You would think...

That after 4 big cruising adventures, Moondance and crew would be better prepared - but we are definitely not.

The Big Ass Boat!

 
We are scheduled to sail away in April, but instead of our project and shopping lists shrinking, they continue to grow.

That's not good. Are we getting to old for this cruising thing?  Not yet!

Dock Buddies

Everyone makes fun of my spreadsheets, but there is no way we would be able to remember half the stuff we gotta do before leaving.

Current projects include:

• Re-bedding chain plates and ports (yes, during the rainy season)
• Rebuilding and installing new winches
• Installing new VHF radio (with AIS - yeah)
• Revamping blower outlet
• And more

Surf's Up

And the shopping list is even bigger and more expensive.  Good thing Doug is working at West Marine.

All this and we are still working.  I am really looking forward to our 2nd retirement!

I know it is all going to work out just fine, but it is a little stressful. Whine, whine, whine.

PS: The Big Ass Boat is rumored to belong to Larry Ellison (arch enemy). This is his "small" boat!

2013? You got to be kidding!

How did that happen?  That means we have been docked in Hawaii over a year - yikes!

Celebrating with the Family!

But, it has been a great place to live and work and we have made the most of it.

Gavin and Pops and the rocket launcher

We have made some life-long friends with our dock buddies, done lots of touristy stuff, and made (and spent) some money.

Plus, had fun showing family and friends our favorite places on Oahu.

We are going to miss this place...

Lots of laughs

We had wonderful ending to 2012 - a visit with the family in Texas.  Happy to report that all are doing just fine.

A wild and crazy time with lots of food, drink, laughter and we made so many new memories (and lots of photos). 

Celebrating Conner's B'Day

Just went way too fast!

Now, we are back on Moondance and making plans for the South Pacific - yeah!

Anessa and Ryan - big grins

Yup, we got lots to do (and lots to buy) if we want to set sail in May.


So, it is time to hunker down and get busy (not our strong suit)!

But, we always seem to make it work.

Happy 2013

Our current sailing plans include stops at:

Fanning Island
Christmas Island (maybe)
The Cook's
The Samoa's
Tonga

And spend 2 years (at least) exploring all of those beautiful islands in Fiji.

Snow - yikes!

But, as they say, cruising plans are written in sand at low tide - always changing.  That's part of the fun.

 So if you are thinking you need some beach time, come and join us somewhere along the way. 

We would love to have you as crew on Moondance!

Wild Times with the Family!

Phil and Danette came to visit and we had a wonderfully wild time exploring Oahu together!

Life is a Beach!

Turkey Day

They fit right into our Turkey Day celebration at the dock.

The gang loved having them around - especially Phil's homemade Bloody Mary's.

Top of Diamond Head

Next day - hiking up the Diamond Head crater.

A great way to work off those extra holiday calories!

Lighthouse

Of course, that means a trip to the Kona Brewing Company and some R&R time at Bellows Beach.

The Sanitarium

We splurged and spent 2 nights in Waikiki at the Hawaii Prince.

Some shopping, some eating, some visiting, and lots of bar hopping.

Wolfgang's Steakhouse is still our favorite upscale eatery, but we loved Snappers for their Mai Tai Happy Hour. 

Enjoying Queen Emma's Palace

Part of our tour was checking out the Shrimp trucks.

Our favorite - Macky's Shrimp Truck in Haleiwa - right next to the 7-11.

Their garlic shrimp was amazing.  Get extra sauce for the rice!

Arizona Memorial and Might Mo

Of course, we had to tour Pearl Harbor. Seeing all of the photos and reading all of the stories about our hero's. So moving...

More beach time

We loved having Phil and Danette visit.  The time went way too fast, but we got to spend lots of time together - just talking and laughing and making new memories.

Miss them already, but will see them in Texas in 2 weeks. 

The family Christmas yearly get together. Yahoo!

Tsunami Watch!

Hawaii was informed last night about 7pm that there was a 7.7 earthquake off of the coast of British Columbia.

The Sheriff and Medusa

The effect - we were under a Tsunami Watch that was expected to hit Hawaii around 10:30pm.

Right in the middle of our Halloween party!

