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Tag Archives: Hawaii
Making a Short Stop on Oahu
The Millets got a “Jones” to see their daughter, so we’re gonna make a short stop for a family visit.
It’s 1300 HST now, so after making it around Diamond Head and tying up or anchoring somewhere, we should have a couple of hours before heading out for sunset.
The loose “plan” at the moment is to shove off just in time to enjoy a sunset sail. Then it’s an overnight sail to Kauai. Should arrive sometime Sunday morning.
Until then!
Hugs from the “Hauling-A!” Kālewa,
+Sj
p.s. Dan, the Code Zero is a special $4,000 or so sail that is just used under certain conditions. If the wind is more than 17-knots though, it gets stowed. It’s essentially a big jib. For some unknown reason, from this third mate’s perspective, it opens a door for voices of all kinds to come out and play. Some are creepy!!!
4th of July Sunset Sail
Aloha from the good ship Kālewa!
We’re currently traveling at about 14-knots with 15-knot wind!
“Slow us down!” Marisela just called out. “I’m getting beat up down here!”
What’s she doing down below? Cooking us up another sumptuous meal! Mahi mahi we caught two days ago, grilled chicken, and a salad with freshly made dressing. Yum, yum!!!
We’ll see you on Kauai soon. Planning on taking the “backside” (or Northern route) home.
The speed now? A mellow nine! LOL. This boat can move!
Happy 4th everyone!
with Aloha,
+Sj
: )))
Day-by-day Log of Pacific Crossing
Hi Everyone,
We made it! From Cabo San Lucas, Mexico to Hilo, Hawaii in 14-days.
The following is a day-by-day log of highlights and such. Some of it very likely won’t make any sense to you. But use your imagination anyway and see what you can conjure up. Perhaps the pictures I’ll post soon will help fill in the story. Or maybe not. Regardless, we appreciate you coming along for the ride in spirit.
Bottom line. We had a GREAT sail and are very thankful to Kevin and Marisela for inviting us to join them on their FIFTH Pacific ocean crossing.
With a big hug and lots of Aloha from the good ship Kālewa Tahiti-tied in Hilo.
Kālewa Pacifc Ocean Crossing Summer 2014
DATE/DAY: 6/14/14 Saturday
LOCATION: departed La Cruz at 1630 (PV time)
CONDITIONS: flat
RIGGING: main and jib
MENU: something yummy that Marisela made!
PHOTOS: departure
***: Conch shell blowing off Punta Mita
DATE/DAY: 6/15/14 Sunday, Father’s Day
LOCATION: dropped anchor at Isla Isabela at 0907 (PV time)
Las Moñas islands
Pulled anchor at 1530
CONDITIONS: sunny and crazy hot!
RIGGING: main and jib
MENU:
Snack: Marisela’s bean dip from leftover beans, chorizo, and the cooked salsa she’d made that afternoon AND grilled corn.
Pistachios.
Dinner: M’s grilled cheddar cheese and ham sandwiches.
PHOTOS:
***: Snorkeling, HOT walk on island, rainbow.
Another hot night. Sweated profusely and awoke in a pool of dreams.
Lightning all night off starboard side toward landfall; it accompanied us till dawn.
DATE/DAY: 6/16/14 Monday
LOCATION: at sea sailing to Cabo
CONDITIONS: bouncy at night, motoring most of the way
RIGGING: main and jib
MENU:
Oatmeal with raisins, dried apricots & butter and brown sugar for Kevin and Tony. With the fruit and yogurt for Sj.
Around noon, Marisela cooked herself up a yummy looking dish of chicken and this and that and two rolled up tortillas.
Margaritas for Kevin and Marisela, Beer for Sj & T.
Lunch: quesadillas
Dinner: Mexican penicillin i.e. Tortilla soup. Excellent!!! Sj & M first at the table, then K & T.
PHOTOS: dolphins!
***: Marisela saw tuna-sized dolphins during her nighttime watch.
LOTS of dolphins around noon. : ) Guys watched Superman under dodger.
