Pictures from Fanning Island

Ok, I've finally made some time to go through and pick out some photos to post...  I put together a slide show of 83 pictures but won't try to post them all here!  Unfortunately, i lost a bunch of photos that I had not backed up.  It turned out that my laptop did die after getting splashed.  It came back to life for a few days after drying out, but then when we arrived in Hawaii it refused to work.  A repair shop here confirmed that it was not worth fixing (gotta love our *planned obsolescence* society where things aren't even worth repairing - just buy a new one for less!).  So, i don't have a picture of the new babyAgnes that we got to meet on her first day alive, but I have a bunch of other pics to share!


First a few from the passage to Fanning Island, where we saw pilot whales, and got splashed by a lot of waves.

Leaving Honolulu... we're off to Fanning

Sunset at sea

Pilot Whales - surfing alongside the boat

Ohhh - I hate getting splashed! It's only safe under the dodger!

Arriving at Fanning was a welcome sight - we couldn't see the lagoon, but it was reflected in the clouds above it which appeared light green - a new cloud color for us!

Land Ho!  With green skies above.



We made it! Time to celebrate...



Midnight Blue at anchor in the lagoon

Sunset over Fanning coconut palms

Our time on Fanning was quite fun.  I'll post more pics soon, but for now, here's the main reason we were there...

Tim surfs!

Jane surfs! (a much smaller day)



Made it to Hawaii

Just a quick post to let folks know we made it safely and are anchored in kealakua bay (capt cooks bay) on the big island. Tomorrow we will head for Honokohau harbor to get a slip. Looking forward to a full nights sleep for the first time in ten days!!
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Fish on! and other good news

Sunday October 30, 2011
position: 15 degrees 17 minutes north, 154 degrees 40 minutes west

It seems that our luck has changed aboard ship. After a few unsuccessful fishing days, yesterday Tim got up and snuck out the fishing lure while i was down below for my morning nap (after my 3am to 6am watch). About 8am, just as I was hitting deep sleep, I heard the whining of the fishing line going out. I think, hmm, that must be tim putting out the fishing line. But wait, I think, I also hear Tim letting out the mainsail and reeling in the jib??? Oh my! That must be a real fish on the fishing line!!! I jump out of my bunk and hurtle out into the cockpit and grab the fishing rod and start trying to reel in the fish. I fight the fish for a while - it seems like an hour, my muscles are getting spazzy (it was probably 10 minutes or so?). Tim's not sure what kind of fish it could be - maybe tuna, but it's fighting harder than tuna usually do - this fish kept making a run for it every few minutes.

At one point the pole holder twists and i almost lose the pole -- I'm so tired Tim has to help me to get the rod out of the rod holder and into the fighting belt. Then i am too weak and shaky and Tim has to finish reeling him in... and we finally catch a glimpse of the HUGE mahi mahi that we've hooked. It is such a beautiful fish. Tim thinks it was a 30+ pounder. All I know is I could barely hold the thing up for the picture, that's how heavy it was. it was easily 4 feet long. So, we've been dining well for the past 24 hours! And should have some left to share with our friends when we arrive the big island!

And the other good news - I am back on my computer -- it did just need to dry out! Not sure yet if there is any damage, but was able to get on and everything seems in order, and i've backed up everything again. Phew.

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halfway there - resend

position on Saturday oct 29 at noon (hawaii time): 12 degrees 58 minutes north, 153 degrees 55 minutes west
sent the below message yesterday, but had wrong address, so here goes again!
*****
position: 10 degrees 16 minutes north, 153 degrees, 18 minutes west
5 days out of Fanning Island, about 500 miles to go to the Big Island of Hawaii

Things can get rough on the ocean, when you least expect it. We learned that the hard way yesterday, when we had the computer out on the nav table. I had written a blog message, Tim had read it over and written a few emails, and he got up to go the the head while i was getting ready to come in from deck and send out the messages. All of the sudden we hear a boom and a big splash noise. We had forgotten to close the hatch when we got out the computer...it was a beautiful calm afternoon, and no waves had come over the cabintop for hours, and it's really hot inside the cabin without the hatch open. And we paid the price. The ceiling hatch was only open a crack, but somehow gallons of water came in and soaked our bed/settee, and splashed the computer, frying it. As of now, it's still not working. Argh. Luckily we have this old backup computer that has been Tim's. I'm pretty good about backing things up, but i'm not sure if all the pictures i took on fanning made it onto my backup drive... I sure hope so! Maybe the computer just needs a day or so to *dry out* - we've seen that with cell phones that took a dunking!

Otherwise all is going well, we've made good progress and had good winds with the exception of one very light wind night where we motor-sailed for 8 hours. Wednesday was a busy day - i was on watch at dawn when a great big pod of dolphins (i would guess there could've been 50+ really little cute ones) joined us for about an hour jumping and leaping out of the water, and playing in our bow wake. They amaze me how they are able to simultaneously surface, 4-5 in a row next to each other. Quite the synchronized swimmers! Today we were joined again at dawn by a much smaller group (maybe 10-20 dolphins). They seem like they are less than 5 feet long, super cute. We had some calm enough weather where Tim was able to get the big jib winch taken apart and fixed, and he removed the bathroom hatch and re-caulked it to stop the leaking up there. Luckily he finished that job and got the dinghy repositioned over the hatch just before a big squall hit - it rained for over an hour that afternoon. I of course was battling seasickness still and not much use for any chores - finally feeling better as of yesterday though!

