South Pacifc Posse '23  

    "Storms don't come to teach us painful lessons, rather they were meant to wash us clean."

- Shannon L. Alder

   SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE FLEET UPDATE 

2023-AUGUST-20

14 Ensigns
South Pacific Posse Gatherings

  2+ SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE BOATS EQUAL A PARTY 

TOP NEWS

  • SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE PARTY
  • THE OCEAN POSSE 🐙 CALENDAR 
  • PICTURES OF THE WEEK
  • SAVUSAVU 🇫🇯  NAWI ISLAND MARINA LAUNCHED 
  • MUSKET 🇫🇯  COVE FIJI
  • NEIAFU VAVA'U 🇹🇴 TONGA
  • BLACKBIRDING 
  • ELECTRICAL BOAT HOW TO  
  • THE BANK ISLAND 🇻🇺 VANUATU  
  • THE PASSAGE TO NEW ZEALAND 
  • CLOUD NINE 🇫🇯 FIJI 
  • FLEET TRACKING FOR PARTICIPANTS  
  • CORRUPTION ALERT ⚠️ AMERICAN SAMOA 🇦🇸
  • GOOD NAUTICAL  
  • HISTORIC PORTS ⚓LAHAINA HAWAI'I

1) SOUTH PACIFC POSSE PARTY  NAWI ISLAND 🇫🇯 FIJI

  Monoriki  

 16° 46.5716' S  179° 19.9533' E -  Nawi Island Savusavu 🇫🇯 Fiji

  RSVP NOW AUG 26 2023  
  NAWI ISLAND  

All yachts are welcome - simply RSVP to get on the list >>

2)  SEMINARS,  EVENTS  MEETUPS FOR ALL   THE OCEANPOSSE 🐙 CALENDAR    

join the fleet
  https://oceanposse.com/calendar/  

3)   PICTURES OF THE WEEK

Jack Iron

SY JACK IRON  🇺🇸   Kent & Michele - Valiant 42′

JACK IRON KentJACK IRON Michelle

 HUAHINE  🇵🇫 FP

Giant anemone (folded up) and purple coral.

Huahine was our last stop in French Polynesia, and one of our favorites.   Giant anemone (folded up) and purple coral.

SY FIRST LIGHT  🇺🇸 Don & Julie  -  Hallberg Rassy 39′

FIRST LIGHT DonFIRST LIGHT Julie

4) SAVUSAVU 🇫🇯  NAWI ISLAND MARINA LAUNCHED 

A very nice place to stay with lot of place.

For the people who wants to know about Nawi Marina in Savusavu. 

A very nice place to stay with lot of place.

The Marina is done at about 70%  completed 

The Marina is done at about 70% but no possibility to haul out a boat and no specific technical services

It's just a marvelous place to stay very friendly people there and the restaurant has a very good kitchen, but no possibility to haul out a boat and no specific technical services 

The pool is not ready just the restaurant, the bar, toilets and laundry are done. But it is very well done and nice here.

