View of Lahaina from the yacht club mooring ball
After crossing the ‘Alenuihaha Channel we sailed under Cape Hanamanioa at the southwestern tip of Maui and headed for La Perouse Bay. This bay is the spot of the first European landing on Maui, and it’s also the first possible anchorage after crossing the channel.
When we arrived, swell was rolling through the anchorage and breaking on the beach. The protection didn’t look ideal so we decided to press on to Lahaina.
Angie with Madrone moored offshore. Lanai in the background.
We motored a couple of miles north into a headwind, and as we neared Molokini the wind shifted enough to the east so that we were able to sail close-hauled directly towards Lahaina. We had our second fun, spirited sail of the day as we screamed across Maalaea Bay, close-hauled with a single reefed main and single reefed jib in 20-25 knots of breeze. Beating into the wind is so different from downwind sailing!
Checking in at the Lahaina Yacht Club
Holding is poor for anchoring in Lahaina, so the local yacht club maintains fixed moorings for transient cruising boats. The yacht club website said that there are 8 mooring balls within the Lahaina mooring field, and it even included what we thought was a helpful map. After an hour of hunting, a couple of calls to the yacht club, and even tying up to the wrong mooring, we found the right place and got situated. The problem turned out to be that only 3 of the 8 buoys are actually installed, and they are no longer installed where they’re shown on the map.
It’s rare to have Madrone and a stoplight in the same picture…
Madrone spent 2 nights on the yacht club mooring. Her crew only spent one night there – it turns out that Lahaina is a terrible place to stay on a boat! There is constant wave action in the harbor, and a current tends to hold the boat sideways to the waves.
Historic Pioneer Inn in downtown Lahaina
So, we decided to head to shore for a night and got the last room in town – the Pioneer Inn in downtown Lahaina just about 50 yards from the dinghy dock. What a treat it was to have hot showers with unlimited running water, a king size bed, air conditioning, and a variety of restaurants nearby!
Madrone patiently waiting for us on the mooring (sailboat on the far right)