Fortunately, the Tsunami turned out to be a non-event - Yeah!

Lots of boats sailed out to sea - no one was allowed to stay on their boats.

Just starting the Party

So, we headed to high ground - the golf course up the hill.

We spent the rest of the evening celebrating life by partying and listening to the events on the local radio station.

Trick or Treaters

About 1:30am, the news reporters had given up - so did we - and headed back to the Marina.

The good news - the cruising community is amazing.

Doug on Tsunami watch

Everyone rallied together to make sure that boats were secured and people had a safe place to hold up.

Plus, cruisers volunteering to sail with people they just met - just to make sure that everyone was safe.

Proud to be a cruiser!

Celebrating a Birthday!

Doug's Birthday, that is. And what a wonderful place to celebrate - Waikiki!

Happy Birthday, Doug!

We splurged and spent 2 nights at the Marriott.

We miss those big beds and a bathtub. What a treat!

Kaki holding her own

We were lucky and got tickets for the sold out Oktoberfest at the Hale Koa.




So glad we did.

Kaki and Brad (dock buddies) were there too - trouble for sure!

Survived Oktoberfest!

Lots of Chicken Dancing, great food, drinking contests, and lots of laughter.

Not quite the same as Germany, but we had a great time!

Hawaii Army Museum

There's a great Army Museum in Waikiki and it is free.

The museum is housed in historic Battery Randolph on the grounds of Ft. DeRussy.

We learned lots about life on the islands before the Pearl Harbor attack and the people of the islands.

Surf Museum

A different kind of museum... The Surf Museum at Jimmy Buffets.

Cool boards and a great happy hour - can't beat that!

Shaolin Warriors

The Shaolin Warriors were playing at the beautiful old Hawaii Theater.

22 Buddhist monks from China put on an amazing show - high-flying martial arts and acrobatics.

Beautiful purple hisbiscus

We enjoyed the show, but Cirque Du Soleil is our favorite.

A great Birthday weekend for sure.  Wish you could have joined us - next time!

Love a parade!

I just happen to be in downtown Honolulu (goofing off) and had a wonderful surprise...

Winning Float

Aloha Festivals Floral Parade was just getting started.



Of course, I had to stay and watch. So glad that I did.

Queen

Each island was represented by a beautiful Queen and her Princesses riding their horses.

All lavishly gowned and adorned with lei's and wreaths - so colorful.

My pictures don't do it justice.

Pooper Scoopers

Beautiful Hula

My favorite -

Every island had their own Pooper Scoopers following the Queen's procession!

All original and decorated - and functional.

The young kids had a great time entertaining the crowds.

Gotta have a marching band

And lots of marching bands, hula dancers, cheerleaders, old cars, and so much more.

Can you smell those flowers?

Seems like there is always something happening downtown.  

Good thing I was goofing off - what a treat!

Back to reality...

And  back to boat projects!

Who needs life lines?

Well, we have been goofing off (a lot), but we have got a few boat projects in the works.

Of course, we have found a few more!

To prevent leaks and to guarantee support, Doug is re-bedding the stanchions.

At the same time - replacing our life lines with Spectra.

It is new technology - supposed to be stronger than steel.  We shall see...

Broken Gooseneck - not good

In the process of removing our sails (5-year checkup), Doug found some problems with our Gooseneck.

The gooseneck weld was busted, plus connection to the boom was bent.

Replacement parts - a Boat Buck!

At least it is a good time to replace them.

Plus, new technology seems to have improved the design.

We shall see.

Hopefully Doug can resuscitate

 Our dinghy engine died the day before we left French Polynesia.

So far, Doug has tried replacing all the important parts, but no luck fixing it.

Hopefully, it is fixable. If not, that's 2 more Boat Bucks!

Messing up the place

If you don't live on a boat, you will have problems comprehending the absolute mess that can happen when you are working on projects

It is amazing, but at least it all goes back together quickly!

Time to relax and enjoy the view!

But, at the end of the day, we still have a wonderful group of friends to commiserate with and enjoy our surroundings. Love it.

Thanks to Kathy and Debbie for sharing their beautiful picture of the Ko Olina lagoons - amazing!