This winter, El Nino has delivered us some stronger than usual low-pressure systems. And the Jetstream has become displaced to the south allowing these Kona Lows to hit our state in a more direct manner. But this is my favorite time of year to cruise the Islands. What really happens when these storms pass over our state is a veering of the wind in a 360-degree clockwise direction from the northeast all the way around the compass rose. Typically, the wind strengthens from the south before lightening to the west and north and finally filling back in as Trades. And during the day or two or three that the wind dies, you can find some remarkable conditions and experience places that are generally inaccessible. Anchorages on the east sides of the Islands can even open up. The winds and conditions (including incoming large NW swells) can change quickly so you need to keep an eye on your weather apps and have a backup plan to move anchorages if conditions deteriorate. But if timed right you can go downwind and down sea on a west wind traveling to any islands to your east. Once the wind rotates and trades switch back to the north and east, you can then ride the filling breeze back downwind again to your starting point (to the west). 

The two best cruising guides for Hawaii are “Noodles Notes: On Fifty Years of Sailing in the Hawaiian Islands” and “Cruising Guide to the Hawaiian Islands.” Both books are available on Amazon or other online retailers and Noodles Notes is available in digital form at Noodlesnotes.com. The guides supplement each other well, as both contain information that cannot be found in the other. You will find information on anchoring in the most remote and secluded bays with maps, pictures, and descriptions of what to expect for depth, bottom type and hazards in the area. 

Windy is a great weather app to keep an eye on changing conditions and has a lot of different data streams to pull from but most of it is all forecast based. Checking live swell and wind observations can prove more valuable while cruising. 17ft.com will give you buoy readings, coastal weather, tides, and general surf and wind reports. PACIOOS has valuable forecast and observation data including currents. And the most accurate forecast especially for winds is going to come from NOAA in the form of the HRRR Model.

The Hawaiian Islands have some of the best fishing and sailing grounds on the planet and on the whole, it is easily manageable even for entry level boaters. Boat design and safety technology has come a long way in the last few decades. Forecasts and real time weather condition updates are at your fingertips and EPIRBs and other satellite communications can keep you connected to the Coast Guard. Don’t let the winter weather keep you off the water! 

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See you on the water!

-Sean Doyle

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PACIOOS- https://www.pacioos.hawaii.edu/

17FT- https://17ft.com/o

NOAA- https://rapidrefresh.noaa.gov/hawaii/