Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
I saw and confirmed the position of a few lighthouses. The wind slowly abated, and when
I passed south of Lanai, I could feel the effects of the rough channel wearing off. It was
a beautiful, star-studded, frosty night sky. I would have appreciated it so much more if I
hadn't been so tired.
Sailing conditions continued to improve in the course of the night, and my little lady gal-
loped faithfully across the dark and noisy ocean. I heated up one of the few remaining cans
of pork and beans. They were very mean with the pork! I giggled at my rude suggestions
to the manufacturers. I was giddy with fatigue and desperately needed to catch up on sleep,
as I still had quite a lot of serious sailing and maneuvering to do in Oahu.
I looked around the horizon for the umpteenth time, lit the paraffin lantern and, tying it un-
der the boom, went below to steal a few winks. I fell asleep as my head hit the pillow.
I awoke with a start just before daybreak and hurried up on deck. We were sailing wildly
along in a fresh, almost humid trade wind. The topping lift line had a low, lazy slack in
it, and it slapped dramatically back and forth across the leech of the fluttering main. There
was a confusing array of lights all around me. I could see on my starboard aft quarter the
lights of the Lanai and Molokai lighthouses. Straight up ahead was the metropolis of Oahu.
Red aerial lights blinked their identities in erratic Morse sequences. Rapidly flashing, bril-
liant white marker buoys yelled out for attention. Red and green marker buoys added to
the confusion. Container vessels, tugs, and fishing boat lights demanded immediate calcu-
lations.
I hurried back and forth between the chart table and outside with my hand bearing compass.
A spot of basic trigonometry put me about eight miles south of Honolulu. I was OK for
a couple of hours but was still suffering from serious fatigue. I went below and slept for
another hour or so. I was getting good at casting fate to the wind.
My next trip out into the cockpit revealed Oahu with all her lovely ugliness in the bright
morning sunshine. The blinking white buildings of Honolulu against the luscious, green
Pali Mountains drew me inexorably closer. It sent lazy shivers of nervousness through me.
I become very anxious. A cup of hot, sweet coffee helped calm my nerves. I was sailing
quickly towards the channel markers of the various boat harbors. I scurried down to the
chart. I wanted to get into the Ala Wai Boat Harbor. I looked at the position and scurried
back up on deck. I was getting close!
I went forward and retrieved the mooring lines and fenders from the anchor locker, slinging
them into the cockpit. I went below and checked the engine and all sea and fuel cocks.
I swung the engine, and she sulkily awoke in a cloud of black, unburnt diesel smoke. I
made sure the exhaust outlet was gurgling with a mixture of cooling seawater and promptly
