Life at the fuel dock...

You know us, we can make our home anywhere - even at the fuel dock!

Turtle crossing

There is lots of sea life around us - leopard rays, beautiful coral fish, lots of turtles, and a big Tiger shark named Laverne.

We haven't seen Laverne yet, but keep feeding her scraps.

Sunset at the fuel dock

During the day, the fuel dock has boats coming and going, but not too many. At night, we have the place to ourselves - almost.

A couple of times, we have divers surprise us around 11pm. Bubbles against the hull are a little disconcerting when you aren't expecting them.

Our transportation

Since we don't have a dock, we decided to launch the dinghy to go to shore, plus adjust our mooring lines.

Much easier than trying to jump from the bow - at least for me. Doug is an excellent rower and even sings to me!

Christmas in Hawaii

We have been doing a little bit of boat work and lots of goofing off - of course.

We toured the village of Holualoa with Joe and Leah - lots of unique art galleries and one great restaurant.  A very nice day trip.

It is great to be in Hawaii during the holidays - lots of decorations, events, and warm, wonderful weather.

I know, quit rubbing it in!

We joined in the fun and attended the 27th annual Christmas parade - it was a hoot! All of the local charities, organizations, etc. had an entry.

Quinn's set up a table outside so we got to see it all - comfortably with a Mai Tai in hand.

We leave Tuesday for Texas to celebrate the holidays with the Family - YIPPEE!

It will be strange to be so far from Moondance. It has been a long time. New friends here in Kona will keep an eye on her for us, so we know she is in good hands.

In our explorations of Kailua-Kona, here are some of our "Best Finds". We promise to keep up the search!

Hamburger - Splashers on Alii
Homemade onion rings - Splashers on Alii
Fish and chips - Quinns on Alii
Mai Tai's (especially during happy hour 2 - 5) - Canoe Club on Alii
Seared Ahi tuna - Bite Me at Honokohau Harbor
Pizza - Kona Brewing Company on Kuakini Hwy
Sports Bar - Oceans on Alii

Enjoying the Land of Plenty!

It is hard to believe, we have been in Hawaii for over a week - time is flying by!

Home sweet home!

We are still moored at the fuel dock, but have been very comfortable.

The only tricky part - getting off the boat (especially for me). I am stuck on the boat unless Doug helps me off - it is a big step!

The locals have been very helpful and given us great tips for getting around the island, plus very friendly. Love it!

Touring the island with Joe and Leah!

What a wonderful treat... Joe and Leah (best friends from Albuquerque) are here. We have really enjoyed exploring Hawaii with them - thanks for hauling us around!

Place of Refuge

A highlight, visiting the Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park. Translated, the "Place of Refuge at Honaunau" - the most complete restoration of an ancient Hawaiian religious sanctuary in Hawaii.

Plus, lots of green sea turtles.

Hitchhiking around the island

We have been hitchhiking a lot and have met some very nice folks.  A great way to get around.

Unfortunately, we had a ton of laundry to do, plus provisioning, so we decided to rent a car for the week. Good choice - love that fast transportation!

Our neighbors - research vessel Machias

We were very lucky to be at the fuel dock when the research vessel Machias moored right next to us. Wonderful people that are working on some very interesting projects.

Kind of strange - side tying to them so they could fuel up. They are much bigger than Moondance!

Being in the "Land of Plenty" is strange after being so remote in French Poly. We have been shopping at all of the stores - even if we don't buy anything. What a treat to find everything you need or want.

Crossing the equator and toasting with Neptune

Our current plans are to stay on the Big Island until January and then sail over to Oahu.

We are flying to Texas to join the family for the holidays - very excited about seeing everyone!

Doug on his daily walkabout

We "think" we will be in Oahu until April or May and then will head back to French Poly (all subject to change of course).

Chatting with Evergreen

Our trip from French Poly to Hawaii we rated a "C Minus". Winds were inconsistent, plus big waves and currents made it very uncomfortable and unsettled. 