DATE/DAY: 6/17/14 Tuesday
LOCATION: Tied up at 1300 local time at CABO SAN LUCAS (2-hours behind PV)
CONDITIONS: bumpy night ride, middle of night reefed main (then about 4 knots) and backwinded the jib, then motoring
RIGGING: main
MENU:
Marisela’s yummy breakfast sandwiches (with egg).
Nachos with margaritas and beer at restaurant during the game.
Boat treat: M’s cantelope agua fresca
PHOTOS: Pedrata coming into Cabo, at Soccer match
***: Saw a big seal when motoring into Cabo! México versus Brasil !!!
DATE/DAY: 6/18/14 Wednesday
LOCATION: in Cabo San Lucas
CONDITIONS: HOT !
RIGGING: n/a
MENU:
Brunch in town at a local fastfood place: huevos rancheros.
Joint Fab Four dinner at Mexican seafood place then cute little place up the road. Marisela got Pozole that she was wanting (normally it’s a breakfast dish, but the cute restaurant had it for dinner)
PHOTOS: Cabo
***: Practically heat stroke! Pool hang.
DATE/DAY: 6/19/14 Thursday
LOCATION: left Cabo San Lucas harbor at noon
CONDITIONS: crazy windy after turning the corner North
RIGGING: main and jib
MENU:
In town: fruit cup with tajine (pronounced: tah-heen)
Lunch: rice cracker & peanut butter
Dinner: hot dogs
PHOTOS: Pedrata when leaving Cabo, Kevin with needle fish
***: fish on deck
DATE/DAY: 6/20/14 Friday
LOCATION: at sea
CONDITIONS: wind around 20 to 25 knots after made turn North of Cabo
RIGGING: main and jib
MENU:
Breakfast: Churizo, potato, eggs & tortillas.
Dinner: Meat chili and rice.
PHOTOS: orange moon rise (Sj’s iPhone), dolphins
***: LOTS of dolphins!
Marisela was getting beat up in her bunk.
In the galley, Sj & T serenaded Marisela to the tune “My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
DATE/DAY: 6/21/14 Saturday
LOCATION: at sea
CONDITIONS: wind around 10 knots, motoring in the morning, flat, lots of clouds
RIGGING: main
MENU:
Breakfast: “leftovers” – Kevin had rice with an egg, Sj and T each had a Marisela-made omlette with leftover beef chili and cheese and tortillas.
Lunch: BLT’s.
PHOTOS: Pedrata with Kindle, Tony with hammock
***: Sea life: SAILing fish. One lone turtle with a dry circle on its back.
Kevin’s Ground Hog story. Sj & M painting nails down below.
Improv show on the Lido deck. Sunset green “double-dip.”
DATE/DAY: 6/22/14 Sunday
LOCATION: at sea
CONDITIONS: flat, still motoring
RIGGING: main
MENU:
Oatmeal
Lunch: Chili Rellenos, Mexican beef aranchara.
Dinner: Tacos with freshly madeverde salsa and simple guacamole.
PHOTOS: Tony in hammock with Pedrata, Marisela under dodger and Kevin Port side playing guitar, Tony & Kevin Sunshine song, Pedrata mirror & with bottle message letter.
***: First group mail call.
Marisela’s phantom nighttime boat.
Breakfast forward while Kevin playing the guitar.
Tossed first message in a bottle (all 4 wrote something).
Thousands of fish held up lighters to Kevin and Kālewa.
Austin Powers III.
DATE/DAY: 6/23/14 Monday
LOCATION: at sea
CONDITIONS: cloudy, now sailing (Marisela’s fav conditions – flat, going around 8 knots), the direction was around 270 (on the compass)
RIGGING: main and jib, then CODE ZERO in morning and then again in afternoon
MENU:
Ramos Fizz in the morning
Group meals down below:
Lunch: Nachos – oven baked with refried beans, olives, jalapenos & cheese.
Dinner: Thai curry noodles with veggies and chicken.
PHOTOS: Pedrata in green backpack, and Tony playing guitar.
***: Ramos Fizz “breakfast of champions.”
Out of the blue Kevin called out, “I’m so pretty!”
