The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-03-05

against her. Her damaged lib split
/ once more, and she lost man over
board while trying 70 secure it. The
combination proved too much of a
handicap for her skipper and he put
back into Waialua, giving up the race.
Then the commodore changed his
pinching tactics and gave the Paloma
rapfull; but two hours from the start
we had her three miles astern and to
leeward of US. The coast we were pass
ing proved a perpetual delight. The
mountains, sloping upward from the
leeward side of the islands here, fall
sheer to a narrow strip of level land
in vast precipices, perpendicular, yet
verdure clad, their SUBMITS pinnacled
in jagged peaks that suggested amid
the alternating mists and sunshine, an
imaginative landscape by Dore. Here
an inviting valley opened with rainbow
haunted vistas of sparkling river and
sun kissed slopes, down the sides of
which chase sparkling waterfalls. There
a spur ran out from the main chain
across the emerald, cane grown levels
and showed frowning forehead to the
sea. Islands eroded from the main
land, of curious shape and evident vol
canic origin, rose from the ocean bed
outside and inside the projecting reef,
always running parallel to the shore
about half a mile off the beach. The
long Pacific surges coming unchecked
from the northland, broke in long roll
lers spume heralded. Now and then
heavy rain squall blotted out the land
from view or. bringing wind with the
downpour, heeled over the yacht to the
cardboard strake. We spared the staunch
little craft nothing as we bucked into
he cfn Sfr orfh
with short tacks, seward we devoured
the miles. leaving the Paloma steadily
behind. The steering was delicate, and
the Gladys willing but hnpetuous. The
sea was running very high, and the
slightest inattention threw off the bows
from the course. Promptness in catch
ing, or rather anticipating her, was
necessary to prevent her starting on a !
swing. Running seward she climbed |
the big combers like duck sinking in !
the hollows, ard rushing up the |
slopes without moments hesitation. |
The giant took the wheel after a while, !
and the crew, as the sun got the best
of the clouds, hauled up the slackened |
halliards as they dried.
The little lady requires careful jib
tending to get the best out of her, a
too fat headsail seriously interfering
with good work at the wheel. Getting
the jib up to the racing mark was ac-
by passing the sheet across
the cockpit from port to starboard cleat,
or vice versa, thus giving two men a
chance to haul on the sheet. We were
not to get off without some trouble
during the trip. however, as first the
port, and then the starboard back stays,
which we kept set up through the trip,
A. 1
and fell back. This sent the skipper up
the hoops with marine to remedy the
and we lost time on both tacks
n easing up the boat.
Paloma was still dropping behind,
and we beat her by one tack round
the first, and two rodnd the second
neadland. AT eight bells, just after we
rounded the first point OF Kahuku, she
was good six miles to the bad. There
was no easing up on our part, how
ever. Even if the head wind was in
our favor there was no telling when it
night shift. There was now thirty
Jour mile stretch to Mokapu Point,
and there was a long spinnaker run
rom there home. So we kept racing,
he crew. soaked through long ago,
Kept to the weather rail. Lunch con-
sisted of the passing of a bowl of poi,
he national Hawaiian dish,' made from
pounded taro root, not unlike arrow
,ooC IN substance, washed down with
tot of grog.
Punaluu, the most prominent cape
ook a long time to get by, and five
,ells struck before we passed it. Then
sterile Mokapu Point doomed UP out of
rain squall ahead. A mile off shore
les Bird Island, some 200 feet high,
|
There is plenty of water between. but
he sea boils like a cauldron. 1t is a
hort ut. however, and we steered for
t. In the shelter of Mokapu lies big
arbor with a narrow entrance, deep
water inside. but plenty of shoals or
ather tops of miniature craters that
eed care to avoid. Out of this harbor
anne a coasting schooner as we near
d the island passage. This was close
n to $3.50. and the Paloma was now lost
D sight behind a rain squall When it
feared away it was good-by Paloma.
We did not see her again until next
in Honolulu harbor. Pointing
ell into the wind we soon left the
chooner astern, and passed between
ne island and Mokapu. This same
chooner acted as a delusion and
mare to the Paloma which overhauled =
er later with the glee, thinking they 4
ad caught US in a calm until they IS
,und she had two sticks. As we pass IS
/ the island we gave a whoop, and II
lie top seemed to lift off it as cloud Il
feathered fisher folk rose and wheel is
and wheeled again with raucous z
les at our rude disturbance.
There was still one more point to
ass, and then we would fetch the
ome side of the island again. This r
as Makapuu, not Mokapu, which we 81
rs just passed at 3:45. Mokapu marks
e south eastern corner of Oahu and s.
/ island lying off shore, known as
abbit Island, and swarming with -
zztails, has often been an objective 81
int in local races. Here, also, many 81
ores of contraband have been landed, n