The Christmas Fleet in Kona

Set Like a Weather Vane

     Late Sunday afternoon, which was surprisingly clear and warm, Sandra and I made our way down to the village.  The attraction for us was the promised sailing of the Christmas fleet, a flotilla of vessels bedecked in lights.  While Christmas fleets are a long standing fixture in the Pacific Northwest,  this is only the third year
that one has sailed in Kailua Kona.  We had missed the event previously, and,being of nautical bent, we were excited to see the boats.

    The show was due to start at 6 PM, so we arrived around 5:30.  This being the third Sunday of Advent, there was plenty going on in the village, which probably accounted for our difficulty in parking.  I, of course, assumed the congestion was due to the Christmas boat parade.  By the time we parked (in front of the Royal Kona Resort) and walked down Alii Drive and through the Kona Inn  to the waterfront, it was apparent that the Christmas fleet was not the draw that I had inferred from the multitude of cars. There were free concerts and the Stroll (the monthly street fair) to

account for the congestion.  In fact, its possible that more people were in the village going out to dinner than had come to watch the boats.  Out on the sea wall, with the sun setting in the west, there were relatively few of us nautical types and we found a choice seat without difficulty.  

    As we were treated to a glorious Hawaiian sunset,  the boats congregated off shore.  In this case, the fleet was comprised of five motor yachts, whose festive illuminated decorations were more apparent as it became darker.  Being a yachtsman (of sorts) myself, I was aware of the risk involved in this close grouping of boats in the twilight.  A few years ago, when Sandra and I owned the Renata Maria, we possessed a hand held VHF radio.  And on cold December night, we went to the Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes for the launching of the Christmas fleet.  Standing hard by the memorial to fisherman lost at sea, the wet winter wind

Santa Ahoy!  And he's headed straight for a swim buoy.

chilling us to the bone, we  listened to the skippers and the harbormaster as the Christmas fleet set sail.  Suffice it to say, the chatter was at least as interesting as the boats themselves.  There were electrical problems, mechanical problems, and the continuous concern that there might be a collision on the wintry waters. 

    Well the night here in Kailua was far from chilly.  But just as it became dark, two things happened: a small breeze came up from the south and a sailboat rounded the point north of the pier.  The boat wasn't huge, perhaps 40 feet,  LOA, and to make a fine display, the skipper had both his jib and mainsail set and sheeted in tight.  Thusly set, the sloop was more like a weather vane than a fine sailing machine.

    Soon enough it was dark enough for the boats to make a coordinated parade past the pier.  Not being a big fan of motor sports,  I assume that people go to car races in hopes that there will be a spectacular collision.  I'm somewhat ashamed to admit, that sitting on the sea wall in front of the Canoe Club (the seaside watering hole that was once Don Drysdale's, may the Big D rest in peace), I couldn't suppress that same secret desire. The boats were very close together, they had the coral reef and the pier to contend with, not to

mention the competing skippers.  And in the case of the sailboat cum weather vane, the pier represented a serious lee shore.  Even a balmy five knots of wind can push a boat rigged like that.

    Heaven only knows, I have had plenty of trouble piloting a sailboat in broad daylight, where everything else was stationary.  These guys were tooling around in the dark and I'm fairly certain that having a giant illuminated snowman on your foredeck does not improves your night vision.  But I must admit, these able bodied seaman was me betters.  Arrr.  They completed their circuits without a hitch and headed off into the night, providing us lubbers a fine photo opportunity.  My only regret was that the hand held VHF was sold along with the Renata Maria.

jeff

Merry Christmas from Kailua