Sunset on the Lido deck with Tony serenading Sj & M.
Marisela’s 2 questions.
Crossed 2,000 knot mark at dinner time.
Nighttime code zero sounds.
DATE/DAY: 6/24/14 Tuesday
LOCATION: at sea
CONDITIONS: Code Zero sailing (i.e. at night LOTS of phantom talking/gibberish)
Sailing around 8 knots or so, wind 12+ knots
RIGGING: main and code zero until 10 a.m. HST
MENU:
Oatmeal
Lunch: grilled turkey and cheese sandwiches (with jalapeno mayo for Sj & T).
Pupus: cheese, salami platter with a pear and an apple, crackers.
Dinner: homemade clam chowder.
PHOTOS: Pedrata at computer with Tony, Sj mango tongue, Marisela in galley with reflection, Pedrata in brace and at the wheel of the boat and under the step in cozies.
***: 1Q84 quote of the day, “Like fish that live at the bottom of the ocean, most of her dreams weren’t able to float to the surface. Even if they did, the difference in water pressure would force a change in their appearance.” Mail call: México beat Croatia
DATE/DAY: 6/25/14 Wednesday
LOCATION: at sea
CONDITIONS: 12 to 13 knot winds, moving around 9 to 10 knots. Cloudy day. Hauling! Cold on deck. (220 nautical miles this day?)
RIGGING: main and Code Zero until 2 p.m. HST, then switched to spinnaker
MENU:
Breakfast: Marisela’s unique creation of pan-fried enchiladas (top secret combo!)
Lunch: Leftover enchilada.
Dinner: Leftover clam chowder.
PHOTOS:
***: 1733 nautical miles . . . going back in time.
“The air is feeling more moist,” said Captain Kevin.
DATE/DAY: 6/26/14 Thursday
LOCATION: at sea
CONDITIONS: cloudy, sailing 13 to 15 knots sailing speed at times
RIGGING: main and spinnaker
MENU:
Tony’s pancakes with REAL maple syrup, fried egg(s) and bacon.
Lunch: tuna ala Kevin, tuna ala Sj, and turkey ala Tones.
Leftover pan-fried enchilada (and pretzels and an apple : ) for Marisela.
Dinner: doctored-up macaroni and cheese.
PHOTOS: half-way celebration, ballons in the ocean behind boat
***: HOT showers for the crew!
HALF-WAY celebration, i.e. chicken flinging with Hermano Pollo making eye contact with Marisela’s glasses!
DATE/DAY: 6/27/14 Friday
LOCATION: at sea
CONDITIONS: started sunny and then turned cloudy, no ball at sunset but beautiful colors
RIGGING: main and spinnaker, 1915 HST stowed spinnaker and switched to regular jib
MENU:
Oatmeal
Nibbles. Pringles. Nuts. Dip.
July 4th meal of cheeseburgers and homemade french-fries with the last two potatoes.
PHOTOS: spinnaker stuff, Kevin telling the “cherry pit” story
***: 2nd bottle toss at noon HST.
1111 nautical miles at 1930 HST.
4th of July meal.
DATE/DAY: 6/28/14 Saturday
LOCATION: at sea
CONDITIONS: cloudy (no “sun” at sunrise), turned sunny and hot, wind was around 17/18 knots in the evening, first time we had some rain, sailing a steady 8-knots.
RIGGING: main and jib, changed to spinnaker at 0530 HST, then back to regular jib to mellow things out overnight
MENU:
B’fast: Oatmeal
Lunch: Marisela’s Mexican tuna salad – diced tomato, jalapeno, cucumber (no seeds in these 3), diced onion, black olives, olive oil & lime juice with saltines and tostadas.
Dinner: Marisela’s experiment with rice, curry, chopped veggies, cilantro, and a can of Progresso soup.
PHOTOS: Pedrata and rubber chicken shots, rainbow
***: Broke the 1,000 nautical miles mark.
Full rainbow.
Marisela’s science experiment.
