Hua Iki, Hawaii Kai to Sans Souci, 10/24/09

Yet another perfect day on the water, as provided by Bob. How does he do that?

We had 8 kayaks (9 paddlers) gathered on the appropriate beach at the appropriate time, and took off to shuttle our vehicles to Sans Souci. Sans Souci is the wrong place to look for parking on a Saturday. But we did manage to park our cars within walking distance and meet back at the beach for rides back to Hawaii Kai. Also meeting up at the beach were a number of other people expecting rides back to Hawaii Kai; it turns out that another 6 kayaks (8 paddlers) had gathered at a different parking lot in Hawaii Kai, and one more showed up late at our launch site. But we eventually got it all worked out, somehow, and everyone found transportation back to Hawaii Kai. So we finally got on the water (~10 AM) from two different beaches and gathered up in Maunalua Bay; 15 kayaks (18 paddlers) in all.

Once we got on the water things went very smoothly. It was a delightful day; sunny and warm, with just enough following breeze to cool us and push us gently along our way with almost no waves. We paddled along the beach together as far as Kahala Beach Park, where two boats exited and one turned around to paddle back to Hawaii Kai. The remaining 12 boats continued on, most of us staying inside the reef, hoping to get outside at Black Point. But the waves, small as they were, had somehow managed to close that channel entirely. Not really wanting to take everyone out through the surf, I radioed (thanks for the loan, Bob!) back to to Rich, who was still in sweep position way back near Kahala. He assured us that the channel there was "flat as a pancake", and perhaps it was as flat as his pancakes, but by the time our group got there we found the channel somewhat more mountainous than the pancakes I'm accustomed to. But it was less rough there than where we'd just come from, and we all got through alive, and mostly upright, if a bit wet. Beyond the surf line we found calm water once again, and continued our very pleasant paddle onward toward Waikiki.

The water was so clear and blue out there, the clouds so puffy white, and the sky so bright, that I, for one, fell quickly into a kayaking trance, and sooner than expected found myself in the vicinity of Diamond Head. The swells picked up a bit there, and a few surfers were scattered among the breaks, but for us it was still a downhill (downwind) delight. A few boats elected to detour out around the Diamond Head buoy, still in surprisingly gentle seas, then re-joined the rest of us a little farther up the coast.

Approaching Waikiki we encountered a bit more traffic, mostly canoes and paddleboards sprinting along just outside the surf zone. We found the channel in to Sans Souci to be very easy going, and were soon all safely ashore on that beach. I was delighted at how well the group had stayed together on this paddle, it was a pleasure to visit with the various paddlers along the way. Once ashore we went back into hurry-up mode, though, as some of us took off hiking to fetch our cars and some stayed at the beach to unpack the boats and share some delicious treats. Everyone eventually got loaded up and on the road, including our gracious shuttle drivers who had to return to their cars at Hawaii Kai.

A great day, all in all - at least from my perspective.

Sunday October 4 Paddle

Kevin and I went ahead and drove to Waimea. We decided to take 2 cars so we could do the “shuttle” even if no one else showed up. Just as we were leaving to drop a car off at Mokuleia, Wendy and Lee called to say they were running late but were on their way. We agreed they should wait for us at Waimea and after the paddle we would give them a ride back to their car.
We all shoved off from Waimea about 10:30 am into some of the most inviting seas one could ask for – waves 0 to 1 foot and a slight breeze at our back. This held pretty much the same for most of the paddle. Some where off Turtle beach, we came upon one of the biggest turtles I have ever seen. It was his ocean and he wasn’t giving any of it up to us. We paddled with him for quite a while and finally decided we had to continue on our way. Pretty uneventful for the next thirty minutes or so. Then we ran into at least 5 separate schools of flying fish. What fun! I’m waiting to see if Kevin got any pictures. After that, quiet again except for an occasional school of scuba divers here and there and a few buoys for fishing nets. Then we caught up with the shark cage dive boats. We hung there watching the fins cut the water. I asked, but no one wanted to go swimming. As we approached Mokuleia beach we got a real shock! Very large surf. We bunched up and began doing just what Twogood had taught us. We were studding the timing of the waves and scanning the shoreline for the best place to go in. Unfortunately we were so busy with that, that we forgot the prime directive: NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON THE OCEAN. Sure enough we never saw that big one coming in behind us until it was too late! Two kayaks over in the big surf and the third not able to reach them. The surf toke care of beaching the kayaks and the paddlers in the water, after gathering up some flotsam, swam / walked ashore. All agreed they had a fun and exciting day and want to complete the missed paddle from Turtle Bay to Waimea Bay in the next few weeks. Hope there are some other people interested in paddling with us.
Kevin should be sending some pictures shortly.
Terry

