T&T: Nihoa (was Hull Speed 20% faster and more economical...)

[C. Marin Faure]

 >Arild wrote: You mean  Marin's cousin is not on the up and up? <VBG>

Aw gee,  and  here I was looking forward to . . .


Well, there IS an island of Nihoa.  It is actually part of the  
Hawaiian chain, which stretches northwest from the eight main islands  
to (but not including) Midway Island.   Officially, these islands are  
part of Hawaii and, with the exception of Midway, are adminstered by  
the state, making Hawaii the largest state in the union if you count  
the land underwater.  All these islands are the volcanic cores of  
islands that were once as large or larger than the Hawaiian Islands  
today.  The Hawaiian chain is like a trail of breadcrumbs marking the  
passage of one of the earth's plates over a hotspot in the earth's  
crust.  Today, the island of Hawaii is over the hotspot and that  
island is still growing.  The rest of the Hawaiian Islands are slowly  
being worn away.

For example, the island of Oahu is less than half the size it once  
was.  Anyone who's sailed or been to Oahu will be familiar with the  
main mountain range on the island, the Koolau's.  Recall how this  
range slopes gently in long ridges down toward Waikiki and Honolulu,  
but on the other side drops almost vertically to the realatively  
narrow shelf of the north shore.  That's because (I learned in class  
at the University of Hawaii) the Koolau range is actually a section  
of the south wall of what once was a huge circular crater.  The north  
shore of Oahu was part of the floor of the crater.  All of it but the  
"small" remaining piece of the south side of the crater has been worn  
away by the rain, wind, and sea.  Eventually, Oahu will be the size  
of Nihoa (look Nihoa up on the web to see the ultimate fate of all  
the Hawaiian islands).  The ancient Hawaiians knew about Nihoa and  
this island was once populated as evidenced by the stone dwelling  
platforms on the slopes.  By the time the first European visited  
Nihoa it was unoccupied.

For any truly adventurous passagemakers on this list, a cruise up the  
Northwest Islands (Nihoa, Necker, French Frigate Shoals,  
Gardner,Lisianski, etc.) would be quite the experience.  Back in the  
'70s I did the soundtrack for a documentary made about these islands,  
all of which are part of a seabird sanctuary.  I don't know if they  
still do this, but once or twice a year back then the USCG sent a  
buoy tender up the chain to inspect, repair, or replace the navaids.   
The filmmaker went along on one of these trips and went ashore on the  
larger islands with the CG crew.  The bird life is incredible (no  
seagulls, just the really classy ocean seabirds).  I have no idea  
what it would take to cruise the chain in a private boat.  I know you  
need permission from the US Fish & Wildlife Service to go ashore on  
any of them.  And from what I recall of the film, the anchorages.....  
well, there aren't any really, or you have to be REAL experienced in  
open water anchoring...


____________________
C. Marin Faure
GB36-403 "La Perouse"
Bellingham, Washington