DATE/DAY: 6/29/14 Sunday
LOCATION: at sea
CONDITIONS: sunny happy cloud day, perfect SUNday
RIGGING: main and spinnaker
MENU:
Breakfast: oatmeal
Lunch: Last two Bimbo buns for half-sandwiches with cold cuts (turkey, salami, cheese, onion, tomato).
“You have to have good buns to be a Bimbo.” +Sj
“Bimbo has good buns.” – Tony
Dinner: Chicken, bean tostadas with cheese, salsa verde, black olives, chopped lettuce and mashed avocado.
PHOTOS: Beer bucket shot
***: Broke 800 nautical miles on this day.
First rainy night.
Kevin’s getting ready to be home.
DATE/DAY: 6/30/14 Monday
LOCATION: at sea
CONDITIONS: sunny the squally
RIGGING: main and spinnaker, dropped and then raised it now and then for the many passing squalls . . .
MENU:
Breakfast: Tony’s pancakes using this and that. Topped with a variety of things: maple syrup, Scandinavia berry preserves, peanut butter, and cream cheese.
Lunch: Leftovers. T – curry rice dish encircled with cucumber slices. K – brown rice ala Marisela. Sj – rice cracker with mustard and cheese also encircled with cucumber slices. M – ceasar salad.
Dinner: Spaghetti with artichoke hearts and last of fresh veggies.
PHOTOS: rainbows
***: Crossed over into the 500s.
A little “slower” per Kevin. CLEAR, CLEAR SKY Monday night, so many stars and Milky Way bow overhead : )))
DATE/DAY: 7/1/14 Tuesday
LOCATION: at sea
CONDITIONS: clear and sunny, wind 14-20 knots, sailing a consistent 10-knots
(overnight when Sj was on watch, the waves rolled from starboard to port—sometimes reminiscent of being on Mapuana)
RIGGING: main and spinnaker (had it on Monday overnight)
MENU:
Breakfast: Marisela’s huevos rancheros. YUM !!! Sj’s fav!!!
Lunch: Kevin & Tony – leftover pasta, Sj – oatmeal.
Dinner: leftover pasta and salad with last of the lettuce.
Snack: popcorn
PHOTOS: Marisela with headphone-tissue-guard on®.
***: Broke 400-miles.
Lost a rubber chicken over the side : (
Tony’s syphilis letter.
ONLY day without music on the Lido deck.
DATE/DAY: 7/2/14 Wednesday
LOCATION: at sea
CONDITIONS: rainy off and on, the water is getting “bumpier” as we draw closer to Hawaii
RIGGING: main and jib, wing on wing
MENU:
Oatmeal
Lunch: quesadillas with the last of the Frieda Kahlo beans and chicken.
Treat: pineapple upside down cake
Dinner: fresh sushi (and for the boyz, a shitake-mushroom-gnocchi-asparagus-blue-cheese-topped-casserole started before we caught the fish)
PHOTOS: Pedrata at navigation chart showing Hilo, chicken close-up over the freezer, Pedrata getting ready for Hawaii, guys with fishing lines, catching a mahi mahi, Marisela’s sushi dinner
***: The wind was considerably warmer in the early morning hours. When Tony came down to get me he said, “The air’s really warm. I’m just wearing this.” He had on a t-shirt, my Dad’s long sleeved shirt, and long pants. (rather than a jacket or sweater or wool cap)
Kālewa encountered a presumed-to-be “logger” at 0400 HST.
197 nautical miles to go at 1100 HST.
From the 3rd mate, Sj:
At 0400 HST during my solo starry sky watch, a large noise on the starboard side vibrated up to my toes, torso, and ears as it thunked repeatedly, passing from the bow to the stern, leaving the movable rudder up in its wake.
A logger? A fish? An errant snorkeling giant? We’re still not sure.
2nd mate Tony Baloney, aka Hermano Pollo, came bouncing up from down below. First contact had been made not too far from his family jewels as he lay sleeping in the forward starboard bunk. “What happened? Wake up Kevin!,” he shouted as I was touching Kevin’s left heel (which was facing the stern as it rested on the starboard dodger bunk).
“What the!?!” Captain Kevin cried while pulling ear plugs out of his ears.
