From 1/9/2023 to 1/14/2023, we traveled 2,224.15 nautical miles from LA to Honolulu. A nautical mile = 1.15 land miles. For two and a half of those days, we had 18-20 foot swells. And we crossed over two time zones, for a total now of six time zones under our belts.

There is more to do on Sea Days than one could possibly fit in, but we have hit our stride.
Coffee – Mike goes to the World Café and brings back a carafe of coffee and warm milk every morning.
Exercise --We work out at the gym and walk a few miles on the deck, always on the look-out for sea creatures.
Lectures – “Great Circumnavigations” presented by Geoff Peters. Retired from the Royal Australian Navy, Geoff & his wife, Leann, have spent the last six years cruising on their own boat, which is currently located in the Netherlands, and they "cruise" home every now and then, serving as a guest lecturer. What a life!

“Whales, Dolphins & Seabirds – LA to Auckland” – Robin Petch. Good thing Mike got those new binoculars!

“Earthquakes 101: The Basics” – Phyllis Steckel

“Out of Africa: The Story of Modern Human Migration” – Dr. Lisa Matisoo-Smith, University of Otago, Dunedin, NZ

“Maiden Voyages” – Ships that never completed their first sailing – Geoff Peters

“The Noble Pearl – Jewel of the Pacific” – Viking jeweler Mariana gave a great presentation on everything you ever didn’t know about pearls

“Captain Cook: The Greatest Explorer?” - Dr. Robb Robinson

“Hawaii: Landscapes, History and Wildlife” – Robin Petch

“Pearl Harbor” – Bruce Petty

“Aloha! The Story of Hawaii…as Told by a Shirt” – Russell Lee – most entertaining lecture of the week

“Lapita: The Ancestors of the Pacific Peoples” - Dr Lisa Matisoo-Smith

“Tanzanite Seminar” – everything you never knew about this interesting jewel

"Captain Ahab's Lust for Vengeance - A Deep Dive with Moby Dick" - Russell Lee

Dinners:
The Chef’s Table – California Cuisine
Manfredi’s – great Italian food
The Chef’s Table – Asian Panorama with friends Phyllis & Don from NC and Ellen & Jim from IL

Finally, we see land! Aloha!
On Saturday, January 14, we saw land for the first time in five + days. Sparkling wine was served to all at 2 pm as we first sighted land. We spent the day cruising along the south coast of the Big Island, Hawaii, looking at the interesting lava-encrusted coastline and eventually being swallowed up by Kilauea’s vog (volcanic + smog), as we make our way up to Honolulu and a cousins' reunion.