Circumnavigation complete

Of the Big Island that is! We made a last minute decision to jump on the tail end of a weather window, but only if the stars aligned just right. The biggest surprise was that the fuel injector pump arrived in the mail as promised on Wednesday morning. John took an hour to install it, we made a stop at the fuel dock to take on 80 gallons of diesel, and left Honokohau harbor by 1 PM northbound for Hilo. We spent an uneventful night motoring through the channel and by dawn we spotted the Celebrity Constellation hovering off shore in the misty rain. We followed the cruise ship into Reed's Bay, and Nakia was anchored and tied to the wall in Radio Bay before their passengers could disembark. Then it really started to rain and the forecasted winds turned the ocean beyond the breakwater into a mess of white water. We really dodged that bullet!

We made a quick trip to the mall for a DQ Blizzard and some shopping before we felt the effects of not getting a full night's sleep. This morning we got out early to catch up on laundry, and may make another bus round trip for more supplies this afternoon. Our trips are limited to what we can carry, so we'll be making multiple forays to finish off the list.

We sold the old Achilles inflatable in Hilo for $50 and are very carefully using our new Achilles here. John has rigged up an elaborate pulley system so that the new dinghy doesn't touch the rough cement wall after we use it to get up the ladder to shore. Ziggy gives it pointed looks to remind us that he knows that's how he was getting to the dock for his morning walks in Kona, but we're keeping him out of it. When we first got the new dinghy to the boat Ziggy immediately used the new seat board as a scratching post. There's a thin layer of foam padding attached to it and it must have seemed perfect scratching material to him. But the floor boards have the same surface on them, so he'll be getting an early lesson with the squirt bottle to prevent him from doing the same to them!

Actually it's been so wet and cold since we arrived that there's not much incentive for Ziggy to go outside. But he got rid of some kitty crazies last night by running the length of the boat down below and then outside and up the main sheet to the main boom and repeating the circuit several times. I guess he was glad to have the short passage over with too!

We'll be in Hilo until the weather looks good for a departure to the Marquesas.

Linda