We had a great sail from Hilo over to Oahu, with plenty of wind. On the way we saw Hawaiian spinner dolphins, and the full arc of a rainbow over the Pacific! We went much faster than we had planned, so we arrived in the middle of the night. Luckily we had no problems coming into the Ala Wai Harbor. We’re currently rafted up at the Hawaii Yacht Club and are thoroughly enjoying the tourist life!
Sequoia flew in with my mom on Weds, June 2. Her sunny disposition brings so much life and happiness to the boat! And she motivates us to get off the boat and do more things, like swinging on banyan trees.
Toro has a Boggle-like game on his iPod. He held the high score of 71 for a while, but in Mexico I scored an 87, and he’s been gunning for me ever since. Well, Koiya waltzed into town and posted a 93! Capn Big Fat Faker adopted a disappointed tone of voice, and shaking his head, asked me, “Did you hear about Sequoia’s Boggle score? Isn’t that a bummer?” But Koiya called him out. “You were all excited when I told you!” she exclaimed. “You said, ‘Your mama is gonna be so mad!'” Oh, busted!
But back to our toursit lifestyle: we bought bus passes, so we can get around town easily. We visited the Waikiki Aquarium, which is small but has a great audio tour, as well as some sharks (Koiya’s favorite!) and Hawaiian monk seals. Koiya’s really into identifying all of the fish she sees, so she bought a couple of fish guides- a waterproof one to take snorkeling, and a more comprehensive guide to keep on the boat.
We took a food-tasting tour of Chinatown; the highlight was seeing how fun noodles are made, and then eating them- yum! And we went to a special ‘Sunset on the Beach’ featuring Keali’i Reichel and some top-rate hula dancers.
My mom’s family lives here on Oahu, and we all got together for a big family dinner, featuring sushi and Hawaiian food. My cousin Millie got us tickets to several different attractions, including a Waikiki submarine ride and a water slide park– both so much fun (but unfortunately, no photos)! And my Uncle Wally has been taking us out to dinner and driving us around on big shopping runs.
Perhaps the most unusual event was finding a green sea turtle swimming here in the Ala Wai Boat Harbor. The poor thing had tumors over both eyes, so he couldn’t see. We called a service associated with the University here, and one of the students came and picked up the turtle. They’ll administer antibiotics and release the turtle back in the sea. Good luck little guy!
Our most recent undertaking is surfing lessons. Sequoia found the best instructor in the world- Auntie Jenny! Although it’s crowded, the waves are small so Waikiki is a great place to learn. The only downside is we’re not getting many boat projects done….
See all of our Oahu photos (to date) here:
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Second to your auntie, here’s another surfing school:
Hawaiianfire.
Lessons offered by Honolulu Firemen (hunky) at a Oahu beach including information about lessons, instructors, location, and tips.
John and I took lessons with them at Nimitz Beach..
Sugata already knew the way into the Ali Wai.
Are you guys going to cruise any of the other Hawaiian islands? I heartily recommend trying to get to the once you missed if you can. Molokaii is cool, Loved Lanaii, and even Mauii was cool from a boat cause you can get away from the tourists.