24 November 2016 | 26 41.15'S:153 7.72'E, Mooloolaba, Australia
13 November 2016 | 25 54.12'S:153 01.72'E, Tin Can Bay, Australia
12 November 2016 | 25 31.69'S:152 57.91'E, Fraser Island, Australia
31 October 2016 | 24 45.38'S:152 23.72'E, Bundaberg, Australia
30 October 2016 | 23 52'S:153 55'E, On Passage - Noumea, New Caledonia to Bundaberg, Australia
29 October 2016 | 23 28'S:156 47'E, On Passage - Noumea, New Caledonia to Bundaberg, Australia
28 October 2016 | 22 57'S:159 54'E, On Passage - Noumea, New Caledonia to Bundaberg, Australia
27 October 2016 | 22 40'S:163 13'E, On Passage - Noumea to Australia
26 October 2016 | 22 22'S:166 10'E, On Passage - Noumea to Australia
18 October 2016 | 22 16.60'S:166 26.40'E, Noumea, New Caledonia
17 October 2016 | 21 37'S:168 13'E, between Vanuatu and New Caledonia
14 October 2016 | 19 31.57'S:169 26.66'E, Port Resolution, Tanna I, Vanuatu
14 October 2016 | 19 31.57'S:169 26.66'E, Port Resolution, Tanna I, Vanuatu
14 October 2016 | 19 31.90'S:169 26.98'E, Mt. Yasur, Tanna I, Vanuatu
12 October 2016 | 19 31.58'S:169 29.65'E, Port Resolution, Vanuatu
09 October 2016 | 20 14.36'S:169 46.63'E, Aneityum, Vanuatu
03 October 2016 | 20 14.36'S:169 46.63'E, Aneityum, Vanuatu
02 October 2016 | 19 39'S:172 03'E, On Passage from Fiji to Vanuatu
01 October 2016 | 18 43'S:174 16'E, On Passage from Fiji to Vanuatu
27 September 2016 | 17 40.88'S:177 23.16'E, Vuda Marina, Fiji
Looking for a quiet anchorage
15 May 2006 | Manele Bay, Lanai
Mark
When we first arrived at Lahaina, Maui the sea was relatively tranquil. Even though the mooring buoys are quite a way from shore it was quite peaceful. But, by the next morning the wind had come up to over 30 knots making the anchorage quite miserable. In fact, we couldn't even go to shore without getting totally wet. So, we sat and didn't leave the boat all day even though we were really looking forward to checking out the town. By the evening the wind died down and we were set for a day of laundry, internet, and exploring the town in the morning.
But, late last night we were woken up by the wind rising again! This morning it was over 20 knots by daybreak. If the wind is blowing that early it means that during the day it will really build! Instead of getting stuck on the boat for another day we let go of our mooring and scooted over to a tiny protected harbour on the South side of Lanai, Manele Bay.
Getting here was quite exciting! It was honking in the Au'au channel between the two islands. The seas weren't that big but the wind topped out at 41 knots. That's nearly 80 km an hour for land-folk! It was a downwind run so I just had the jib up but we were still averaging over 8 knots. Why are we always running into so much wind!!!
Once at Picturesque Manele Bay we just had a gentle breeze. First, we tried to anchor outside of the marina but could not find a good enough patch of sand. We wanted to avoid the marina because it is fully rented and only has 24 shallow, tiny slips around a little seawall. We had our fingers crossed for an empty slip and found a couple of them. But, the marina is so small and shallow that we kept running aground. Count it friends, we got stuck on bottom four times before we got into a slip. Then, I didn't even need to tie on dock lines because our keel held us in place! Luckily the bottom is mud and this was an especially low tide.
We're tied up now, having a cold beer, and soothing our shattered nerves after the rough days at Lahaina and the wild sail over. Now we're hoping that the harbor master doesn't come by and kick us out. The weather is pretty windy and we really like to stay here and wait it out. Besides, Lanai is a stunningly beautiful island and we really want to have a few days to check it out!