They're here!!!!!

We surprised Heather and Rach at the airport! managed to get ourselves a ride there and waited until they came walking down. It is so good to have them near us! We went with them to their hotel and hung out for a while. Then we walked back to the yacht club. ( took us about 45 miuntes - we went the long way!!) Spent yesterday just hanging out and today we are off to the Polynesian Cultural Center - Orca III, Heather and Rachel - its a full day, while be fun! So glad to have my dear sweet friend here! sure have missed her. and you bet, we have been yacking , yacking and yacking! lots to catch up on! The kids have missed their cousing too! They spent most of the day in the pool and then hanging around the boat.

this is one of the trollys that takes you to the different malls , ect. cool , eh?!

More Baynan trees - this is in the park just behind our yacht club

yep, Kyle again - look at him climb! He realy is half monkey - thats Jenny watching in disbelief!

Hanauma Bay

We and the group from Malachi went by bus to Hanauma Bay to snorkel . This is a marine sanctuary nature preserve, and has over 420 types of reef fish. We had to watch a educational video before we could go down to the beach to snorkel.

Saw lots of fish and I even had a moray eel swim by me TWICE! scared me half to death , I was so busy making sure I was out of his way, he wasn't even interested. Everyone else was bummed they didn't see one swimming - we also had a sea turtle less than a foot away , just eating - he didn't even care that we were there! so very neat.

We are spoiled though, cause there is no comparison to the snorkeling in the Tuamotus - Fakarava!!

the kids at the entrance to Hanauma Bay - very pretty, and it is in a volcano crater

just look at those big - " shaved ice" we know them as snow cones!! the kids were in heaven!

Molokai to Oahu

We had the best sail from Maui to Molokai! we adveraged 7.5 knots with us doing 8.6 for over 30 minutes! needless to say it was a very fast passage! nice seas, couldn't ask for a better sail. It didn't even feel like we were going that fast!
We saw this big big ship sailing past us! Steve figures its about 200 ft

Entering the small small entrance of Lono Harbor

We arrived in Lono Harbor on Molokai - wow what a very small entrance and what a surge comes in. glad we had a calm day!! very windy in there though but no fetch.
We anchored and off to shore the kids and I went. Steve wanted to stay with the boat , just to be sure. Its not very big in the harbor. Lolo harbor ( hawaiin name Hale-o-lono) was built for barges carrying sand and aggregarte from Molokai - that was a long long time ago . They have stopped this over 20 yrs ago, a local told us that all the sand in Waikiki beach came from here!

Lolo Harbor Molokai - we had a couple of sea turtles swimming by the boat, Kyle and Maya went for a hike with Steve from Malachi ( guest) and then Steve T and I joined them. There were so many trees with spikes on the branches - I stepped on one and it went right through my shoe to my foot, I thought I stepped on a nail! no harm done. but we sure had to pull a lot of spikies out of our sandles. Kyle did the job for us as we made dinner. took him 1/2 hr to get them out of our shoes!! amazing, never seen thorns on a tree lilke that before!
the beauties on the beach - Maya, Alana, Jocelyn, Jenny, and Lindsy - ( the two girls are guests aboard Malachi)
nice beach, gorgeous scenery and no other boats other than a couple of local ones in the far corner. Kyle is trying to teach Steve Growes ( Malachi) how to open a coconut, Emma and Shayna are enjoying cooling off , and the beach girls are posing for pictures!

We have arrived safely to Honolulu! the passage from Molokai sucked!! waves going every way, not much wind at first - the boat flopping from one side to the other and big flopps! not a fun passage. Certainly nothing like the day before! once the wind picked up it was a little better , still not the best ride - anyway we are tied up nice and snug in the Waikiki Yacht Club - it has a swimming pool and everything, right in the heart of Honolulu!! couldn't ask for a better spot. Across the street is the big mall, ! everything so close by.