Yesterday evening, besides frying the computer, we lost our staysail shroud. The fitting where it attaches to the deck broke, so we won't be able to use our hank on staysail -- which is a real bummer since we're now trying to head as close as possible into the Northeast trade winds where it would be really useful.

So, it's been an eventful first half of the trip. The blog message that got lost on the other computer told the story of the *breakers* we identified on the chart and were concerned about avoiding... we made it through that area and didn't see anything, but it was a bit disconcerting for a while there.

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Off to Hawaii

Position: 5 degrees 03 minutes north, 157 degrees 16 minutes west
A bit under 800 miles to go to Hawaii (not counting our eastward jog)

Just a quick note that we said our final goodbye/see you later to the folks in Fanning and sailed out yesterday morning about 10 AM. Timed it on a slack tide to get out of the lagoon through the narrow channel (a bit nervewracking). All went well, and the winds have been southeast - perfect for our sail back to Hawaii. But i've been seasick so far, and it's rough being back on the ocean. There are some bigger swells and we're heeled over quite a bit making everything challenging. One day out and Tim's already been mr. fixit -- our starboard jib winch is not working right, but luckily, we should be on the other tack the whole way, so won't need it! And our bathroom hatch is leaking -- with all the waves over the bow it was pretty wet until Tim made some temporary repairs.

I'm checking in on the pacific seafarer's net, so our position should be posted daily on their website. We're heading for Honokahau Harbor on the Big Island and hoping to get a slip there. If all goes well we should be about 8 more days to get there.

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Final week(s) on Fanning

Position: anchored at Fanning Island

Almost a month since my last posting? That doesn't seem right, but we have been here at Fanning Island for almost two months now. Since the last posting we have mostly been the only boat here - the other yacht left. But we have had visits from the local supply ship, a 100-year old whaling ship from Norway, the Haganes, and the Holland America cruise ship the Westerdam. It's good to have some diversions, especially when the surf is flat! The local supply ship came, but didn't bring nearly enough supplies. No fuel, no flour, not nearly enough rice or sugar. Another private ship (the Kwai - which is also a sail training vessel apparently, with an international crew, based in Hawaii), is supposed to get here in a few days, but also was unable to fit all of the supplies that were ordered by the islanders here - less than half the rice ordered is going to be delivered. But this ship will bring us gas & eggs, which have been in short supply on Midnight Blue for awhile, and many other specially ordered items for the islanders. While there are tons of chickens running around the island, no one seems to keep them for eggs… So my baking has been suffering. I did give some *cookie baking* lessons (requested after people tasted my cookies!) but tried making them without eggs, substituting oil instead. They turned out way too crumbly! And we were baking in the local oven over a fire, so the first batch was a bit burnt and the later batches took forever and all tasted smoky. A week later I repeated the *lesson* for some other folks and we used a propane grill to bake on - this worked a bit better, plus I used the last of my eggs since these cookies were in part for Tim's birthday!

We had a great birthday celebration for Tim at our friend Bruno's house - even spent the night onshore so we could hang out and watch the fullish moon without fear of crossing the channel at night. Tim made everyone pizza and I made him a vegan chocolate cake. Our friend Tyrone surprised Tim with gifts of a local canoe replica and knife, beautifully detailed & made from local materials, including the twine which is made from coconut fiber.

This week the cruise ship visited, it was a sight to see. Apparently, they do not even anchor offshore - it is too deep for them to anchor, so they just heave to and hang out for the day. Tons of people came ashore - the ship carries 1,900 people and the small boats were going back and forth all day. After the first few hours there was a line stretching for several *blocks* to get back on the cruise ship! Weird to be surrounded by white people after being the only whites on the island for so long. White people are call 'te maton' in Kiribati - I'll be walking down the street and kids all call 'te maton, te maton'. Apparently it is just out of excitement, not derogatory - the word really means 'white person who came by boat from the sea'. For the cruise ship visit, there were several *choir* groups set up singing, and folks dressed in traditional outfits charging for pictures, tours of the island by truck, and lots of crafts stands, mostly selling the same items - the local knives, carvings, and shell jewelry. We hung out a bit by the dock and got to meet many folks - they are on a cruise that started in Seattle, went up to Vancouver, than down to San Diego, Hawaii, and here and will continue on through the South Pacific - 35 days in all. So, it was mainly retired folks on this cruise!

Well, it's time for us to start getting ready to head out. We've decided to head back to Hawaii for the winter - not sure which island(s) we'll end up at - it'll depend on dock slip availability. It's going to be hurricane season in the South Pacific, so we don't want to go further south, and we don't want to spend the next six months in the more remote areas nearer the equator where we might be safe from storms… We'll be in Hawaii until the spring, and then we'll have to decide - back to Mexico or head for the South Pacific, or elsewhere?

