No, that is not our boat on the rocks in our friend’s backyard off Reeds Bay in Hilo. We were safely tucked into the Ala Wai Marina in Honolulu by the time the Hawaiian Islands were hit with big winds (up to 60 knots) and big swells (12 + meters in some areas) on January 22, 2014.
We left Hilo early the morning on the 15th of January with Bill DeMent, our ‘third auto pilot’ on board. We met Bill at a dinner party when we first arrived in Hilo. He seemed capable and keen to do some offshore passages, so we invited him for a ride. Bill will also join Amandla for our sail to Tahiti in April. Yay!
Our trip to Oahu was lovely. We encountered several whales along the way and enjoyed a few days at anchor in Lono Harbor on Molokai. The winds were generally 5 knots with the exception of 2 short squalls, so we motored most of the way.
We will remain on Oahu for a month or two to provision, fix some things, and tour about with visitors.
**Updated Feb 1, 2014 ** Check out this video of our trip put together by Bill DeMent!
Pictures of the trip are below.