There is quited the surge in here! Malachi is one dock over , we did a pot luck dinner with them on Thursday after we arrived. Lots of nice people here, so quick to lend a helping hand. Met " Ronny" who let us borrow his car to get groceries, and took me in the am to do laundry - took Steve in to get parts for the alternator for the generator so he can fix it!
The kids have been living in the pool -they even went for a night swim with the Malachi bunch - had fireworks last night - wow this is the way to relax before the next big passage!!
We are going to Hamanumu Bay ( spelt wrong , fix later when I find the right spellin) to snorkel today - taking the bus . this should be fun . we are planning on doing Pearl Harbor tomorrow.

Kauli-Kona to Maui

Me and the kids jumped into the water to swim with the dolphins again!! right in the bay in Kauli-Kona, so cool!
We left Kauli-Kona and headed to the top of the big island , getting ready to cross to Maui. we stayed in Kawaihae Harbor, very excited cause it was so calm and protected, then the wind came up in the middle of the night, 40 knot gusts! we were fine, anchor held well, but still not the best sleep , up checking as we were on the lee of the breakwater.

We had to cross the Alenuihaha Channel which can be a rough one if the trades where blowing, and they were. we had 30 knots of wind ( sometimes gusting to 35) and 14 ft seas. ripped our main sail - this time in the cloth ,so must actually repair it. Steve took it down before we had too much damage. 10 hours later we were anchored. Our original spot was on Molokini Island but is was to rough so we had to keep going.

We arrived in Lahaina this morning and tied to a mooring ball with the Lahaina Yacht club, but where informed the mooring where not in good shape so Steve and Jay went and moved our boat and we are now anchored, thankfully its not windy as the bottom here is not that good of holding. Quite a current and all the sand is eroding away and leaving only lava bottom, not good for anchoring, we had a late lunch at Bubba Gumps - good food and I am still so full!! its is so hot on land!

The girls from Malachi wanted to shop, so my older kids ended up doing that , I found the big banyen tree and hung out there with Emma. Kyle was a little disappointed with the tree, cause the ones in Hilo where so much better to climb. ( and you weren't allowed to climb it anyway) we are back at the boat just chillin - free Internet!

the old fort in Lahaina

the kids on the banyen tree in front of the old court house.

shaved ice time! so hot out. and the 4 children are learning to share!!
Banyen tree -the tree was planted in 1873 and is almost 1/4 mile in circumference -
"Life is like a box of chocolates!" us on Forest Gumps bench! Maya is wearing his shoes!everyone a whole lot happier now that we are anchored! it was a rough crossing!
cleaning up all the lines, the sun is setting and we are relaxing! will sleep well tonight!

sunset at Maui!!

the crows nest is a fun place when at anchor!!

all of us parents have a meal together, the kids are at the other end of the table. nice to eat in a restaurant again!

this is the palace!

Kyle love the banyen trees! and the beach is full of turtles - look close and you will see them
and looking down here is the turtle , just below the sea wall that both Kyle and Emma are on!! lots of them
on the sea wall of Kauli-Kona, we got splashed when the surf came in !!!
this one is for Nathaniel. so when are you doing this triathlon?

swimming with dolphins! snorkeling too!

We had a fantastic time snorkeling and swimming with the dolphins - we jumped into the water from our dingys - tons of dolphins everywhere, mammas with their babies even. This is a underwater park here and is closed to anchoring and fishing , so we are anchored way out of the bay. makes for a nice nursery for the dolphins! Kyle swam and swam along with Maya and the Malachi girls along with the dolphins, they loved this!!!!! What a neat experience for all the kids, swimming with them in their natural environment!see the baby one with its mamma! she was so tiny!! never seen a dolphin so small before

We had so many dolphins swimming around, underneath and jumping out of the water. They are the spinner dolphins and they look like they have pink on their bellies. We even heard them talking!!! so cool! safe to say all that sailing we did was worth it to get here!!! Malachi and us where the only non-tour boat around and the only ones anchored. The locals say they don't get too many sailboats around, one guy even recognized our boat as a steel hull, using his binoculars from land- he used to own one.

