Happy New Year

Happy Solstice and Blessed New Year

We are well and enjoying the mild climate, sunny days, and simplicity of indoor/outdoor docklife in Hawai'i after making some significant changes in these plague years & planting the seeds for our new lifestyle in this brave new world:

 We took the kids out of public school, sold the beach house, Jeff changed his work situation, we bought a boat and sailed it from Tahiti back to O'ahu. 

Currently, Jeff works with Jody and Skip McCormack, in part as a PG&E contractor from the boat. Olivia (13) and Camila (11) left school halfway through 6th and 4th grades when Covid hit and haven't been back; we are working through online curriculum for 8th and 6th grades online from the boat. There are amazing resources available and we couldn't be happier not to be in public middle school (for *so many* reasons!)  In addition to chief mate,  mom, and learning coach, part of my work is as social director, facilitating meetups and hangouts with old neighborhood friends and new homeschool friends.  Our loyal little terrier mix pup, Bella (10) seems prerty content to be a boat dog. I think mostly she just loves (as I do) that the pack is all together - all the time! 

We were so happy to travel this year! Our adventures and visits are our favorite memories of 2021.

After a few strange months in covid limbo Jeff and Emily and Torsten Hansen embarked on our big blue water sailing adventure. Olivia and Camila spent several weeks in Oklahoma with Roger and Kristen Pfieffer. And then in August we travelled to visit with our family in New York and in Connecticut. We were so happy to be at Cranberry Lake again finally (even with covid protocol limitations). Since then we've been really settling into our own family groove. 

Now we are in the vision stage (research & early planning) of a sail plan for 2022 that will take us from Hawai'i to the west coast of North America ending in Mexico in the autumn. 

Extending Warm Aloha,

Love and Light

September in Connecticut

New Englanders love to celebrate the autumn. And we were there for the early bits. 

The tobacco had been hung in the barns, the farm stands were full, the apples were ripe, we stumbled upon a legit pumpkin patch, bunches of wild grapes, went to an apple orchard and played in a corn maze.

We found and tended to a family grave of Chris's grandmother, and helped with some seasonal yard work.

And drove by Jeff's childhood home

August 2021 at Cranberry Lake

Back to our beloved Cranberry Lake 

We spent a few gentle weeks enjoying visiting with some of our favorite people in a favorite beautiful place. 

Morning coffee on the porch with Mom, or after work decompression with Sis. Family dinners, evening campfires. Dock sitting, sunbeam chasing, walking in the woods, mushroom hunting, berry picking,  butterfly chasing, reflecting and drawing

And time on the water; boating, wake boarding, tubing, jumping from elephant rock!

Dock side

 

We sat dock side for a fee hours waiting for clearance from the local customs and agriculture inspectors. 

They never showed up and were pretty lackadaisical on the phone. We actually, still don't have clearance, but we're moving ahead anyway.

Midnight watch musings

O'ahu is this big glow on and above the horizon. A little like a winter dawn.

. The wind that funnels through the Alanuihaha channel between Maui and the big island finally dissipated and we are in another light wind zone waiting to see what happens when we line up with the Kaiwi channel on the east side of O'ahu. Apparently there is an usual weather system on the N side of the island and we just don't know how that's going to play on this side. 

We are running a single engine and the mainsail at the moment, making just over 6 kt.  It looks like we might get in a little early, in which case we will go to a nearby anchorage that we are familiar with and clean up a bit before we go in. 

There has been One vessel that we've had visual (but not radar) contact with tonight.  I'm sure there will be a few more as we approach Pearl Harbor.  But there just isn't much traffic that comes up from the South. Throughout those years I spe   nt  observing the southern horizon from the barefoot bungalow in Ewa beach, It was always noteworthy when something came in from the South, it's that uncommon. 

We've come a long way. Over 2500 nautical miles of blue water sailing.  It's been a heck of an experience and I'm proud of all of us and this vessel. 

I'm grateful to have had excellent crew mates and companions. Trust worthy, competent, kind, among many other fine qualties.

I'm grateful and humbled to experience and internalize another perspective of living on Earth.  

Love and Light 

~e.

Last night watch (?!)

Sun is setting (after 7 pm!)  The wind has filled in to 17 kts and we are running full sail, no engines. 

It's a stunningly colorful sunset as it gets later. Feeling blessed! 

We are under 100 miles left (in a straight line) to the marina. 

 Managing our speed to try to arrive at 8:00 am.

Both engines are fully functional and we have two tanks aver 1/2 full. We could motor the rest of the way if we needed to. 

Guess what. The thing with the nav display: I fixed it!! (Technically, I broke it, too -- but let's not get buried in details.) It was just a setting!! It's all good, and Jeff can cross it off the repair list! Yay! Right...? yay? No? Whatever.  It's fine.  LOL

One more night at sea...

Love, light, and fair winds,

~e.

Day 42/15. Hawaiian waters

See that puffy white clouds over there on the horizon? That's Maui Island, and the mountain, Haleakala, about 80+? Miles away. 

All that flat blue? Windless expanse. It's like the doldrums take 2. Ugh. 

However, in good news, this amazing man that I'm doing life with, fixed the starter motor assembly (again!) And got enough power flowing to start the starboard engine.  

We are running both engines, with no sail up yet, "Headed for the barn." Expecting to arrive to the marina tomorrow morning & manage the arrivals business. 

((And maybe see my friends waving from shore as we cruise in! :) ))

I took a big nap around midday today. Aaaah. That felt good. I've sent Jeff down below to try to do the same. He's due some good sleep. 

He's been stressing since the engine wouldn't start.  

And then, because you know, what's a good adventure with out some obstacles...? The back light on the nav   igation  display went out. Yeah. So, no radar sweeps. No mapping.  

Luckily,  both of my crewmates have navigation software running on their tablets.  Ha!! We are fine!!  All the instruments still work and we have plenty other displays to use. 

Current Position:

L: 19.61 degrees N

Lo: 157.15 degrees W

Course: 325

Speed: 8 kt

Love, light, and fair winds,

~e.