We were misled by a forecast that indicated lighter winds for our Sunday sail from Molokai to Oahu across the Kaiwi channel. Instead of 15 knots down from 20, we had 20 knots and more in the gusts. It wasn't dangerous but it was wetter and more boisterous than we find enjoyable. Ziggy had a hard time settling down and he had to try several different sleeping places before he was finally able to relax in his bed. Fortunately no one threw up. We saw a few whale spouts and passed near one when we were off Diamond Head. We later learned that it's fairly rare to see them in so close to Waikiki.
We were warmly welcomed by our friends on Sarana, Pura Vida, and Privateer. We passed a safety inspection required by the DLNR before being assigned a slip. We were very well prepared except for our navigation running lights, which we hadn't thought to test after John did some rewiring up in the bow. When those failed to light I kept the inspector occupied with checking off items like PFDs, flares, signal horns, fire extinguishers, ship's papers, etc. while John pulled out his tools and fixed the wiring and a burned out bulb. We sure didn't want to have to make another appointment to return to the DLNR dock later!
We are now settled in at the transient end of the 800 dock. I wish we'd put our names on the waiting list for a permanent slip here years ago, but we hear that slips are awarded based more on who you know than what your actual position on the list is. We like moving around more than staying in one spot anyway, so maybe we'll play the island hopping game until we think of something we'd rather do instead. For now at least, we can't beat sunrise over Diamond Head, surfers just on the other side of the breakwater, friends to play with, cool nights, warm days, and fireworks every Friday night courtesy of the Hilton Hawaiian Village resort.
We are very grateful for the life we're living, and we wish all our friends and family the same sort of satisfaction for 2014. Happy New Year!
{GMST}21|17.033|N|157|50.603|W|Oahu|Ala Wai Harbor{GEND}
|
|