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| The journey home |
Monday, August 22, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Goodbye, for now!
The fellas made it home around 5:30 AM this morning. Their stats on the trip to Channel Islands, CA from Hanalei Bay, Kaua'i:
Nautical miles covered: 3,957
Total transit time: 33 days, 19 hours and 30 minutes
Dry pieces of clothing, pillows, blankets and bedding left aboard: 0
Items containing mold and/or moldy smell: Every damn one of them
So, this is the end of this chapter. We hope one day to continue this blog during another grand adventure as we sail off into nothingness towards another far off island.
Thanks to everybody who took an interest in our journey. Your support and well-wishing means the world.
Nautical miles covered: 3,957
Total transit time: 33 days, 19 hours and 30 minutes
Dry pieces of clothing, pillows, blankets and bedding left aboard: 0
Items containing mold and/or moldy smell: Every damn one of them
So, this is the end of this chapter. We hope one day to continue this blog during another grand adventure as we sail off into nothingness towards another far off island.
Thanks to everybody who took an interest in our journey. Your support and well-wishing means the world.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Thoughts near the end...
The guys are now 140 nautical miles away. They'll either show up late tonight, or very early in the morning. I'm glad that their last 500 miles or so have had excellent wind, and Shenanigans is scooting right along.
Lately, I've been finding myself daydreaming pretty often about being out in the middle of nowhere, sailing peacefully along, just Jonny and I. I tell you, cruising is an addiction. It gets in your head and will always be there. I regret not taking the long trip home with the guys. At the time, I wanted to wash my hands of the situation forever. Yet, these past thirty-something days, I've had time to think about what happened.
I shouldn't let a couple bad experiences ruin an amazing way to see the world. Sure, sailing long distance can be gut-wrenchingly scary at times, or dreadfully monotonous at others. But, just like that old saying, "nothing easily obtained is worth fighting for," it is that journey that makes the payoff so great. When you walk on land for the first time in weeks, realizing that it was you, your partner(s), and vessel alone that got you there...that is a feeling beyond words. Additionally, I cannot even begin to describe the comraderie and goodwill of all the people we were so lucky to meet on our trip. That in itself is worth the seemingly endless days at sea.
I still want to see Mexico and the South Pacific by boat. Of course, that is easy for me to say...I'm not the one who just spent 34 days on the ocean, longing for home and trying to stay positive. We will have to see what the future holds for Shenanigans, Jon and I. For now, I think we will return to our role as "productive" members of society. I know Jon will suffer from my affliction as well: memories of an albatross eyeing us as it lazily glides by on the same puff of air that we ride, the sunshine illuminating monstrous towering cumulus, thousands of miles of open ocean surrounding us, warm rain, freedom.
I'm off to daydream a bit more.
Lately, I've been finding myself daydreaming pretty often about being out in the middle of nowhere, sailing peacefully along, just Jonny and I. I tell you, cruising is an addiction. It gets in your head and will always be there. I regret not taking the long trip home with the guys. At the time, I wanted to wash my hands of the situation forever. Yet, these past thirty-something days, I've had time to think about what happened.
I shouldn't let a couple bad experiences ruin an amazing way to see the world. Sure, sailing long distance can be gut-wrenchingly scary at times, or dreadfully monotonous at others. But, just like that old saying, "nothing easily obtained is worth fighting for," it is that journey that makes the payoff so great. When you walk on land for the first time in weeks, realizing that it was you, your partner(s), and vessel alone that got you there...that is a feeling beyond words. Additionally, I cannot even begin to describe the comraderie and goodwill of all the people we were so lucky to meet on our trip. That in itself is worth the seemingly endless days at sea.
I still want to see Mexico and the South Pacific by boat. Of course, that is easy for me to say...I'm not the one who just spent 34 days on the ocean, longing for home and trying to stay positive. We will have to see what the future holds for Shenanigans, Jon and I. For now, I think we will return to our role as "productive" members of society. I know Jon will suffer from my affliction as well: memories of an albatross eyeing us as it lazily glides by on the same puff of air that we ride, the sunshine illuminating monstrous towering cumulus, thousands of miles of open ocean surrounding us, warm rain, freedom.
I'm off to daydream a bit more.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Sail Mail I got from Jonathan Today
Yea I really have to fight hard to figure out what day of the week it is. Not that it matters to much. I still enjoying the sailing aspect of the trip I wouldn't mind to keep sailing around the world. Some days we have great wind and get to sail under the stars/moon light. That's got to be my favorite part. We are all working hard at keeping our hopes up, we all realize there is no good in being upset or down about it. We are on a mission to get home and we are going to complete it!
Right now I am looking at Thursday/Friday arrival. It might even push back to Sat. We have light winds lately so we have been motoring a lot to keep moving but we are running low on fuel so we are going to just have to wait on the wind. But the good news, the forecast is looking like we will get more wind!
Monday, July 18, 2011
July 18th
Good morning follower's! it is 11:19 on July 18th 2011 and we're actually sailing towards home!!!! hopefully we'll be able to hold this till home but its been a good trip. we're all getting along still.... that's a miracle! but we've been doing good. we had movie night last night and took a break from watching "Castle" and watched "Rango" which i watched on the plane but its a good movie. i would like to thank our multimedia director Sean (Baby Doll) Gage for the hours of entertainment and for getting John and I hooked on "Castle" (and if anyone wants to buy me season 3 of Castle so when i get back i can find out what happens since we finished season 2 that'd be great). Now on a more serious note we have very hard news to talk about, its a tragedy and we're all trying our best to cope with this loss but it truly saddens me to inform everyone, in the wake of our delicious breakfast this morning it pains me to say that we've officially run out of Hash Brown's :( we are all doing our best to deal with this loss but i guess its oatmeal and cereal and occasionally biscuits and gravy or pancakes. other then that its going well, we have 880 miles left so its exciting. well its time to nap before my shift so till next blog have a great day! R.I.P Hash Browns 6/25/2011-7/18/2011
-Matt
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Saturday, July 16, 2011
Slow but steady
The last few days we have been trucking right along under sail. Still heading east as we look for our big wind shift so we can finally head northeast. Days just blur together out here as we sleep, steer and cook. Occasionally we get to read or watch a movie/show.
Two nights ago as we were outside under the stars watching a movie, Matt spotted a moon bow! We have also passed two sailboats and 3 cargo ships all going in the opposite direction. Hum, maybe we're going the wrong way????
So we press on in sight of land fall.
--Jon
Two nights ago as we were outside under the stars watching a movie, Matt spotted a moon bow! We have also passed two sailboats and 3 cargo ships all going in the opposite direction. Hum, maybe we're going the wrong way????
So we press on in sight of land fall.
--Jon
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Google changes blog format...
Looks like the map of the geotagged posts was not a popular Google item, as it seems that it has been discontinued. So, unfortunately, those who wish to follow along can see only one location mapped out at a time, instead of all posts collectively on a map.
If you are not sure how to do this, just click on the "Location" at the very bottom of each post, and a new tab in your browser with the coordinates in Google maps should pop up. I'm pretty bummed out that this has been discontinued, as I thought it was pretty cool to be able to see the progress as it is being made across the ocean. Also, that's why we wanted to even use Google Blogger in the first place, as it was a free format that allowed others to see that progress. Oh well...if we ever do something like this again, I think we'll use Sailblogs.com, which plots locations automatically to Google Earth.
If you are not sure how to do this, just click on the "Location" at the very bottom of each post, and a new tab in your browser with the coordinates in Google maps should pop up. I'm pretty bummed out that this has been discontinued, as I thought it was pretty cool to be able to see the progress as it is being made across the ocean. Also, that's why we wanted to even use Google Blogger in the first place, as it was a free format that allowed others to see that progress. Oh well...if we ever do something like this again, I think we'll use Sailblogs.com, which plots locations automatically to Google Earth.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
To Sail or to Motor?
After days and days of sailing without any lack of wind, we are going to run the motor for a while. We had trouble sending and receiving email due to lack of juice in the batteries. The solar panels can't quite keep up with our battery usage. The good news is that once motoring we will be aimed directly at home, after sailing in almost the direction of home, it will be a great feeling to actually point that direction. The seas have calmed down a bit, if the cockpit is dry enough we may be able to get the laptop out there for a movie night. Its the little things that are appreciated and exciting.
We thought we had discarded all of our condiments when we cleaned out the fridge but after some searching, I was fortunate enough to find some unopened mayo, hooray! This find along with some bread that has kept this long meant we had tuna sandwiches for breakfast, a nice change of pace from repeated meals.
The moon is getting brighter and brighter and closer and closer to being full every night. After your eyes adjust you can see well without any other source of light. The last few nights have been cloudy, when the moon peeks out from behind the clouds, its energizing and helps to get you through the nighttime watch shifts.
More than halfway home and getting closer.
--Sean
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We thought we had discarded all of our condiments when we cleaned out the fridge but after some searching, I was fortunate enough to find some unopened mayo, hooray! This find along with some bread that has kept this long meant we had tuna sandwiches for breakfast, a nice change of pace from repeated meals.
The moon is getting brighter and brighter and closer and closer to being full every night. After your eyes adjust you can see well without any other source of light. The last few nights have been cloudy, when the moon peeks out from behind the clouds, its energizing and helps to get you through the nighttime watch shifts.
More than halfway home and getting closer.
--Sean
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Saturday, July 9, 2011
(no subject)
Hello again! It is 2:53 on July the 9th 2011 and we are still sailing... haha the last couple of days have been alright, scattered high pressure equals motoring, sailing, motoring, sailing trying to make our was east. Right now we've been sailing for the last 48 hours in some good wind healing over quite a bit but we're still going out our day just fine, John made muffins this morning, i made mac&cheese and pasta last night or dinner so we're pretty acclimated to the rough seas. i finally cleaned out the quarter birth so now we have TWO comfortable places to sleep! no more wedging our selves in between the table and the seat cushion, like Sean said "it'll be nice to sleep somewhere you done have to use energy to keep from sliding, falling, crashing on who ever is beneath you". right now we have 1,700 miles under our belt and we're pretty sure we are half way home!!! well i would blog some more just to get out of my shift a lil longer but i don't know what else to blog about so i guess ill give John a break since he was off like 15 minutes ago hahaha. We'll try to update some more when we have a chance bye for now
-Matthew
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-Matthew
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Monday, July 4, 2011
Happy Independence Day!
