Re: Hawaiian trade wind P14/15 HP race
James Leith (jeleith@worldnet.att.net)
Fri, 6 Nov 1998 01:56:17 -0500
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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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Aloha Rich,
You are a far braver man then I Gunga Din... As a long-
time resident of Hawaii (left in '95) I'd suggest hesitating a lot
and double checking the weather forecasts and expected wave
conditions several times before sailing off between some of the
islands in your P14/15. A trip between Lahaina and Lanai
or between Wailea/Makena and Molokini would not be a stretch
for a P14/15, but longer voyages like Lahaina to Honolulu---especially
in the winter months---could be quite hazardous to your health and
longevity.
Having made several crossing (early 1970's) of the Molokai
"trench" (aka Kaiwi Channel) on hydrofoils that use to run between
Honolulu, Kahului and the big island, I have some first hand experience
on how rough it gets between islands. In fact, those huge waves in the
Molokai Channel were the man reason why they stopped running the
hydrofoils---the high waves would knock them off the step and then
prevent them from going fast enough to get back up. Consequently,
they would have to motor the rest of the way as a full displacement
vessel hauling a boat load of very sea-sick tourists some of which
had broken bones and many bruises. Those hydrofoils were quite
large and capable of carrying a couple of hundred passengers, but
the Molokai Channel, law suits and word-of-mouth did them in.
A few months ago I also read an interesting story
(Letters from the Lost Soul) by Bob Bitchin (owner & editor of
Latitudes & Attitudes Magazine) about sailing the islands in his
50+ foot sailboat "Lost Soul" and getting knocked down on an
overnight trip from Lahaina to Honolulu.
That said, would certainly vote for the biggest and most
trustworthy engine you can hang on the back of your P14/15
if you plan to do some serious island hopping... Lots of drinking
water and a 406 EPIRB would also be prudent items to carry
since the next landfall if you get de-masted and miss an island
can be rather a long haul. On the other hand, the native Hawaiians
once paddled/sailed (still do occasionally) small out-rigger
canoes among the islands, so maybe Kauai and even Niihau
are within P14/15 range from Maui...
Gettin' home-sick...
Cheers, Jim Leith, P19 #992 G'day, Bradenton, FL