After a brief stop in Hilo, we departed last night just after 5pm. Overnight we cruised at around 8 knots in a north-easterly direction, away from the hurricane. Hurricane Nolo, while not expected to make landfall in Hilo, will create pretty tough conditions for the islanders, up to three feet of rain is expected. Nolo is expected to turn west and wrap around the bottom of Hawaii before heading north-west in a few days’ time, out to the western Pacific and away from land. To ensure the safety of our ship, we sailed about 300 nautical miles north-east, then overnight turned westward and started tracking back to Honolulu, with expected arrival tomorrow, Sunday, at 6am.
So today is a bonus sea day. It keeps us safe, and we enjoy sea days, but we’re looking forward to exploring Honolulu.
This morning Brent Nixon talks about the dolphins of Hawaii. His usual style entertains us for the hour as he mimics them on stage, showing us how they tail walk, fly through the air, and communicate.
Lunch is different today. We enjoy Raw on 5, delicious Japanese cuisine, a selection of sashimi, rolls, and Mardi enjoyed six freshly shucked oysters. I have a cocktail, purely based on its name, Comfortably Numb. Those of you who know me, know my love of Pink Floyd. The vodka and lemon do exactly what the song’s title promises, a slow, creeping numbness that settles in before you notice it arriving. I stop at one, sensibly. Before too long it’s time to go, so I stand up, unlike Pink in the song, who stays right where he is.
During lunch we listen to the trivia going on in the Grand Plaza, songs from the 1970s. We track our score and listen to the answers before heading off to the lounge. We sit and enjoy the quiet, Mardi knits, I write, as we watch the afternoon sun play across the waves. The ocean is a bit more choppy today, high winds whipping up the white caps, and the ship rolls from side to side with a swell of about three metres.
Afternoon general knowledge kicks off at around 4pm. A couple from Florida joins us. We do well today, scoring 16.
The Martini sampling continues before dinner. Tonight we enjoy salad, risotto, lobster, and lamb. The lamb is done well and reminds me of a nice home-made barbecued lamb rack.
I play some craps after dinner, with a horrible start, losing $100 quickly. I risk continuing, regretting my decision for a while. Then the dice turn in our favour, a series of great throws by a guy at the end of the table gets me back to positive territory. It takes a little while, but I edge ahead by about $20. We then tackle the cats and bats again before heading home. The cats defeat us again.
Each night, staff leave the following day’s activities and highlights on our bed, and Mardi reads it to me as we settle in, not that there’s much planning required. The lazy days are awesome, relaxing, reading, writing, knitting, crocheting, wandering the ship, a delightful lifestyle, an escape. Our butler, Katarina, is really looking after us. She’s a delight, chatty, friendly, and has gotten to know our likes. She brings us evening cheese boards and Baileys and milk for a nightcap.
