2008 Cruises

Barbeque "Cruise", October 2008

On Sunday Oct 19^th we had a great cruise-in.  Well…a land cruise-in.  We always get great participation in our land cruises, and this was no exception.  Everyone got to exercise their land-based navigation skills, some of us more than others, making our way over the Pali and through the somewhat unfamiliar wilds of Kailua town, for a Pot Luck BBQ hosted by Leslie & Dave Moore at their lovely home in Kailua.

Dave made his ono Mai Tai's (remember the Transpac greeting?)  Bill Beadle was master of the BBQ grill… once he found out how to turn it back on.  Whoops!!  We dined on Barbequed Baby Back Ribs, plank-roasted fresh salmon, fried chicken, potato salad, baked beans, corn-on-the-cob, salads, and lots of other barbeque fare.  Plenty of food, snacks and drinks for the enjoyment of the 25 or so party-goers.
 

Leslie & Dave were gracious hosts, opening their home for an afternoon of food, camaraderie and fun.  And their helpful hanai niece Becky played chief photographer, cheerfully catching candid shots of our group. Throughout the afternoon we mingled to sip cocktails or wine, eat great food, and talk story about boats and boating, fishing, cruising, and various other subjects.  We are a diverse group with a wide array of interests, but we always seem to enjoy each others’ company.

 There were games in the backyard for the enjoyment of all.  Barb & Bill Beadle, Jeff & Patty Naus, Leon Fedenczuk, Skip Riley, Hal & Fran Hallonquist and several others all caught the competitive spirit.  Leon mastered the ping pong table with a grand slam; he didn’t always hit the table but wore everybody out chasing the ball.  Skip Riley had the hang of the ring toss. “You hold the ring just right, rough side down, and toss it so it slides into the hole”…how?  That little hole?  Yeah right, real easy!

When it was time to drive home, the twilight provided another test of our navigational skills as we made our way through the fading light back to Kailua town.  After a few bad tacks and 180 degree penalties we found our way back to the main intersection. “Gee, I forgot there was a traffic signal there!”

We think everyone agreed that Dave & Leslie’s BBQ was a great success and we will look forward to other land events. 

SeaYa out there!      Mike & Patti Salomon    

Hanalei Bay, Kauai  2008 (continued)

As of June 14th, five Cruising Society boats have reported in from Hanalei Bay:  Ariel, Matt and Priscilla Klocek; Lord Magic, Mike Mathews; Crow's Nest, Jerry & Michele Hansen; Keiki Fun, Sam Holland; and Alchemy, Leon Fedenzcuk.
                                                        Editor

June 14th
Some of us have been in place for nearly a month, and we finally had our first day and night of rain, boy, did we.  Kauai set a record for the date, and so did the dinghy -- more than half full overnight!  The  Hanalei River channel had some sand washed out, and we may a have little better access now.  With the rain comes rainbows, and gorgeous sunsets -- and a free car wash.  More HYC boats keep arriving and two more are scheduled by Tuesday, June 17th.  Stand by for the next update.

Matt Klocek, ARIEL

 6/08 Hanalei Happy Hour on Ariel, Tom Allison (Rattlesnake),
Ron Thompson & Judi Jacobson

Around Oahu, May 23-26, 2008

     After several weeks of southerly winds and overcast voggy skies, the trades returned and our “Around Oahu” cruise proved to be a well attended group event, with 5 boats participating:  Millie D, Bill Beadle & Barbara Dove; Seaquel, Mike & Patti Salomon; Alchemy, Leon Fedenczuk, Tom Gebhardt & Rick Tudeur, with Leslie Moore joining the crew later; Moonshadow, Jeff & Patty Naus, joined on this trip by Linell Kam, Skip Riley, Joy Brown & David Meek; and Symphoon, Scott Gilbert & Erick Cremer.  

       Bill & Barb, on Millie D, went out from Ala Wai to Kaneohe Bay on Thursday to set a beachhead at the sandbar, followed on Friday by Mike & Patti on Seaquel.  After a quiet night Millie D departed the anchorage on Saturday morning to check out Makua on the west side of the island, while Seaquel remained to greet the rest of the fleet.  Alchemy, Moonshadow & Symphoon had a good sail around to  Kaneohe Bay on Saturday and dropped anchor on the sand bar and rafted up, with plenty of time for swimming and visiting.  Scott Gilbert played water taxi by ferrying Joy & Dave ashore and later the group settled on Moonshadow for a “potluck” meal.  Alchemy’s crew contributed fresh caught Ono, Erick brought home brewed beer, and Jeff & Patty’s cockpit was a lively place.  

