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Thread: Tiger Beetle visiting Nawiliwili and Hanalei

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    448

    Default Tiger Beetle visiting Nawiliwili and Hanalei

    Tiger Beetle and I are headed over to Nawiliwili Harbor this weekend, and then anchored out in Hanalei Bay (conditions permitting). I'm planning to stop by the Nawiliwili Yacht Club and say hello. Currently I'm in Kewalo Harbor on Oahu.

    If people are interested, I can report back how things are playing out at those two places.

    The details I know so far:

    Port Allen is replacing their docks, therefore those boats are moved over to Nawiliwili - the harbor in Nawiliwili is fairly full and likely to remain so thru the October/November time frame. Kristy is the harbormaster there, she's been very helpful and found a slip for Beetle.

    Docks in Hawaii are typically rough fixed concrete piers and fingers, and double-wide meaning two boats share a slip with no finger in between - each boat is side-tied to a concrete finger. Tidal range here is 2-3 feet, dock lines need to be slack enough to accomodate this. If you're going to be on a dock, have good fat fenders, good dock lines, and chafe gear to protect the dock lines.

    In Hanalei Bay, Black Pot Beach is badly damanaged (Black Pot is the sandy area between the pier and the river mouth). Toilets, facilities, etc. are gone - this is due to the flood damage there. The Pavilion (the park I believe the Tree is in) is accessible, that's as far as cars are allowed to go towards Black Pot Beach. There is a fair bit of debris in the Hanalei river, and the coral outside the river is mud-covered and damaged. Land dinghies near the lifeguard station at the Pavilion - at least that was what I was told by DOBOR.

    DOBOR is not issuing anchoring permits for Hanalei Bay, nor are they enforcing the anchoring permit requirement. The reasoning is that since Black Pot Beach facilities aren't there to be used, there's no need to charge boaters for them. Boats are anchored there.

    I have no information regarding theft in Hanalei. I expect that there is some.

    If there's anything I can do that would be helpful, let me know.

    - rob/beetle

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
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    3,485

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    Thank you, Rob! Are you kidding?! It is terrific that you are there, and the information is very helpful. I read the newspaper for The Garden State online, but details are remarkably sketchy. Suppose that is because people are busy with recovery efforts.

  3. #3
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    Sep 2007
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    Quote Originally Posted by Philpott View Post
    Thank you, Rob! Are you kidding?!
    No kidding - I am here and pushing off tomorrow (Friday) late afternoon for the 93 mile run from Kewalo to Nawiliwili - think of it as SF to Monterey in the Spinnaker Cup; the game is to time cross-channel trips to lighter trades and ideally at night to set up for a morning daylight arrival. Trades are forecast to be down in the 15 knot range tomorrow night (so hopefully less than 25-30 in the channel) and I should be off Nawiliwili come Saturday morning.

    They have a K-mart, Home Depot, and a Safeway within bicycle range of the harbor - unbelievable. I think the last time I visited the harbor was 1996... a lot has changed since then! I do like my folding bicycle (Dahon Mariner that I purchased here on Oahu), it is super for visiting local stores and returning with a backpack full of goodies.

    It's cruising season in Hawaii - folks are moving around in their boats come mid-May.

    I'm planning to depart Kauai mid-June, headed north, aiming for Kodiak, Alaska.

    - rob

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Alameda CA
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    497

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    Thanks Rob -
    your info squares up nicely with what I have been speaking to DOBOR and Kristy about.
    So you know, both are aware of the SHTP, and the time frame for arrivals and pulling boats in Nawiliwili.

    DH

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    448

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    Hi Dave -

    That's good to know - I haven't mentioned this year's race to anyone at this end. Hopefully there aren't too many trees on the bottom in the anchorage at Hanalei. One year Alchera hooked up on a 25 foot section of tree with his anchor and it took a fair bit of patience to get his anchor back.

    - rob

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    San Francisco Bay
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    156

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    Quote Originally Posted by tiger beetle View Post
    Hi Dave -

    That's good to know - I haven't mentioned this year's race to anyone at this end. Hopefully there aren't too many trees on the bottom in the anchorage at Hanalei. One year Alchera hooked up on a 25 foot section of tree with his anchor and it took a fair bit of patience to get his anchor back.

    - rob
    Jeez. Do I need to include a buck saw in my tools inventory?

  7. #7
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    Sep 2007
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    448

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    Quote Originally Posted by The Smokester View Post
    Jeez. Do I need to include a buck saw in my tools inventory?
    No, you don't. The water in Hanalei is usually quite clear and you can see the sandy bottom where you're going to anchor (assuming you arrive in daylight). After the hook is set put on a mask & snorkel and jump in to check the anchor and scout the immediate area to see if there's anything the anchor can hang up on. If you don't like the set, pick up and drop again.

    Do be aware that murky river outfalls such as Hanalei River are places sharks will hang out, in particular Tiger sharks. Having a large Tiger shark in Hanalei is a rarity and the tour helicopters keep an eye out for them. If one is spotted word gets back to the beach quickly and people are asked to stay out of the water (that happened once when I was there, word got out via radio to the boats). To minimize risk of seeing one, don't swim at dawn or dusk and avoid murky/cloudy water at the river mouth. The problem with Tiger sharks is they are a scavenger and will test-bite most anything just to see if it's any good. (This is completely unlike White sharks, which are hunting seals and people are the right size to possibly be a seal.)

    - rob/beetle

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