Later in the afternoon we went ashore to stretch our legs, then visited on Malachi. around 8:30pm we had manta rays around the boat! Life is so good!!
We are leaving here today and heading to Kailua-Kona for the day ( may anchor but depends on the anchorage, its not a good one - play that by ear) and then head to the top of the big island before heading to Maui. The weather here has been great, not to rocky - this can be a very very uncomfortable anchorage. just for your info - Hilo is the rainiest city in all of the USA!! amazing , eh?!

lots of these fish swimming everywhere, the snorkeling was fantastic!!
Steve loves to wear a mask now that he has no beard! doesn't leak!!! tee heee
Miss Emma is getting so good at swimming! she is our 3rd fish! she loved the dolphins as well, just couldn't swim like her brother and sister.

Kealakekua Bay - Kona Big Island Hawaii

AKA as Cooks Bay - this is where Captain Cook died. anyway, we left yesterday and came around the point to a fantastic show of lava! it was worth the trip I tell ya. unfortuneatly my camera doesn't do well with the night photos while moving in a boat.
We were about 3/4 of a mile away from the lava! it was even erupting high into the air!! Way cool. Graeme you would have loved that!
We are now in cooks bay, went for a swim, and then checked out the monument for Captain Cook. great snorkeling here so we will come back tomorrow morning, We lucked out on the way back to the boats. Dolphins everywhere, so we -the kids and I and then Jenny and Jocelyn , jumped in and swam with them!! they were under us and jumping and spinning - so cool, Kyle even had one touch his foot! It was amazing. We are now sitting down to a great dinner and for a lark I thought I'd check for internet, and low and behold - free and fast!! enjoy, we will be snorkeling tomorrow and will get more pictures. Apparently there are turtles and manta rays here as well.


the 2 captains posing for there famous shot - they got us here safely

just one of the many beautiful sites here !

My monkeys

Trivia - what was the name of Captain Cooks ship? this one is easy!!

our friends ( family now) Robert and Rose on Tillicum, they have left this morning to head straight to San Fran. very good people!

done in Hilo off to the Kona side

We are off today to sail to the otherside of the big Island - Kona side. we will be passing the lava flowing into the sea at night! looking forward to seeing this, its supposed to be real neat. its very hot here today! Malachi will be going with us, Tillicum is leaving tomorrow and heading straight for San Fransisco. hope to see them in Vancouver ( by car as the boat is headed to Mexico)

Hoping for better internet. trust me I will be posting whenever I can. it has been fun here. it will be interesting to sail without Graeme......

this is how we got to shore everytime!! kids are off for showers and hanging out

Joel and Kyle from Liberty - more kids! we just finished walking on the breakwater and swimming with some turtles, fun fun

Trivia Question # 56578

WHO IS THIS MAN?

volcano time in Hawaii!!

Orca III and Malachi in Hilo at the wharf! this is the industrial area here and we have to be escorted of everytime we want to leave the area....

this is the crater at Mauna Loa observatory. that is lava you see!! very cool

and here we are at the lava tunnel! this is really neat. it is about 200 years old

its amazing that plants will grow in anything! these are all over the lava

lava diggers! Everone wants some , this is the lava flow from 1974, very neat

Maya picking some pretty lava. We got some that is very sparkly

heres where the lava hit the road, thats us in our car! tee hee

Isn't Graeme so strong!!

Yeah!!

on top of "old smokey" lava

lava everywhere! Uncle and Nephew on the black

the sea side of the lava see that steam way of in the distance, that is lava pouring into the ocean, we will be going around that at night on Wednesday to see it by boat on our way to the other side of the island - Kona side

Bye Bye Graeme, ! thanks for joining us on part of our journey - enjoy civilization!