       Next morning, Sunday, dawned clear and cool.  With 15 knot trades predicted, we looked forward to good sailing conditions for the 50 mile sail around Kaena Point to Pokai Bay.  Seaquel weighed anchor about 6:45 am and each skipper got underway in his own time.  On Seaquel we had a lively sail up the north shore, watching dolphins and the colorful spinnakers of the race fleet as they steadily gained ground on us around Kaena Point.  We arrived at  Pokai Bay about 3 pm.  Millie D welcomed us in and we dropped anchor to have a cooling swim & relax.  Leslie Moore was waiting on the beach to join the Alchemy crew so Patti gave her a dinghy ride out to Alchemy when they arrived at  4:30, followed soon by Moonshadow, then Symphoon at about 7 pm.  We all settled in among the several boats already anchored there, and Pokai Bay was a busy place. The ever-gracious Bill & Barb hosted a pot luck dinner on Millie D and the tired but relaxed crews settled in for a welcome sleep.  Even the mosquitoes were quiet.  

Monday morning it was time for Alchemy, Moonshadow & Symphoon to return to home ports, while Mille D and Seaquel remained ONE MORE Day!  Lucky them!  Over the previous 24 hrs the winds had freshened, promising the usual bash around Barber’s Point, but all boats reported a safe journey home.  
      We who remained behind welcomed another of our member boats into the Pokai Bay anchorage.  Jerry & Michele Hansen on Crow’s Nest sailed in from Ala Wai about noon, stopping by on their way to  Hanalei Bay for the season.  We were glad to see them before they set off for Kauai and shared Happy Hour with them on Seaquel, along with Barb & Bill B.  

But all good things must come to an end, as they say, and Seaquel departed the anchorage at 6 am for the return to Ala Wai, motorsailing around Barber’s Point in the east winds, and made an uneventful return by noon.  Millie D reported a pretty rough ride around the fuel farm, but made home port unscathed.  All in all, a good ending to our big adventure around Oahu, leaving us looking forward to our next outing!!  
                              Patti Salomon

Alchemy's Around Oahu Cruise, May 2008
                                             Tom Gebhardt: Contributing Editor

      The winds were trades, fair & light from the east and Alchemy motor sailed past Waikiki Beach on this beautiful Saturday morning.  We were dragging a few fishing lines and someone noticed the drag line was rolling far behind us.  We moaned that we may have snagged a trash bag or something and we laughed and started hauling in the line.  As the object hove into view we realized that this was not trash but a fish, a fairly nice Ono.  Suddenly everything began to get a little exciting; here we have a nice fish on and we were totally unprepared for it!!

Captain Leon hauled in the line and I climbed over the push pit to man the swim step.  As Rick handed down the net we noticed two things; one, the fish is far to big for the net; and two, the net had a sizable hole in it!  Rick jumped into action, dashed below for the gaff and handed it over the rail.  I hesitated but a moment, took aim, and pulled the gaff up sharply from beneath.  Bang - the gaff struck hard.  The heaving fish weighed a ton as I thrust it over the rail, all the while clinging to the backstay in the rolling & pitching of the moving vessel.  But the beast had been subdued.
     After that, the trip got messy.  We got advice on cleaning the fish at sea and proceeded to cover the boat in blood and entrails.  Needless to say the gaffer (that's me) had inhaled a little bit of diesel exhaust and, now, fish smell.  Not a happy camper, and yes, I may have turned green.  But I lived to go on.
     We hit the Kaneohe Bay main Ship Channel at about midday and we were greeted by a very large hammerhead shark.  He swam just below the surface, directly at us, passing only a few yards to the side of us.  It was a rare sight for me and the crew.  Pretty cool, but kind of made us worry about our arrival swim call!

 We anchored alongside Seaquel's starboard side and pulled ourselves over to raft up.  We were ready to relax and plan a fish fry.  S/V Moonshadow arrived a little later and anchored, rafting to Seaquel's portside, making Seaquel like the filling in an Oreo cookie, a 34 ft. boat between a 42 footer and a 52 footer.  Later S/V Symphoon arrived and put on an excellent show as they tried to set their anchor under sail.  The entire raft up was called to battle stations to fend off when Symphoon drifted down onto the anchor lines of all three vessels.  A lot of captains ( seven by my count) make for a lot of ideas on how to clear things up, but eventually all settled down and the serious business of relaxing took shape.

      After a day of sailing, fishing, swimming on the sand bar, rowing and anchoring, sunset found everyone at dinner on Moonshadow.  We gathered for the feast of fish, salads, chicken and other treats, and lots of talking and laughing in the quiet darkness.
     Sunday morning beckoned the crew awake with new chores.  We fired up the coffee and took our morning swim; then we munched on our muffins, boiled eggs and fruit.  Soon it was time to slather on the sunscreen, claw up the anchor and get under way for Pokai Bay on the leeward side of the Island.  As we headed out the Kaneohe Bay Ship Channel we noticed Symphoon anchored off to the side for a swim.  We exchanged waves and blasted out the channel.  Capt. Leon got a bit off course taking pictures but turned quickly back to the markers.  As we turned north we elected not to do any fishing on this leg; we still had plenty fish on board.

