Innagural Sail

Sorry no pics this time out, wont happen again!

Had so many personalities to keep in check and my mental checklist was a mile long so I purposely left it behind during the outing.

Here are the cast of characters..the skeptical wife, played by my better half. She was tense at first but the boat and beautiful conditions won her over as we journeyed out into Kailua Bay for a 2 1/2 hour jaunt.

The joyous youngster, played by my 2 1/2 year old daughter. We were worried that she would not like the experience which would mean that I wasted a lot of cash on a boat that we could not use as a "whole family" pastime. Sure you say what kid wouldnt like to go out on the water? but we werent sure that she would feel it, little girls can surprise you like that, so there was some tension at first as she started to fuss. This translated into tension from my better half to "stop putting the boat together and get us out of here!" This caused me to not get the sail rigging over the tramps and rear aka but we sorted this out under way.

The eager young man, played by my 6 1/2 year old. He and I had tried the boat as a kayak the week before but he couldnt contain his excitement at seeing the whole capable dune TI all put together and ready to rumble! He was awesome help at sorting out all the rigging for me as well while under way and he will make a fine seaman. Dad was proud!

We headed from Kaimalino out to sea with no real goals except to hoist the sail and see how it felt. I asked the Mrs to pack food in case we had a problem so when the favorable conditions had us looking at flat island 1/2 hour later we were all set for a cool picnic experience.

Little uncertainty as we got close and could see all the canoes and paddling teams in the water so I wasnt sure if we about to sail into the middle of a race or something important!
We took the opportunity to practice furling the sail and rest for a minute to check things out before commiting to the traffic. When we decided that there was no major even happening we un-furled, trimed and headed for the little beach. Two or three quick tacks later we were pulling out the mirage drives and getting set to land. I jumped out and pulled the boat up onto the nice warm sand but nearly choked as I realized that I did everything per plan EXCEPT I forgot the put up the center board DOH!

We had a nice picnic, and my boy took Mom and sister for a tour of the little island. He and I have been there a bunch of times together but my wife and daughter had never been out there. It’s a little bird sanctuary about ¼ mile offshore, a good kayaking or swimming destination but we definitely had a “presence” among all the rented kayaks. Had a nice conversation with a vacationing couple who sail in the Seattle area while I kept an eye on the boat and ate my snack.

Then away we went back toward home, after doube checking I didnt snap off the center board! Little different experience down wind and with the swells. It was a little wetter, but a good time was had. The rolling swells look pretty big sitting in a kayak and that was a very calm day!

A success story worth sharing!
More to come...

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2011 TI

Great. Next stop, the Mokulua islands. Kids will love making a game of turtle watching.

Go at high tide and watch the reefs!

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The Wind Is Your Friend...

Ah yes sir....the mokes. High on my list and will happen next time there is half a day to spend. Its tough with the little one needing naps in the middle of the day. Thats one of the ways I knew that my wife was having a great time because she didnt mind not being home in time for nap!

Tides, yes. Where I have been launching is easier with a plus tide so I have been watching it. For the Mokes, what is a good tide to shoot for?

Also, I cut accross a corner of that large boulder field in the middle of Kailua Bay where the waves break way out and noticed a lot of outcroppings that looked close to the surface. What do you guys call that spot? I was glad to be away from there without incident on our outing. Without knowing the depth I was steering around some of the darker obstacles.

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2011 TI

Time it as HIGH as possible on the return, when you are usually in a rush and have the sun in your eyes, if it's late day...

Just watch that your boat doesn't drift away while the clan is exploring the islands.

You may be referring to birdcrap island, (middle of the bay) or you are simply seeing the outer reef pop up from the water. At low tides, it's like that around most of the bay, with just a couple safe zones to sail through.

It's a good fishing spot. You should head out there with a Hawaiian Kayak Sailing Club member some time, but definitely not the keiki.

http://hawaiikayaksailingclub.com/hkscforum/index.php

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The Wind Is Your Friend...

Tiki Tack - sounds like you had a very successful family outing!
Little mishaps are inevitable and not that important in the scheme of things..however try to keep them to the minimum. The main thing is to ensure everyone enjoys the experience - that way you will have company for life

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Mickey
2016 AI Hibiscus
purchased NEW Nov 2021 - My 5th
Adventure Island Sailing since 2008