'oi and had a good set on the first go.
Team Covid Staycation Cruise had cocktails aboard Puanani to celebrate a successful enjoyable passage and returned to Maka'oi'oi for an outstanding chili dinner.
The water here in Okoe is the clearest I've ever seen, the corals vibrant, and there are lots of fish. This morning found the crews of both boats swimming and snorkeling around the bay. Clay found a mooring chain on the bottom closer to the beach so they moved Puanani to it.
Some of the gems of this area are the ancient Hawaiian ruins that abound. These relics haven't been destroyed because there is no road access and it is private property. Right off the beach is a stone lined brackish water well that was unfortunately destroyed by the 2011 Fukushima tsunami. I was lucky enough to see and photograph the well when it was in good shape. A mile to the south lies a 50 yard long rock slide and a number of stone house foundations and rock walls. The area is so well preserved that it looks as if the residents just disappeared recently. There are also a couple of rock lined brackish waters wells that are in good condition.
Late this morning the Maka'oi'oi crew hiked down to have a look at the ruins. I've seen them a dozen times, and never tire of them. It was Bo and Marcy's first visit.
This afternoon the squadron's officers are playing with Bo's new "Skorkle", an underwater breathing apparatus. One can't dive as deep or as long as with a typical scuba tank, but the draw is the ability to refill the air tanks on board the boat with a hand pump. "Skorkle" and I have become quite close as we have been sharing a bunk for the past couple of weeks.
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