   We had given up all our ice to keep the fish cold the day before, so we decided to make a stop at Haleiwa Harbor for ice.  We dropped sail and cruised into the harbor slowly as this was the first time for Capt. Leon.  We found the Harbormaster dock wide open, slipped in and sprang ashore.  No one was in at the Harbormaster's office so the crew trudged up to the store, grabbed 4 bags of ice, and trudged back.  Wasting no time we got underway to continue along the north shore toward Kaena Point.  Soon we saw Moonshadow gaining on us.  We waved a greeting to them and then trimmed our sails.  The inevitable cruisers' race was on, racing while pretending not to!
     As we rounded Kaena Point and headed down the west side of Oahu the wind, as predicted, died down to nothing and the motor-sailing began for the final leg of the day.  We arrived in Pokai Bay in mid-afternoon.  Greeted by Bill Beadle & Barb on Millie D, we dropped anchor off their port side and settled in.  Later Moonshadow dropped their anchor on our port, rafted to us, and Skip Riley ran out a stern anchor.  Swim call and dinner plans were set; we all gathered on Millie D for potluck.  Sorry Bill, the fish was partially frozen, and not filleted but big Ono hunks in Baggies.  But Bill graciously overcame the obstacles and dinner and drinking went on.

  Monday morning we were a little slower getting things going.  We enjoyed extra coffee and omelets, muffins, watermelon and a cool swim.  Soon enough it was time to run; up came the anchor and  we were steaming past the breakwater of Pokai Bay, running down the Waianae Coast toward home.  We spotted Moonshadow behind us and the race (sort of) was on again.  We did our best to hold them at bay as the wind faded and gathered.
     The real racing fleet was ahead of us as we neared Ko'Olina.  They cut inside the fuel farm, but we opted to go out and around, and a long bumpy ride began as we headed for Keehi Lagoon and home.  After a quick stop for fuel we put Alchemy in the slip and departed for home.  On reflection it was a great trip, one that will be remembered for a long time.  Thanks to all of you for coming along.                      by Tom Gebhardt
 
 

 Lord Magic: Mike Mathews

 Crow's Nest:  Jerry & Michele Hansen

Ariel:  Matt and Brandon

Lord Magic:  It's a dinghy thingy, Mike!

Hanalei Bay

Hanalei Sun Set

          2008 Anniversary Dinner

April 12^th, 2008 marks the second year of the HYC Cruising and Voyaging Society.  During that time we have enlisted 86 associates with 43 of them as participating members.  A communication system has been established that allows for on-the-spot requests for crew or guests via the Internet.  The Society has requested and received a charter as a Hawaii Yacht Club Fleet and elected Linell Kam as our Fleet Captain. We have made a formal Declaration of Intent and have agreed on the rules and order of electing and appointing fleet officers.  Gradually we are establishing annual cruises such as the Memorial Weekend “Around Oahu” Cruise.   

Although the first few months of the new year always seem a little slow in regard to organized cruises, when you look back over the past year….with our First Sunday breakfasts, a total of seven group cruises, lots of spontaneous day sails by members and their guests, and the growth of the Society as an organization…..it has been an exciting year.

On Saturday, April 26, we celebrated these achievements with a fabulous Anniversary Dinner, and took the time to recognize those individuals and couples who have been active participants in the group.  We came together for fun and conversation, good food and door prizes, under a whimsical balloon archway and decorations by the talented Michele Hansen, and helpers Naomi Wasano and Patti Salomon. 

The evening started with lots of conversation and hellos to old and new cruising friends.  We had a terrific buffet dinner, supplied by The Galley by the Sea under the direction of proprietor Mona Streng, a superb menu of quality & quantity. And of course there was a cake, supplied by our Fleet Capt. Linell Kam.  Delicious!  Thanks, Linell.    

This year our “Cruiser of the Year” recipients are Jeff & Patty Naus.  The “Cruiser of the Year” is selected by the staff of hyccruisingsociety.com and awarded to a member/s demonstrating the qualities of aloha spirit and the promotion of cruising as a safe, fun and environmentally responsible recreation.  Jeff and Patty made multiple open invitations, to both experienced and inexperienced sailors, to join them on Moonshadow III for whale watching and fun sailing!

We wish to thank our local West Marine Store, and manager Susan Linch, for the very generous donation of numerous products to use as recognition awards and door prizes for our members.  They contributed binoculars, dry bags, rigging knives, polar fleece throws, and the most interesting Shake-light flashlights, first aid kits, and key floats, all goodies to thrill any boater.  Also, many thanks go to the ever-energetic Leslie Moore who made arrangements for those gifts from West Marine, and also provided many other items for door prizes.  Her efforts ensured that we all went away with something fun and useful!!   