SY KAWAINE II  🇨🇭   Jean-Dominique & Guylène  - C.M.P.F. – Fecamp 42′

KAWAINE II Jean-DominiqueKAWAINE II Guylène
   NAWI ISLAND 🇫🇯 SPONSORS THE SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE 16° 46.566’S 179° 20.1’E BULA ! Nawi Marina is proud to sponsor the South Pacific Posse with discounted rates! NAWI ISLAND LOGO Idyllically located in the spectacular Savusavu Harbour, a port of entry to Fiji, the Nawi Island Marina welcomes the international yachting community with its 132 modern slips, providing safe and secure berths for monohull yachts, catamarans and superyachts. World Class Marina facilities, currently under development, will include a yacht club and extensive service facilities. Access to and from Nawi Island is simple and convenient, with Savusavu town nearby and Savusavu Airport just 10 minutes away. Nawi-Island-Marina AMENITIES & SERVICES MARINA 132 fully serviced berths 21 dedicated superyacht berths for vessels up to 85m 2m to 5.4m draft at mean sea level (msl). 16amps 3 phase from April 2023 and this will increase up to 250-300amps 3 phase from Dec 2023 Fresh Water, Fuel & Gas facilities Sewer pump out facility by June 2023 Garbage Disposal services High speed wireless internet 24/7 cctv security services with controlled marina gate access Restaurant & Bar Harbour Master Building Yacht Agency and authority clearance services Chandlery Grocery Store Restrooms, showers & laundry ATM Retail & Kiosk services BALAGA BOATYARD FACILITIES * Cyclone pits and storage bays Maintenance Shed & Back of House Area Haul out facility (75tonne) Boat ramp Fueling pontoon Wash Bay Engineering and welding workshop Paint and antifouling workshop Open maintenance areas for catamarans Office, restroom and outdoor lounge area with parking *BALAGA BOATYARD FACILITIES (under construction – to be completed by Dec 2023) CONTACT E: marketing@nawiisland.com P: +679 893 1082 W: nawiisland.com FB: facebook.com/nawiisland I: https://www.instagram.com/nawi.island A: PO Box 101, Lot 12, Nawi Island, Savusavu, Vanua Levu, Fiji Islands NAWI ISLAND MARINA RATES FJD x Meter x Day Meters / Feet MONOHULL FJD x Meter x Day MULTIHULL FJD x Meter x Day < 20 / 66 4.37 8.60 ≥ 20 / 66 8.60 8.60 ≥ 30 / 98 11.55 23.00 ≥ 50 / 164 17.35 ≥ 70 / 230 20.90 ≥ 85 / 279 24.00 Live Aboard Rate 7.50 per day Electricity Metered Water Included in Berth Fee -but please conserve * All rates are per lineal meter defined by LOA (other than Moorings) * All prices inclusive of 9% Government Taxes * All berthing to be paid in advance * Free WIFI included in berthing – conditions apply * Other marina services will have separate fees & charges SAFE APPROACH TO NAWI ISLAND MARINA + − 500 m 2000 ft goodnautical.com for pananaposse LOCATION OFFICIAL WEBSITE >> NAWI ISLAND MARINA OFFICIAL WEBSITE LINK  

NAWI ISLAND MARINA 🇫🇯  16° 46.566’S 179° 20.1’E SPONSORS THE SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE

 

5) MUSKET 🇫🇯  COVE FIJI

Good night Musket Cove

Good night Musket Cove

SY SEAGLUB  🇺🇸 Chris - Hylas 46′

SEAGLUB Chris
MUSKET COVE FIJI

Musket Cove stands as a haven for true seafaring aficionados. It's one of the magnetic ports and therefore hard to get out of.  Everyone is welcome. The discounts extended to the Pacific Posse  rally participants are not just a gesture of benevolence, but a salute to the shared devotion to life on the water—a nod that It acknowledges the call of the open sea running through our veins. 

  MUSKET COVE FIJI  

6) NEIAFU VAVA'U 🇹🇴 TONGA

A rare sight in Tonga. Completely calm waters

A rare sight in Tonga. Completely calm waters

SY CATWEAZLE  🇬🇧 Harriet & Russell - Allures 45′

CATWEAZLECATWEAZLE

Vava'u, a picturesque island group within the Kingdom of Tonga, stands as a serene haven for small yachts . Nestled in the northern part of Tonga the  Vava'u archipelago boasts a unique blend of natural beauty, welcoming local culture, and inviting waters that welcomes sailors from around the world. This maze like  destination offers a myriad of anchorages for small yachts to explore its cruising grounds.

Vava'u Tonga

Vava'u's charm lies in its breathtaking landscapes, where lush green hills meet cerulean waters, creating a stunning backdrop for sailing adventures. The island group encompasses numerous sheltered anchorages, secluded coves, and pristine beaches. Most anchorages provide a calm sanctuary, offering a tranquil refuge for sailors to drop anchor, unwind, and immerse themselves in the beauty of nature.

   

The archipelago is renowned for its vibrant underwater world, making it a paradise for snorkelers and divers alike. Beneath the surface, coral reefs burst with life, showcasing an intricate tapestry of colors and marine species. Small yachts can anchor near snorkeling and diving hotspots, offering easy access to this underwater wonderland teeming with tropical fish, vibrant corals, and even the chance to swim alongside majestic humpback whales during the annual migration season.

 The warmth of the Tongan culture is an integral part of the Vava'u experience. The locals, known for their genuine hospitality, greet sailors with open arms. Visiting the local villages is an opportunity to engage in cultural exchanges, learn traditional customs, and savor Tongan cuisine. The Tongan people's genuine smiles and warm interactions create an enriching experience that leaves an indelible mark on the hearts of visiting sailors.