A beat later, the auto pilot jumped ship, the dials playing the hokey pokey.
Thank goodness the spinnaker had been stowed a short 4-hours earlier when Kevin and Tony were on watch, this 3rd mate thought to herself.
The navigation panel showed Kālewa’s speed as .01 knots.
What the?
Captain Kev quickly brought the jib to the starboard side; Hermano Pollo pulled in the sheet. Another THUNK! as the main sail decided to join in the fun. This final exclamation point got Marisela’s attention. She too joined us on deck with eyes wide open.
It didn’t take long for Captain Kevin to get things back under control.
“Now I’M awake,” said 1st mate Marisela as she made herself comfortable in a deck check.
After a few more enjoyable minutes taking in the little dipper that clearly shined off the starboard stern, I swapped places with her and went below. No more bumps in the night besides the standard sloshes and water slaps. I slept like a baby. Safe in the Millet’s well-built, comfortable, and original boat, Kālewa.
DATE/DAY: 7/3/14 Thursday
LOCATION: at sea until arriving in Hilo harbor at 1530 HST.
CONDITIONS: clear and sunny, lighter wind, sailing a consistent 5 to 6-knots until pulled out the spinnaker (then sailing around 7 to 8-knots)
RIGGING: main and jib (until spinnaker was brought out around 0930 HST)
MENU:
Breakfast: beautifully sliced fresh pear and apple by Tony, oatmeal
Nibbles: nuts, last pear and apple, and roasted chayote – Yum!
Dinner: Ken’s House of Pancakes in Hilo : )
PHOTOS: Hilo in the distance, hanging on the forward deck, GoPro arrival shots
***: Tony spotted Mauna Kea first at 0700 HST (about 45 nautical miles away).
Completing Sj, T & Pedrata’s FIRST ever Pacific ocean crossing and Kevin and Marisela’s FIFTH!!!
Meeting up with good buddies, the Okutani family, at Ken’s !!! All the way from Sweden!
LOG PAU for the moment!
We’re planning on departing Hilo tomorrow morning (yes, July 4th!) for the final leg – back to Kālewa’s home, Kauai-nei.
Captain Kevin says that we should arrive some time on Saturday.
Until then!
+Sj out
No idea why this wouldn’t load right side up!
15.9 Nautical Miles to Hilo!
Hawaii, here we come!
The kids at FLO are beautiful! Or, week one at FLO
Dear Friends,
The first school week at FLO has just passed. Wow, what an experience it’s been already. I’ve been keeping notes of my observations while teaching–things that have worked, things that haven’t worked, how I’ve adapted when they didn’t, what the differences are between the two classes I teach *on my own (1. Elementary level and 2. Pre-Intermediate & Intermediate levels combined), etc. When I sat down on my bed last night to review what I’d written and add the last bit from yesterday’s classes, it felt as if it’d been a month already since my first entries! Yes, I’m so glad I’m keeping that log because I can see how I would forget so many details otherwise.
Where to start in telling you about FLO?
Well, let’s start with FLO itself.
This is definitely where I’m “meant” to be. Why do I say that? Well, the Hawaii connection for one. It was so very welcoming to arrive at the canteen for my first dinner last Sunday night and see an “Aloha” sign on the wall. In the gift shop area where I stayed the first 2-nights, I saw another sign of Hawaii, King Kamehameha on the Honolulu Rotary Club’s sign. In the library, there are stacks and stacks of books about Hawaii. When opening one of many boxes of things donated to FLO searching for games for the students, I read “donated by Tutu Betty”**. I was opening a box that had come from Hawaii. How many times have I donated things to organizations (many)? And now, here I was on the receiving end. I can tell you as a person looking for any and every resource available for helping these students, I was very appreciative!
Then, on Wednesday evening, a tall, lanky bloke from Australia came sauntering up to the canteen at meal-time. “Is there where we eat, mate?” he asked. Yes, I replied and then asked. Aussie? “G’day mate!” he said simply. (i.e. Yes. : )
Are you here to volunteer teach? “Nope, I’m the cameraman for a crew from Hawaii.”
Yes, from Hawaii.
