Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Some were so crude one wondered how they managed to stay together; it was a sobering
sight as we puttered our way slowly through the wide channel up to the boatyard.
Now, there up ahead was the big signboard for Keehi Marine Center, Repairs and Chand-
lery. They had a little, backwater fuel dock where boats would tie up prior to being lifted
out of the water by a huge, fifty ton, travel lift, an articulated, four-wheeled monstrosity that
had two huge, hydraulically operated web belts that would be placed under a boat's belly
and then slowly drawn up and clear of the water. The travel lift would then drive slowly
forward into the boatyard and place the boat somewhere next to the other boats for repairs
or general maintenance.
We tied up to a splintery, old, wooden dock and noticed a little place where there were sev-
eral dinghies tied. People from the anchorage coming ashore would leave their little modes
of transport here all day while they went to work or wherever. There was an interesting ar-
ray of little boats and dinghies here as well: some were painfully home-made, others sleek
little rowing machines. We would get to meet and know some of their owners in due course.
Keehi Lagoon was our starting point to Hawaii, and a more appropriate place we could not
have found. It is amazing how we ended up there, and how things took their course from
there on, but that's life is it not?
Upon enquiry, we were directed towards the office, situated up a flight of steps overlooking
the busy dusty boatyard. We were met by the owner's wife, Carroll, who welcomed us to
Keehi and told us to speak to her foreman as regards to where we could anchor.
“Are you guys twins?” she asked. “My God you do look alike, don't you?”
Back down in the yard, we asked a scurrying worker where we could find the foreman.
“Over there guys, that's John Anderton; he's the main dude around here; anything you
wanna know, see him,” he said, pointing to a large, muscular, fair-haired man.
We went across to him, “Are you John Anderton?” I asked.
“I am; what can I do for you ?” he asked politely, his blue eyes sparkling.
I briefly gave him a condensed version of our background, and he was most interested and
friendly. He was a cruiser himself, coming from California on a lovely, big yacht with his
wife and daughter. He was working his way south and, not for the first time, working at
Keehi as the yard foreman; we felt at once he was a very capable and likeable man.
“You guys can anchor anywhere you can find a spot in the lagoon; it's free. You gotta pay
fifty dollars for a toilet and shower key. Don't lose it either, or the next one will be a hun-
dred dollars!” he said with a broad grin. “You know anything about boat-building?”
“Well, I built mine.” I said hopefully.
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