Mango Cafe

Mango Cafe & dinghy dock 

Community and Camaraderie:

The small yachting community that gravitates toward Vava'u fosters a strong sense of camaraderie among fellow sailors. Small businesses in the area provide essential amenities and opportunities to connect with other adventurers. The exchange of stories, tips, and experiences adds to the allure of Vava'u as a place where friendships are forged and shared passions are celebrated.

In essence, Vava'u encapsulates the essence of a quintessential yachting paradise. Its azure waters, captivating landscapes, hospitable locals, and vibrant marine life converge to create an idyllic haven for small yachts. Every voyage through its cruising grounds reveals new wonders, ensuring that sailors leave with cherished memories and a longing to return to the tranquil embrace of Vava'u, Tonga.

  Neiafu Harbor  

7)  BLACKBIRDING 

Kanaka workers in a sugar cane plantation in Queensland, late 19th century.

 Kanaka workers in a sugar cane plantation in Queensland, late 19th century.

The practice of "blackbirding" in the mid to late 1800s in the South Pacific refers to the recruitment of coerced labor of Pacific Islanders, primarily from Melanesia and Polynesia, to work on plantations in other parts of the world. It was driven by the demand for cheap labor to work on sugar cane, cotton, and other agricultural plantations.

Para (ship) South Sea Islanders, recruited for the Queensland cane fields, being carried in boats to the Para. (Descriptions supplied with photograph). The English artist who produced this drawing, William Twizell Wawn, captained ships between 1875 and 1891.

Para (ship) South Sea Islanders, recruited for the Queensland cane fields, being carried in boats to the Para.  William Twizell Wawn, captained ships between 1875 and 1891. 

The demand for labor during the 4 year US Civil War lead to an increase in the practice of black birding. The war and subsequent union victory and end of slavery meant a continued  need for labor on plantations to produce cotton and sugar cane. This resulted in an intensified recruitment of Pacific Islanders through blackbirding to meet the offshore labor needs.

these exploitative labour market practices in the sugar industry started in 1863 – almost 60 years after Britain and the United States had made slave trading illegal.

Exploitative labor market practices in the sugar industry started in 1863 – almost 60 years after Britain and the United States had made slave trading illegal.

Tens of thousands of Pacific Island laborers were brought to Australia from neighboring Melanesian and Polynesian islands.  In particularly Queensland, during the late 19th century used these indentured laborers for work on sugarcane plantations. Estimates suggest around 60,000 to 80,000 humans were involved.

Fiji was another major destination and saw a significant influx of blackbirded laborers, with estimates ranging from 60,000 to 70,000 individuals. The sugarcane industry in Fiji heavily relied on coerced labor.

The deportations began in 1906 and continued until 1908. More than 7500 South Sea Islanders were returned to their home country, though some had arrived in Australia at such a young age they would have had no memory of it. About 2500 Pacific Islanders stayed in Australia.

In Australia and other colonial powers involved in black birding, legislative measures were introduced to regulate and eventually restrict the recruitment of labor from Pacific Island nations. These measures aimed to improve labor conditions and protect the rights of indigenous populations. The practices associated with blackbirding were increasingly criticized by humanitarian and human rights advocates internationally. Reports of abuse, mistreatment, and exploitation of laborers led to growing pressure on countries involved in the practice to address these concerns. In various regions, including Australia and Fiji, labor reforms were introduced to address the unethical practices associated with blackbirding. The goal was to ensure fair treatment, appropriate wages, and better working conditions for laborers. Indigenous communities in affected regions began advocating for their rights and raising awareness about the mistreatment and exploitation they faced due to blackbirding. Their efforts contributed to increased attention on the issue and the need for change. As economies evolved and industries changed, the demand for labor through blackbirding diminished. Economic factors, coupled with increased awareness of ethical concerns, contributed to the decline of the practice. By the early 20th century, blackbirding had largely faded as a widespread practice due to a combination of the factors mentioned above. Many countries introduced laws and reforms to prevent the recruitment of labor through coercion and deception. While the formal abolition of blackbirding marked an important step in ending the exploitative practices, it's important to recognize that the legacy of blackbirding continues to impact affected communities to this day. The efforts to remember this history, address its consequences, and promote awareness of human rights and social justice continue in the affected regions.

bundaberg 1895

The deportations  began in 1906 and continued until 1908. More than 7,500 South Sea Islanders were returned to their home country, though some had arrived in Australia at such a young age they would have had no memory of their exact origin.  Indenture ceased in Fiji in 1911.