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Amazing generosity

Position: anchored at Fanning Island

Time flies when you're having fun. That's how we're feeling, although we have also managed to do a few boat projects (true to the old saying that cruising is just doing maintenance in exotic places)! Tim got to surf a good swell last weekend, but this week was pretty slow for waves otherwise - just as well since Tim had a few cuts and needed to stay out of the water to let them heal. So we went fishing one day casting from shore Tim caught a beautiful jack crevalle which made great fish tacos and red curry. Other days we've gone in the dinghy, one day bonefishing in the lagoon, another day we went out the cut and around the island aways and fished for tuna - no luck but one did jump right near us. I'll have to post a picture - the yellowfin tuna they catch here are beautiful. The fishermen here catch these big tunas on their handlines (no rod and reel, just lines wrapped around a buoy, pulled in by hand), from their small canoes. It's amazing to us how they do it.

Unfortunately, they occasionally hook one that is too big and it drags them offshore. That happened last week to two fishermen who were apparently in a pretty old leaky canoe made for one person. Just before dark they were seen to be getting dragged offshore, and other fisherman told them to cut their line so as not to get caught in the riptide further offshore. The next day we heard they were lost, and then the day after that, we heard that the US Coast Guard was searching for them. Three days after they went missing a Coast Guard plane out of Honolulu went over the island and we got in contact with them on the VHF. They were on their second day of searching and ended up searching a third day as well. We helped relay local info, as the VHF radio onshore was not hearing the Coast Guard folks. Sadly, the searchers had no luck. It has been a bit scary to see how unprepared the island is for emergencies of this type. We heard a rumor that some folks went out in an aluminum skiff that night to search in the dark, and heard whistles, but got spooked and thought it was spirits so came back in. Granted, it was a particularly windy night, and I wouldn't have wanted to be out there in a small boat.

We are continually amazed by how giving and generous everyone here is. The other evening, while cleaning our dinghy onshore we met a man who was born here in 1959. He was very pleasant and offered to bring us some fish when his son got back from fishing (he had heard from the other fishermen that his son had caught fish). We said we would be interested in tuna if they had enough extra… So just after dark, we hear a voice outside the boat, and it is this man, delivering us about a pound of fresh tuna, and a beautiful large papaya. Earlier that day, the other cruisers in the anchorage, Claudia and Gunter, had baked and brought us a loaf of fresh bread! Not to mention the beautiful jewelry Claudia has made for me… Several days earlier, a friend from shore came out to the boat bearing gifts of lettuce and tomatoes from their new garden. It's overwhelming some days. I've become friends with one of the teachers here, Maria, and she has been making us all sorts of cultural gifts - shell necklaces, a purse woven from the pandanus leaves, a beautiful blouse in the Kiribati style, a pandanus hat for Tim, and traditional knives incorporating shark teeth and other fish bones. We try to give back with the stuff we brought, but wish we had more food to give… The island is now practically bare of rice, flour and sugar. Luckily, there are still plenty of fish, the taro, breadfruit, papaya, squash and sometimes bananas. Not to mention endless coconuts. Everyone is waiting for the cargo ship to arrive. One ship from Hawaii should come at the end of the month, but apparently will have a lot less supplies for Fanning that they need. The other local Kiribati ship should also be coming sometime in the next month, but no one know what supplies they will have when they get here. The problem is that the ships go to Christmas Island first, and there is not enough room for cargo for Fanning Island, or in the case of the local ship, everything gets sold on Christmas Island!

My friend Maria has also been taking me on tours of the island - one day to see the taro fields in the middle of the island, and the other day, biking several miles out to the farthest village to visit the primary school and meet the head teacher, Ntia (pronounced Nisa) who was very funny. It's been great to get around and see more of the island - it's too easy to hang out and stay on the boat and read and relax. We do plenty of that!

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Getting to know Fanning Island

Position: anchored at Fanning Island

After about 10 days here on Fanning, we've gotten into the swing of things -- -lots of relaxing and reading and playing games in the late afternoons. At the beginning of the week, there were some waves, so we got to surf. The first day, it looked way too intimidating for me, so Tim went out on his own. After about two hours of great surf, he was joined by a local surfer (we think maybe the only local surfer here with a board), and he surfed for at least another hour - the waves were great and glassy. It is a high tide break, so you pretty much get one good session a day. The next day it was smaller so I decided to paddle out on my boogie board, and stayed way way off on the shoulder where the waves don't break. It was also pretty close to the cut, so the current kept pulling me out, and I was constantly kicking to stay in place. Quite a workout, after a bit over an hour I was tired! Didn't look very inviting to try to catch a wave on the boogie board… So, the next day, I paddled out on my longboard. The waves were small (well smaller but still intimidating for me!), and it was pretty glassy. Finally I got up enough courage to sit in the right spot and was able to catch a couple waves - very different than anything I'd ridden before! But the best is when we get out of the water, and the lady who lives right at the surf break comes up with two coconuts for us. I didn't think I was a fan of coconut water, but I have seen the light. It was the yummiest, sweetest tasting drink ever! I can't believe I haven't been drinking these things the whole time in Mexico and the Virgin Islands! I swear I've had them before and I don't remember liking them!??? Anyhow, there haven't been waves for a few days, so we've been doing other things.

