Hello Maui

[Kyle]At first light, we left Nishinmura (and Big Island) behind and headed north-northwest to Maui to cross the 'Alenuihaha channel. The skies were clear and once we cleared the cliffs of the anchorage, we could see all the way to the observatories at the top of Mauna Kea. Maui’s dark slopes thrust skyward in the distance much more steeply than the gentle pastures of Hawai’i behind.

The wind picked up slowly and we had a nice, fast sail across the channel that has the reputation of being Hawaii’s worst. At the other side, we could see the uninterrupted Pacific swell crashing into the cliffs ahead at the base of a large lava flow. It wasn’t until we got in close that we could see the indentation at Nu’u, tucked out of the swell behind a tongue of a’a lava and ringed by a beach of black boulders.

Nu'u landing on the mid-south coast of Maui and it's amazing landscape

This is where we will spend a few nights! The steep green slopes rise into even steeper crags that disappear into the clouds above. Waves hit the a’a tongue to the east and explode into spray, leaving only a gentle, rock-you-to-sleep remnant that passes through the bay, steepens sharply and crashes onto the boulders of the beach. It’s marvelous! The pounding surf hits the beach with a boom of white foam, which flows back through the boulders, sounding like distant thunder.

I had a swim to check the anchor. The visibility isn’t great with all of the silt being churned up, but the anchor is well buried in fine black sand that clumps together like paste when you squeeze it. The a’a blocks the swell, but not the trade winds, so our wind generator is putting out plenty of power. Despite there being no phone signal (or internet), Yes, I think this will be a great spot to spend a few days resting up.