Pu’ukole Point

At anchor under Pu'ukole Point, Niihau

Communications with the rest of the world requires careful consideration on a cruising boat. Cell phone voice and data is the most convenient method when in the US and close to civilization. When that isn't an option, more elegant solutions must be found.

I have a satellite telephone on Moku pe'a that we used for both voice and data on our 2011 and 2014 South Pacific cruises. That is vintage technology though, and most boats now, including Maka'oi'oi, use Iridium Go!, a satellite communication hotspot good for both voice and data. The Go! is about the size of a very small 500 page paperback book. Apple products, like the iPhone and iPad, communicate through the Go! to the Outside world via voice, text, and email.

We lost cell phone service yesterday on the Napali coast, so my previous blog was sent out this morning via Maka'oi'oi's Go! We don't have cell service here on Niihau either, and won't have it on the 3 day passage to the Big Island. We'll be using the Go! until we get cell service on the Kona coast.

After a peaceful night at anchor off Nualolo, the fleet rallied at 7AM and headed for Niihau. The wind was light, and seas were mild, so we powered all the way to Lehua Rock where we circled around over some fishing spots that looked promising and took pictures of each other's boats in front of the scenic keyhole in the crater. Maka'oi'oi caught a small kawakawa, and Puanani got skunked.

We arrived at the Pu'ukole Point anchorage and had our hooks down at 1230PM. It is as calm here today as I've ever seen it. As we powered in I could see a monk seal feeding at a coral head we passed, and there is a monster seal basking on the beach directly inshore of us. We will wait until it cools off later this afternoon to go ashore to hike down the beach and look for glass balls.

The squadron has been alternating hosting dinner service for the fleet's officers since we arrived in Hanalei. It has worked out spectacularly with first two nights of steak, and then Blossom's awesome beef stew last night. Tonight is Maka'oi'oi's turn, and Bo currently has his head buried in the ship's refer trying to figure out how to one-up the cuisine on Puanani.