Kaneohe to Kualoa, Saturday 620/09

By Mark Nierode

Once again, we had perfect weather for our Hua Iki outing. Plenty of sun but enough cloud cover to keep us cool, just enough wind to make our paddle interesting, and just enough waves to keep the surfers surfing. Thanks, Bob! We missed your company on this outing, but enjoyed the conditions you provided.

Our group was a surprisingly small one, composed mostly of regulars with the addition of new friends Jesse, Andrew and Eric. Welcome, newguys! We look forward to many more days on the water with you. Ray had expected to paddle with us, but a last minute injury kept him ashore, though he was so kind as to provide ground transportation for Eric & Andrew.

8 AM greeted us with an exceptionally low tide at the Heeia Kea harbor launching site. 12 of us dragged our 11 boats out across the mud flats to the water, and pushed off through the harbor and into the bay. We had to work a bit, pushing our boats upwind across the bay, and polished our bottoms a bit while crossing the sand bar (I had to actually walk across, but others seemed to manage with shallow paddle strokes). Along the way we caught up with Sunny, who stayed with us, surfing all the way, for the remainder of the day. So we gained rather than lost one paddler on this adventure; a new experience for me!

Our first intentional stop was at Kapapa island, where most of us got ashore to stretch our legs and do some exploring, while a few stayed out to play in the surf. Low tide and wind combined to produce small, choppy waves, but those who tried did manage to catch a few respectable rides. A few fishermen in the water provided moving targets for the surfers, but no serious collisions were reported. On shore we found some interesting crab shells along the beach, and some brightly colored spiders in the bushes, and even one egg laying on the sand, though it's source remains a mystery. Why are there no birds on the islands in Kaneohe Bay, as there are on all the islands in Kailua Bay, and at Moku Manu?

From Kapapa we headed out into crystal clear deep water for the first time today; a few stayed outside the reef to take advantage of the surf out there, while everyone else stayed inside to enjoy the smoother ride. The surf was a bit better on this leg, and a few shouts of intense joy were heard along the way. A few surfers got themselves rather wet, too, but all survived. Inside the reef turtles were sighted, and there was also one claim of a ray. We probably could have caught a few fish, too, had we thought to bring fishing gear.

This leg of our paddle took us across the wind, rather than straight into it, which helped push us along considerably, yet Mokoli`i Island (aka Chinaman's Hat) remained distant far longer than expected. It did finally come closer, though, and eventually even came so close that we could get out of our boats and walk up onto it. The tiny beach was full, and the incoming tide was rapidly putting it under water, so we had to either lift our boats far up onto the rocks or anchor them nearby and walk ashore. A few of us did this, and enjoyed our snacks and stories while waiting for the others to arrive and hike up to the top with us. But when the others arrived they declined to stop, so we got back into our boats and joined them for the quick downwind rush to Kualoa Beach Park, where our cars awaited us. All were safely ashore and on our ways home by early afternoon.

Mark.

Makapuu to Hawaii Kai, 3/28/09:

We had a gorgeous day for kayaking today; sunny, warm, cool trades, clear ocean - absolutely perfect......until we left the beach.
From Baby Makapuu to Makapuu Pt. we paddled into the wind and large rolling seas for just over 45 minutes. If you kept reminding yourself that these larger waves were not going to break right on top of you, then it was quite exhilarating! The wind didn't feel that strong on the beach, but we could definitely feel it blowing stiffly once we passed Kaokaipu Island. And that was just the beginning! After what seemed much longer than it really was (paddling into the wind always does that to me), we rounded Makapuu Pt. and started the downwind sleigh ride. Hang on!

