Staying in Hanalei Bay and the return trip

[Alchera]

Most of the skippers make shoreside arrangements, so most of the boats out there are left overnight. As Rob mentioned, many of us set out two anchors in a 'V' just for the added peace of mind, but some also lay only one anchor out. Everyone sort of keeps an eye out, so if your boat starts changing position, someone will probably notice and give you a phone call. (We usually all exchange phone numbers - it comes in handy.)

I don't use all chain, and in the past I have come back to the boat to find the anchor rodes wrapped around the keel and fraying away like crazy. This happens when there is a period of no wind, and the boat floats randomly around doing 360s until the wind comes up again, at which point the keel is wrapped. Not good. Since I've got a fin keel with a bulb, once it's wrapped, it won't unwrap by itself. So last year I used weights on my rodes to keep them hanging straight down away from the keel when there was no wind. Seemed to work OK. You won't have that problem with an all-chain rode, since it will hang straight down to the bottom when there is no wind.

- Mark

[brianb]

Hi John,

A bit of data on a return via Matson. I have shipped boats home 2 times. The largest was an Olson 34. I know of one Express 37 that was shipped via Matson. The Pac Cup team puts together a deal with Matson that saves considerable amounts of money on the normal shipping charges. In the past Pac Cup has accommodated SSS members into the program. For the Olson 34 the cost was $4200 in 2002. In 2000 I paid $3600 to have the same boat delivered home. After replacing the damaged standing rigging and some of the frayed running rigging it seemed the ship return was the better choice.

The key is to find a trailer. This makes the operation for Matson a snap. They just tow your boat into a ROLO. If you opt for this choice follow Matson instructions to the letter. Any deviation and they will really raise their prices at the incoming inspection. Also a few $20 bills seemed to help the Matson measurer with his ability to read a tape measure.

Best luck,
Brian

[BobJ]

Brian, the current Matson situation is of interest to me as I consider whether to race again next year. (I just printed out the Rules and Conditions and the interest is starting to stir . . . )

I sent out some e-mails ahead of the 2006 race and was told that because of higher fuel costs, there were NO deals with Matson via the PacCup fleet and the cost for my 30 footer would be at least $5,000 plus local transport/decommissioning/recommissioning, and finding a trailer. For that and other reasons I sailed the boat home.

What do you know about Matson deals for 2008?

[cr1]

Hey All,
I've decided to come up for the December 17th comm. seminar and so I thought I'd ask a few more questions re: staying on the island and returning my boat back to the mainland. I'd like to sail back in company single handed. But I'm also planning on having my wife meet me over there and spend a week or so vacation. Will I be able to hook up with some boats going back after a week or two in Hanalei? Also, we're looking for an inexpensive rental for a week or two close to the boat (yeah, sure). I'm a first time SHTP'er and so any help is greatly appreciated. I'll see you all up there on the 17th. If anyone cares to sit and chat about options and places when I get there, thanks...

Rich Hillman
captainrich1@sbcglobal.net
714-914-1451
Horizon
Contessa 26

[Ergo]

Hi Rich,

Re: an inexpensive rental close to the boat. There are quite a few options but none of them are actually cheap. If you're committed to going, I'd recommend starting the research soon and possibly finding another racer to share a two or three bedroom unit with. It's also worth noting that light conditions in '06 wrecked havok with most plans for family vacations. In the immortal words of Wisdom "This isn't a family vacation".

Re: the return trip. It's a mixed bag but, I don't know of anyone buddy boating back, especially staying with a slower boat. In '06 boats left a few at a time over the span of about a week. We do maintain a return radio net similar to the race's checkin routine; another great reason to have an SSB.

If I do the race again, I'm planning to sail back with one or two crew. Having another sailor on board would take a lot of the excitement out of equipment failures and watchkeeping if you you loose all your amps. I think there were more mechanical, electrical and gear problems coming back than going.

Bill Merrick

[haulback]

Agree with Ergo - boats usually leave in fits and starts during the week or 2 after the finish. No such thing as 'sailing in company' I don't think - usually an hour or two away from the islands you don't see another boat 'til you get back home. But it will probably be the same for the race over anyway.....with a 4 or 5 mile horizon from a small boat, you don't see much.