Have you ever tried powdered butter? Matt decided to try cooking mac and cheese for dinner last night, having just cleaned out the fridge of good food gone bad, we no longer had butter or milk. While we were waiting for the chef to finish with dinner, we caught another fish! Another delicious Mahi Mahi was on one of the hand lines behind the boat. I dare say this fish was larger than the last two Mahi Mahi we caught. We were all surprised to see the warm water fish this far north, as we passed our home latitude a day or two ago. Seems I learned a little technique from the last fish and had a much better time gutting, cleaning, and filleting the most recent catch. We got more meat and barely made any mess on the boat at all! Its a good thing we caught the fish, turns out Jon was not a fan of the mac and cheese prepared with powdered butter so we had fresh Mahi Mahi and rice burritos instead.
The ocean surface was so smooth on watch last night. I could see the reflections of individual stars. Smooth enough to even see a reflection of the big dipper constellation on the waters surface. I've only seen lakes with water this glass like and smooth. After the rough seas we had leaving Hawaii, its a drastic change of sea state to the ocean so docile and calm. Though this is an interesting new way to see the pacific, where did all the wind go? Sailing without wind is like trying to use facebook without internet.
--Sean
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Sunday, July 3, 2011
Confortable Sailing
The last few days has been comfortable, if you can use that word to describe life on the sea. We have had constant 15-18 knots of wind allowing us to make our way north pretty quickly. The nights have been relatively dry with squalls being fewer and farther between. On the late night/early morning shifts you are able to look up at thousands of stars lighting up the sky with scattered clouds that floating by like huge piles of cotton balls. The only sound you can hear is the water splashing up against the hull of the boat.
We are losing our stable wind now only able to sail for few hours then fire up the motor for a few and back to sailing. Hopefully we only have 200 miles give or take a few before we can find a wind shift the will carry us in the direction of Channel Islands. It will be a comforting feeling when we start heading in the direction of home.
Yesterday was Sean's B-Day. He asked us to shorten a few afternoon shifts so that he can have the sunrise shift in the morning. Also we baked him a huge brownie!
--Jon
Yesterday was my birthday, and I started the day with watching the sunrise during the 4am-7am watch shift, I was rocking just my board shorts almost to the end of the shift and then got hit with a squall in the last few minutes. Was an excellent way to start my 27th birthday. We took turns watching some movies on my laptop, the only nice thing about motoring is that we have power to charge all of our electronics. We all shared one giant brownie for my birthday and had birthday pasta with chicken to share for dinner. I am now the eldest sailor on this vessel. I did miss talking to all my family and friends on my birthday, I didn't get one email, phone call, text message, or facebook update.. ha, I'll check later.
We are all up most of the day, chatting, reading, hanging out, cleaning up the boat and taking turns at the helm before we all scramble to sleep as much as we can between shifts at night. 3 hour watch shifts give us all 6 hours of downtime between turns at the helm, this seems to be working well so far, and the times rotate daily so you are never on the same watch schedule 2 days in a row and each of us gets their chance for the sunrise, sunset, middle of the nights shifts. Tonight I am on from 1-4 am, which means I will get to stargaze for hours and probably see a handful of shooting stars. Its a peaceful time to think and take in all that is happening. Shenanigans seems so insignificant compared to all the ocean before us, and even more so when you look up at night and compare our spot on this world to all the distant and far off suns.
We had to throw out some food that had spoiled in the fridge, so no more butter, cheese, or fresh non canned chicken.. You will be missed. I will now appreciate the comfort foods even more upon our return. The good part is now we don't have to worry about trying to run the icebox so much and keep an eye on the batteries and solar panels.
Ta ta for now!
--Sean
Read the above
--Matt
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Friday, July 1, 2011
First few days out
We apologize for not keeping you up dated on our progress but we finally have some calm weather. So to compress the last 5 days in one blog we'll start from the beginning.
Day 1. We set sail for the mainland.... not really knowing whether we're going north or south but we just wanted to get going and keep watching the weather while we go, we made it about 100 miles north our first day but beating up wind all day and night wasn't fun for anyone but we figured we'd try to suck it up and see how long we can do it.
Day 2. After beating up wind we decided to see what its like on the other tack so we decided to go south, same situation though beating up wind healed over wasn't fun at all but we sucked it up for another 100 miles until we looked at the chart plotter and realized we pretty much ate 60 miles back tracking so we felt pretty dumb but it was funny.... kind of haha.
Day 3. Day 3 went well, we still haven't eaten a real meal yet because we still weren't used to the rocking so much but I did manage to make some bean burritos so we got some sustenance's in us, after some crew deliberation we finally decided to sail north. We tacked over and headed north...... again haha.
Day 4. so we like this tack allot more cause it's a beam reach most the time and we're sailing at around 5-7 knots depending on the wind but its really comfortable, pretty much the only exciting thing that happened was we caught a Mahi Mahi, trying to filet it while on the bow was very interesting, Sean and I hacked at it and after some what fighting we got it filleted. John was going to be kind and bring in the second hand line so we didn't catch another fish, one is enough for us all to eat, but he was too late. We already had another Mahi Mahi on the other line. It was small and we didn't need two fish so we let it go, but we will be having fish tacos soon! John made some pasta that night so we're starting to eat some more each day.
That's pretty much it for now we apologize for not keeping you up dated but we'll be up dating more often bye for now from the crew of Shenanigans.
-Matthew
Day 1. We set sail for the mainland.... not really knowing whether we're going north or south but we just wanted to get going and keep watching the weather while we go, we made it about 100 miles north our first day but beating up wind all day and night wasn't fun for anyone but we figured we'd try to suck it up and see how long we can do it.
Day 2. After beating up wind we decided to see what its like on the other tack so we decided to go south, same situation though beating up wind healed over wasn't fun at all but we sucked it up for another 100 miles until we looked at the chart plotter and realized we pretty much ate 60 miles back tracking so we felt pretty dumb but it was funny.... kind of haha.
Day 3. Day 3 went well, we still haven't eaten a real meal yet because we still weren't used to the rocking so much but I did manage to make some bean burritos so we got some sustenance's in us, after some crew deliberation we finally decided to sail north. We tacked over and headed north...... again haha.
Day 4. so we like this tack allot more cause it's a beam reach most the time and we're sailing at around 5-7 knots depending on the wind but its really comfortable, pretty much the only exciting thing that happened was we caught a Mahi Mahi, trying to filet it while on the bow was very interesting, Sean and I hacked at it and after some what fighting we got it filleted. John was going to be kind and bring in the second hand line so we didn't catch another fish, one is enough for us all to eat, but he was too late. We already had another Mahi Mahi on the other line. It was small and we didn't need two fish so we let it go, but we will be having fish tacos soon! John made some pasta that night so we're starting to eat some more each day.
That's pretty much it for now we apologize for not keeping you up dated but we'll be up dating more often bye for now from the crew of Shenanigans.
-Matthew
Friday, June 24, 2011
Three Guys and a Boat Against the Pacific High
Well, I'm back in California. I left Jon, Matt and Sean last night to their own devices. I hope they can get along without a galley wench to cook and clean up! I'm sure they will be fine.
As we speak, they are back at Tunnels beach on the north side of Kauai, doing a bit more snorkeling before spending the next month or so aboard the same 35 x 12 foot living space. They have to leave Nawiliwili today, as the harbormaster made it quite clear yesterday during his rounds that he needs the slip we're renting for another boat. So their plan is to head up to Hanalei tonight, and spend some time there before the final push off into the big blue.
The upcoming passage home will be an interesting one for them. The normal location for the high pressure system this time of year is pretty far north, like around 40 N latitude. We were hoping it would be a bit lower, so that "riding the trade wind carousel" around it would result in less overall mileage and a quicker transit home. Well...it seems mother nature is not in a cooperative mood right now. The high is even further north than usual, and west. If the guys were to sail around it, they would have to sail west towards Japan, go north about 1200 miles, then sail south toward Point Conception. This would take at least a month.
So, they may "cheat" and cut under the high. This means beating somewhat into the swell, and into the wind. However, mother nature is throwing yet another curve ball. It seems that a secondary high pressure has developed between Hawaii and California. It has weakened the wind to only about 10 knots or so, which is definitely not optimal for sailing!
What will the guys end up doing? You'll have to keep an eye on this blog to find out!
We've added more pictures and a new video below. Enjoy!
As we speak, they are back at Tunnels beach on the north side of Kauai, doing a bit more snorkeling before spending the next month or so aboard the same 35 x 12 foot living space. They have to leave Nawiliwili today, as the harbormaster made it quite clear yesterday during his rounds that he needs the slip we're renting for another boat. So their plan is to head up to Hanalei tonight, and spend some time there before the final push off into the big blue.
The upcoming passage home will be an interesting one for them. The normal location for the high pressure system this time of year is pretty far north, like around 40 N latitude. We were hoping it would be a bit lower, so that "riding the trade wind carousel" around it would result in less overall mileage and a quicker transit home. Well...it seems mother nature is not in a cooperative mood right now. The high is even further north than usual, and west. If the guys were to sail around it, they would have to sail west towards Japan, go north about 1200 miles, then sail south toward Point Conception. This would take at least a month.
So, they may "cheat" and cut under the high. This means beating somewhat into the swell, and into the wind. However, mother nature is throwing yet another curve ball. It seems that a secondary high pressure has developed between Hawaii and California. It has weakened the wind to only about 10 knots or so, which is definitely not optimal for sailing!
What will the guys end up doing? You'll have to keep an eye on this blog to find out!
We've added more pictures and a new video below. Enjoy!
Friday, June 17, 2011
The Adventures of Rent-A-Wreck
Kaua’i definitely has a couple friendly locals, but much
less so than the big island. We don’t feel quite as welcome as we did in Hilo
or in Kona. However, this is totally understandable; if there were nonstop
swarms of tourists invading my privacy, I would probably be holding back from
strangers I will never see again. One such character is the owner of the local
“rent-a-wreck.” Their motto: If you don’t need to be driving around in
something fancy, come rent a rust bucket for a fraction of the cost!
The owner looks like Vin Diesel, and is about as
intimidating at first. Yet as we talked about the terms of the rental, it
became apparent that he was a bit of a joker. As he pointed out at the black,
beat up mid-nineties sedan in the lot, he said “Well, she’s out of gas, so
bring her back empty. And ignore all the ‘check engine’ lights on the dash. And
the AC doesn’t work…you guys aren’t air conditioning people, are you?” We
laughed and asked what his hours of operation were, so we would know when to
return the car. His response was, “Whenever I get here. Don’t worry too much
about it.”