One day we borrowed bikes and rode to the end of the road, 7 miles out. Of course, we took our time getting to shore, and by the time we had the bikes and started out it was 11am, midday in the hot sun. Luckily there was a good breeze, but we were still hot and tired by the end. We were stopped along the way - once by a local schoolteacher whose daughter we'd met, and later by a man who wanted us to stop for a rest and visit with the nurse at the clinic which serves the outer villages. After visiting for a bit, we made our goodbyes, and had just mounted the bikes when they called us back… Tim had admired their banana trees, so they chopped off a branch laden with green bananas, and gave it to us! We're waiting for it to ripen and we'll have lots to share with folks when it does! I can only make so much banana bread since I'm rationing our eggs.

Along the road, the kids always say hello, and try out their little bits of English - What is your name? Hello, Goodbye. Schools are on a two week holiday right now, but maybe I'll try to go into the schools and help with English classes if I can work it out.

We've been visiting a lot with Bruno (the French man) and his Kiribati wife, Tabeta, who run a guesthouse here. They invited us for lunch the first weekend, and we had yummy yellowfin tuna - sashimi and cooked. Apparently the tunas are running here - just outside the cut, so we're hoping to go fishing one day soon. Yesterday we cooked some jambalaya and brought it over for a meal. Tabeta has been really helpful with teaching me Kiribati words, I learned a bunch yesterday! They have a 4 year old son, Paul, who has become my new friend too. And another sailboat has pulled in, s/v Tao (I think), with Gunter (German) and Claudia (Brazilian) aboard. They've been cruising in the Pacific for years, and spent many months here - we look forward to visiting with them a bit more before they leave in a few weeks.

All in all, things are good here in Fanning. The waves have come up again, but unfortunately the tide is only high at dawn (a bit too early) and late afternoon (when the wind is honking). But we're going to go check it out this afternoon, and hope for a few waves. If not, there's always tomorrow!

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Safe at Fanning Island

Position: 3 degrees 51.5 minutes N 159 degrees 21.5 minutes W - anchored in English Harbor, Fanning Island

We made it in to port last night about 5:30pm, just as the tide was almost high, but it certainly wasn't slack yet - the current pushed us right through the cut, it was a bit nervewracking. Tim was at the helm, while I stood on the bow looking out with my polarized sunglasses, ostensibly to let Tim know if I saw any shallows or coral heads we should avoid.

We first were able to spot the island from about 13 miles out, about 1pm in the afternoon - pretty impressive for an island that is about 80 feet high at its highest. From the chart, I estimate that the lagoon is about 10 miles across at its longest point - the coral atoll is a big circle around the inner lagoon. As we approached the island, the clouds above it had a beautiful, but odd, green hue… I'm guessing it was a reflection of the water in the lagoon - I tried some photos, but doubt that our pictures will capture this effect as seen through our polarized sunglasses.

On our last night out, we'd gotten accustomed to not seeing any other ships or lights, so our watches had become routine - get up every15-20 minutes or so to glance around for ships and check that the autopilot or windvane is keeping us on course. While we were motoring because the wind had died, around 1030, Tim looked up and saw a strange sight. Looked like a stobe light close to the water, then flashing red, then white. He slowed down the engine not sure what he was seeing and called me out on deck. Our first thought was that it could be a liferaft - we actually shut down the engine to listen for voices calling out. But at the same time, we could see the glow of lights on the horizon to the east and west of us… most likely big fishing vessels with their working lights on. The beacon we had come close to may have been marking some sort of longline. Today, talking with our new friend Tyrone here on Fanning, he said it was probably boats from Asia fishing illegally, and that the Kiribati patrol boat was here the other day and was out looking for them.

This morning we were visited by the police/immigration officer and the customs officer. They got Tyrone to lend his boat to take them out to us… we were in the process of getting our dinghy off the bow when we saw them approaching. All went smoothly; wefilled out some forms and paid our $20 anchoring fee. It was also our introduction to the language of Kiribati - which is completely foreign!!! We're going to try to master a few basic words, but sadly I didn't get around to downloading any aids to learning this language! It seems that even though English is taught in school, most folks here only speak Kiribati. After our visit from the officials, we went in to look around and met Tyrone (who we had corresponded with on email) and Bruno (who runs a guesthouse here, and whom we had heard about from another sailor who's been here). We also introduced ourselves to the Mayor, head of the island's 7-member council, to make sure we would be ok to surf and fish in the area - he said no problem to both. Apparently there had been a fee for surfing here, but since the guy who was trying to start a surf charter business is no longer around, they have relaxed that fee.

Also this morning there was a canoe sailing race - it was really neat to see the small canoes with their little sails flying across the lagoon. Apparently August is some celebration month on the island and the competition was somehow a part.

Some quick thoughts/first impressions about Fanning Island:
- The lagoon is WAY bigger than I ever imagined! And with the winds blowing a steady 15 knots since we've been here, I'm not sure how we'll get to explore it all - too far to go in my kayak against the wind - but the winds must calm down at times… wishing we had a sailing dinghy!
- The people seem shy, but also used to yachts and tourists occasionally coming. The cruise ships come here irregularly now. The language barrier will be a challenge, but the kids are really cute and curious.
- There really is no gasoline, beer or much of anything else available here. But lots of coconuts, and they do grow seaweed commercially (but not the edible kind - this stuff is used in cosmetics). And hopefully we'll have lots of fresh fish!
- The main surfing wave was not breaking today, but it's definitely got a good setup!
- Politics are the same worldwide. Apparently the island has recently been visited by the President of Kiribati, and he installed internet here! So that the people would vote for him in the upcoming elections in September!