SUGRA PRICE HISTORY.

200+ years of sugar pricing 

The official Australian South Sea Islander flag initially designed in consultation with the ASSI community. The flag was formally adopted in 1998 by ASSIUC. The colour scheme incorporates colours resonant to people with forebears of which the three quarters of the trade were taken from the 83 islands of Vanuatu and are represented through colours green, gold and black, a third of the trade was from the Solomon Islands represented with blue, white, green. The overall flag is inclusive other parts of the South Pacific affected by Blackbirding as we are connected through the ocean blue and white stars.

The official Australian South Sea Islander flag initially designed in consultation with the ASSI community. The flag was formally adopted in 1998. The color scheme incorporates colors resonant to people with forebears of which the three quarters of the trade were taken from the 83 islands of Vanuatu and are represented through colors green, gold and black, a third of the trade was from the Solomon Islands represented with blue, white, green. The overall flag is inclusive other parts of the South Pacific affected by Blackbirding as we are connected through the ocean blue and white stars.

8) ELECTRICAL BOAT HOW TO  

  https://oceanposse.com/events/boat-how-to-ocean-posse-seminar-sat-sep-2-2023/  

SAT Sept 2 - we have a zoominar with Nigel Calder introducing BOATHOWTO

BOAT HOW TO & OCEAN POSSE SEMINAR – SAT SEP 2 2023

We are please to announce an introduction to BOAT HOW TO and their most comprehensive online learning   system.

This ZOOM introduction is hosted by NIGEL CALDER

INTRODUCTIONS TO THE FOLLOWING YACHT ELECTRICAL SYSTEM TOPICS

  •     Properly sizing conductors ( q&a )
  •     Making reliable connections ( q&a )
  •     Batteries The Charging System  ( q&a )
  •     Best practices of monitoring and improving your electrical system ( q&a )
  •     Adding appropriate over current protection ( q&a )
  •     Check before you head out ( q&a )
  •     Simple troubleshooting techniques ( q&a )
  •     Emergency repairs, parts and tools ( q&a )
  •     Back Up system ( q&a )

TIME

Sat Sept 2 @ 7 AM Pacific Time 10 AM Eastern Time 4 PM Spain - follow the link above to the zoom link 

  https://oceanposse.com/events/boat-how-to-ocean-posse-seminar-sat-sep-2-2023/

Nigel’s Story

 

Nigel got into motorcycles and sailing dinghies as a teenager, and has never been far from mechanical things and boats ever since. He has a BA in Philosophy from Exeter University (UK) and an MSc in Operations Research from Sussex University. In a varied career, before becoming a full-time sailing writer, with a focus on marine technical systems, he worked on automotive assembly lines, in foundries and machine shops, and on offshore oil production platforms.

He and his wife, Terrie, built a couple of 70-foot canal boats (on which they lived in England), and a 39-foot Ingrid cutter. They then sailed a Pacific Seacraft 40 for 5 years, following which they had a Malo 45 built in Sweden. This was sold to be replaced by the same boat but with an experimental electrical distribution and propulsion system.

It has been used for extensive testing of cutting edge systems, including a 4-year European Union funded project (HyMar), of which Nigel was the Technical Director, investigating the applicability of hybrid technologies to marine propulsion systems. Based on data collected during the HyMar project, Nigel initiated, and was a lead developer in, a multi-year project resulting in the award-winning advanced generator technology now sold under the Integrel brand name.

Nigel and Terrie have sailed in the North Sea, the Atlantic as far north as the Faroe Islands and as far south as Portugal, the U.S. east coast, the Bahamas and extensively in the Caribbean, with Pippin (now aged 37) and Paul (36) augmenting the crew along the way. In addition to his books on boat systems and hundreds of magazine articles, he has also authored a ‘Cruising Guide to the Northwest Caribbean’, ‘Cuba: A Cruising Guide’, ‘Nigel Calder’s Cruising Handbook: a Compendium for Coastal and Offshore Sailors’ and ‘How to Read a Nautical Chart’. He recently released a memoir of his family’s first long cruise titled ‘Shakedown Cruise’.

