If you’ve ever thought of cruising to Hawaii, or spending time cruising among the islands once you’re there, you’ll want to read this eye-opening story in Sea by Capt. Pat Rains. Hawaii, at least for cruising in recreational boats, may not be the island paradise you’ve dreamed about. She knows. Rains and her husband have cruised there six times, starting some 40 years ago. Their most recent trip was on a Nordhavn 57. Here’s her account of what you’ll find there:
The sight of Hawaii’s green peaks piercing the horizon was thrilling, especially after 2,300 miles of chugging along at eight knots – 12 days of blue, blue, blue. Mauna Loa blossomed to starboard on our radar for the next couple of hours as we skirted South Point on the Big Island and laid a course straight for the island of Oahu. The sudden appearance of actual scenery kept us enthralled and not far from the binoculars; however, the increasing vessel traffic kept us alert at the helm during our regular watch schedule. Yet we couldn’t stop giggling and fantasizing how great it was going to feel to get the boat secured in a motionless slip and get a really good night’s sleep. “Cruising Hawaii is going to be paradise, but this I what happens when you’re over 60,” we joked. “You can’t wait to get docked.”
Our dear friends, owners of the 57-foot Nordhavn trawler we were on, so far had acquired a good 15,000 miles of boating experience. For them, it was a special accomplishment to arrive in paradise – not on just another cruise ship, but on their own boat. Read more:
http://www.seamagazine.com/maximum-aloha/