We later visited him to extend the rental, and he was
actually pretty happy to see us. It seems around here that you have to be a
return customer or a regular to get a smile and the shaka!
Well, we put that poor car to good use. Many beaches around
here can only be accessed via four-wheel drive roads. We didn’t let that little
detail stop us! I’m surprised that the car is still running, with minimal
clunks and quirky noises.
One such beach was the western end of the Na Pali coast,
called Polihale. It stretches for miles and miles, soft golden sand as far as
you can see. It ends abruptly at the steep, imposing cliffs of Na Pali, which
is an area I can best describe as a tropical version of the Big Sur coastline
in California. I can’t fully describe the beauty of this place, as words just
don’t do it justice. Please check out the pictures in the gallery, which shows
our hike from the northern end of Na Pali on the Kalalau trail. The humidity
was intense, the red mud thick and slick, and the mosquitoes ravenous, but I
will never forget how perfect and pristine this wild coastline was.
My favorite part was Hanakapi’ai beach, about two miles into
the hike. It was surrounded on all sides by steep black lava cliffs, covered
with greenery. The breaking 3-4 foot waves were completely translucent; you
could see the sand clearly below, and whoever was swimming around could be easily
observed as they were swallowed whole and spat out by the sea. Further up the
trail was Hanakapi’ai falls, another amazing spot. From there, the trail
continued another 9 miles or so, which was a tad bit more than what we were
willing to attempt that day.
It was pretty amusing to go see the new pirates movie the
next night, and fully recognize the Na Pali silhouette, trails, and same exact
plant life shown in 90% of the movie. Most of the locations shot for the film
were right in our backyard!
We are counting down the days until we return home. I will
be flying back to California on the 23rd, and Jon will depart on his
sail back to the mainland on the 24th or 25th. Shenanigans’
crew will include our buddy Matt, who I mentioned in an earlier post, and Sean,
who has never sailed before but is really interested in such a grand adventure.
So far it looks like the Pacific high pressure system is up near 38 N latitude,
so they will definitely have some northing to do. Nonetheless, Shenanigans will
get home safely and our little journey will be over for now. Where we will go
after all this is still up in the air!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Kaua'i: the Unforgiving Island
I will sum up the passage that the guys had a few days ago from the big island to O'ahu, then from there to Kaua'i:
The first stretch there was no wind and it was a long motorboat ride. Once they reached the center of the Alenuihaha, things got choppy and the wind smacked them into action. They didn't eat much that first day, but Ala Wai was around the corner in Honolulu, so they figured they'd stop and grab a bite with a friend.
Calling the harbor master, they were told there's a wait list for even just a temporary transient slip. He was pretty much a jerk and told Jon and George to go anchor out in the middle of nowhere. Luckily, our marina back home had emailed me, still in Kona, information on our reciprocal slip and who to contact in Honolulu. Jon was able to call a much more friendly guy who directed them to a temporary spot for a few hours while they could take a breather.
They asked a local guy on the dock if this was the spot they were looking for. He didn't acknowledge them. They asked again. Nothing; he didn't even turn around. Another couple overheard, however, and came over to help out. Not surprisingly, it seems like O'ahu is weary of tourists and travelers and would rather not help out much...
The guys met up with their buddy and had lunch. Soon, it was time to be on their way and cross the second channel over to Kaua'i.
Hugging the lee of the island was choppy yet again, but once they got out, sails were reefed and on they cruised at 7 knots.
That night, Jon went down below to cook. Two big crashing waves in succession resulted in him wearing the hot chicken and rice he cooked up, as well as decorating the entire galley and settee of the boat with it. George, who was at the helm, was soaking wet from the waves crashing over. The boys went without a solid dinner that night, but at least they had a story to tell!
George suddenly saw a row of blinding bright lights in front of the boat. It was coming on so fast and was so wide, there was no way to steer clear. Oddly, the lights zoomed up over the mast. It was a plane diving at them! For some reason, this plane circled and repeated two more times. This massive plane was coming in low, and the intense lights lit up the water underneath and around the boat. Then another plane came to repeat. Jon and George were never hailed on the radio or addressed by either plane. Were they messing with the guys? Were they legitimately checking them out? Who knows, but you could bet the guys were definitely wide awake now!
The next morning they arrived at Nawiliwili in a very strong wind, 25-30 knots out of the northeast. The trade winds were kicking. Heading into the designated slip is a bit intimidating, as the concrete dock and side column don't seem to get any softer in strong wind. Luckily, Jon steered Shenanigans in without any major issues. He had enough practice with the wind here while checking in at the loading dock, which took 3 times to keep the boat steady enough to tie up!
So the boys had a good time. Night passages are almost never fun, but when the end is so near, I guess it makes it a bit more manageable.
The trade winds are supposed to calm down today and for the next week. Our neighbor discovered how tricky they could be, as they arrived last night after rounding the island from Hanalei, up north. The bow of their 40+ yacht made a sickening crunch against the concrete tie-up pillar as they took the turn into their spot a little wide. We were able to help them tie up on their next attempt. Not too much damage, but definitely not a fun way to end a long rough passage.
We explored the nearby river with our dinghy, and couldn't believe the amount of green plant life that covers every square inch of this island. We also visited Larsen's beach, with its crystal clear water and golden sand. This island is definitely more rugged in regards to the sea state: the rough winds make for a rougher shore break. Then again, we have not yet visited the leeward side of the island, which must be calmer.
Today, we're off to the northern side to meet up with some friends and snorkel Tunnels beach. That is, if the testy Hawaiian ocean will allow us to!
The first stretch there was no wind and it was a long motorboat ride. Once they reached the center of the Alenuihaha, things got choppy and the wind smacked them into action. They didn't eat much that first day, but Ala Wai was around the corner in Honolulu, so they figured they'd stop and grab a bite with a friend.
Calling the harbor master, they were told there's a wait list for even just a temporary transient slip. He was pretty much a jerk and told Jon and George to go anchor out in the middle of nowhere. Luckily, our marina back home had emailed me, still in Kona, information on our reciprocal slip and who to contact in Honolulu. Jon was able to call a much more friendly guy who directed them to a temporary spot for a few hours while they could take a breather.
They asked a local guy on the dock if this was the spot they were looking for. He didn't acknowledge them. They asked again. Nothing; he didn't even turn around. Another couple overheard, however, and came over to help out. Not surprisingly, it seems like O'ahu is weary of tourists and travelers and would rather not help out much...
The guys met up with their buddy and had lunch. Soon, it was time to be on their way and cross the second channel over to Kaua'i.
Hugging the lee of the island was choppy yet again, but once they got out, sails were reefed and on they cruised at 7 knots.
That night, Jon went down below to cook. Two big crashing waves in succession resulted in him wearing the hot chicken and rice he cooked up, as well as decorating the entire galley and settee of the boat with it. George, who was at the helm, was soaking wet from the waves crashing over. The boys went without a solid dinner that night, but at least they had a story to tell!
George suddenly saw a row of blinding bright lights in front of the boat. It was coming on so fast and was so wide, there was no way to steer clear. Oddly, the lights zoomed up over the mast. It was a plane diving at them! For some reason, this plane circled and repeated two more times. This massive plane was coming in low, and the intense lights lit up the water underneath and around the boat. Then another plane came to repeat. Jon and George were never hailed on the radio or addressed by either plane. Were they messing with the guys? Were they legitimately checking them out? Who knows, but you could bet the guys were definitely wide awake now!
The next morning they arrived at Nawiliwili in a very strong wind, 25-30 knots out of the northeast. The trade winds were kicking. Heading into the designated slip is a bit intimidating, as the concrete dock and side column don't seem to get any softer in strong wind. Luckily, Jon steered Shenanigans in without any major issues. He had enough practice with the wind here while checking in at the loading dock, which took 3 times to keep the boat steady enough to tie up!
So the boys had a good time. Night passages are almost never fun, but when the end is so near, I guess it makes it a bit more manageable.
The trade winds are supposed to calm down today and for the next week. Our neighbor discovered how tricky they could be, as they arrived last night after rounding the island from Hanalei, up north. The bow of their 40+ yacht made a sickening crunch against the concrete tie-up pillar as they took the turn into their spot a little wide. We were able to help them tie up on their next attempt. Not too much damage, but definitely not a fun way to end a long rough passage.
We explored the nearby river with our dinghy, and couldn't believe the amount of green plant life that covers every square inch of this island. We also visited Larsen's beach, with its crystal clear water and golden sand. This island is definitely more rugged in regards to the sea state: the rough winds make for a rougher shore break. Then again, we have not yet visited the leeward side of the island, which must be calmer.
Today, we're off to the northern side to meet up with some friends and snorkel Tunnels beach. That is, if the testy Hawaiian ocean will allow us to!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Nawiliwili, Kaua'i
We are safely tied up in Nawiliwili harbor on the southeast side of Kaua'i. What a glorious backdrop: huge, almost vertical green mountains stand guard along the south end of the harbor. Squalls are common, the trade winds are pretty lively right now, and we are definitely glad the side of the concrete dock has a row of tires for Shenanigans to lay up against.
Though I was not sailing along with the guys, I still had a phenomenal marine experience that I want to share. I will let Jon fill you in on their jump to Kaua'i from O'ahu, plus their experiences in Honolulu.
For the last couple days, while waiting for George and Jon to sail from the big island to Kaua'i, I was adopted by a local family in Kona: the Chings. Never before have I met a family so willing to give and give, but never take.
The father of the household, Lorin, is heavy into the world of outrigger canoe paddling. He invited me out for a paddle in his two-man canoe out of Keauhou. I thought it sounded like a lot of fun, so out we went, then up the coast toward a former beach we snorkeled, Kehalu'u. The swells weren't too gnarly, so I agreed to try surfing for the first time.
The canoe is so lightweight and streamlined, we zoomed past the other people out there on boards. Instead of fighting for waves, we took just about every good one. It was unreal to be riding a warm, perfectly translucent wave, and still be able to clearly see all the coral and colorful fish down below us. People on the black sand beach cheered us on. I'm glad we managed to keep from flipping!
After a while the swells started to die down, so we started to paddle back to the harbor. On the way, we were approached by a kid on a one-man canoe. He asked if we knew "what is that?" as he pointed out toward the open ocean. We didn't see what he was talking about. He said "It's like a ball with flippers. It's splashing around out there, kinda weird."
The kid looked a little scared, and didn't want to go back out. I suggested that maybe a turtle was tangled in fishing gear? Lorin said we should check it out. So off we went.