You are as close, however as the SSB for the 2X daily checkins. and they can go on as long as there are 2 boats out there. Often boats other than TP'ers will take part in homeward bound check-ins to stretch it out a bit as well, or if you only want to listen to someone call Don on Summer Passage, a nice guy who runs a weather 'net' of sorts. If he likes you he will talk your ear off.

The ride home can be pretty nice, once you get into it for a while. Everybodys a little more relaxed, and a LOT chattier once out of 'race mode'

As far as staying in Hanalei - I can never figure out what the big rush is to move ashore once everybody gets there all the time. Why not get your wife to holiday on the boat with you?? You are surrounded by a salt-water swimming pool, there are public showers in the park for free, a 360 degree view from the cockpit, have coffee for breakfast and eat in Hanalei Village the rest of the time, no bugs, and always a nice refreshing breeze.

It sometimes get a little rolly now and again, and you may get a little wet during the odd squall. Tell her it's an adventure...And you need a reasonable-but-not-super dinghy. I did fine with a 8 foot inflatable with oars in '02, and that's all I'm taking for '08.

My opinions only, of course.

Jim/Haulback

[AlanH]

Hello Jim/Haulback,
Am considering continuing on after 2008 SSTP, that is, to South Pacific. What was your itinerary after 2004 SSTP? Did you post your adventures on a website I should consult?
Barbara/Islander

Wow! Barbara Euser! Hi, and welcome to the forum. LTNS!

[cr1]

Thanks Bill and Jim for the responses re: places to stay etc...

Right, about in company I meant in SSB range. Also, I don't expect to keep up with anybody it'd be more like I expect later departures to approach and pass me during the trip home.

I love the idea of staying on the boat. Karen and I anchor at Two Harbors and Cat Harbor down here at Catalina and she's never complained. I bet she'll go for it; I just never thought to ask. See, you guys are saving me money.

One more thing, I never thought about the weather slowing me down. I was just going to pick what I believed was the slowest I would go with hardly any wind and schedule that day for Karen to be there. And that would put me just about at noon on the 2nd. Cutting it kind of close since that's the deadline, but that's what I can do averaing 4.2 knots. Hopefully I can average that with minimum wind. I'm not going to be that much faster with good wind.

Thanks again,

Rich Hillman
714-914-1451
captainrich1@sbcglobal.net
Horizon

[Eric Thomas]

Brian, the current Matson situation is of interest to me as I consider whether to race again next year. (I just printed out the Rules and Conditions and the interest is starting to stir . . . )

I sent out some e-mails ahead of the 2006 race and was told that because of higher fuel costs, there were NO deals with Matson via the PacCup fleet and the cost for my 30 footer would be at least $5,000 plus local transport/decommissioning/recommissioning, and finding a trailer. For that and other reasons I sailed the boat home.

What do you know about Matson deals for 2008?

I have gotten two quotes from Matson, for my Olson 30, shipping the trailer out empty from Oakland and the boat back on it, $8200 from Oahu and $10400 from Kauai. They ship the trailer for free, and measure only the boat not the mast as long as it is on the deck. This is up from about $5000 for an olson 30 four years ago. I was planning on hauling the boat out at the ramp near the Matson terminal in Nawiliwili Harbor at the yacht club. I have a float on capable trailer and we carry our own gin pole. Another O30 told me the delivery upwind from Kauai to Oahu nearly did him in and ruined his spirit on the trip. Given the high cost of getting my "cheap" boat back I am looking into selling it out there or buying one on the coast and selling/dumping it in the islands to save on shipping from the midwest and back. When I visited the Nawiliwili Yacht Club two years ago I noted that 3 of their fleet were Olson 30s that looked to have been sailed out there and "left behind"

Eric Thomas
Polar Bear
Lake Superior

[Eyrie]

Sylvia & I did the delivery sail from Kauai to Oahu last summer and we had a delightful sail. We were told to expected the trip to take 36 hours and advised to clear lands end of Kauai by sunrise it order to get in the lee of Oahu by the time the afternoon winds really kicked in. We left Hanalei Bay around 2:30 or 3 AM as I recall, and the Hawkfarm 28 being a bit on the slow side, we had maybe 2-3 hrs of uncomfortable upwind miles but nothing a couple of reefs couldn't handle. In the end, the trip only took 24 hrs which added some drama with arriving at 0 dark thirty instead of the light of day. We also got some weather advice regarding which day to leave from a local, Mitchell Alapa with Hawaii Surf Adventures, who drove the escort boat last year.

Synthia/Eyrie