So grateful to Jamie (s/v Totem) for doing the weather routing for us!

Captain Doug - healing a bit...

In comparison, our trip from Mexico to French Poly we rated a "B Plus", much better.

Cruisers tell us that heading back south is tougher - I am not sure I even want to think about that now.

As we crossed the Equator, we raised a toast to Neptune, plus spread some of our best friend Steve around. I know he would have enjoyed our adventure - no matter how crazy.

ITCZ - so this is what they were talking about

For now, we will just enjoy Hawaii. We have lots of projects to keep us busy (and out of trouble), plus lots of beautiful places to explore.

Come and see us sometime - we would love to have you!

Made it to Hawaii!

We are safely moored at the Honokohau Marina - of course it is the transient fuel dock, but we are happy to be here! Water is supplied, but no electricity, plus the bathrooms (no showers) are a very long way down the road. Oh well - we will be just fine here until they find us a slip in the Inner Harbor - hopefully next week.

Everyone has been so friendly. New friends Ralph and Glenda on s/v Our Country Home met us at the dock. Thank goodness - we needed lots of help. This med-mooring thing is very tricky! Plus, they arranged for Customs to be here and clear us back in the States. Customs took a lot of our good food - like our bacon, sausages, grapefruit, potatoes, etc. They did leave our zucchini and flank steak, so we won't starve!

Ralph and Glenda also took us to the Harbormaster and helped us get us checked in and then drove us to town - Kailua-Kona. We enjoyed wandering around and shopping, plus found a good hamburger/beer joint - Quinns Almost by the Sea - our kind of place. We actually got to watch some sports on TV - we didn't care what they were showing, we were watching it. TV Tubbies!

It's official, we are back in the States - we now have cell phones and are connected. Next step, internet. Too strange!

Our trip from French Poly to Hawaii - just a little shy of 17 days. We will write up a summary once we get our energy back.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone - we will be thinking of you all as we devour our Turkey Day goodies!

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Day 16: Not yet...

Moondance Stats:
LATITUDE: 18-17.62N; LONGITUDE: 155-25.65W
COURSE: 313T; SPEED: 6.5
DISTANCE TRAVELED: 2192m
DISTANCE TO KONA, HAWAII: 99m
24 HOUR RUN: 145m

We are approximately 35 miles from the south end of the Big Island of Hawaii, but we can't see it yet. Too many clouds in the way. But, we know it is there and that our adventure is almost over. Yeah! We have had winds of 25 - 33 knots pushing us in the right direction since about 6:00 this morning. We wish they would ease up a bit, but don't think that is going to happen until we pass the south point and get some protection from the island. Oh well!

Evergreen is about a day ahead of us and experiencing no wind - go figure. They are heading directly to Oahu, which is an additional day. We have been buddy boating with them since April and are going to miss them. Hopefully, we can catch up to them in January.

The marina and custom folks are ready for us - thanks to Ralph and Glenda (s/v Our Country Home). Hopefully, everything will go smoothly and quickly.

By noon tomorrow (if all goes well), we should be docked at the marina - relaxing and enjoying an ice cold beer - on tap we hear!

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Day 15: Now, that's more like it!

Moondance stats:
LATITUDE: 16-45.60N; LONGITUDE: 153-29.33W
COURSE: 302T; SPEED: 6.7
DISTANCE TRAVELED: 2047m
DISTANCE TO KONA, HAWAII: 240m
24 HOUR RUN: 131m

The wind and seas calmed down last night - just in time for us to get a good nights sleep! We are still seeing 30 knot winds once in awhile and will get a strange series of waves, but nothing we can't handle, plus we are making good time.

One little whine - it is colder here than we are used to. You should see us all bundled up in the cockpit for night watches. I think I had 4 layers on last night. Plus, we miss that sunshine. What whimps we are! We hear of snow storms hitting the states all ready and just get a shiver. Hope you are all staying warm and dry!