There was definitely a big ball with fins. First we saw a broad, barrel-shaped black back surfacing with a slight dorsal fin, and fins that came out about 5 feet on either side. What the heck? Two big sharks feeding on something?
We paddled closer and finally got a clear view. Two massive manta rays, at least 9 feet from wingtip to wingtip, were feeding on the plankton on the surface. Huge mouths agape, they peacefully glided along while "flying" through the clear water. I have never seen anything so serene or beautiful within arms reach.
We cruised alongside the rays almost the entire way to the harbor. At one point, the largest manta did a nosedive, then sharply upturned and jumped clear of the surface, about 10 feet from the canoe. How quickly a 20 foot canoe can feel tiny! Afterwards, the ray rolled on its side to look up at us, as if to say "how did you like that?"
Eventually they left us, as we approached the harbor. I will never forget this experience, and one of the greatest days of my life. I wish I could put into words how thankful I am to have met my Hawaiian family and share in a sliver of their lives. The random acts of kindness and friendship that the big island extended our way (everything from offering rides into town, a local fisherman gifting 10 pounds of delicious wahoo (ono) for no reason, or even a family friend stealthily paying our hefty restaurant bill from under us "just because") makes the idea of going home next to impossible.
Sunshine, good food and a warm sandy beach make happy people. Happy people share the love. It's as simple as that.
Maybe we'll permanently become one of those happy, love sharing people? Hmmmmm...
Though I was not sailing along with the guys, I still had a phenomenal marine experience that I want to share. I will let Jon fill you in on their jump to Kaua'i from O'ahu, plus their experiences in Honolulu.
For the last couple days, while waiting for George and Jon to sail from the big island to Kaua'i, I was adopted by a local family in Kona: the Chings. Never before have I met a family so willing to give and give, but never take.
The father of the household, Lorin, is heavy into the world of outrigger canoe paddling. He invited me out for a paddle in his two-man canoe out of Keauhou. I thought it sounded like a lot of fun, so out we went, then up the coast toward a former beach we snorkeled, Kehalu'u. The swells weren't too gnarly, so I agreed to try surfing for the first time.
The canoe is so lightweight and streamlined, we zoomed past the other people out there on boards. Instead of fighting for waves, we took just about every good one. It was unreal to be riding a warm, perfectly translucent wave, and still be able to clearly see all the coral and colorful fish down below us. People on the black sand beach cheered us on. I'm glad we managed to keep from flipping!
After a while the swells started to die down, so we started to paddle back to the harbor. On the way, we were approached by a kid on a one-man canoe. He asked if we knew "what is that?" as he pointed out toward the open ocean. We didn't see what he was talking about. He said "It's like a ball with flippers. It's splashing around out there, kinda weird."
The kid looked a little scared, and didn't want to go back out. I suggested that maybe a turtle was tangled in fishing gear? Lorin said we should check it out. So off we went.
There was definitely a big ball with fins. First we saw a broad, barrel-shaped black back surfacing with a slight dorsal fin, and fins that came out about 5 feet on either side. What the heck? Two big sharks feeding on something?
We paddled closer and finally got a clear view. Two massive manta rays, at least 9 feet from wingtip to wingtip, were feeding on the plankton on the surface. Huge mouths agape, they peacefully glided along while "flying" through the clear water. I have never seen anything so serene or beautiful within arms reach.
We cruised alongside the rays almost the entire way to the harbor. At one point, the largest manta did a nosedive, then sharply upturned and jumped clear of the surface, about 10 feet from the canoe. How quickly a 20 foot canoe can feel tiny! Afterwards, the ray rolled on its side to look up at us, as if to say "how did you like that?"
Eventually they left us, as we approached the harbor. I will never forget this experience, and one of the greatest days of my life. I wish I could put into words how thankful I am to have met my Hawaiian family and share in a sliver of their lives. The random acts of kindness and friendship that the big island extended our way (everything from offering rides into town, a local fisherman gifting 10 pounds of delicious wahoo (ono) for no reason, or even a family friend stealthily paying our hefty restaurant bill from under us "just because") makes the idea of going home next to impossible.
Sunshine, good food and a warm sandy beach make happy people. Happy people share the love. It's as simple as that.
Maybe we'll permanently become one of those happy, love sharing people? Hmmmmm...
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
On the Way
All is well. The wind picked up and we have been sailing for the past 5 hours or so, no more motoring. We are making good time.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Taking the Easy Way Out
Ladies and gentlemen, I have officially chickened out!
The morning that we left to make the actual crossing of the Alenuihaha, we had some motor problems (starter solenoid was going out, motor was uncooperative!) Luckily, my handyman father was awake at home 6 hours away, and was able to help Jon out a bit with diagnosing the problem over the phone. The repair would require a port that actually had resources nearby, instead of the relative remoteness of Manele Bay on Lana'i. Nonetheless, we decided to venture on and cross the channel.
Once beyond the protection of the northernmost part of the big island, the swell started to pick up and get pretty choppy. I was uneasy, queasy, and had the motor issue in the back of my mind. I voiced my doubts, and admitted that I really didn't feel up to this crossing. Jon acquiesced, and back to Honokohau we went.
After the issue with the starter was fixed (thanks to our friend Peter for the ride to the repair shop, and the excellent Thai food!) we needed to look for crew. A friend of ours, George, who is also visiting from the mainland (even though at one time he was a long time local here, for at least seven years) has volunteered.
So what about the "Dani" part of "Shenanigans with Jon & Dani"? I no longer feel up to making any transits...I'm a bit weary of the stress and not feeling very safe. Exciting at first, but not so much anymore. It's funny that crossing an entire ocean without freaking out was possible, but once we start sailing the Hawaiian islands, I'm over it.
Well, it's a good thing that we did this practice run first, before starting our huge south pacific trip to New Zealand! That would be quite unfortunate to discover this weariness of cruising far from home, compared to the relative closeness of Hawaii to home. Will I ever feel up to long term sailing again? Hm, I'm not sure...
So as we speak, Jon and George are making the 231 mile sail to Nawiliwili, Kaua'i. They may stop by Ala Wai marina on O'ahu for a bit, to say hi to a few more friends. I'll be flying into Lihue on Kaua'i Thursday morning.
Don't worry! Blog updates from the actual sailors living in the action and adventure shall continue. Dani, however, shall be bowing out of this dance for now.
What about eventually getting Shenanigans home to California? Yet another friend, Matt, will be up to the challenge. He does a lot of racing, has a ton of experience on the water, and leapt at the offer to bring the boat home with Jon. He'll be flying out to Kaua'i on the 20th or so, and may tour the island for a few days with us, before I fly home and they both begin the great transit back. Who knows, there may even be another person who wants to help sail the boat back as a third crew member?
Crossing the pacific once is quite enough for me!
The morning that we left to make the actual crossing of the Alenuihaha, we had some motor problems (starter solenoid was going out, motor was uncooperative!) Luckily, my handyman father was awake at home 6 hours away, and was able to help Jon out a bit with diagnosing the problem over the phone. The repair would require a port that actually had resources nearby, instead of the relative remoteness of Manele Bay on Lana'i. Nonetheless, we decided to venture on and cross the channel.
Once beyond the protection of the northernmost part of the big island, the swell started to pick up and get pretty choppy. I was uneasy, queasy, and had the motor issue in the back of my mind. I voiced my doubts, and admitted that I really didn't feel up to this crossing. Jon acquiesced, and back to Honokohau we went.
After the issue with the starter was fixed (thanks to our friend Peter for the ride to the repair shop, and the excellent Thai food!) we needed to look for crew. A friend of ours, George, who is also visiting from the mainland (even though at one time he was a long time local here, for at least seven years) has volunteered.
So what about the "Dani" part of "Shenanigans with Jon & Dani"? I no longer feel up to making any transits...I'm a bit weary of the stress and not feeling very safe. Exciting at first, but not so much anymore. It's funny that crossing an entire ocean without freaking out was possible, but once we start sailing the Hawaiian islands, I'm over it.
Well, it's a good thing that we did this practice run first, before starting our huge south pacific trip to New Zealand! That would be quite unfortunate to discover this weariness of cruising far from home, compared to the relative closeness of Hawaii to home. Will I ever feel up to long term sailing again? Hm, I'm not sure...
So as we speak, Jon and George are making the 231 mile sail to Nawiliwili, Kaua'i. They may stop by Ala Wai marina on O'ahu for a bit, to say hi to a few more friends. I'll be flying into Lihue on Kaua'i Thursday morning.
Don't worry! Blog updates from the actual sailors living in the action and adventure shall continue. Dani, however, shall be bowing out of this dance for now.
What about eventually getting Shenanigans home to California? Yet another friend, Matt, will be up to the challenge. He does a lot of racing, has a ton of experience on the water, and leapt at the offer to bring the boat home with Jon. He'll be flying out to Kaua'i on the 20th or so, and may tour the island for a few days with us, before I fly home and they both begin the great transit back. Who knows, there may even be another person who wants to help sail the boat back as a third crew member?
Crossing the pacific once is quite enough for me!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Kawaihae and Preparing to Cross the Alenuihaha
6-4
Yesterday we made the relatively mellow transit from Honokohau harbor northward to Kawaihae "harbor." This area is more like a calm patch of water behind some rocks, without actual slips to tie into. However, it's surprisingly calm and rather peaceful, compared to the hustle and bustle of the tourist attractions in Honokohau. No showers or facilities for boaters around, but the few restaurants here are pretty darn good. I was treated to a fantastic steak, shrimp, and cheesecake dinner last night that I won't soon forget!
On the transit up here, we brought a few local friends who wanted to experience sailing for the first time. Unfortunately, one person instead was treated to experiencing seasickness for the first time! Luckily, we were able to drop her off in the Kukio beach / Kua bay area along the way, and she got a ride home. This area was gorgeous with white sand beaches and electric blue water, yet also had lava rocks and coral in about 10 feet of water. It took some finesse to keep Shenanigans steady while getting situated in the dinghy. All in all, everything worked out and we continued to Kawaihae.
The wind was uncharacteristically flukey, so we had to do some motoring after the spinnaker refused to stay full. Yet we were able to arrive before nightfall and anchor snugly.
The other boaters here are very friendly and helpful. Advice on the best place to anchor, where to leave our dinghy when going to shore, and how to deal with the developing thunderstorms were all topics discussed freely. We even met a guy originally from Ventura, which shows it really is a small world.
