Hilo was a fantastic rest and recovery stop after our passage, and after a few days it was unfortunately time to leave the city. Hilo is the only anchorage on the entire east coast of the Big Island because of the constant onshore trade winds. So, our plan was to head south and around the bottom of the island to the lee on the west side.

In between waves spraying into the cockpit…

Steam from lava flowing into the ocean

Leaving around noon, the first challenge was working our way upwind from Hilo to Kumukahi Point on the northeastern corner of the island. The trade winds had swung to the east for the day, so it turned into a 5 hour motor sail with the 20 knot winds about 20 degrees off the port bow. The wind waves were a solid 7-9’ with a very short period, and conditions like that make for a wet and rolly ride. Both crew donned foul weather gear as shelter from the near constant spray flying through the cockpit, and harnesses and tethers were needed for moving around the boat.

Our noon departure was timed to pass the active lava flow of Kilauea just after sunset. The timing worked out, and we were treated to spectacular views of cascading lava and gigantic plumes of steam as the lava entered the ocean. We stayed 5 miles offshore for safety, and even there we could smell the sulfur.

Kilauea before dark

The scene was otherworldly – the only comparable thing either of us had seen was the Mustafar system in Revenge of the Sith. All that was missing were flashing light sabers as Obi-wan and Anikin battled amid the flowing lava.

The second challenge of the trip is rounding Ka’lae, the southern corner of the island and the southernmost point in the United States. Sharp points tend to amplify the winds, and Ka’lae is also known for strong currents that can create very difficult conditions. We were told that instead of going around the point by water, the ancient Hawaiians would park their canoes on one side of the point before hiking overland to the other side.

Luck (or perhaps The Force) was with us, as we rounded the point with no more than the 20-30 knots that we saw during the rest of the trip. The sea state didn’t meaningfully change during our rounding – perhaps that was due to our being 5 miles offshore, or perhaps due to luck. In either case, we’ll take it!