Nigel is currently the Technical Editor and/or Associate Editor of PassageMaker, Professional Boatbuilder, Sail, and Ocean Navigator magazines and a consultant on marine energy issues. He has recently joined marine energy systems company OceanPlanet Energy as a mechanism to continue his passion for constantly improving boat electrical systems.

Nigel is a 30-year veteran of the American Boat and Yacht Council’s Electrical Project Technical Committee, which writes the U.S. standards for recreational boat electrical systems, and a founder member of www.BoatHowTo.com, the online marine technical education site which is at the heart of today’s discussion.’

Dr. Jan C. Athenstädt

Jan runs KlabauterKiste, the German online magazine for boatowners and Klabauter-Shop, an online shop for boat electrics as well as BootsBastler.org, a German online community for people who love “messing about in boats”.

He holds a PhD in computer science and loves to teach people new skills.

ver since he set foot on his grandfather’s boat as a child, Jan has been dreaming of sailing around the world.

During his studies in computer science, he has worked as a deckhand and bosun on tall ships such as the Schooner Zodiac and the Bark Europa, sailing well over 10,000 miles on the world’s oceans and making it all the way down to Antarctica. In recent years, he has been responsible for rewiring and maintaining the technical systems on various yachts, such as the research vessel Aldebaran.

Jan holds a PhD from Konstanz University and a master’s degree from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. (Both in Computer Science, but for his PhD he worked with archaeologists in the Caribbean, using network science to reconstruct pre-Columbian voyages.) He also studied for a year at the University of Washington in Seattle on a Fulbright grant, which gave him the opportunity to explore the beautiful Pacific Northwest and British Columbia.

When he bought his Laurin32 Ahora in north Germany to prepare it for extensive cruising, he noticed that there is very little reliable information on the internet about boat electrics and mechanics. So he started the German online magazine KlabauterKiste where he publishes technical advice as well as stories about boatbuilding and refit projects.

In order to help boatowners acquire supplies for their rewiring projects, he started his online store Klabauter-Shop, where people can order everything from a simple cable lug to a high end radar system. 

9) THE BANK ISLAND 🇻🇺 VANUATU  

the banks vanuatu torba province

The Banks Islands (in Bislama Bankis) are a group of islands in northern Vanuatu. Together with the Torres Islands to their northwest, they make up the northernmost province of Torba.  

Entracne to Ureparapara

To the east of these larger islands lie a number of smaller ones. The furthest north of them 31 mi  northeast of Ureparapara, is Vet Tagde (also known as Vot Tande or Vot Ganai), which is an extinct volcano that last erupted 3.5 million years ago.   Ureparapara (also known as Parapara means  "full of slopes"  ), is an old volcanic cone that has been breached by the sea, forming a bay, known as Divers Bay, on its east coast.

 Ureparapara entrance

 Ureparapara Entrance 

Anchored in Dives Bay

Anchored in Dives bay Ureparapara 

ROWA

Other small islands in this eastern chain in the Banks Island group include the Rowa Islands (also called the Reef Islands), which are a few very small, low islands on a coral atoll and are unihabited. Mota Lava is the largest and highest (411 m) of this eastern chain of islands; off its southern coast, attached by high corals that can be waded through at low tide, is the tiny islet of Ra. The islands of Mota, Merig, and Merelava complete the southeastern part of the archipelago.

GAUA

The largest island is Gaua (formerly called Santa Maria), which has a rugged terrain, rising to Mount Gharat, an active volcano at the centre of the island, at 797 m (2,615 ft). Gaua's freshwater Lake Letas, in its volcanic crater, is the largest lake in Vanuatu. A slightly smaller island in the group, Vanua Lava, is higher, at 946 m (3,104 ft); it too has an active volcano: Mount Suretamate (also spelled Süretimiat or Sere'ama, 921 m (3,022 ft)). To the east of Vanua Lava are two islets in the groupo, Ravenga and Kwakea (also spelled Qakea). Sola, the provincial capital, is on Vanua Lava. 