One of our buddies along for the trip informed us that this area used to hold human sacrifices at the local heiau (house of worship) and the remains were fed to the many, many sharks here. She said it's not uncommon to see tiger or hammerhead around here...and the local charter captain says the blacktips breed their young in the shallows. So it seems I won't be scrubbing the boat bottom until our next stop in Lana'i, unless I bring my speargun down with me!!
We leave tonight around midnight to cross the Alenuihaha. The forecast is for a tame 3-5 foot swell with 17-19 knots from the east, which is exactly what I was hoping for.
We decided that we are going to skip Molokini and go straight to Lana'i. Apparently tour boats are very aggressive to outside boaters, plus the winds pick up mid-day and make for rough snorkeling. Lana'i and Moloka'i will offer plenty of gorgeous snorkel opportunities for us, so no sweat.
Off to Manele bay!
By the way, you know you've lived in Hawai'i for awhile when it's 79 degrees and you're thinking about grabbing a sweater...
Yesterday we made the relatively mellow transit from Honokohau harbor northward to Kawaihae "harbor." This area is more like a calm patch of water behind some rocks, without actual slips to tie into. However, it's surprisingly calm and rather peaceful, compared to the hustle and bustle of the tourist attractions in Honokohau. No showers or facilities for boaters around, but the few restaurants here are pretty darn good. I was treated to a fantastic steak, shrimp, and cheesecake dinner last night that I won't soon forget!
On the transit up here, we brought a few local friends who wanted to experience sailing for the first time. Unfortunately, one person instead was treated to experiencing seasickness for the first time! Luckily, we were able to drop her off in the Kukio beach / Kua bay area along the way, and she got a ride home. This area was gorgeous with white sand beaches and electric blue water, yet also had lava rocks and coral in about 10 feet of water. It took some finesse to keep Shenanigans steady while getting situated in the dinghy. All in all, everything worked out and we continued to Kawaihae.
The wind was uncharacteristically flukey, so we had to do some motoring after the spinnaker refused to stay full. Yet we were able to arrive before nightfall and anchor snugly.
The other boaters here are very friendly and helpful. Advice on the best place to anchor, where to leave our dinghy when going to shore, and how to deal with the developing thunderstorms were all topics discussed freely. We even met a guy originally from Ventura, which shows it really is a small world.
One of our buddies along for the trip informed us that this area used to hold human sacrifices at the local heiau (house of worship) and the remains were fed to the many, many sharks here. She said it's not uncommon to see tiger or hammerhead around here...and the local charter captain says the blacktips breed their young in the shallows. So it seems I won't be scrubbing the boat bottom until our next stop in Lana'i, unless I bring my speargun down with me!!
We leave tonight around midnight to cross the Alenuihaha. The forecast is for a tame 3-5 foot swell with 17-19 knots from the east, which is exactly what I was hoping for.
We decided that we are going to skip Molokini and go straight to Lana'i. Apparently tour boats are very aggressive to outside boaters, plus the winds pick up mid-day and make for rough snorkeling. Lana'i and Moloka'i will offer plenty of gorgeous snorkel opportunities for us, so no sweat.
Off to Manele bay!
By the way, you know you've lived in Hawai'i for awhile when it's 79 degrees and you're thinking about grabbing a sweater...
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Life in Honokohau
As we wait for the Alenuihaha channel to calm down a bit, we've been exploring Kona. Remember the rivalry I mentioned before between Hilo and Kona over which side has "more aloha"? Well, the Kona side wins, hands down!
We've met so many great people in the harbor, in town, in the surrounding beaches...that it boggles the mind. A few days we've headed into town, only to return to the boat later to find gifts left on the boat by friendly locals. Avocados, limes, a giant 20 pound stalk of bananas, and a pack of cigarettes (even though neither of us smoke) have accumulated over the past week. The generosity never ceases to amaze.
Jon's parents flew in and spent a few days with us. We met up with some friends, both new and old, and were welcomed into a local home for the most amazing ono and pork with rice. It's an awesome feeling to be wholeheartedly welcomed into a home by people who've only known you for a few days!
The water is warm and clear, and provides wonderful snorkeling. Check out the new pics and videos on the site. In the meantime, we're waiting until Friday and Saturday to move on north, and finally cross the dreaded channel that I've been fearing.
We've met so many great people in the harbor, in town, in the surrounding beaches...that it boggles the mind. A few days we've headed into town, only to return to the boat later to find gifts left on the boat by friendly locals. Avocados, limes, a giant 20 pound stalk of bananas, and a pack of cigarettes (even though neither of us smoke) have accumulated over the past week. The generosity never ceases to amaze.
Jon's parents flew in and spent a few days with us. We met up with some friends, both new and old, and were welcomed into a local home for the most amazing ono and pork with rice. It's an awesome feeling to be wholeheartedly welcomed into a home by people who've only known you for a few days!
The water is warm and clear, and provides wonderful snorkeling. Check out the new pics and videos on the site. In the meantime, we're waiting until Friday and Saturday to move on north, and finally cross the dreaded channel that I've been fearing.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Leeward Big Island
Nothing is as bad as when you are living in "that moment." For me, rounding South Point was an ordeal. More than 25 knots of wind behind us, 13 foot swell, and several squalls greeted us that night. There is definitely a reason why there are huge wind mills in the area. This reminded me of everything I disliked about the passage...
But then, all at once, we round the end of the island and start to head northward. The wind dies abruptly, the sun comes out, and the ocean begins to resemble a placid lake. The residual exhaustion is still there, but at least the worst is over!
So then we were anchored in Honomalino Bay near the sleepy fishing village of Miloli'i. This was still a bit of an uncomfortable position, as there was a bit of a swell coming into the area. We put out our "flopper stoppers," which look like a series of orange parking cones placed vertically on a line, with a heavy weight at the bottom. These are strung overboard on each side of the boat, and helps resist the back-and-forth swaying when we're broadsided. We still had a rocky night, but at least we were out of the hell that was South Point!
By this time we had already called Honokohau harbor twice to see if there were any slips open. Both times, the answer was yes. So, we decided to hit Kealakekua Bay in the morning, on our way up to the tranquil harbor. In Kealakekua, you'll find the Captain Cook monument in the area where he was killed. The base of this monument is a coral reef, with some of the best snorkeling you can find in the entire island chain. I was excited to finally experience the warm water with a pair of fins and my mask!
After anchoring in the area, we were greeted by a pair of sea turtles. They must of admired how well Jon set the hook. We then hopped in the dinghy and motored over to the monument. If you ever visit the big island, you NEED to come here. Check out the latest photos to see how crystal clear the water is, and the plethora of sea life teeming in the reef. My favorite was a neon-blue accented trevally, and a parrot fish with the most brilliant greens, blues and purples I have ever seen on an animal.
We decided it was time to move on, to get one of those slips in Honokohau. We finally motored up to the harbor, and started to fuel up at the dock. But, when calling the harbor master, we were told there were no more slips available. A little annoyed and sleep deprived, we'd have to backtrack to Kailua Bay, which is infamous for being rolly, rocky, and noisy as it's in downtown Kona.
Reluctantly, we headed back and set the anchor. We attempted the flopper stoppers, but they did little to help. An uncomfortable night was laid out for us.
In the morning, we made a big breakfast to try and compensate for lack of sleep. A phone call to Honokohau miraculously revealed that a slip or two was now open. I felt relieved and a bit angry, because I knew that they were probably available last night, but the dudes in the office probably didn't feel like dealing with us...but we were on our way.
The harbor master said to call him when we arrived. We did. Nobody picked up. We tried again. No luck. Ugh. I enjoy the laid-back Hawaiian style as much as the next person, but this was just ridiculous. Finally, we had contact, and were directed to an open slip.
This harbor has the most crystal clear water. We've seen four sea turtles, tons of tropical fish, two bat rays and have heard about the infamous 15 foot tiger shark that hangs out to munch on fisherman's scraps...and two unfortunate surfers during the last week. That somehow deters me from wanting to snorkel the pretty little beach at the harbor entrance.
We're going to hang out for at least a week, until the Alenuihaha channel calms down so we can cross over to Molokini, Maui, Lanai and Molokai. Everybody here is so damn friendly with rides, hitchhiking, and bar tabs, that we may not ever leave.
But then, all at once, we round the end of the island and start to head northward. The wind dies abruptly, the sun comes out, and the ocean begins to resemble a placid lake. The residual exhaustion is still there, but at least the worst is over!
So then we were anchored in Honomalino Bay near the sleepy fishing village of Miloli'i. This was still a bit of an uncomfortable position, as there was a bit of a swell coming into the area. We put out our "flopper stoppers," which look like a series of orange parking cones placed vertically on a line, with a heavy weight at the bottom. These are strung overboard on each side of the boat, and helps resist the back-and-forth swaying when we're broadsided. We still had a rocky night, but at least we were out of the hell that was South Point!
By this time we had already called Honokohau harbor twice to see if there were any slips open. Both times, the answer was yes. So, we decided to hit Kealakekua Bay in the morning, on our way up to the tranquil harbor. In Kealakekua, you'll find the Captain Cook monument in the area where he was killed. The base of this monument is a coral reef, with some of the best snorkeling you can find in the entire island chain. I was excited to finally experience the warm water with a pair of fins and my mask!
After anchoring in the area, we were greeted by a pair of sea turtles. They must of admired how well Jon set the hook. We then hopped in the dinghy and motored over to the monument. If you ever visit the big island, you NEED to come here. Check out the latest photos to see how crystal clear the water is, and the plethora of sea life teeming in the reef. My favorite was a neon-blue accented trevally, and a parrot fish with the most brilliant greens, blues and purples I have ever seen on an animal.
We decided it was time to move on, to get one of those slips in Honokohau. We finally motored up to the harbor, and started to fuel up at the dock. But, when calling the harbor master, we were told there were no more slips available. A little annoyed and sleep deprived, we'd have to backtrack to Kailua Bay, which is infamous for being rolly, rocky, and noisy as it's in downtown Kona.
Reluctantly, we headed back and set the anchor. We attempted the flopper stoppers, but they did little to help. An uncomfortable night was laid out for us.
In the morning, we made a big breakfast to try and compensate for lack of sleep. A phone call to Honokohau miraculously revealed that a slip or two was now open. I felt relieved and a bit angry, because I knew that they were probably available last night, but the dudes in the office probably didn't feel like dealing with us...but we were on our way.