Now it's time for a big long sleep, catching up after 9 days at sea!

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No free ride through the ITCZ

Position: 05 degrees 44 minutes north, 158 degrees 46 minutes west
about 120 miles to go to Fanning Island

For a while there, it looked like we might make it to Fanning in 8 days (that was the date Tim chose in our bet - I stuck with the 10 day estimate). Now it looks like we'll arrive tomorrow, barring another night of no wind between crazy squalls. After 2-3 days of squall after squall, never knowing how windy they might be (translate: put the sails up, shorten sail/reef the sails, drop them altogether, then put them back up again), we finally have had enough wind to sail with the full main for the past several hours, and no imminent squalls. Tim has averaged about 2-3 hours of real sleep each night, with me just a few hours ahead of him. Luckily though, all our vigilance and preparations paid off, we didn't experience any really bad squalls, although some had gusts up to 30 knots. As Tim says, "no one gets a free ride through the ITCZ!" We're hoping we've paid the price and tonight will be our last night out and free from squalls!!! Those black clouds can look mighty ominous. Even with (or especially because of?) the light of the moon behind them. It was nice to have the full moon around, even if we didn't see it much the past two nights. I even got a glimpse of the meteor showers - at one point the clouds parted and I saw about 5 shooting stars in about as many minutes.

We've also reached the point in the trip where bananas are all ripe at once - so, despite the tiredness, I felt compelled to make banana bread yesterday. Yummy! It's almost all gone already. Sadly, the bagels I bought and didn't refrigerate got super moldy overnight… now what am I going to eat my lox on? We've mostly eaten really simple meals from cans or packages this trip - soup, annies mac n'cheese, curried lentils, and lots of cheese and crackers. It really takes an inordinate amount of energy just to make mac and cheese underway with the boat heeled over, and our muscles are often feeling like jelly…

We're getting excited for landfall - this morning Tim dreamt he was on Fanning already! Depending on how the wind holds up for the rest of the day and night , we could see land tomorrow am, or maybe not till later in the day. We'll want to enter the lagoon during the afternoon high tide, as the tide is coming in, since the entrance can have a lot of current.

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HALFWAY THERE ALREADY!

Position: 12 degrees 10 minutes north, 157 degrees 33 minutes west
about 480 miles to go to Fanning Island

We are definitely making good speeds out here in the tradewinds. Today and yesterday have been great sailing; Tim saw the knotmeter hit 9 knots, and we've been consistently making 6-7 knots. Who know what the ITCZ will bring though, we may get slowed down a bit there, or have no wind between squalls and have to motor? We'll soon see!

Big news is that today a BIG fish bit our lure. Sad news it that it took it with him and broke our line... But it was momentary excitement onboard! And yesterday afternoon, just as we were getting ready to take showers, I saw a white thing in the water, and fins breaking the surface - they looked like white dolphins... then more darker ones came around, and it appeared to be a pod of small whales? Very blunt noses, and not like any other dolphins we've seen, maybe they were pilot whales? A bunch, maybe 10 or so, were surfing the waves all around us, it was quite a sight. Tim got some good photos (but you'll have to wait a good while to see them!).

Forgot to post a reminder that during our passage, we are checking in on the Pacific Seafarer's net nightly, and I believe they post our coordinates on their website, which i think is www.pacseanet.org for anyone interested!

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What a rough ride!

Position: 15 degrees 31 minutes north, 157 degrees 6 degrees west
348 miles out of Honolulu, about 700 miles to go to Fanning Island

Wow - what a rough ride it's been… I wanted to post something yesterday, but got soooo seasick I didn't dare stay below. I took seasick medicine the first day, but then stopped cuz I felt better, well, that only lasted so long I started taking it again yesterday.I'd rather be extra tired than throwing up! I seem to do fine as long as the boat was level, but let me tell you, that hasn't been much this trip. The boat has been heeled over and pounding through waves the past two nights. Days seem to lighten up a bit.

On Monday, we didn't pull up anchor until about 6:30pm - we had a great afternoon - pulled out of Kewalo Basin, and went to anchor to clean the bottom before we sailed. When we pulled up to the anchor spot off Waikiki, we heard someone yelling for Tim - turns out our friends Jeff and Sherry on Scotch Power II were anchored out and they and their guests swam over and helped us scrub the bottom. Talk about many hands make light work! Then they had us over for pupus (that's what they call snacks/appetizers in Hawaii). It's always tough to leave a spot you've enjoyed, and say see ya later to new friends...

When we finally pulled anchor, just as we motored out, a squall hit - it felt like we'd come full circle - a squall when entering Hilo, and another one leaving Hawaii. We had good wind for a few hours, then it lightened up - we were in the lee of the Big Island (still 100 miles off of it, and couldn't see it) so we motored sailed. On Tuesday, still about 100 miles off the Big Island, Tim heard a distress call on the VHF radio, just as we had gotten the spinnaker up. So he was on the radio with the Coast Guard a bunch that day. We had already seen planes circling the area, and after his call to the Coast Guard, a helicopter came and circled us and radioed us to get more info. Unfortunately, Tim hadn't heard the whole transmission, just "in distress, need immediate assistance". We hope whoever Tim heard made it to shore safely.