Several members were recognized for contributing articles to the web site.  A special thanks to Fran Hallonquist for sharing the experiences that she & husband Hal had in preparing for and making their ocean crossings, as well as a favorite cruising recipe.  Other contributors of note were Capt. Skip Riley, Tom Gebhardt and Ted Murphy (Adventures), Erick Cremer (Group Cruises), Bill Beadle & Barb and Ralph & Jackie Sprague (Skipper Profiles), Linda Collison (Galley) and Mitch Kahle (Adventures).  We look forward to more contributions.  They make the web site more interesting and informative!!

Also during the dinner, Commodore Frank Lange presented Capt. Skip Riley with a letter of appreciation in recognition of Skip’s founding and dedication to the group.  From the look on Capt. Riley’s face this was a complete but appreciated surprise and, we think, well deserved.

The spirit of camaraderie and fun experienced at our Anniversary Dinner will remain with us and serve as a reminder of why we come together as a group.  For those who have made a cruise, you know what fun they are; and if you have not had the pleasure of a group cruise, give it a try!

Hale'o Lono, Molokai; January 19-21, 2008

As usual during the off season, it was difficult to get firm commitments to a weekend cruise. Three boats committed, one went. Yep... you guessed it!  Leon Fedenczuk and his yacht Alchemy, always ready for a weekend adventure, always ready to take new crew. What follows is crew member Erick Cremer's account of their two day, cross channel cruise.

Alchemy's Sail to Molokai

By Erick Cremer  

As usual in the winter season, the weather had been unstable all week, and the weekend prediction was iffy given the weatherman’s record so far.  It could be fair sailing or …!  So it was undecided whether we would sail to Molokai or to our back up destination, Pokai Bay, on Martin Luther King’s birthday weekend.  Leon Fedenczuk, the captain of Alchemy, and his crew Dick White and me, Erick Cremer, would make the decision on the morning of our departure.

Saturday morning came and the forecast was for 15 to 20 knots out of the East, diminishing Sunday.  It was unanimous, Hale’o Lono Molokai, here we come!
    The departure from Keehi around 0900 was uneventful.  When we cleared the Keehi channel the period of the swells became noticeably short, promising a bumpy ride.  We sailed as close to the wind as we could and were making 5 to 6 knots, punching through the swells. 
    Over the course of the next few hours we saw many, many whales, and their numerous spouts.  The grandeur of these immense mammals in their natural element is an amazing sight; but with their close proximity, in the back of your mind you think “I sure hope they know we are here!”  I never could seem to capture a good image of them with my digital camera. One good thing about the old film cameras, what you see is what you get. One whale was at quite a distance, slapping his fin on the surface for a minute or so, and I was able to capture this action thanks to his patience!

As we neared Molokai the seas calmed along with the wind.  We had to motor the last few miles to Hale’o Lono and arrived around 5 pm.  We were the only boat in the harbor, one of the advantages to cruising in 'not-so-perfect' weather.  There were a few families of fishermen camping out on the shore, adding a little local color.  We dropped the anchor and backed down to tie the stern to the only mooring available, thinking to minimize our swinging throughout the night.  Well, the mooring float went under the keel and hung up on the rudder and we had to do some snorkeling to untangle the mess.  Minor adventure, problem solved, and we were soon moored. We also provided some entertainment to the local fishermen and their kids!  Hey, it’s all in fun.

We dined on Costco BBQ chicken, beer, and… I can’t remember what else for dinner.  It was a relaxing evening.  Not too many stars as the moon was almost full, but we did pick out a few of the major navigational stars. We hit the sack relatively early, about 2030.  Surprisingly, we all woke up around midnight to see if the anchor was holding. The wind was still blowing out of the East. We took in a little of the anchor rode, checked out a few more stars, and went back to our bunks.
We woke to a lazy morning, had omelets and some potatoes, then headed out from Lono around 1045, destination Keehi Lagoon.  No winds to speak of so we motored for a few miles.  Then, within a minute, the wind increased from 5 knots to 20 and we were flying at 8 to 11 knots with a following sea.  The autopilot had become a bit confused, so we all took turns steering manually.  It was quite a ride, and a good aerobic workout at the wheel!  We didn't sight any more whales, despite my occasional chumming!!
      Running with the wind was exhilarating!  So much so that we did not notice the main traveler had started to break; it was just being held together by the tension on the main sheet.  Once noticed we headed up into the wind, and the sheet block separated from the traveler bale.  In the swells and the wind we lowered the mainsail and sailed the rest of the way under the headsail alone.  Surprisingly, the boat was much easier to handle under the jib only.  We were still doing 6 knots, which made for a very comfortable downwind sail for the last leg of our weekend journey.