The harbor master said to call him when we arrived. We did. Nobody picked up. We tried again. No luck. Ugh. I enjoy the laid-back Hawaiian style as much as the next person, but this was just ridiculous. Finally, we had contact, and were directed to an open slip.
This harbor has the most crystal clear water. We've seen four sea turtles, tons of tropical fish, two bat rays and have heard about the infamous 15 foot tiger shark that hangs out to munch on fisherman's scraps...and two unfortunate surfers during the last week. That somehow deters me from wanting to snorkel the pretty little beach at the harbor entrance.
We're going to hang out for at least a week, until the Alenuihaha channel calms down so we can cross over to Molokini, Maui, Lanai and Molokai. Everybody here is so damn friendly with rides, hitchhiking, and bar tabs, that we may not ever leave.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Off to Kona
Time to move on, we're off to the Kona side. We need to go down around South Point and up to our first anchorage, Honomalino Bay. We visited it by car yesterday, and it's a gorgeous black and white sand beach lined with coconut palms and a pod of Spinner dolphins hanging out in the center of the bay.
It's about 125 miles away, so we'll hopefully arrive in about 24 hours. The winds down at South Point were pretty vicious when we visited by car yesterday to see the Green Sand Beach. Hopefully, since the wind will be predominantly behind us, this will be a drama-free passage. Then again, this is Shenanigans, so you never know!
We had a lot of fun swapping stories at the cruiser's pot luck last Sunday night. Everyone is so friendly and willing to help their fellow yachtsman. We hope to see many of the boats anchored here in Radio Bay elsewhere in Hawaii. We are one of the last ones to get here, and now since we've pretty much seen all of Hilo, we're the first of the group to leave! Maybe we don't get this whole "relax, you're in Hawaii" business, but I'd rather like to think we have a limited time here, and want to see as much as possible in the 5 weeks we still have left.
We stocked up on food and have cleaned up the boat and ourselves, since we may not have facilities for a long time. If we can eventually get a spot in Honokohau, that would be best. But, from what we hear from the other cruisers, that may be a bit of a gamble...and that's why many of them are not leaving here yet. They feel that this is probably the most comfortable spot for us transient boats here in all of Hawaii, as far as amenities go.
Well, see you on the other side!
It's about 125 miles away, so we'll hopefully arrive in about 24 hours. The winds down at South Point were pretty vicious when we visited by car yesterday to see the Green Sand Beach. Hopefully, since the wind will be predominantly behind us, this will be a drama-free passage. Then again, this is Shenanigans, so you never know!
We had a lot of fun swapping stories at the cruiser's pot luck last Sunday night. Everyone is so friendly and willing to help their fellow yachtsman. We hope to see many of the boats anchored here in Radio Bay elsewhere in Hawaii. We are one of the last ones to get here, and now since we've pretty much seen all of Hilo, we're the first of the group to leave! Maybe we don't get this whole "relax, you're in Hawaii" business, but I'd rather like to think we have a limited time here, and want to see as much as possible in the 5 weeks we still have left.
We stocked up on food and have cleaned up the boat and ourselves, since we may not have facilities for a long time. If we can eventually get a spot in Honokohau, that would be best. But, from what we hear from the other cruisers, that may be a bit of a gamble...and that's why many of them are not leaving here yet. They feel that this is probably the most comfortable spot for us transient boats here in all of Hawaii, as far as amenities go.
Well, see you on the other side!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Volcanoes, Nude Hippies, and Black Sand
This place never ceases to amaze. Once you think you've seen the general stereotype, something different comes around the corner!
We were really looking forward to a "secret" hike that wasn't well known, even to locals, to Pu'u O'o, the vent that is the source of lava for Kilauea. To get there, you have to hike through miles of muddy wild rain forest. When we got to the trail head, however, there was a big sign that said "Trail Closed due to Extreme Volcanic Activity: Sulfur Dioxide Warning!" So apparently the island had different plans. We headed to Volcanoes National Park instead to check out their trails around Kilauea crater.
The dead, stark landscape is so alien when compared to surrounding lush rain forest. There is no flowing observable lava at the moment, but you can still appreciate the mass destruction that must occur when the real magma is present. The resulting black sand beaches that arise after the lava meets the ocean are an absolute dream.
On our one of our quests for the next hike, we saw a couple free-spirited hipsters on the side of the road with their thumbs out. We figured they looked pretty harmless, and picking up some hitchhikers may be kinda fun. They were on their way to Kehena Beach to chill out, so we decided to join them. On the way, we learned that this couple pretty much just lived wherever, worked whenever, and were part of a huge hippy following that tends to reside in the Puna (southeastern area) of the big island. Apparently, it's not difficult to get by in paradise.
We got to Kehena beach, and were greeted with pitch black sand in sharp contrast with foaming white and turquoise of the sea. Tons of people frolicked in the surf, all with huge smiles on their faces, and naked as the day they were born. Our new hippy buddy just turned to us and said "Hey man, welcome to Hawaii." Sweet.
Kapoho tide pools were similar, in that massive black slabs of lava meet the pounding surf. However, between these slabs, huge tide pools form, and are big enough to snorkel and dive in. Very beautiful.
We decided to finally med-moor to the wall, which was an experience in itself! Not too crazy, but backing the boat up to a concrete wall between two million dollar yachts can be a bit nerve-wracking. Our neighbor Brian, a Hilo native, was way cool in helping us out, and is a really friendly guy. Our other neighbors, from Portland, may not be as cool or friendly, and were worried about us knocking their boat....but at least they invited us to the cruiser's pot-luck tomorrow night.
Hilo has been good to us, but we are running out of things to do! We may leave earlier for Kona than we thought. Instead of rounding South Point on Wednesday, we may take off on Monday. Still not sure, but a possibility!
Check out the picture section for new updates.
We were really looking forward to a "secret" hike that wasn't well known, even to locals, to Pu'u O'o, the vent that is the source of lava for Kilauea. To get there, you have to hike through miles of muddy wild rain forest. When we got to the trail head, however, there was a big sign that said "Trail Closed due to Extreme Volcanic Activity: Sulfur Dioxide Warning!" So apparently the island had different plans. We headed to Volcanoes National Park instead to check out their trails around Kilauea crater.
The dead, stark landscape is so alien when compared to surrounding lush rain forest. There is no flowing observable lava at the moment, but you can still appreciate the mass destruction that must occur when the real magma is present. The resulting black sand beaches that arise after the lava meets the ocean are an absolute dream.
On our one of our quests for the next hike, we saw a couple free-spirited hipsters on the side of the road with their thumbs out. We figured they looked pretty harmless, and picking up some hitchhikers may be kinda fun. They were on their way to Kehena Beach to chill out, so we decided to join them. On the way, we learned that this couple pretty much just lived wherever, worked whenever, and were part of a huge hippy following that tends to reside in the Puna (southeastern area) of the big island. Apparently, it's not difficult to get by in paradise.
We got to Kehena beach, and were greeted with pitch black sand in sharp contrast with foaming white and turquoise of the sea. Tons of people frolicked in the surf, all with huge smiles on their faces, and naked as the day they were born. Our new hippy buddy just turned to us and said "Hey man, welcome to Hawaii." Sweet.
Kapoho tide pools were similar, in that massive black slabs of lava meet the pounding surf. However, between these slabs, huge tide pools form, and are big enough to snorkel and dive in. Very beautiful.
We decided to finally med-moor to the wall, which was an experience in itself! Not too crazy, but backing the boat up to a concrete wall between two million dollar yachts can be a bit nerve-wracking. Our neighbor Brian, a Hilo native, was way cool in helping us out, and is a really friendly guy. Our other neighbors, from Portland, may not be as cool or friendly, and were worried about us knocking their boat....but at least they invited us to the cruiser's pot-luck tomorrow night.
Hilo has been good to us, but we are running out of things to do! We may leave earlier for Kona than we thought. Instead of rounding South Point on Wednesday, we may take off on Monday. Still not sure, but a possibility!
Check out the picture section for new updates.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Hilo
What a quaint little town! Everybody has been so friendly. The local security guards who have to escort us out of the Radio Bay area have been a huge help in arranging where we should eat, what rental car company to go with, etc. They are so laid back here; we had to pretty much beg the Agricultural inspector to come down and check us out. We cruised the dinghy around the entire Hilo bay, and admired all the jagged black lava rock juxtaposed with the graceful thin coconut trees sprouting between them. Quite a beautiful place.
Jon's brother Chris is here, he flew into Hilo yesterday. After we get some pesky little errands done like laundry and maybe a few boat repairs, we're going to start on all those splendid hikes we've been excited to check out.
Lots of the other cruisers med-moored to the back wall have so many years of experience, it makes us look like newbies. They've been to Mexico, sailed the South Pacific, New Zealand...many of them are still on one huge continuous trip. All have been super friendly and genuinely want to help out. What camaraderie exists amongst those who live a life on the water!
The "rivalry" (if you could even call it that, Hawaiians are the definition of mellow) between Kona and Hilo is pretty funny. It seems whomever is from one side of the island claims that the other side is really "lacking aloha." We will find out on the 25th, when we plan to cruise over to Kona by rounding South Point.
More pictures are in our album area below, if you'd like to see some shots from the passage and a couple here from Radio Bay.
Jon's brother Chris is here, he flew into Hilo yesterday. After we get some pesky little errands done like laundry and maybe a few boat repairs, we're going to start on all those splendid hikes we've been excited to check out.
Lots of the other cruisers med-moored to the back wall have so many years of experience, it makes us look like newbies. They've been to Mexico, sailed the South Pacific, New Zealand...many of them are still on one huge continuous trip. All have been super friendly and genuinely want to help out. What camaraderie exists amongst those who live a life on the water!
The "rivalry" (if you could even call it that, Hawaiians are the definition of mellow) between Kona and Hilo is pretty funny. It seems whomever is from one side of the island claims that the other side is really "lacking aloha." We will find out on the 25th, when we plan to cruise over to Kona by rounding South Point.
More pictures are in our album area below, if you'd like to see some shots from the passage and a couple here from Radio Bay.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Island in the clouds
Imagine sailing to a remote location. As you near your destination, you would expect to eventually see it on the horizon, correct? Well, the big island was playing hide and seek with us all day, until we finally caught up with it!
The entire surface of the island was obscured by thick cloud cover, even though the rest of the environment on the ocean was looking pretty clear and sunny. I started to doubt myself; maybe I entered the coordinates incorrectly into the GPS, and this whole time we've been sailing into nothingness! But no, we were on track. As the sun started to set, we had a welcoming committee. A monster whale surfaced near us, and just the exposed part of its back was the size of our boat. I thought we had seen some pretty sizeable leviathans back home near Santa Cruz island, but this one definitely takes the cake as the single biggest living thing I have ever seen.
