2024 Nā Peʻa Coastal Sail- Kīholo to Kahuwai and Back

On  Aug 8th we arrived at Kīholo and rigged our canoes for our annual Coastal Sail.  This year we had the privilege of having two youth sailors form Maui.  Kalaeʻula Baybayan-Kapuaaia  and Kalāhiki Jeremiah from the Maui voyaging canoe Moʻokiha o Pililani.

 

On Aug 9 we did short practice sails around Kīholo Bay to sharpen our canoe handling skills.  We also worked in the Waiakeʻeu wetland located within the Hawaiʻi Nature Conservation Kīholo Cultural Preserve pulling weeds.   

 

The winds were inconsistent, first coming out of the South then switching and coming out of the North making sailing challenging. 

 

On Aug 10 we set sail at about 6:30 AM with the intention of reaching Makalawena.  The wind was low but coming out of the South.  We paddled across Kīholo Bay raising our sails only after reaching Luahinewai.   We then tacked up the coast arriving at Kahuwai and the Kona Village Resort around 10:00 AM.

 

We were greeted by Aunty Wela Bean who provided us a two hour tour of the Cultural Center at Kona Village and the large petroglyph field located there.  The Kaūpulehu Petroglyph field at Kahuwai has the largest collection of Peʻa (Hawaiian Sail) petroglyphs in Hawaiʻi.  

 

By around Lunch time the wind had picked up and was still blowing out of the South.  We decided to sail back to Kīholo rather than fighting the wind up to Makalawena.  The sail back to Kīholo was epic.  Reaching speeds of over 8 knots  and in 2 foot chop the voyage was very exciting if not somewhat frightening at times.  But we made it back to Kīholo in good shape.

 

On Aug 11 we had lunch at Kīholo with our parents which brought our 2024 coastal sail to an end.

 

It was a real pleasure to have Kalaeʻula and Kalāhiki with us. They brought a very valuable perspective on sailing that helped us expand our understanding of what it is to be a Hawaiian Canoe Sailor.  We look forward to sailing with our new shipmates again soon.