Private Landing, 1984

Tony Mondello has a stiletto catamaran that is 27 feet long and displaces only about 10 inches of water, has a couple of dagger boards instead of a keel and can get to Molokai and back rather quickly in a stiff wind, while keeping you fairly dry. We took such a trip one Sunday with a few friends.

Approaching an island by boat really adds to visiting it. You see it way off in the distance and see all the large features. As you get closer, things on the shoreline start to take shape. Palm groves and houses start to show. The coastline gets clearer and you can take a general aim at what might make an interesting closer inspection. Tacking up to the eastern tip took us a little time but we managed to find a white sand beach in the middle of miles of lava coastline before lunch time. The entrance to the beach was a break in the reef about 18 feet wide at mid-tide. The beam on the boat is 14 feet, so we guided it through by swimming alongside it. The beach there was full of things to discover.