Aloha All,

We rounded South Point on the Big Island of Hawaii yesterday just before dawn. The easterly trade winds spit us out like an over-chewed piece of Juicy Fruit gum. Suddenly there was no, I mean zero, wind and the seas went flat calm.

I thought we were having another inadvertent autopilot disengagement drill. I had just laid down in the bunk and was hard pressed against the cushions by the heel of the boat to port. Suddenly I just rolled out to the center of the bunk. Happy to report that it was just the wind had stopped blowing.

We fired up the engine and furled in the sails. Managed to meander into Okoe Bay just as the sun rose. A beautiful and remote little bay on the Big Island's SW coast. We used this opportunity to clean up and reorganize Puanani after 18 x days of hard sailing. It was a little bumpy in there with a slight swell rolling in.

We contacted U.S. Customs and arranged to clear in at Honokohau Harbor, just north of Kona, on Saturday. In order to be closer, we relocated to Kona Bay and encountered "Bula Bro" anchored there as well. Bula Bro left Papeete for the Tuamotu group just after we returned to Papeete with our broken autopilot. We learned that they had just got into Kona the day before us.

We were also met and congratulated by the skipper and crew of Tandem Cay, Steve and Heather Halsey, as we were anchoring. I was first introduced to Steve by Clay Hutchinson at KYC when Jambalaya was preparing for her jaunt into the South Pacific back in April of 2016.

After customs and immigration formalities, my son Makana will join the crew. We will then make our way to Mala Wharf on Maui to visit with our newest granddaughter/niece, Maya Kamalei'alohinahoku, before sailing home to Kaneohe Bay.

Everyone take care and stay well. All our love.

mark
zane
rob