As night fell and the miles left whittled down, we noticed the twinkling lights of the coastal cities off on the horizon. The lights reflected up on the thick cloud cover above, conveniently acting like big "Steer Here!" signs. Once we got close to Hilo Bay, we participated in a bit of a bad habit amongst cruisers--we sailed into an unknown harbor at night. Usually, it's best to just wait it out until morning, so that you may more clearly navigate all the quirks that you've yet to experience. But we were both excited to be here, stubbornly over-confident, and (once again) ignoring our intense sleep-deprivation.
The actual bay of Hilo has a massive underwater reef that protects it from the incoming swell. This, of course, needs to be clearly marked with bright lights, or else there will be a giant pile of wrecked boats. Unfortunately, though, the background for us was the city of Hilo, all lit up like Vegas! (Ok, maybe not that obnoxious, but sleep-deprivation, remember?). So, judging where to turn and to what degree was a bit tricky, but we managed through the major parts of the harbor until we squeaked back into Radio Bay.
What a cute little spot for transient boats! As the sun rises, we can see the wall in the back for "med-mooring," which is sort of like backing your car into a parking spot, and then climbing up a ladder onto the dock. Or, there is a larger middle area where you can just drop your bow anchor normally. That's what we decided to do, and were rewarded with the tranquilly flat water of a swimming pool, some personal palm trees off to the side of us, and a little chorus of those Hawaiian frogs that make a high pitched chirping sound. Now we will blow up our inflatable dinghy to get to the dock.
So, naturally, we are too excited to sleep! We'd rather go take a shower, clear up with the agriculture department and harbor master, and go get some grub. Oh yeah, and reteach ourselves how to walk--as we stand on a totally stable boat without movement, we still shimmy and lean and sway as if we're doing some kind of stupid dance. We look like two drunk toddlers, haha!
Later on we can put up some pictures of the passage, and maybe some final thoughts about what we learned from our trip over and how we can improve on our journey back. That trip back isn't until July, though, so until then we are off to explore this tropical paradise. I'm already in love with Hilo, and I haven't even left the boat yet.
Final Transit Time from Channel Islands Harbor, CA to Hilo, HI: 18 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes
Total Miles Traveled: 2346 (a few extra than necessary, but sailing isn't always in a direct line!)
Monday, May 16, 2011
The Friendly Brit
We are so close, we can smell the pineapple in the air! Not really, the wind is blowing us toward the island, but you get the idea. We are getting very impatient and looking forward to being safely anchored in Radio Bay to regroup and fix minor issues with the boat. Most of all, can't wait to GET A FULL NIGHT OF SLEEP! We have about 200 miles left, so we are hoping to arrive Wednesday morning, if all goes well.
The other night I was sailing along at the helm and the AIS system went off again. Jon woke up and looked at it with me. We saw a tiny blip only moving 5.3 knots or so toward our stern. There was no real danger upon us, so we kind of ignored it and continued on with our night.
A few minutes later, an English chap hailed us on the radio. It ends up the other vessel, S/V Nomad, had just one guy aboard coming from Panama on his way to Honolulu. He was 36 days out on his trip, and we were the first people he had talked to that entire time! After Honolulu, he said he planned to sail on to Alaska to visit some friends.
This man shared with us that he had already circumnavigated the globe solo once before, and said he "just doesn't want to go back to Europe right now." He has been cruising like this for 11 years, all by himself on his 34 foot boat. He was eager to talk and did so for almost the entire 3:00-4:00 am shift! I can't say that I blame him though, everybody needs somebody to chat with now and then, and we were probably the first chance he had to ramble.
He asked why were we going back to California so soon, and we replied that we still had to work/go to school for a living. He chuckled and said he had forgotten the meaning of the word "work." What a life!
We have been running the kite during the day, and dutifully taking it down at night (See? We really did learn our lesson from last time!) We have a slight tear in the spinnaker that needs to be fixed, and the after-guy (one of the connection points between spinnaker and boat) has almost totally chafed through. Quite the steep learning curve when it comes to figuring out the exact wear and tear on using gear long term.
We picked our spirits up by starting to plan all of the hiking trails we will visit on the big island. Of course we will check out some waterfalls, rain forests, and hopefully flowing lava. One of the hikes will be through a lava tube that is so pristine, only a park ranger can escort you there. They want to keep its exact location hush-hush, I guess.
And, of course, I am excited to pick out the restaurants that we may stop by.
We miss everybody and we miss land.
The other night I was sailing along at the helm and the AIS system went off again. Jon woke up and looked at it with me. We saw a tiny blip only moving 5.3 knots or so toward our stern. There was no real danger upon us, so we kind of ignored it and continued on with our night.
A few minutes later, an English chap hailed us on the radio. It ends up the other vessel, S/V Nomad, had just one guy aboard coming from Panama on his way to Honolulu. He was 36 days out on his trip, and we were the first people he had talked to that entire time! After Honolulu, he said he planned to sail on to Alaska to visit some friends.
This man shared with us that he had already circumnavigated the globe solo once before, and said he "just doesn't want to go back to Europe right now." He has been cruising like this for 11 years, all by himself on his 34 foot boat. He was eager to talk and did so for almost the entire 3:00-4:00 am shift! I can't say that I blame him though, everybody needs somebody to chat with now and then, and we were probably the first chance he had to ramble.
He asked why were we going back to California so soon, and we replied that we still had to work/go to school for a living. He chuckled and said he had forgotten the meaning of the word "work." What a life!
We have been running the kite during the day, and dutifully taking it down at night (See? We really did learn our lesson from last time!) We have a slight tear in the spinnaker that needs to be fixed, and the after-guy (one of the connection points between spinnaker and boat) has almost totally chafed through. Quite the steep learning curve when it comes to figuring out the exact wear and tear on using gear long term.
We picked our spirits up by starting to plan all of the hiking trails we will visit on the big island. Of course we will check out some waterfalls, rain forests, and hopefully flowing lava. One of the hikes will be through a lava tube that is so pristine, only a park ranger can escort you there. They want to keep its exact location hush-hush, I guess.
And, of course, I am excited to pick out the restaurants that we may stop by.
We miss everybody and we miss land.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Don't let the weather get you down!
The last few nights have been rough. One day recently we set our record distance of 154 miles in a 24 hour period, but that was an arduous task. The rain, swells, and sometimes weird gusty winds pick up at night and make us look forward to the sunrise more and more with each passing hour.
While you are living these moments, they are pretty much the worst ever experienced in your life. But in the morning, after eating some breakfast and looking back at what happened, the truth is it isn't all that bad. Like last night we made the mistake of keeping the spinnaker up far longer than what was comfortable for the conditions: the wind had really, really picked up. I mentioned before that you can reef a sail to decrease its surface area, keeping the boat moving but still manageable in stronger winds. Well, that's true of the headsail and the main, but not the spinnaker! The kite is attached at three points, and is constantly exposed to the wind coming behind you, dragging you forward--so you can see that if this goes crazy, the spinnaker will either cause you to careen around like a maniac, flip your boat on its side, or totally tear itself into pieces. There is no way to reef this kind of sail, it just has to come down IMMEDIATELY.
So, when I was napping before my shift on the helm, and Jon told me what had to be done, I noticed the strain in his voice. This was not going to be fun. I started steering so that he could go up and gather the kite as soon as two of those three connection points had been doused. The plan was to shove the sail as quickly as possible down the hatch that leads to our V-berth (room with a V-shaped bed at the bow) without losing the sail into the ocean, flinging Jonny overboard with it into the ocean, or letting the lines whip around like crazy and maybe tangling in other gear. Good times, right?
The steering was so overpowered it was squirrely. Every touch to the helm sent us flying in that direction. At one point, Jon was standing on the side rail and his toes were in the water! He doused his connection point, I doused mine, and luckily the kite flew off slightly to the right of the bow. It reminded me of seeing an untied, full balloon being let go and zooming around until it empties of air and drops. Oh, except this "balloon" is three stories tall and attached to the boat. Jon shoved the mess down the hatch, along with five gallons of saltwater, on top of our bed.
We learned our lesson. We are going to invest in a spinnaker sock as soon as we get to Hawaii. This is exactly what it sounds like, a sort of sock tucked at the top of the spinnaker. When you pull a line, it drops, and swallows the kite on the way down. No fuss, no people on deck, no stress! Also, as soon as we start to see signs of too much wind, the kite is coming down that instant!
Then the nonstop rain...it gets old. So do the wacky washing machine swells that we are getting hit with from every direction. I realize we are only a few days out (only 400 miles to go!) but it's pretty hard sometimes to stay positive. But the more I think about sailing Hawaii on our own boat for the next 5 weeks allows me to keep my head up. Also, when I dream about the first big breakfast I order at Ken's House of Pancakes with two extra sides of bacon, that always brings a smile to my face!
While you are living these moments, they are pretty much the worst ever experienced in your life. But in the morning, after eating some breakfast and looking back at what happened, the truth is it isn't all that bad. Like last night we made the mistake of keeping the spinnaker up far longer than what was comfortable for the conditions: the wind had really, really picked up. I mentioned before that you can reef a sail to decrease its surface area, keeping the boat moving but still manageable in stronger winds. Well, that's true of the headsail and the main, but not the spinnaker! The kite is attached at three points, and is constantly exposed to the wind coming behind you, dragging you forward--so you can see that if this goes crazy, the spinnaker will either cause you to careen around like a maniac, flip your boat on its side, or totally tear itself into pieces. There is no way to reef this kind of sail, it just has to come down IMMEDIATELY.
So, when I was napping before my shift on the helm, and Jon told me what had to be done, I noticed the strain in his voice. This was not going to be fun. I started steering so that he could go up and gather the kite as soon as two of those three connection points had been doused. The plan was to shove the sail as quickly as possible down the hatch that leads to our V-berth (room with a V-shaped bed at the bow) without losing the sail into the ocean, flinging Jonny overboard with it into the ocean, or letting the lines whip around like crazy and maybe tangling in other gear. Good times, right?
