As mentioned in yesterday’s post, we arrived at the port of Hilo last night, about 10 hours ahead of schedule, for two reasons: the medical emergency on board, and the hurricane currently lashing the ocean just south of Hawaii.
As of today, Hurricane Nolo has strengthened into a Category 2 storm, sitting about 185 miles south of South Point on the Big Island, roughly 375 miles south-southeast of Honolulu, and it’s expected to keep intensifying into a major hurricane over the weekend. It’s tracking slowly north-northeast for now, with forecasters expecting a sharp turn west sometime around Saturday into Sunday, staying south of the main islands rather than making landfall, though a tropical storm warning and hurricane watch remain in effect for Hawaii Island, with life-threatening flash flooding and dangerous surf still very much on the cards.
We wake at around 8am, and the very industrial, container-laden port fills the vista from our cabin. We can see the bay as well, but the most obvious change in our scenery is what’s coming from the heavens, steady, reasonably heavy tropical rain.
We get ready and pack a bag and head out for a look around despite the weather. Good news for us, as we exit the ship the showers have abated a little, but the humidity remains. Now this is humidity that is soupy, thick, and sticky. You can almost swim in it. It envelopes you in a hot, steamy vacuum, taking your breath with it. The hurricane bearing down off the south coast is already at play as we jump in an Uber. Ahh, so cool. We chat to our driver, Christopher, about Hilo and the impending storm. He says he thinks all the national parks are closed and many shops have already shut. He takes us into the outskirts of the town centre. Mardi has located a couple of fabric stores she’d like to visit. Since leaving work a few months ago her sewing has gone to the next level, I’ll include some photos of her creations below. For this trip alone she made around 30 pieces, including a few for me.
Sadly, though, the door to the store is bolted, with a sign saying closed due to storm. This is also the case at another nearby location. We wander from the industrial area into the town centre proper. We pass a Walmart, saying at the same time to each other, maybe it’s air-conditioned. Plus neither of us has ever been to a Walmart, so we decide to have a look. It’s busy. Pallets of water line many aisles and trolleys are loaded with water and the proverbial Spam, long-life tinned goods, and toilet paper. The locals are well versed in storms, especially this year, see yesterday’s post for a recent summary of Hawaiian storms.
We wander around, mostly to look, but do buy a few snacks. We then do what we think is very American, have Maccas inside a Walmart. It’s a busy little place and it’s good to sit in the cool for a bit.
We then brave the humidity again. We wander around the shopping district, many places have closed and the rain is starting to move in again, so we do the sensible thing and head back to the ship. The port is a heavy industrial one, warehouses, cranes, shipping containers, and Hilo itself feels the same. Maybe we didn’t see it at its best, and hopefully Honolulu shows us the real Hawaii.
The afternoon on the ship is calm and relaxed. We enjoy the lounge and watch the rain move in as the storm gets ever closer. Rain lashes the panoramic windows in the Retreat Lounge. I leave Mardi for a while for a couple of work meetings and calls. We catch up a little later for a double whammy of trivia. First is 15 songs, so-called radio hits, but jumbled, remixed, and edited. It’s not easy to spot Tubthumping by Chumbawamba or Bowie’s Let’s Dance, let alone tracks by artists we’ve never heard of. We end up with 8 from 15. We score a lot better in the general knowledge trivia, 13 from 20, not bad for the two of us, the winning team scored 15 and there were six of them. We sometimes think smaller teams should get a positive weighting to even it up. I also suppose we could join others, but that’s not our thing.
Later on we head to Martinis to sample some more variants before heading to tonight’s show, an Aretha Franklin tribute artist. Charity Lockhart is a Cleveland-born gospel singer who became a household name after a Golden Buzzer audition on America’s Got Talent’s twentieth season, having lived in her car with her kids after a divorce before working her way up through bars, clubs, and vocal competitions. She didn’t win the show, she was eliminated in the quarterfinals, but the exposure launched her into cruise entertainment and beyond, including a stint as Celebrity’s first headlining artist on Edge back in 2021.
She sings a few of Franklin’s songs and I feel she was a little self-indulgent with her backstory, but she pulls the heartstrings of most of the audience. She finishes her set with a tribute to Dolly Parton, odd for what she does, but I Will Always Love You suits her voice, though the vocal gymnastics are perhaps too much. She then leaves the stage leaving the audience wondering where Franklin’s biggest hit is, Respect. She did say she’d get to it, but never did. Weird, but ok.
We head to the casino. Roulette is our first choice tonight. Our numbers come up a few times and we quit ahead by $50. You can tell we are big gamblers. We then hit the cats, bats, and rats machine, which quickly takes back our $50, so we call it a break-even night and head home. I sat up late to watch the NRL prelim final between the Roosters and Dolphins. A lot of people’s hearts are with the ‘Fins, but the smart money is on the Roosters, and they win easily.
We are well out to sea now, heading northeast into the wind. Tomorrow at some point we will come about and head toward Honolulu. The storm should be well to our west by then, although it is moving slowly, so we may still experience it in Honolulu.
Here are some descriptions of Mardi’s outfits.
The elevator selfie set (coral floral dress): Mardi in a knee-length dress covered in a small allover print of coral and blush fruit shapes on cream, worn under an open, boxy white denim jacket with the sleeves pushed up to the elbow. A cream crossbody bag with the MIMCO logo woven into the strap sits across her body, and nude pointed-toe flats finish it off. Her hair is dark with a streak of bright pink through the fringe.
Rust floral top and red skirt: A sleeveless top in burnt orange with an oversized rose print in peach and olive green, tucked into a solid brick-red midi skirt gathered at the waist. Nude strappy block-heel sandals and a cream clutch, pearl bracelet on her wrist.
Pink wrap blouse, same red skirt: A long-sleeved, blush pink wrap-style blouse with a soft jacquard sheen, paired again with the red gathered skirt. A chunky gold and pearl statement necklace at the throat, leopard-print flats, and the cream MIMCO bag slung crossbody.
Solid red wrap dress: A long-sleeved, collared wrap dress in a deeper brick red, layered necklaces at the neck, black ballet flats, and the same cream bag.
Sunset deck photo: A coral eyelet dress, the fabric punched through with small oval cutouts, elbow-length sleeves, and a fabric tie cinching the waist. A multi-strand pearl necklace sits high at her collarbone. Red lipstick, and the sky behind her fading through gold to blue.
Pink eyelet dress, elevator with Michael: The same broderie eyelet style in a brighter pink, elbow sleeves, tie waist, single strand of pearls. Michael’s beside her in a dark blazer.
Poolside loungewear: A grey and white horizontally striped short-sleeve top under an open mustard-yellow cardigan, with a matching soft yellow, full, tie-waist skirt pooling around her. Barefoot, pink-painted toes, a gin and tonic with a lime wedge in hand.
Theatre selfie: A rust and cream blouse with a large white leaf print, worn under a light pink open cardigan, a single pearl drop on a silver chain resting at her collarbone. Michael’s in a black-and-white cat-print shirt beside her.