“Pamela Young’s arriving tomorrow to do a story about FLO.”
Well, whadayouknow?
“I moved back to Australia in February, but my wife and I lived in Hawaii for 15-years. I was a cameraman at KGMB.”
Any chance you knew cameraman Bill?
“Well, of course, mate. I taped his wife when she was an anchor on TV.” (Bill is someone my husband and I’ve worked with many times. Go figure.)
In April 2010, I already had an inkling that I was going to take a sabbatical of sorts. Doing what? I had no idea. Going where? I had no idea. But that I wanted to go, I knew. So one Friday afternoon, ***Rocket Girl and I hiked out to the end of Awa‘awapuhi Trail on Kaua‘i. We’d completed our work for the week (yes, we, dogs play very important roles in getting work done!~) and decided to head up to Koke‘e. After we hiked down the trail to the end where it overlooks Na Pali coast, we sat quietly, taking in the breathtaking views. This would be a good time to meditate, I thought, so I did. I’d just recently checked out my friend Glenn’s meditation called “Basic Activation of the Divine Light Meditation” (see the glob link on the right under the susansbackwardsglob.com link) and had put it on my iPod. It’s an about 10-minute guided meditation, which just clicked with me. At the end, I calmly sat there and just enjoyed feeling peaceful and quiet. And then what seemed the most far out idea at the time just came to me, “Text message all the Divine Souls on the planet that you connect with, who have similar dreams as you.” And I did. Not sure what the message contained; I just trusted that our souls knew what was important. I even mentioned this in an entry in susansbackwardsglob.com in August 2010. Here’s an excerpt:
And I thought of the people in my life who live in Light,
and I thought of the people I don’t yet know who received my text message back in April.
and I thought of how I’m going to meet them and others as one thing leads to another,
one heart leads to another.
Doors will be opened.
Introductions will be made.
And I will find my way around this planet
on the voyage
which will open up
to me.
So here I am at FLO where there’s this wonderful Hawaii connection. And then comes along a cameraman who lived in Hawaii for 15-years (my husband and I have had a video production company on Kaua‘i since 1989; we started in Waikiki in 1986). And I think of the people I’ve met who’ve helped guide me in this direction. And I think of how I’ve taken the time to be still and listen . . . when “deciding” where to go next.
Okay, so back to the main point: FLO.
Rob Hail of Honolulu who’s done incredible work creating eGlobal Family, http://www.eglobalfamily.org/, arrived yesterday. It seems that each year volunteers from Hawaii come to take the children on different excursions. This year it’s a 3-day trip to the beach visiting one waterfall en route and another on the return (Yes, I’m lucky enough to get to go too! There will be 220 children; I think they’ll be happy to have two extra arms and ears.). It just so happened that Rob arrived yesterday. I asked him, “Why FLO?” (for his e-Foster Parent program). He proceeded to tell me how in 2000 he visited many different organizations in SE Asia and found FLO to be a very well organized and focused school (and home) for children.
The founder, Ms. Nuon Phaly, is a most extraordinary woman. On FLO’s site she wrote, “I am being a Cambodian (Khmer National) who loves this country, people, culture and civilization. I wanted to contribute to the recovery and development of the people’s health and knowledge, especially the vulnerable women and their children; I took an initiative to establish a center for helping them out.”
Not only is there a wonderful Hawaii connection at FLO, but FLO itself is a most caring, safe and productive place for children to live and learn. Their education program shows great depth in its variety (Largely due to volunteers who come and donate their time and knowledge to the children; sound interesting to you? Consider volunteering!).
So, in a nutshell, I feel very fortunate to be volunteering at FLO. Having 8-weeks here to teach, I feel that I have enough time to assist the students’ learning and actually make a difference in their lives. Yes, I realize that 2-months is a very short time in the scheme of things, but it is my hope that by using CELTA’s methodology, I will be able to give them some learning skills which will aid them as they continue their studies.
“But what the heck happened this week, Susan Jane????”
A lot.
“Like what?”
Well, how about I show you in pictures?
Coming soon at this very same bat channel . . .
-out,
sj