Hilo, Hawai’i, Hawai’i
Good morning,
Happy birthday to Grace Hapke!
Today we visit the island of Hawai’i. It is the youngest and the largest island in the state of Hawai’i, or if you like the Hawaiian Island Chain. The Hawaiian Island archipelago, or chain, extends some 1,500 miles (2,400 km) from the southernmost island of Hawaiʻi to the northernmost Kure Atoll. The state of Hawai’i officially recognizes only 137 islands in the state which includes four islands of the Midway Atoll. An island in this sense may also include much smaller and typically uninhabited islets, rocks coral reefs and atolls.
Kalawao (the smallest county in the United States in terms of land area) and Maui, both occupying the island of Molokaʻi, are the only counties that share the same island. Hawai’i is typically recognized by its eight main islands: Hawai’I, Maui, Kaho’olawe, Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi, Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, and Niʻihau. Kalwao would be a great trivia question.
The majority of the other Hawaiian Islands are uninhabited, with Niʻihau being the westernmost island with a population of around 130 ingenious people. Only those 130 people and no one else is allowed on the island. All the islands west of Niʻihau—those categorized as the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands—are unpopulated and recently incorporated into the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. At the other end of the scale is the island of Oʻahu has just over one million residents (about 70% of the state's population).
The island of Hawai’i is the youngest and largest island in the Hawaiian chain. It is nearly twice as big as all of the other Hawaiian Islands combined, and it’s nick name is the “Big Island”. This island had weather or climate zones ranging from Wet Tropical to Polar Tundra. This is the result of the shielding effect and elevations of the massive volcanoes Maunakea and Maunaloa. Maunakea is snow capped!
Important announcement: We are sorry to interrupt but the Mariner hit by a twenty-foot swell at 6:17 this morning while entering Hilo harbor. Conditions entering the harbor were such that the Mariner had to retract its stabilizing fins before entering. While no one was seriously injured, morning coffee service had to be interrupted while the staff looked for unbroken cups in which to serve the morning coffee.
Just entering the coffee connection this morning before the wave hit. Five feet more and I would have been covered in coffee cups, saucers and and other service items. Rommel, the guy behind the coffee bar, said it was the biggest hit he has ever experienced. Trying to get a gage on it, or how much the ship tilted, many people chimed in and said the ship listed from like 20+ degrees.
Immediately afterwards I went to check on Mary, who was still sleeping. There were medical staff running around. I walked passed the door to the deck outside the sixth floor and found my feet getting wet. Water from the sea come through the exterior door. Mary was fine. What a fun way to start the day.
Hopefully this isn’t a harbinger of that is to come during the next four days at sea on the way to French Polynesia. They just came by to check on us. Apparently, they are going suite to suite checking on people. The ship is inside the breakwater but it isn’t making much of a difference. You can see the waves hitting the breakwater and going over it and breaking up on the shore. It looks like they are going up on the to roadway.
Now they have just announced due to the weather conditions the ship will not be able to dock. All shore excursions are cancelled. Passengers have been advised to stay in their suites until further notice. The waves breaking against the side of the ship. The sound is like that of logs hitting the side of the ship. The rocking is really bad right now. All will be ok in the long run, but today is going to be rough. Things are falling off the shelves here in the suite and the shower door is sliding from slide to side, banging as it hits each side. Roller coaster time!
Sailing isn’t deep inside my knowledge. The tug boats were left behind and the Mariner is headed back out to sea. The only conclusion it is possible to draw is it is too rough to make it safely to the pier. Perhaps the open sea is calmer? The weather forecast was for a strong storm late today, maybe it arrived early. Maybe the captain thinks we should try out out run the storm or get away from it and start heading to French Polynesia.
Ships don’t have the luxury of arriving early or leaving late, too many people involved in getting the ship to and tied up to the pier. The Mariner won’t arrive in French Polynesia a day early that is for sure. The only thing that can mean is anther day at sea. Despite the strong seas there no feeling of sea sickness, at least not yet.
After the Mariner left the breakwater behind and entered open sea. Things seem to have calmed down. The sea still looks like it is rock-n-rolling, maybe the stabilizers have been deployed?
The noon announcements have been made. Yes, we are trying to get away from the storm front heading through Hawai’i. The sea is expected to continue being rough and no expected weather or sea changes expected on the 1,870-mile journey to French Polynesia.
They say timing is everything. Well at 2 Terry Bishop gave a lecture on people who survived being lost at sea! He told the story of many but the central character was Poon Lim, who during the Second World War survived 133 days alone in a raft in the Southern Atlantic Ocean. There were lots of others, but apparently Poon Lim holds the record for solo survivalist. The man, Terry, simply has timing!
After Terry’s lecture we went up to the Observation Lounge for for the Sit & Be Fit class. Yes, this is a very nice assisted living center. There were only about twenty of us who attended this class. It is normally held at 8 in the morning, but due to the change in schedule the moved it to 3 this afternoon.
It was a great experience. A lot of stretching and general movement exercises. Didn’t seem much while we were doing it, but an hour or so later it began to exert itself on the muscles we moved into new positions during class. Feels good. Need to get out and do this more often.
Feeling so great, I decided to go up and do an hour on the treadmill. Honestly, I only lasted about a half hour, then I walked the floors going back up to 9 for 6 the very long way. By the end of the journey back to the suite, the Fitbit said just under 10,000 steps. No were near the goal of 16,000 per day. That really needs some work. I did finish the day with 10,625 so I at least got over the minimum for the day.
Mary says that tomorrow she will join me at Sit & Be Fit at 8:30 in the Horizon Lounge. We will see if that happens. We had dinner at the pool grill. It was a beautiful night for eating outside on the pool deck. Afterwards we stopped for a short while in the Casino. No luck. Then it was off for my evening port and chocolate in the cigar lounge.
Buonanotte e ciao, Enrico.
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