Otherwise not much to report, we're battling fatigue and trying to keep the boat moving on course. Tim thinks this is the worst pounding he's ever done in this boat. Waves have been coming in the cockpit regularly; the only safe spot is huddled under the dodger. We tried to open some hatches for air yesterday, but of course got pooped and seawater got in. So, now hatches are closed again, and the cabin is super stuffy. We are making good mileage though, and we'll be safe out of the hurricane zone soon. Then we'll be having to deal with the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) - lots of squally/thunderstorm weather. It's going to be a wet ride, no matter how you look at it!

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Lots of visiting ... now it's time to go!

Position:  21 degrees 17.5  minutes north, 157 degrees 51.4 degrees west, still at a dock slip in Kewalo Basin, Honolulu

               

Playing in Waikiki sure is fun.  My friend Meta, her husband Sean and their two great kids – Maggie (9) and Kate (5) were here staying two blocks from the beach for about 10 days. 



Kate, Maggie, Meta & Sean arrive in Hawaii





Kate, *Aunty* Jane, and Maggie -- we love the beach!



We would have hit the beach every day – except it turned out they were here during the time period 9-10 days after a full moon, which is when the box jellyfish are around, and so we chose to stay out of the water.  The box jellyfish here are not the same as in Australia where the stings can be fatal, but apparently the stings can still be pretty bad here. I guess this happens every month – Sean joked that he thinks the surfers made it up to keep people out of the water.  We did hear of some folks getting stung, and I read about it in my guide book and they had warning signs at the beach…so I don’t think it’s totally made-up.  It was hard for Maggie especially, as she was anxious to surf!  Their first day here, Tim and Sean took Maggie out and she rode a couple waves…  then towards the end of their stay she got a lesson and caught a bunch more waves!  Kate was a bit apprehensive of the ‘wavy side’ of the beach and preferred the calmer section which is protected by a breakwater, so we traded days.  But by the end Kate was boogie boarding like a pro, and seemed to really enjoy diving under waves and even bodysurfing! 



We had to go to Haunama Bay - the *famous* snorkel bay.  It's a pretty bay, but visibility wasn't that great and the crowds are horrendous - I can't say i'd recommend it! 



One reason I was looking forward to their visit was because Meta and I had read Harry Potter and seen various movies together, so her timing was good for us to go to the latest release.  Maggie has also recently  gotten caught up in the Potter craze and was SUPER excited to see the movie.   She especially loved the Bertie Bott’s every flavor jelly beans we bought that included flavors like earwax, vomit and black pepper, which she convinced people to try. We all thought the movie was pretty good, but we're sad that it’s the end of an era!   For my special day with Kate, we went to see the new Winnie the Pooh movie – perfect timing since she’s about to attend a drama camp where they will put on a Winnie the pooh show.  Tim & I have also been taking advantage of the 16 screen theater across the street from the marina – we’ve seen a couple of good comedies: ‘Horrible Bosses’, ‘Bad Teacher’, and ‘Crazy, Stupid Love’.  I don’t believe I’ve seen so many movies in a month in a very very long time. 

Tim’s been really busy with getting the boat all ship-shape, and has dealt with various engine issues over the past few weeks.  Luckily he found a good machine shop, cuz it turned out we needed help with several projects.  He’s had the fuel injectors out and serviced, and then our saltwater engine cooling pump developed a leak, so we had to have that rebuilt… One day when Tim stayed home to work on the engine, Kate asked, “where’s the grease monkey?”  She liked that term that we had used to explain what Tim had been doing on the boat.  That day I thought Tim was being a plumber, fixing the foot pump that we use for our kitchen sink… but turns out he was in the engine room!  





Tim *the grease monkey* doing some boga in the engine room.



In between the engine troubles, we took Meta & family out for a sail, then today, for Tim’s brother Kevin’s birthday, we took Kevin and an old friend of Tim & Kevin’s (Kenny – who they new way back when in Maryland, who now lives near Kevin) out for a sail.  Try as we might we didn’t hook any fish with our lucky lures.  Hopefully we’ll have better luck on our way to Fanning Island.   



Wait - who's steering?



Kevin was ready to catch that fish!



It was fun to get to celebrate Kevin’s birthday with him – he had the day off, so after sailing, Tim & I headed over to Haleiwa (North Shore) and took him out for dinner, then had cake with him and delivered his (and his dog Primo’s) presents.  We realized on the way over that we had gotten Primo more presents than Kevin!  Sorry Kev! 








Birthday Cake!




Now we’re focused on provisioning and getting together supplies to bring to the folks of Fanning Island.  I even cut off half my hair so I won't be so hot further south, and it'll be easier to care for!  

Of course, we’re going to Fanning mainly as a surf destination, but are also excited to experience another new culture, and a very remote place.  We’ve been gathering medicines and clothes, school supplies and other items to bring to the folks there. 

