Kama Hele Morning Report

Aloha kākou,

We had a rather exceptional day yesterday considering all the mechanical difficulties, which are identical to the ones we have had ever since leaving Palmyra Atoll. We evidently have quite a bit of accumulated dirt and debris in our day fuel tank and as we consume fuel the debris in the fuel get caught in the filter, and we have four separate fuel filter units on Kama Hele. When we lose our power we continue to sail, and therefore do not fall too far back from Hōkūle‘a. We are in constant communication by VHF radio and are able to communicate what each crisis is and the expected amount of time needed to remedy the situation. So far during the entire voyage back from Palmyra, we have only had to heave to on a couple occasions, once due to weather restricted visability, and once again for major mechanical engine problems with Kama Hele.

In addition to the above pilikia, we have discovered numerous structural fractures in Kama Hele’s davit mounting structure and the associated stress fractures on other parts of the vesselʻs safety frame work. So, while we continue to address each new challenge with whatever alacrity that mankind has been granted for such situations, it certainly appears that this return from Palmyra has several mini-sagas within the big picture of the huge success of both vessels, their crew, and their purpose.

It is now 0746 hours and we estimate that we are about 35 miles from the easternmost point of the Big Island. And, we just got a notice from Hōkūle‘a that she needs to know where we are as we have lost visual sight of her, but we are on tail and like a good shepherd we will keep everything together.

Aside from the mechanical and fractured welds that we have been dealing with, Kazu Nishimura-san noticed a missing screw in one of the main sail blocks that surround the cockpit which hold much of the running rigging in place while we are under sail. Kazu is a master sail racer and has taught us all a great deal. He put together a very creative system of pulleys which has enabled us to continue to maintain way through most of our difficulties.

We will probably be home by late Saturday (4-4-09). It has been a long and eventful trip with many hardships and challenges, but all of us are grateful for the opportunities that we call the “Palmyra Challenge” has given us by way of meeting the challenges and giving us the metal to return home safely.

Malama Pono,

Buddy, Kama Hele escort boat

date-time group 030635 HST April 2009;
position 018 degrees 38.63 minutes North, 156 degrees 23.27 minutes West

nm since last report -  32nm, course 53 degrees True
avg speed 2.7 knots
distance and bearing to Palmyra , 840 nm    203.3T
distance and bearing  to Sand Island – 187nm   325.9T

Winds:   E  5-10 knots
Sea state:  E swell 4ft
Skies are sunny but very hazy with vog. All cloud cover is thin, but the vog is dense with slight breaks showing blue sky. The winds and swell have dropped suddenly due to us being in the lee of the Big Island. This is the first mellowness we have experienced since departing Palmyra.  At the present time we are going 4.7 knots.

Aloha soon,
SaM