Maybe "sleigh ride" is not the right description; it was something like being in a washing machine on a roller coaster with no tracks. It doesn't sound fun, but once you are in it, you can't help but hold on tight and then throw your hands in the air to feel the wind! (and maybe give out a little scream! :)

Today was a fishing contest paddle, too. Bob and I were the only people fishing, and between the both of us we caught a total of absolutely no fish. (We were too caught up with the wind and waves and sweeping views of the cliffs, to put any real effort into it). But Bob had a bigger lure, so I guess he wins the Twogood Kayaks t-shirt prize!

Eight of us left the beach, and we stayed together very well until somewhere around the Sandy Beach area, where Brian, in his Hobie trimaran had to reef in his sail because he was having a hard time with the wind and seas, and ran off ahead of us. Unfortunately he B-lined it to the finish line without telling anyone else where he was going. During that time, the rest of us were helping out one of our capsized kayakers and avoiding out-of-control 40 foot sailboats, and no one saw him sail out of sight.

Once we noticed the absence of Brian's sail on the horizon, we made a plan of attack. Half the group ran ahead to look for him, and the other half turned back upwind to search for him near where he was last seen. We assumed that because we couldn’t see his tall sail, he must have capsized. After 15 minutes of searching with no sail to be seen, Bob called 911 and got the Fire Rescue people out there to join the search.

It was kinda neat to see the chopper over-head (it made us feel a little bit safer out there on the water, knowing that kind of support can be called in, if needed). The rescue jet-ski soon followed with the good news that our long, lost sailor was safe and sound in the protection of Maunalua Bay (just around the point from the group that went ahead). So we were all able to continue on our way, greatly relieved.

That relief was short lived, at least for me. My boat had been growing increasingly sluggish, and I had increasing difficulty controlling it in those big following seas; a wave would break over me and my boat would go completely under water, and I'd have all I could do to stay on top of it. Then finally on one wave my boat went down, and stayed down, upside down. So what do I do with a sunken kayak in high seas a mile off shore while I'm rapidly going hypothermic in the water? Well, I call Bob, of course! Amazing man that he is, he (with help from Dan and Rich) was able to lift my boat out of the water, lay it across the top of his, and drain the ocean back from whence it came. He's a lifesaver! And just in time, too; I was rapidly losing body heat, and becoming seasick from corking around in the water like that. Fortunately I had earlier put on my life jacket for warmth; I would have been sunk (literally) without it. Another valuable lesson learned....

From there it was a mad dash to the finish line cause my seasickness didn’t abate after I got back on my kayak. The waves crashing on the high coastal cliffs made for some spectacular scenery, and I even ran across a small whale breaching just ahead of me...it would probably have been a very enjoyable paddle had I been not so cold and tired and sick. It went very quickly, though, all the way until we turned the corner at Portlock, and had to paddle upwind again all the way across Maunalua Bay to the beach at Hawaii Kai. We all made it, though, and were quite pleased to step once again ashore, change into some warm dry clothing, and get together for a quick talk story session.

Lessons learned today:
1. Pay attention to those "Small Craft Warning"s! They really do have meaning. While our kayaks are very seaworthy, sailboats are less so. Think well about whether you should be challenging conditions you haven’t been in if a capsize would put you in a difficult position.

2. Dress warmer than seems necessary. On the water it's much easier to remove excess clothing than it is to add more, especially when "more" is in a dry bag under a hatch inside the kayak.

3. Wear a life jacket, or at least have one readily accessible. Again, that's not inside the boat!

4. Carry a radio, or a cell phone in a water proof bag, I know those are available at Twogood Kayaks. A few more radios today could have saved us a lot of hard work and grief.

5. If you’re going to leave a group you go out with, make sure you tell someone you’re leaving.

6. When a small craft advisory is in effect, only go if you know you will be comfortable in those types of conditions. If you aren't sure, don't go.

7. Know your equipment - check for leaks, use equipment you are familiar with, be able to right your boat and practice in rough conditions so you can do it anytime, anywhere.


Now I’m looking forward to our next outing (inside the reef) on April 11 to the Airplane wreck and Mokulua Islands exploration!

Mark