SY CARINTHIA '09  

     

10) THE PASSAGE TO NEW ZEALAND 

ZOOM WEBINAR SEP 30 2023

Should I stay or should I go ?

  https://oceanposse.com/events/the-passage-to-new-zealand-presented-by-ocean-tactics/  

YOUR PASSAGE TO NEW ZEALAND  presented by  John Martin from Ocean Tactics

JOHN MARTIN
  South Pacific Posse  
SEASON '24 SIGN UP STARTS IN DECEMBER 

11) CLOUD NINE 🇫🇯 FIJI SPONSORS THE SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE

  CLOUD 9  
CLOUD 9 🇫🇯 FIJI

12) SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE   🏆  AWARD CATEGORIES 

  • BIGGEST FISH CAUGHT ✔ 
  • PICTURE OF THE YEAR ✔  
  • PACIFIC POSSE YODA OF THE YEAR ✔  
  • THE CAPTAIN RON AWARD ✔
  • MOST UNWELCOME VISITOR ONBOARD ✔ 
  • HIGHEST WIND RECORDED ✔ 
  • SPIRIT OF EXPLORATION ✔ 
  • GALLEY GOD(ESS) ✔ 
  • SPEEDY AWARD
  • GOOD SAMARITAN OF THE YEAR ✔  
  • BOAT YOGA POSE OF THE YEAR ✔
  • COURAGE AWARD 
Burgee Back
South Pacific Posse '23 BUrgee Front

13)  "AND THEY ARE UNDERWAY"  FLEET TRACKING FOR PARTICIPANTS    

  Tracking  

 About Tracking:

Designed to give interesting parties  an overview. For specific vessel details including their float plan, latest updates, changes, positions and specific location related questions please contact each vessel directly.  If you are on passage let us know and the fleet can monitor your progress.

https://pacificposse.com/add-to-tracking

14) CORRUPTION ALERT ⚠️ AMERICAN SAMOA 🇦🇸

AMERICAN SAMOA - an  unincorporated US TERRITORY FEATURES SOME CORRUPT OFFICIALS AS REPORTED BY SEVERAL VESSELS 

While currently these "facilitation fees" without receipts  are relatively small this sets a dangerous precedence and we plan on reaching out to law enforcement. Corruption is usually the first step in a bureaucrats downfall. It's ok to offer officials some food or non alcoholic beverages upon clearing in  paying under the table fees is ill advised and illegal - pleas email any reports to registration@pacificposse.com ( anonymous ok ) we will start beating the drums on behalf of all seafarers.

CORRUTPTION IN AMERICAN SAMOA

QUICK FACT : THE U.S. Department of the Interior Interior provided $26.6 Million to American Samoa for Fiscal Year 2022 Government Operations  - for a link to how much agency support the US government provides AS follow this link >>

15) FREE ACCESS TO GOOD NAUTICAL  

IF YOU ARE SIGNED UP FOR THE  '23 SOUTH PACIFIC POSSE  you will be assigned  access credentials to GOODNAUTICAL South Pacific regions     
  Good Nautical  

CONSIDER MAKING A TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION TO GOOD NAUTICAL 

https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/goodnautical
  https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/goodnautical  

NEW CALEDONIA'S ANCHORAGES ARE IN GOOD NAUTICAL 

16) HISTORIC PORTS ⚓ OF THE  PACIFIC  LAHAINA HAWAI'I

The Port of Lahaina goes back almost two centuries since Lahaina was the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1820 to 1845.

 Lahaina Harbor
 Lahaina Harbor

Historic View of Lahaina by J G Sawkins

Lahaina 3

The Old Lahaina Fort was originally built in 1831 by Hoapili, the Royal Governor of Maui. He built the fort to protect the town from riotous sailors when Lahaina was used as an anchorage for the North Pacific whaling fleet.

After the fort was demolished in 1854, a courthouse was built on the site. A portion of the old Lahaina Fort was reconstructed in 1964.  

Lahaina

Whaling ships hunting sperm whales in the Pacific began to arrive in Hawaiʻi in 1819, and many ships anchored in Honolulu and Lahaina. The impact of the whaling fleets on the Hawaiian Islands during the reign of Kamehameha III (1825–1854) shaped the entire Hawaiian economy and was the primary source of income for the islands until the discovery of oil in Titusville, Pennsylvania in 1859 and the onset of the American Civil War (1861–1865).