The steering was so overpowered it was squirrely. Every touch to the helm sent us flying in that direction. At one point, Jon was standing on the side rail and his toes were in the water! He doused his connection point, I doused mine, and luckily the kite flew off slightly to the right of the bow. It reminded me of seeing an untied, full balloon being let go and zooming around until it empties of air and drops. Oh, except this "balloon" is three stories tall and attached to the boat. Jon shoved the mess down the hatch, along with five gallons of saltwater, on top of our bed.
We learned our lesson. We are going to invest in a spinnaker sock as soon as we get to Hawaii. This is exactly what it sounds like, a sort of sock tucked at the top of the spinnaker. When you pull a line, it drops, and swallows the kite on the way down. No fuss, no people on deck, no stress! Also, as soon as we start to see signs of too much wind, the kite is coming down that instant!
Then the nonstop rain...it gets old. So do the wacky washing machine swells that we are getting hit with from every direction. I realize we are only a few days out (only 400 miles to go!) but it's pretty hard sometimes to stay positive. But the more I think about sailing Hawaii on our own boat for the next 5 weeks allows me to keep my head up. Also, when I dream about the first big breakfast I order at Ken's House of Pancakes with two extra sides of bacon, that always brings a smile to my face!
Friday, May 13, 2011
Hobo tents and night sailing
Brizo II has died. So, we will be hand steering around the clock non-stop for the next 700 miles until landfall. Thankfully, Jon's dad has already got the ball rolling on finding replacement parts, and we'll be able to reconstruct our autopilot once in harbor (thanks again, Paul!).
So yesterday when Jon was done with his shift on the helm from like 4 to 6:30 in the morning, he went down below for a well deserved nap. I took over and watched the sunrise with a hot mug of coffee. The sun always turns the morning cumulus clouds rosy pink with goldish accents, it's gorgeous. Anyway, a bird that looked like a white tern with a very long and slender tail flapped alongside the boat, going the same speed as us. He kept looking down and squawking at me. Then he would circle around and do it again. Did he want me to stop the boat so he could land more easily and take a break...?
I realized he was waiting for me to serve him breakfast. We kept scaring up flying fish that morning, and my new buddy was there to take advantage. He would swoop down to scoop up whatever fleeing little fishy made the mistake of breaking the surface of the water. I wonder if only that individual bird has learned that trick, or the whole species knows instinctively to look for something that would result in an opportunistic meal?
The rest of the day involved a lot motoring and looking for wind. Finally, we were rewarded with some beautiful downwind sailing in the late afternoon. We hoisted the spinnaker and cruised, but expected to have to bring it down after sunset, as that is when the wind normally dies. But not this night! The waxing moon came out, bright as a beacon, and so did the millions of stars. Scattered cumulus clouds were well illuminated, and the winds just kept on pushing behind us, along with the swell. The air was warm and no jackets were really necessary.
I haven't talked much about how I normally hate the nights, since they are quite monotonous and difficult to stay awake and focused (especially when the other person is sleeping and you have nobody to talk to). This night, however, made me forget the general feeling of annoyance with our usual night process. If every night included the feeling of the entire ocean willing us toward the tropics, with a full spinnaker and bright moon to steer by, then this might very well turn out to be our favorite part of the trip over!
We have come to the conclusion that as we approach latitude 19 N, the sun is trying to melt our flesh off. We have been applying sunscreen non-stop and have yet to get burned, but that doesn't stop the heat. Shenanigans has some custom Sunbrella material to cover the cockpit for times like these. However, we haven't really figured out how to put it all together. So, when we lash all the cloth over the cockpit, we kind of look like we have a shanty-town hobo tent propped up. Funny looking, but functional! One day we'll solve the puzzle...
It feels great to have 1400 miles behind us and only about 700 left to go. I'm definitely craving some fatty junk food. I think an extra large pizza topped with an In-n-Out burger with a hot pastrami and swiss on rye sounds about right!
So yesterday when Jon was done with his shift on the helm from like 4 to 6:30 in the morning, he went down below for a well deserved nap. I took over and watched the sunrise with a hot mug of coffee. The sun always turns the morning cumulus clouds rosy pink with goldish accents, it's gorgeous. Anyway, a bird that looked like a white tern with a very long and slender tail flapped alongside the boat, going the same speed as us. He kept looking down and squawking at me. Then he would circle around and do it again. Did he want me to stop the boat so he could land more easily and take a break...?
I realized he was waiting for me to serve him breakfast. We kept scaring up flying fish that morning, and my new buddy was there to take advantage. He would swoop down to scoop up whatever fleeing little fishy made the mistake of breaking the surface of the water. I wonder if only that individual bird has learned that trick, or the whole species knows instinctively to look for something that would result in an opportunistic meal?
The rest of the day involved a lot motoring and looking for wind. Finally, we were rewarded with some beautiful downwind sailing in the late afternoon. We hoisted the spinnaker and cruised, but expected to have to bring it down after sunset, as that is when the wind normally dies. But not this night! The waxing moon came out, bright as a beacon, and so did the millions of stars. Scattered cumulus clouds were well illuminated, and the winds just kept on pushing behind us, along with the swell. The air was warm and no jackets were really necessary.
I haven't talked much about how I normally hate the nights, since they are quite monotonous and difficult to stay awake and focused (especially when the other person is sleeping and you have nobody to talk to). This night, however, made me forget the general feeling of annoyance with our usual night process. If every night included the feeling of the entire ocean willing us toward the tropics, with a full spinnaker and bright moon to steer by, then this might very well turn out to be our favorite part of the trip over!
We have come to the conclusion that as we approach latitude 19 N, the sun is trying to melt our flesh off. We have been applying sunscreen non-stop and have yet to get burned, but that doesn't stop the heat. Shenanigans has some custom Sunbrella material to cover the cockpit for times like these. However, we haven't really figured out how to put it all together. So, when we lash all the cloth over the cockpit, we kind of look like we have a shanty-town hobo tent propped up. Funny looking, but functional! One day we'll solve the puzzle...
It feels great to have 1400 miles behind us and only about 700 left to go. I'm definitely craving some fatty junk food. I think an extra large pizza topped with an In-n-Out burger with a hot pastrami and swiss on rye sounds about right!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Day 11
We've heard through the grapevine that a few people have been leaving comments and questions for us on this blog. Thanks for all your support and interest in our adventure! Unfortunately though, we can't surf the internet from the boat, only upload blogs via email. Therefore, we can't get back to you guys until we're in Hilo and have found a stable internet connection. Thanks again, and don't feel like we're ignoring you.
It's a bit disturbing how much trash we see floating randomly. Every 20 minutes or so we see something plastic or styrofoam bob by. It's crazy that 900 miles out from the closest land, you can still see the effect that man can have on this planet. One of those effects conveniently woke us up with a startle around midnight two days ago.
The engine was running, and we were both catching some shut-eye while Brizo II was doing all the work. Suddenly, a loud repetitious thunking noise jolted us awake. Jon hit the kill switch for the motor, and went to the engine room to investigate. Thankfully, nothing went wrong mechanically on our end--it was the massive 30 foot long nylon fishing net that was now wrapped around our propeller that caused the commotion. Peering overboard at it, you can see rotting fish carcasses and old bones of past victims that also couldn't get out of its way.
The idea of jumping overboard in the middle of nowhere with just a flashlight and a knife to cut away the tangled mass on our prop about 3 feet under the waterline did not sound like much fun to either of us. We grabbed our gaff (big hook on a stick for retrieving fish on deck) and decided to hack off as much as possible, for tonight, anyway. We would deal with the rest in the morning when we could actually see.
As we wrestled and hacked at the net that night, we had a bit of an audience. Some bioluminescent squid were acting like little neon green cheerleaders, lighting up and flashing every time we made any jerky movements. Even though the situation was frustrating, that was pretty cool.
After drifting til sunrise (no wind and no engine means no go!) we were able to unhook the rest of the net from the prop just by using the gaff from on deck. These kind of issues are much easier to deal with when you can actually see what the hell you're doing!
Very light winds are making the last half of our journey tough. We keep motoring until we find wind, sail, then repeat when the wind dies. We did however, experience our first squall last night. The sky grew dark, swells increased in size, and winds picked up just a bit. But it only lasted a few minutes, and wasn't all that bad. So, maybe this was just a weak one, or we are yet to experience the true squalls that many sailors fear.
Ever see a flying fish? They look pretty funny while trying to get out of the boat's way. They beat their tails frantically and try to soar just a few inches above the water with their super long fins out like wings. Luckily, none have decided to commit suicide on our decks like those pesky squid.
It's a bit disturbing how much trash we see floating randomly. Every 20 minutes or so we see something plastic or styrofoam bob by. It's crazy that 900 miles out from the closest land, you can still see the effect that man can have on this planet. One of those effects conveniently woke us up with a startle around midnight two days ago.
The engine was running, and we were both catching some shut-eye while Brizo II was doing all the work. Suddenly, a loud repetitious thunking noise jolted us awake. Jon hit the kill switch for the motor, and went to the engine room to investigate. Thankfully, nothing went wrong mechanically on our end--it was the massive 30 foot long nylon fishing net that was now wrapped around our propeller that caused the commotion. Peering overboard at it, you can see rotting fish carcasses and old bones of past victims that also couldn't get out of its way.
The idea of jumping overboard in the middle of nowhere with just a flashlight and a knife to cut away the tangled mass on our prop about 3 feet under the waterline did not sound like much fun to either of us. We grabbed our gaff (big hook on a stick for retrieving fish on deck) and decided to hack off as much as possible, for tonight, anyway. We would deal with the rest in the morning when we could actually see.
As we wrestled and hacked at the net that night, we had a bit of an audience. Some bioluminescent squid were acting like little neon green cheerleaders, lighting up and flashing every time we made any jerky movements. Even though the situation was frustrating, that was pretty cool.
After drifting til sunrise (no wind and no engine means no go!) we were able to unhook the rest of the net from the prop just by using the gaff from on deck. These kind of issues are much easier to deal with when you can actually see what the hell you're doing!
Very light winds are making the last half of our journey tough. We keep motoring until we find wind, sail, then repeat when the wind dies. We did however, experience our first squall last night. The sky grew dark, swells increased in size, and winds picked up just a bit. But it only lasted a few minutes, and wasn't all that bad. So, maybe this was just a weak one, or we are yet to experience the true squalls that many sailors fear.
Ever see a flying fish? They look pretty funny while trying to get out of the boat's way. They beat their tails frantically and try to soar just a few inches above the water with their super long fins out like wings. Luckily, none have decided to commit suicide on our decks like those pesky squid.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain
I admire and am so proud of you two for going after your dream and making it work!
Love, MOM
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