Sorry it’s been a while between drinks but with the festive season upon us and the New Year well, there were other things to be done like, for example, eating Hula Pie! Whoever created this concoction should be congratulated! As an ice cream connoisseur of some renown, this desert, which I believe originates from here in Hawaii, is truly a classic!
Fellow Aussies, who now live in San Francisco, Peter and Lisa being introduced to Hula Pie!
While celebrations continued and visitors came and went I was able to manage a quick preventative maintenance item which was to upgrade my old Trace inverters with a couple of new Outback inverters. With Mickey Smith on hand to help the job was done in no time at all. Outback Power provide a range of off grid inverters and charges to suit just about every requirement known to man and I know that PAE, the makers of Nordhavn, are using Outback more and more with new boat builds and I now understand why. I’ve even heard a rumour that one particular Nordhavn owner has seven of these inverters installed in his boat – but no names!
Just as an aside, if you already have the Outbacks installed then it may be worth looking at the new Mate 3 control board. Comes with more features, more intuitive menu structure and more to see on a single screen, rather than the endless button pushing required with the Mate 2. I am currently looking at getting a Mate 3 as I believe the increased on-screen information would be of value.
For those who may have missed Branden’s interview the link is HERE.
Don and Sharry are truly lovely people and were recently interviewed for Pendanablog their interview can be found HERE.
Speaking of Don & Sharry, they were kind enough to bring back a little something from their last trip to Seattle. The truly amazing Copper River Sockeye Salmon from Seabear Wild Salmon. Wow, there are simply no words to describe how good the salmon was. Needless to say we are all looking forward to making it to the Pacific North West (“PNW”) so we can have some more salmon! Interestingly this salmon can be ordered online and shipped anywhere in the world. So if you feel like something really special why not treat yourself today? You won’t be disappointed!
Speaking of the PNW, there are only a mere 139 days left in Hawaii before we depart for Kodiak Alaska. Yipeeeeeee! It’s not that we don’t like Hawaii, we do, we in fact love the place, but we have been a long time tied to the dock and the feeling like we need to make way is gaining momentum.
A few folks have asked why so long in Hawaii, well it all has to do with the weather. When we arrived in Hilo in June 22nd 2015 we had a choice, keep going or relax a while and after our trip from Christmas Island which was a real shocker, we decided that we all deserved a well-earned break. Also, Abi and Bianca were both starting school so it was important that they settled into their respective routines. Overall the decision was the right one but now the focus is, on the 2,200 nautical miles that lay ahead to Kodiak, Alaska!
Speaking of being tied to the dock for too long, we finally had time to slip out for a few hours and give Pendana a well-deserved run. That being said, however, it did mean waking up at 6:00am and departing at 6:45am as Abi needed to be back onshore for an appointment. There is always something! It was really nice to spend some time away from the marina and while the departure from the dock and return went without a hitch, I/we certainly felt a little more on edge than usual. I guess five months with only a few basic berth changes will do that to the best of folks!
I have forgotten how nice it is to be out at sea and as the ever increasing swell caressed Pendana’s hull as if to welcome her back, Fifi, our tiny little rescue cat promptly threw up, as is custom. One can become marina bound easier than one thinks and both Claire and I were resolute, making sure we went to sea even if it was only a few hours. We are now planning a visit to our friends on Infinity at Ko Olina Marina in the not too distant future as well as, doing a few more day / overnight trips to help gets us all back into the swing of things.
Southerly and south westerly swells in a channel with zero tolerance either side makes the approach into Waikiki Yacht Club and the Ala Wai Basin, a challenge. Claire was at the helm and doing a superb job as we approached the outer markers, I had expected her to say, “James, you can take over now”, but to her credit she didn’t and what’s more, she kept Pendana on course, centre channel all the way in and, in fact, probably did a better job than I could have done in the same situation. She was certainly cool calm and collected as Pendana’s stern was lifted by the oncoming swell as she (Pendana) attempted to surf down the face of the swell, badly.
It may sound like I am being a big girl but only a few months earlier a large motorboat 100ft got turned sideways in this very same channel in similar circumstances and came incredibly close to hitting the coral that lay close outside its borders.
The video to the pic above gives a reasonable idea of swell ripping into the channel this morning and while it was not as bad as this video, it does give some sense what was happening. The surfers on the south break this morning were riding some pretty big waves as we were coming in that’s, for sure.
Once inside the marina precinct Claire handed the helm over to me so that I could bring Pendana back safely back to the dock.
Just a final word, fellow Nordhavn owners James and Jennifer Hamilton are embarking on a nonstop run of some 3,650nms from St. Helena to Barbados. If you are not following their blog and you are into world cruising then you should be. There blog can be found HERE.
Stay safe
James
SUBJECT: Re: Post Christmas Update
James,
We also love the Copper River Salmon, we have a shipment every year from
Pike Street Market. It has to be the best Salmon in the world.
We are heading North from Portland in a few months ourselves. Although we
will primarily cruise the Canadian waters, we hope to run into you all this
summer.
Don”t forget the Nordy reunion this summer in Alaska. We have several
friends on Nordys and a few are planning the reunion. A few others are down
in Mexico after the Cubar run last fall.
Have a great time in Hawaii, don”t fill up too much on the Hula Pie, and
have a safe passage up north this summer.
John & Tracey
Mvpairadice.blogspot.com (http://Mvpairadice.blogspot.com)
REPLY: Thank you for your email. Yes dont worry havent forgotten about the NORD Rally and plan to be there, weather permitting, that said, if we love PWS as much as I think we may then maybe we wont make it!!! Look forward to catchign up with you are in Canada next summer…
Rds
James