Kamehameha III and Kalama, ca. 1850

Kamehameha III and Kalama, ca. 1850

 Ships would generally seek repairs in Honolulu, but captains preferred anchoring off Lahaina because of its easy access from the Lahaina Roads and for the fresh provisions available in town. According to Henry L. Sheldon, "the business of the entire population was the furnishing of supplies to whalers and entertaining the crews". Sailors who had been hunting whales for months at a time went to Lahaina to drink grog and meet women.

LAHAINA

By 1825 a kapu prohibiting women from going out to ships for the purpose of prostitution was proclaimed by the Hawaiian chiefs (ali'i ). Enraged that they could not cajole, coax, or coerce Hawaiian women into violating the kapu, the sailors turned their frustrations on the American missionaries, whom they blamed for the emergence of this new unreasonably strict moral law.

Whalers opposed any rules governing alcohol and prostitution, and blamed missionaries for influencing the Kingdom of Hawaii to enforce such rules. Riots broke out at least four times—in 1825, 1826, 1827, and 1843. In the 1827 riots, sailors on the John Palmer fired their cannons at the home of missionary William Richards and threatened the safety of the community.

Lahina

Queen Kaʻahumanu (1768–1832) visited Maui in February 1832, just months before she died, to support the construction of a new fort to protect the town from whalers. With her help, Hoapili (1775–1840), Royal Governor of Maui, built the fort on the Lahaina waterfront and it was completed within a month. The fort was constructed from coral blocks with walls approximately 15–20 feet high topped with 47 cannons. An 1848 inventory lists 6 large cannons, 21 small cannons, 6 breech-loaders, and 8 which did not work. The fort stored quantities of gunpowder, guns, rifles, and swords, and was used as a prison. Sailors who docked at Lahaina were subject to a sunset curfew; it they did not return to their ship when the drums sounded they would be imprisoned in the fort.

John Stobart - Lahaina Maui: The Whaling Brig

John Stobart - Lahaina Maui: The Whaling Brig "Isabella" Arriving In 1865

In 1841, American naval officer Charles Wilkes (1798–1877) visited Lahaina Fort as commanding officer of the United States Exploring Expedition. Wilkes observed, "After the king's palace, the fort is the most conspicuous object: it is of little account, however, as a defence, serving chiefly to confine unruly subjects and sailors in.

As the whaling industry declined and the California Gold Rush gained prominence in the late 1840s, Hawaii's population dropped, and infectious disease epidemics contributed to the loss of local populations. The fort was restored in 1847 but was now used more as a prison than for defending the Kingdom. The cannons were rusting and the fort was mostly empty of personnel except for a few soldiers and the Governor of Maui who lived there. When Henry Augustus Wise visited in 1848, he met James Young (1797–1851), then Governor of Maui, who was living in the fort.

Wise wrote that it was: "an oddly assorted battery of some thirty pieces of artillery, of all sorts of carriages and calibre—long, short, and mediums; they command the usual anchorage, and no doubt do very well to prevent any acts of violence from merchant ships; but it is a question, if, at the second discharge of shot, they do not tumble to pieces."

Hawaii Flag

17) MEET OUR SPONSORS 

  • PREDICT WIND
  • PANAMA CANAL AGENT ERICK GALVEZ CENTENARIO CONSULTING
  • YACHT AGENTS GALAPAGOS
  • YACHT AGENTS NUKU HIVA
  • SAIL TAHITI
  • OCEAN TACTICS | PACIFIC WEATHER ROUTING
  • SHELTER BAY MARINA PANAMA
  • DENARAU MARINA FIJI
  • NAWI ISLAND MARINA
  • VUDA POINT MARINA
  • COPRA SHED MARINA FIJI
  • CLOUD 9
  • PUERTO AMISTAD ECUADOR
  • RIVERGATE MARINA AUSTRALIA
  • MARSDEN COVE MARINA NEW ZEALAND
  • GULF HARBOUR MARINA NEW ZEALAND
  • YACHTING WORLD MARINA PORT VILA VANUATU

WE OPERATE UNDER INTERNATIONAL MARITIME LAW

YOUR VESSEL YOUR CREW YOUR RESPONSIBILITY 

South Pacific Posse
VATU

The colorful VATU

 

 

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