Finding Kaneohe Bay

by Louis Ickler

Finding Kaneohe Bay is not difficult, but it can be confusing, especially if this is your first time. The mental image you have may not be what you will see. At the end of a long race across the ocean most of us are eager to get in and there is a temptation to skip some of the navigational details. DON'T DO IT!

The only way to ensure a safe landfall is to use proper navigational techniques. And you absolutely must have a copy of Chart 19359 (Oct 2003 edition) to enter Kaneohe Bay.

Let's begin with the approach. Most sailors think they are coming from the east and expect the islands to appear ahead of them to the west. Actually, since Hawaii is south of San Francisco's latitude, you will probably be coming in more from the north. Only the ULDBs and boats that can gain from sailing well south of the rhumb line will be on a westerly heading, and many boats coming into Kaneohe will not even sight the island of Molokai which lies east of Oahu, or Molokai Light, on its east end.

Another source of confusion is the orientation of Oahu; since the windward coast lies on a line from southeast to northwest and Kaneohe Bay is several miles from the east end, not on the east end. The answer to these problems of perception is, of course, to use your charts and make sure of your position before you are close to land. This will save you from sailing into Kailua Bay or sailing right by Kaneohe Bay.

By daylight you will see the high cliffs all along the north shore of Oahu, and at the extreme eastern end of Oahu the headland known as Makapuu, a 650-foot black cliff with a lighthouse near the top of the cliff. Makapuu Light is an occulting light, turning off briefly every 10 seconds, and is visible as far as 20 miles at night. To your right (west) from Makapuu, the lights of Waimanalo and Kailua will glow on the horizon, and just to the right of Kailua you should be able to see the rotating, flashing green and two white flashes of the aero beacon at Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station (Mokapu Peninsula). (This beacon rotates red and white if the airfield is closed, which is unusual)

From about ten miles out you should spot an island, below or just left of the aero beacon, called Mokumanu, about four miles from the eastern point of Oahu. This marks the eastern side of the mouth of Kaneohe Bay. As you close the coast the aero beacon may disappear as Mokumanu Island rises in front of it, and the lights inside Kaneohe Bay will become more distinct. Remember to keep Mokumanu to your left, (the breakers offshore of Mokumanu are a very real danger even in daylight - stay well clear and to the right of the Danger Zone yellow cans A & E and flashing yellow buoys B, C, & D) and start looking for Pyramid Rock. Pyramid Rock is on the western shore at the Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station and is on what looks like a small rock, but is in fact 100 feet up and has a 4-second occulting white light on top. This light and the aero beacon will line up to form the finish line for the Pacific Cup, along with a temporary strobe placed for this race, and you should be in contact with the Pacific Cup Finish Line before you get to this line. Since there are shoals to the east, it is prudent to finish close to the strobe on a course that will take you to R2 buoy. The finish line buoy is approved to be placed at approximately 21º 28’ 50” N and 157º 46’ 21” W.

Excellent! You have now finished the race. While someone is confirming your finish time with the race committee you should have the rest of the crew on deck and ready to turn right 90 degrees well before you reach the R2 buoy, a 2.5 second red light, that marks the start of the Sampan Channel into the Bay. If your boat draws more than seven feet and you arrive during a low tide, you will need to make this right turn and sail three and one-quarter miles on a heading of 320 magnetic to K buoy, from which you can enter the Main Ship Channel with plenty of water for any boat. If you draw less than 7 feet and want to use the Sampan Channel, you can return to R2 after clearing your decks and getting ready to motor or sail. For either channel coming into the Bay,

contact the escort boat on station at R2 to guide you in to the yacht club through whichever channel you elect. If unsure, your escort will be able to provide you with tide and depth information of the Sampan Channel when you arrive.

If you come in the Sampan Channel, follow the escort and line up the range lights on the shore in Kaneohe, a flashing red and fixed red. The channel gradually becomes shallow, reaching no less than seven feet at the inshore end. Leaving this channel your escort will lead you in a turn to the left, then past unlit G23 and the lighted G25 daymarks on your left and 4-second red lighted R22 on your right.

If you enter via the Main Ship Channel, take a heading of 227 magnetic at K Buoy (flashing a Morse A white light) and line up the flashing red range lights on the far shore. When you reach the quick flashing red range mark on a piling in the middle of the channel, turn left and now line up this quick flashing red with another occulting red on the shore behind you. This back range will take you in to the next turn at G15, an unlighted buoy. At G15 turn left again, and stay close to (but NEVER North of) a line from G15 to G17, a quick-flashing green buoy. You will pass flashing 2.5s red R18 (daymark), then flashing 4.0s red R20 (buoy). Look for a red daymark (lighted 4 seconds red at night) marked R22, just past the inshore end of the Sampan Channel, and keep it to your right.

From R22 to R26 (an unlighted red nun) at the north end of Coconut Island and then right and down the Bay is all easy sailing in plenty of water and usually a broad reach. There are two routes into the club, one north (actually east) of the "Coral Patch" and one to the south. Your escort will lead you to a point due west of Kaneohe Yacht Club and line you up to enter the south channel. The North Channel is trickier, with an unmarked shoal about 400 yards north-northwest of the "garbage can" daymark and you should have a long talk with a local sailor before trying it. From the entrance to the south, your escort wilI guide you in; look for the two fixed red lights on the KYC lawn for a range, and keep a square green mark on a stake at the south side of the coral patch on your left. Keep the three red marks on stakes on the edge of a coral shoal to the south of the channel to your right.

After entering the basin at the yacht club you wilI be directed to a berth by the mooring officer. If the moorings are placed as they have been in previous Pacific Cup finishes, there will be ten buoys placed about 100 feet west of the bulkhead at the club, numbered from 1 on the south (your right as you enter) to number 10 on the north. The bow of your boat wilI probably be tied to the bulkhead with a line from the stem to one of the mooring buoys, and you should have a long line available at the stem for this purpose. Be careful throwing lines ashore or you might hit the tray of Mai Tai's and cold beer coming aboard.

All of us at Kaneohe Yacht Club wish everyone fair winds and following seas…and no race has more of that than the Pacific Cup.