From what we understand, Fanning (also known as Tabuaeran) is part of one of the poorest countries in the Pacific, Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas).  It used to be part of the Gilbert Islands, and was settled fairly recently by Micronesians from other islands.  Fanning Island is part of a group of islands called the Line Islands, and is about 1100 miles south of Oahu.  It should take us about 10 days to sail there, depending on the weather.  Assuming the weather is good, we will plan to depart next Monday, August 8^th, and will be checking in on the Pacific Seafarer’s net once we depart. Apparently there are several videos about Fanning Island on YouTube (we haven’t seen them yet as our connection isn’t fast enough to watch You Tube), here are some links:

Surf:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj5YsuORJlg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4pEz_Rxfd0&feature=fvwrel

Needs:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByNh7D8CC1g&feature=related

Fanning from the air:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frdnsx11Brg&feature=related

Also, fyi, we won’t have any access to phones or internet (i.e., no Yahoo! Email), once we leave Hawaii.  At this point it seems likely that we stay in Fanning until November, then our options are to return to Hawaii, or find somewhere to hide out from Hurricane season in the south pacific (so we can’t go too far south)!  Stay tuned… I will have sailmail over the ssb radio, so will be posting  blogs periodically.

Hanging out in Oahu

Position:  21 degrees 17.5  minutes north, 157 degrees 51.4 degrees west, at a dock slip in Kewalo Basin, Honolulu

               

After leaving Maui, we headed for the island of Lanai, where we had planned to stay at the small boat harbor at Manele Bay.  Luckily, a charter boat saw us heading for the entrance to the marina and called us on the VHF to warn us that they weren’t sure of the depths, since the harbor hadn’t been cleaned out of all the debris since the tsunami in March.  They also informed us that the harbormaster doesn’t work on Mondays, so we weren’t sure there was a slip available for us.   Given this, we headed around the island to a remote anchorage Kalama Nui, where we ended up spending two nights.  Tim spotted our first Hawaiian monk seal, and swam ashore to check out the rocky beach.  

Hawaian Monk seal hauled out on the rocks at Lanai -- first he swam right up to the boat while Tim was pulling up the anchor!

Cliffs of Lanai, as we rounded the point towards Molokai



Approaching Waikiki and Diamond Head!



We then stopped one night at Lono Harbor in Molokai, enroute to Oahu.  We arrived in Oahu on June 30, just a few days before the big 4^th of July celebrations.  We pulled into the *Aloha Dock* at the Hawaii Yacht Club, and were warmly greeted by the manager, many of the members, and of course, finally, we had reached the island where Tim’s brother Kevin lives, so he came down to welcome us!  Here is the scene at the Hawaii Yacht Club.



 

Dolphins greeting us off of Waikiki



Tim and Kevin - mini Callahan reunion!



Midnight Blue at the *Aloha Dock*

 

We stayed at the Hawaii Yacht Club Aloha dock through the 4^th of July, as it was the best spot to view the fireworks – right in the Ali Wai marina, and right across the channel from Magic Island where the fireworks are launched.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get photos of the fireworks, but suffice it to say they were some of the best I’ve ever seen!  Earlier in the day, we headed out to the anchorage off of Waikiki, where our friend Skip was anchored.  He had called to inform us his boat had been surrounded by quite a few revelers, including a barge with a live band, and numerous folks on surfboards and all other floating means.  I chose a surfboard, so that I could mingle better with the crowds, while Tim dinghied around and took a few photos.  It was definitely reminiscent of what we imagine the *spring break* scene is like (not that we’d know about that!). 



Everyone in the water - it's the 4th!





And this was after half the folks and the band were gone...



Ohhh -- be careful!!!



We couldn’t afford to stay at Hawaii yacht club long – plus they had boats coming in from LA doing the Transpac race, so we had to move to Kewalo Basin, just a bit down the way, where we are right across the street from numerous surf breaks!  It used to be a commercial boat harbor, but the state recently hired a private company (Alamar) to manage it and now liveaboards and cruising boats are welcome here.  We’ve been busy with boat projects, visiting Kevin up on the north shore, surfing and seeing the sights. 

It’s strange to be living on the boat right in a big city.  The marina is right near a big beach park and across from a big shopping mall – both the park and mall are called Ala Moana.  The park is great for swimming laps, for those days I don’t get out in the surf.  We’ve caught a few waves, and there have been surfable waves every day, but it’s pretty crowded and windy lots of the time.  I’ve managed to find an ultimate Frisbee pickup game in the park once a week, so that’s helping me get some exercise too!   And then there’s the 16 theatre cinema across the street… we’ve been to two movies – the very entertaining ‘Horrible Bosses’ and the first part of the Harry Potter movie (which they showed earlier in the evening  before part two opened at midnight… It was quite a scene all the Potter fans lined up 5 hours early to get in to the theatre!  The theatre had a radio station DJ  out front to keep the crowd lively, and the new trucks were there too…)

Last weekend we did a hike with Kevin and his new puppy Primo out to Ka’ena Point, the northwestern point of the island… beautiful scenery… but watching the sailboat tacking around the point reminded us that we’re getting spoiled sitting in the marina, flat and calm.  We’re gearing up to head out again in early August… current plan is to head for Fanning Island, which is part of the Line Islands, about 1200 miles south of here.  We’ll plan to spend a few months there, and then maybe head back here to Hawaii… Because of hurricane season in the southern hemisphere, we don’t think we’ll make it further south this year…so we may not even rush to get to Fanning that quick.  We’ll see.  For now, my best friend from forever Meta, her husband Sean and their girls Maggie and Kate will be here for the next 10 days, so I'm looking forward to lots of good visiting and beach time!  

