Thursday10AM. 2 miles east of Ilio Pt., Molokai
Moku pe'a departed Honolua Bay just after dawn Wednesday after another calm night at anchor. It was great to have a day relaxing in such a beautiful spot.
With a double reefed mainsail and reefed jib we charged across the Pailolo Channel and eased sheets as we bore off down Molokai's north shore.
There hasn't been much rain, so the waterfalls weren't putting out as much as I've seen them in the past. Michael was stunned at the beauty and immensity of the cliffs.
We jybed in and out of all of the valleys, Haka'ano, Wailau, and Pelekunu, before arriving at our destination for the day, Keawanui. I regaled Michael with stories of my previous visits here, including the time Dave Schaefer, Palani Ashford, and I swam down the coast from Halawa to Kalaupapa with only an inner tube and an air matress for buoyancy. We were seventeen years old and immortal, so we got away with it. We hiked out the switchbacks behind Kalaupapa after three days, exhausted and starving. It was fantastic.
Moku pe'a entered Keawanui Bay to find a small powerboat moored down by the waterfall that empties on the beach 1/4 mile west of the anchorage. After we got settled in with bow anchor in 60' and stern anchor in the shallows next to shore, a father/son team in a tandem kayak paddled over for a chat. They were up from Hawaii Kai on Oahu on their open whaleboat, were staying in Pelekunu Valley, and were just down at the waterfall for the day.
We launched the dinghy and powered over to the waterfall where we stopped to chat with the folks on the whaleboat. As we were chatting some of the kids who were ashore came back in their kayaks. They were pretty upset because a large rock had fallen from the cliff above the waterfall and put a hole in one of the kayaks. Yikes! That rock could have killed somebody.
Michael and I went ashore, and quickly moved out of the rockfall zone. We swam in the pool and took pictures before heading back out and into the cave beneath Joyce Kainoa's house. This is one of the best sea caves ever. The entrance channel is only about 20 feet wide, but it is 40 feet deep and it is long which knocks the waves down before they get into the cave. Once inside, the cave is about 50 yards deep, twenty feet wide, and sixty feet tall.. Very cool.
We hiked up to the Kainoa home overlooking our anchorage to see if anybody was there. The place was deserted and falling apart. Joyce and her husband gave us a tour of the estate thirty years ago when they were living there raising their children. They had a small hydroelectric plant, taro fields, banana, papaya, citrus, and the house was in good shape. I have heard that Joyce and her husband have since passed away. It doesn't look like the kids have much interest in the place anymore.
Last night Michael made an awesome beef stroganoff for dinner. Can it get any better?
The anchorage was a bit rocky rolly last night, but it was safe. We got underway at first light this morning, and as I write this we are a couple of miles east of Ilio Point at Molokai's west end. We are headed for Lono Harbor on the southwest corner of the island.
I've already lost one lure to something big and landed a 5 pound kawakawa, which I threw back. We are hoping for ono, mahi, or ahi.
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