We are really getting excited about making landfall! We should start seeing land tomorrow (if the weather cooperates) and should be at the Honokohau marina in Kona early morning on Wednesday. It is all coming together - almost like we planned it. Just hope the marina has a slip for us. Details, details...

The crew is definitely ready to get off the boat and stretch our legs. We are thinking of hitchhiking or walking to town (Kailua-Kona) to check it out and do some shopping - only 3 - 4 miles away (we think). Anything that doesn't involve a rock'n roll'n boat!

Hawaii - here we come!

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Day 14: Are we there yet?

Moondance stats:
LATITUDE: 15-11.27N; LONGITUDE: 151-59.28W
COURSE: 315T; SPEED: 6.1
DISTANCE TRAVELED: 1916m
DISTANCE TO KONA, HAWAII: 362m
24 HOUR RUN: 153m

I know, I should quit whining, but we are ready to be there - especially after the last 24 hours! Last night at sunset, the winds kicked up between 20 - 34 knots and stayed that way till sunrise, plus add some big waves and some light rain showers. We thought things would improve, instead they got worse. 30 - 35 knots of wind gusting to 40+, and don't forget the bigger waves - oh my. We were hoping all this was being generated by a passing storm, but we think it might just be kicked up trade winds and will be with us for a few days. Oh well - we have a double-reefed main with just our staysail out and we are still making 6+ knots and are semi-comfortable. The winds and seas have calmed quit a bit, so we will be just fine.

As it looks now, we should be in Kona on Wednesday morning very early - yeah! We are fortunate to have some wonderful cruising buddies that are all ready sending us information on Hawaii:
- Shawn and Chris (s/v Tao) have sent us information on getting around Hawaii and the amenities at the Honokohau marina. We are happy to hear that there is a restaurant/bar close by!
- Ralph and Glenda - whom we haven't met yet (s/v Our Country Home) have sent us lots of information on Hawaii and the marina, plus is helping us with clearing Customs. We have also been invited to a cruisers Thanksgiving potluck. Can't beat that.
- Behan (s/v Totem) has family living on the Big Island and has sent us lots of info on touring the island and where to eat - like the locals.

Thanks everyone - we all ready feel welcome and can't wait to experience Hawaii for ourselves. We just need to get there and get started!

A funny: During our period of high winds this morning, Doug needed to pee. Not wanting to leave his station, he kneeled and pee'd in the cockpit scuppers (drains). Foul weather gear is definitely not user friendly, but it was very entertaining to watch. We both had a good laugh while the winds and waves were rocking us about!

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Day 13: Good sailing!

Moondance stats:
LATITUDE: 13-15.97N; LONGITUDE: 150-18.43W
COURSE: 318T; SPEED: 6.8
DISTANCE TRAVELED: 1763m
DISTANCE TO KONA, HAWAII: 551m
24 HOUR RUN: 146m

And it has been for the last 24 hours - yeah! The wind has been fairly constant between 20 - 25 knots. The seas are still a little confused, but much improved. Doug and I both got a really good sleep and are rested today. We have been making good time too - even with a double reefed main and a furled mainsail. Hope these conditions last all the way to Hawaii!

As we get closer to Hawaii, we have been thinking about all of the things we are going to do. First, take a break. We are thinking of renting a car and doing some exploring, plus we need to do a huge amount of stinky laundry, grocery shopping, checking out the marine stores, etc. But, we are also thinking of things we haven't had to do for a very long time - like buy cell phones. It will be so strange to be connected again, but so nice just to be able to pick up the phone and call someone. What a treat!

Bacon and eggs for breakfast, pizza for dinner, and sourdough bread baking in the oven. Things are definitely looking up on Moondance and the crew is in high spirits!

PS: We have been fishing since Day 1 - no luck! We don't think there are any fish out here - except the ones committing suicide and landing on our boat as we sail by.

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