Here’s photos of the views and the endangered Laysan Albatross we saw out at Kaena point – we also saw three more endangered monk seals (not photogenic seals this time).

Tim, Kevin & Primo, the springer spaniel puppy with tons of energy!

Layasan Albatross at Ka'ena Point

Adventures on Maui

Position:  20 degrees 52 minutes north, 156 degrees 41 minutes west, at a slip in Lahaina harbor, Maui

Wow – we’ve been on Maui for over two weeks and it has flown by.  Our first night on Maui was spent in La Perouse Bay – turns out to be a good surf break, but was super windy when we stopped there!  Here’s a picture from the back of the wave, where we were anchored.

Next morning we moved over to the next bay, in hopes it would be less windy.  Turns out there was a surf break there as well, so after checking around the whole bay, we anchored next to the surf break.  Tim was below decks napping, when I noticed a jet ski approaching us… friendly tourists coming to say hi???  Not so lucky…  Apparently we were anchored in a Natural Area Reserve.  The enforcement agent for the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources practically catapulted himself onto the boat and informed us that we were anchored illegally and he could seize the boat and arrest the captain on the spot, but that he was only going to issue us a citation.  We explained that we understand the importance of protecting the natural resources, and would never have anchored there had we known, but our cruising guides did not mention any restrictions in that bay!  He issued us 3 citations and we're supposed to appear in court on July 7th....  Skip (our friend on the boat Dolphin) got the same citations.  ARGH!!!!  So we learned the hard way that you must check with the closest harbormaster about whether  it's ok  to anchor in any particular spot in Hawaii.  Meanwhile, we’ve also learned that our cruising guides for the Hawaiian Islands are not to be relied on for sufficient info about where we’re allowed to anchor.  Lots of folks have told us how *unfriendly* the state of Hawaii is for cruising boats, and we’re finding that to be true in many ways. 

Because of the citations, we had to go to court to settle the matter – we couldn’t just pay a fine and leave town.  We managed to get our court date moved up to yesterday and it was an interesting morning in the local district traffic court on Maui!  A bit nerve-racking  for us because at first the judge was going to give us an automatic two week continuance – he wanted us to consult with a public defender because the offenses carried a potential penalty of up to one-year jail time.  Luckily, the court clerk noted that we were not state residents, and so we were sent to confer with the public defender out in the hallway!  Then there was the issue that he wasn’t supposed to represent both Tim and Skip, because that is one of the rules… so they had to both agree to waive the right to separate attorney, and then they each took a plea agreement which amounted to a $80 fine for one charge (a petty misdemeanor) and they dropped the other charges.  Yipee!!!  We are sooooo relieved to have this over with – we weren’t sure what the outcome would be or how long it might take to resolve!

Skip and Tim walking out of Courthouse - finally free of that worry!

In any case, here in Lahaina, we’ve been really enjoying ourselves…When we first got to this town we took a mooring from the Lahaina Yacht Club – here’s a video to show how rolly the boat was on that mooring. 

So, after a few nights, we checked with the harbormaster, and were promptly allowed to move to a slip (note – all our cruising guides said don’t bother, there are NO slips for transient boats!)!  It’s a cutesy little town, with lots of touristy shops and also tons of art galleries!  



Dolphin (skip's boat) and Midnight Blue sidetied at the dock in Lahaina



There's a rainbow behind the boat every afternoon!





Yup, this is what Hawaii is supposed to be like!

There are also surf breaks all over – Tim got to surf a big south swell that hit this week, plus there have been plenty of little waves everyday.  I’ve been surfing a bit – trying to learn how to ‘go left’ on a wave – till now, I’ve only ridden waves going right.  Here’s some photos of the break right in front of the our boat.  It’s super crowded during the day with lots of surf lessons.  Gives a whole new meaning to the surf ‘lineup’.  They’ll have about 40 people on boards waiting their turn to be not only pushed into the wave, but the surf instructor actually holds the board while the person rides all the way in!  Pretty funny!!!

Surf school's in session!

Jane's new favorite break

Our friend Dantel (Skip’s wife) was here last week – we went on a mai-tai tasting tour (he he he!).   We also went on various island explorations – the Maui winery, the Road to Hana, and snorkeling at new beaches. 



Mai Tai #1





Lahaina has some beautiful sunsets!



Tim and I did a trip up Maui's biggest volcano, Mt. Haleakala.  First we went on a guided tour of a Nature Conservancy preserve with some native forest lands and birds!  Then we went up to the summit – it was really windy – gusting up to 50mph!  So we decided not to hike into the crater… too cold out.



Haleakala Crater




It's cold up here!



And this might be the highest elevation we've ever been at (not counting airplanes!)



This weekend Tim’s friend Grant will come over to Maui to visit – he’s never been here even though he lives on the Big Island and can see Maui most days!  Then Tim and I will make our way to Oahu, and from there we’re thinking we’ll try to head to the Line Islands at the end of July…at least that’s our current thought!