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LAND HO! It's HAWAII!
It is Monday, February 2nd. Unless you are an avid fan of Ground Hog Day, this is probably just another winter evening in February for you. But for us - it's a ('scuse the pun) landmark! After covering over 4,700 miles of ocean, we sighted land at 1537 hours today, or 10:37 PM your time since you are five hours ahead. By now the big island of Hawaii looms large in front of us. As the sun goes down, we can make out the lights of cities at the base of the volcano. The aft deck looked like "binocular central" earlier today with everyone passing around the "long eyes" to take a look.
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CANNON FIRE
As landfall nears, John and Samantha have been servicing our cannons. After a month at sea, it wouldn't be wise to assume they will fire as usual to announce our arrival in Honolulu. They cleaned the barrels and made ammunition, which consists of plugs of gunpowder wrapped in foil. A small wad of flour is also loaded in the cannon to simulate (look like) smoke. Needless to say, we don't use cannon balls. Although in my travels I did have one student ask me if we have to call ahead to let the townspeople know that we are friendly. Yes, we call. TRADE WINDS Being a rookie to this Pacific Ocean crossing, I have been basically pleased with Mother Nature's performance in the trade wind category. For the most part, we had a pleasant breeze of 12 -15 knots from the northeast. Of course, that's one of the perks of being a rookie - you really don't know any better. Oh, I admit that from time to time, like late at night, the winds died. Now those "in the know" did NOT find this acceptable. Allow me to share a typical moment indicating a distinct lack of approval for this failing on the part of Mother Nature.
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I can say for a fact that Dan Nelson was not pleased with this formally dependable strong wind system. Of course, this kind of dissatisfaction leads to finger pointing, and El Niño got the blame. I am not a scientist who could state that for a fact. However, if you want to do a little small scale research, check some magazines and journals for details. That is my plan as soon as I see a library on the horizon, or get access to the Internet again. WHALES, WHALES, WHALES!
As predicted by Damion, the stretch of water between the islands on the south side of Maui produced more than twenty humpback whale sightings. Humpback whales, which can reach 45 feet in length, are basically black and usually have white patches on their throat, belly, flippers, or flukes (tails). They migrate in winter to the Hawaiian Islands to breed and give birth to their young after having spent the summer in the northern Pacific feeding off the coast of Alaska. The whales gave us quite a show by literally leaping out of the water. This is known as breaching. It was not uncommon to see two whales "blow," then flip their large flukes into the air as they returned to deeper water. Sometimes the whales would lay on their side and wave their flipper in the air. On one occasion, a whale surfaced near our ship to poke its head above the surface as if curious about this new visitor. Just like our encounter (meeting) with the dolphins, we seemed to share a mutual interest in each other. Millions of years on different paths of evolutionary design prevented us from sharing the moment with any more than a quick look. Moored off to one side was a boat where SCUBA divers were swimming with the whales. If nothing else, at least technology gives us the chance to visit their world. UPDATE ON LOCATION -- Nearing Land
After twenty eight days at sea, the island looked almost mystical in the cool misty clouds of the predawn hours of darkness. The lights of Honolulu produced a glow reaching up from the other side of the mountain range, clearly outlining the jagged edges of the volcanic peaks. Smaller points of land appeared dark in the foreground as they jutted out into the water with low clouds along the beach silhouetting their presence. Strings of lights watching over small beach towns dotted the shoreline. It was 0300 hours. This side of the island was peacefully resting before the dawn of the new day. One string of lights was intriguing (interesting) as it zig zagged upward from the coast and disappeared near the top of the mountain. With a little imagination, it could have been the road to the Imperial Palace in a Magic Kingdom high in the mountains. With little to do as we simply monitored the ship's position, we laughed about it. When the next watch came on at 0400 hours, we pointed out the road to our bewitched kingdom. Dan intoned, "Welcome to the twilight zone. We can not penetrate the force field. We need to consult with the Imperial Wizard." I think it is becoming increasingly obvious that we are in need of shore leave!
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DAMION SAILORS
There are many lines that control the eleven sails. The equipment on deck demands constant attention as well. I can usually find Damion delegating maintenance duties to the crew, or aloft making inspections of the rig. When you sail a 1812-era tall ship across an ocean, the chafe (wear) alone generates a lot of work.
It always fascinates me when I ask the crew what state they call home and they mention somewhere in the Midwest. Damion grew up in Kansas, hardly a place you'd expect to give rise to a young bosun crossing the Pacific on a tall ship. In all fairness, it was when Damion moved to Hawaii for his high school years that he became involved in sailing. One of his classmates had connections with a tall ship that sailed the islands, and arranged a day of sailing over spring break. Damion remembers lying on the forward hatch looking up at the stars and the sails and thinking "This is what I want to do." After graduation, he noticed an advertisement in the paper seeking volunteers to work on a tall ship. As fate would have it, it turned out to be the same ship! Damion later signed on to sail the ship throughout the south and western Pacific as it delivered cargo to various ports. Rice, four, sugar, and building supplies were routinely carried to countries on the Pacific rim. Since then his other sailing experiences have taken him to Japan, Indonesia, the east and west coast of the United States, the Great Lakes, and throughout the Caribbean. However, Damion does not see himself as a career sailor. He is an avid (enthusiastic) SCUBA diver who would enjoy pursuing underwater archeology. He has made numerous wreck dives, and sees his experience sailing tall ships as an excellent means to better understand the fragments of wrecks which he explores on the ocean bottom. His interest in ancient civilizations complements (goes well with) his overall appreciation for studying historical objects.
When I asked Damion what he enjoys most, his answer was straight forward, "traveling!" To put it plainly, he said, " When I start to know the street names, it's time to move on."
But it's time to pull the plug on this log. Honolulu is waiting to be discovered by yours truly. Next time we chat, I will give you the scoop on Jennifer Muther. There's a surprise for the kids at my high school in this next interview. So oil those discovery wheels and let the exploring begin.
Your humble servant from the Kingdom of Education,
YOUR THOUGHTS
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As the "C" watch leader and bosun, Damion Sailors has his share of responsibility for Pride II's safe delivery and maintenance. During his watch, he carries out the orders of the captain for sailing the ship, and manages the crew members on his watch. He's also the bosun (boat swain) which requires him to manage the maintenance of the ship with the exception of the duties already assigned to the engineer. The rig on a tall ship is large and complex.
