Hi, I'm in Honolulu, tied up at the Hawaii Y.C. in the Ala Wai yacht harbor. It's a nice place, but I have to leave in a day or two. San Francisco calls. We arrived in Hilo more than a month ago, July 1. I haven't written 'til now because 1) I've hosted three different weeks of visitors from the mainland. It's been great to see family and friends, and we did some fun touring. 2) I've been fixing and upgrading all sorts of stuff on the boat. I'm back in the U.S.A., in easy reach of any spare part I can imagine. After nine months away, that's a real treat. 3) I learned to surf. That and other aspects of Hawaii's famous tropical charm have melted away whatever ability I ever had to stick to a schedule. I have achieved Man~ana Time, which here they call Island Time. I hope you won't mind if I send a letter now, and save scanning photos and editing web pages 'til later, probably after I get back to Redwood City. I last emailed from San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, a couple of days before Easter. As the Holy Week (Semana Santa) party heated up, the town shifted from quiet and shy to loud and boistrous. In addition, the wind was up and a big swell was coming in the harbor. We decided we could have more fun elsewhere. Checking out of Nicaragua involved hitching along the shore of Lake Nicaragua 20 miles to the Costa Rican border to visit Immigration. It was a pretty trip, but a terrible road. Papers in order, we headed out at dawn on Friday. We had a very pleasant sail (finally free of the blustery Papagayo winds) to Puntarenas, Costa Rica. We arrived on Easter Sunday, and picked up a mooring at the friendly Costa Rica Y.C. Also there were several boats we'd met on our way south, _Kismet_, et al., and our Redwood City neighbors Ingo and Espi on _Seeadler_. Marc & Anna and I took bus trips into San Jose, a charming city as cities go, and to the inland rainforest parks for which Costa Rica is so famous. I saw toucans, a white bat, howler monkeys, a coatamundi (sp?), and more. In Puntarenas we found a sailmaker to patch up our genoa, marine and hardware stores which had some of the parts I was looking for, and grocery stores with some snacks and goodies we hadn't seen for half a year. The town and the people were very pleasant. Sadly, the harbor itself at Puntarenas was filthy, and we were happy to get away. Just 20 miles across the bay, Isla Gitana was a world away. The water was clean, the land sparsely developed, and quiet. We enjoyed a few days of peaceful relaxation. We were attacked by bees as we were leaving, but it wasn't as bad as what other boats have experienced. Long sleeves, flyswatters, and bug spray dealt with our unwanted guests. Another few days of sailing "south", really almost east, but all the cruisers refer to "toward Panama" as "south", brought us to Golfito, a beautiful harbor well enclosed by lush jungle-covered hills. The foliage was watered almost daily by thundershowers which were at times spectacular. We enjoyed a week of relaxing and walking in the woods, and loaded up with groceries for our first ocean leg. We motored about two thirds of the 900 miles to the Galapagos. It's typically a light- or no-wind area; some boats sail the whole way, but they take weeks longer underway than the nine days we used. The trip was uneventful, alternating half-days of sailing in squally weather with days of motoring in dead calms. We settled into a routine quickly: read, sleep, eat, stand watch. Pleasant enough, 'though the sun was very hot in the mid-day. The Galapagos are beautiful. The islands are dry, so the scrub vegetation doesn't hide the dramatic eroded volcanic geology. The wildlife is everywhere: sea lions play around the boats in the harbor and blue-footed boobies guard the end of an abandoned jetty. A mile or so out of town, there's a beach where we had to step carefully around the marine iguanas, then were able to swim with the sea lion pups. The adult sea lions didn't approve, though, so we had to be careful to retreat when the moms came to bark their annoyance. We anchored in Wreck Bay on Isla San Cristobal, which is the seat of government but a small, quiet, friendly town. I heartily recommend visiting by air. Since cruising boats are only officially allowed to visit one port in the Galapagos without obtaining an expensive cruising permit, I recommend that cruisers go to Academy Bay on Isla Santa Cruz. Academy Bay is a much better spot for buying fuel, food, and water. I flew over to Santa Cruz, and enjoyed the museum and shopping there. Back in Wreck Bay, Marc & Anna were befriended by a local gentleman who arranged for us to go with his family on a small boat ride to the north side of San Cristobal. We hiked inland for an hour from the beach, to an area where we saw many giant tortoises, the galapagos after whom the islands were named. While in Wreck Bay, we met a number of New Zealand and Australian sailors on their way home, finishing circumnavigations. We made friends with Kiwis Mike and Fiona on _Syrah_, who encouraged us to stay in touch via HF (shortwave) radio enroute to the Marquesas. "Kiwi Net" provided a brief chat each morning, comparing weather, positions, and relative progress, and passing info from the boats far to the west to the boats coming from the east. Our 3000 mile sail to the Marquesas was delightful. After motoring south-southwest for part of our first day out, we found steady southeast trades (southern hemisphere trade winds) and made excellent easterly progress for the next 20 days. We finally caught a dorado (mahi-mahi), and it was delicious. I wish we could figure out why we catch so few. On a few light-air days we raced along flying the spinnaker; most days we flew the enoa and main. We had one day that was perhaps a little too windy, and few more when the waves were bigger than we might have preferred, but overall, I found the trip relaxing and refreshing. I got a lot of reading done, and did a few little boat improvement projects. I think that if we could have continued sailing in those conditions for a few more weeks, we would have. On the morning of June 2, we saw the first of the Marquesas. By afternoon, we could see Nuku Hiva. We sailed up to the entrance of the harbor by midnight, and drifted 'til dawn. By 9:30 June 3, we had our anchor down in Taiohae Bay. Another bay in paradise. Waiting for us there were our friends Dave and Mary on _Kismet_. They gave us a quick rundown on where to check in and where to get supplies, and dropped off a couple baguettes to tide us through until we could get ashore and shop for ourselves. We also gave them some mail we'd picked up from another cruising boat in Golfito, which they would carry down to the Tuamotus to deliver to the addressee boat. That's the Coconut Express in action. Like Wreck Bay, Taiohae is the seat of government, but not the center of population. Unlike Wreck Bay, the officials were incredibly easy to get along with, checking in cost nothing, and many goods and services could be purchased in town. Prices were high, but they were the same prices for islanders and yachties alike; there was none of the price gouging on fuel that we saw in Wreck Bay. I fell in love with Nuku Hiva. Taiohae is a well-sheltered bay, with only a little swell. The town and bay and surrounding dramatic hills are pretty from any angle. The people were friendly, if perhaps a bit shy. It was very peaceful. We spent several days working on the boat (that never stops) and relaxing. I particularly enjoyed joining the crowds watching the Saturday soccer matches-- great people watching. We didn't visit Paul Gauguin's grave on Hiva Oa, 30 miles to the south, but we did see a number of the beautiful sights that would have made him reach for his brushes and a fresh canvas. To get fresh water, we sailed west along Nuku Hiva to Tae Oa Bay, commonly known as Daniel's Bay, after Daniel, an island woodcarver who's lived there for decades. Wow, what a stunning anchorage. It's as steep-sided as a fjord, with weathered rock and lush green vegetation. The fresh water is available from two places, one of which is a hose in Daniel's yard. Courtesy requires chatting with Daniel and securing his permission; some of the cruisers went beyond that, and proposed to him that we could all bring ashore a cruisers' pot luck dinner for him and his wife Antoinette to share. Daniel was so taken with the idea that he went out and shot a wild goat and barbequed it as a contribution to the dinner. Five or six boats participated, and everyone had a wonderful time. Back to Taiohae for a little more provisioning and to check out, and then all too soon it was time for us to set out for Hawaii. I certainly hope that someday I'll be able to come back and cruise the Marquesas and the rest of French Polynesia for a whole season. The 2000 mile sail to Hawaii is typically less idyllic than southern trade wind sailing, and our trip was fairly typical. We had some calms and dramatic squalls as we crossed the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), the area around the equator where the northern and southern hemisphere tropical trade wind weather meets. Once we got north of the ITCZ and into the NE trades, we had to keep a keen ear on the radio to stay aware of the weather. By crossing from southern winter into northern summer, we'd entered hurricane season. Fortunately, we didn't even encounter a tropical storm, 'though some were out there, and some of the tropical disturbances nearer to us could have gotten worse, but kindly didn't. The final week we broad reached in the NE trades: big wind and really big seas. It was a bit rough, and we were delighted when Hawaii hove into view before dawn on July 1st. We Med-tied to the seawall in Radio Bay, Hilo in early afternoon. When bad luck happens, it's nice to have good luck, too: As we arrived in Hilo, we noticed that we were leaving an oil slick from the engine exhaust. Bummer. Fortunately, we were back in America, and it was not a big problem to get diagnostic help (it was the oil cooler corroded through and leaking) and a new part sent via FedEx. If that had happened in Nuku Hiva, it would have delayed us for weeks. We celebrated Independence Day in the Fiftieth State, watching the fireworks over Hilo harbor after a picnic provided by friends Carl and Nancy, who live up on the flank of the volcano. Around this time, the simmering "artistic differences" between Marc & Anna and me reached a point where they decided to sign off as crew and look for another boat. They found one in Hilo, and as far as I know, they're still on _Brio_, and by now enroute to Seattle. Our parting was amicable, and a relief to each of us after the strain of getting along in a confined space. I wish them all the best, and they expressed the same to me. My parents visited (from Northern Virginia) and we did some very pleasant touring of the waterfalls of the northeast shore and the beautiful ranch land in the northern part of the island. Two days later my friends, neighbors at Pete's Harbor, and fellow sailors Alex & Barbara arrived, and we hung out with Carl and Nancy and toured some more, including the beautiful saddle road, a night in a Kona resort, and a climb up a recently dormant volcanic cone. The big island is a nice place, and not too touristy except in Kona. I even liked Hilo, which many people find too rainy. After a little more hanging out, including seeing two movies, a real treat after so long away from my native tongue, I sailed over to Maui. That took about 28 hours, which is the longest non-stop sail I've made by myself. Lahaina is stunningly beautiful from the water. I picked up a Lahaina YC mooring (thanks guys!) and headed for town. The next morning, bright and early, I got a treat I've been looking forward to for years: I learned to surf. In warm water, thankyou, no wetsuit needed. I had a blast. In the afternoon, I ran into Andy, the woodworker who did the remodeling on _Espire's_ galley and aft cabin. He's living on his boat in Lahaina now. We had a nice long chat about Hawaiian harbor space (not much), finding work in Paradise (it all depends on what work you do), and sailing. The next day, I surfed again (another addiction is formed), ate a late lunch, went to bed early, got up at midnight and set sail for Oahu. I had a nice breeze between Molokai and Diamond Head, then sailed into a calm spot just outside the Ala Wai. How convenient! Sails down, motor on, in to the fuel dock, and phone Hawaii YC. Huzzah, they have room for me. I get tied up and checked in before 5pm. Within an hour, who to my wondering eyes should appear, but Dutch, another friend/neighbor/sailor. It seems he vacations here whenever he can, and he'd heard through the grapevine that I was due in. We spent a week hanging out, meeting his friends, and comparing schemes for moving here without first becoming rich. After Dutch left, I really dug into the boat chores. There's a West Marine here, meaning that I could get almost any boat part I could think of. I had a long list. Also, North Sails put my poor spinnaker back together (it expired with a sigh in the northern part of the ITCZ) and reinforcing the genoa, which we'd had to hand-repair rather extensively on the Galapagos-Marquesas leg. Re-wiring the connections between the radio and the computer was slow and frustrating, as was installing a better antenna for the GPS satellite navigator. But it's done, and I've spent a few days playing. Yes, I went surfing at Waikiki. It's saddening to compare the old photos to the current forest of highrise hotels, but the beach and the waves and the sunsets are still the same, still beautiful. For a beginner, the waves are perfect. I've been out paddling a bit in the kayak, in and just outside the harbor. There's a near-constant parade of outrigger canoes paddling around here. It's quite a sight to be in their midst, especially when they're racing. Across town in Pearl Harbor I visited the _Arizona_ and attendant museum, and back in Waikiki again I saw the IMAX mega-screen film of the whales. Hawaii YC has a pretty busy social life, too. The first pot of coffee is ready in the downstairs lounge around 0430. I wouldn't know, but by 0630 I join them, watch the paddlers for a half hour or so, then toddle off to my chores. Fridays, right now for example, there are beer can races which start and end in front of the club, to be followed by music and dancing. Mondays there's a barbeque dinner that draws a big crowd. Almost every morning there are junior sailors in & out of the dock, and most evenings there's quiet conversation in the bar, and a nice restaurant. I like it here, and I look forward to coming back, but tomorrow I'm off to Hanalei Bay, Kauai, and Monday or Tuesday I expect to set out for San Francisco. I've trimmed the Pacific NW off the itinerary, as I've used up the time here soaking up my last days in the tropics. I expect to be in the Bay by mid-September, 'though the El Nino weather may make this a slower than normal crossing. Take care, Rick