Oahu, Hawaii

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Aloha!

We are still here in Hawaii. We returned to the docks with engine problems on February 29, 2008 at approximately 12:00 noon. The picture on the right is the view from the mast of Sugarcane and the one on the left was taken as we left Honolulu on February 20, 2008.



We were out approximately 652 miles from Honolulu when we turned around. As we wrote in our last post, the Port engine had a major oil leak and a coolant leak and the Starboard engine has a nasty salt water leak (see pic to the right). The total trip was ten days. On the ninth day the starboard engine died because of clogged fuel filters (note the sediment in the Rancor filters in the pic to the left, it was so thick that it could not be drained off). Mike had noticed the sediment was building in the filters, however the owner said it was normal for his boat and wouldn't be a problem. So we had to wait until the engine stalled to change the filters. The fuel tanks have never been flushed. The return trip was a bit uncomfortable at the end as we were motoring into winds of 20-23 knots and choppy seas, neither Mike or I slept the last night. We started the port engine right before we came into the harbor because the fuel was so dirty we were afraid we might loose the starboard engine.


We did manage to catch a nice Dorado while out, he was very tasty. (Click here for video of the catch.) We were pestered the whole time we were out by booby birds. This one stayed on the bow the majority of the time which was fine, but one day he left and brought his friends back and they proceeded to land everywhere, even on top of the wind indicator which was twisted by the large bird. They also stayed with us through the squall that damaged to Genoa sail. They were hanging on for dear life, Mike couldn't even shoo them off the bow when he was checking out the Genoa damage.



We docked on X dock and had an ice cold beer or two or six. Mike repaired the sump pump which had burned out three days prior so we could take a shower and then we went our for dinner at the Charthouse...it was fantastic! Then we went back to the boat and slept until 12:00 noon the next day, we were beat!!


Bill the other crew member left, returning to Ohio. Mike and I stayed to do repairs along with Dave who is here in Hawaii. The owner of Sugarcane decided he was going to go to California and Mexico instead of trying to make it to the Marshalls and Philippines this season. Mike and I decided we needed to get back to Ka'imi, our boat, but offered to stay and help with repairs and watch the boat while the owner went back to Georgia for business. We will stay until May 1st, then head out of here.



So far the fuel tanks have been opened and cleaned, the port engine has been repaired, the starboard engine salt water pump has been repaired the 13k generator had been repaired, the Genoa fixed, the cockpit enclosure repaired, two solar panels added, a wind generator added, and a whole list of other stuff.


We have been enjoying Honolulu and Waikiki on our days off, which isn't so bad. Here are a few pics.....



These sculptured statues are all over Honolulu and Waikiki. This one was in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village. The bird in the fountain is also taken there.

We rented mopeds one Sunday and checked out a bit of the island. The pic to the left is from our hike up Diamond head. You can see Waikiki beaches and the Ala Wai Harbor in the background which is where the boat Sugarcane is docked.
These pictures are from a roadside view. We went as far as Hanauma Bay, which is beautiful, but unfortunately did not get any pictures.




Mike's sister-in-law Janine and his niece Stephanie were in Hawaii for a few days and we got to spend a little time with them. The picture is in front the Shorebird where we had lunch.




We hope everyone is doing well!!! Aloha Mike and Kim

Returning to Oahu, Hawaii

Aloha, we are on a heading back to Oahu, Hawaii. The port engine has a oil leak and coolant leak, (no worries) the starboard engine is running fine, however, it has a salt water leak. We have decided to head back to Honolulu for repairs that we are unable to fix at sea. We also have to have the Genoa repaired as it was hit by a squall and the squall won!! We are now 442 nautical miles from Hawaii. Our current position at 10:40 PM Hawaii time is N18'08.9181 W164'54.1399 our ETA to Hawaii is 2/29/08 - but that could change as we have a wind that is on our nose and a one knot current against us. We will finish up repairs and then see what the plan is. Hope you all are well.

Cheers Mike and Kim in the Pacific Ocean

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At Sea

Aloha, we are on the s/v Sugarcane and we are at sea. We are approximately 45 miles off the coast of Honolulu with a position of N21.00.3184 W158.29.8956. It is 1945 (7:45 PM) Mike is getting some rest for his 1200 to 0300 (12:00 AM to 3:00 AM) watch. I am updating the blog waiting for my 2100 to 1200 watch (9:00 PM to 12:00 AM). We are currently motoring because we have no wind, hopefully we will get some soon. It is a bit rolly but not really uncomfortable, off course I haven't tried to lay down yet. It's a beautiful night and we should have some moon :).

Everything seems to be running okay we got out of Ala Wai Harbor today at about 1:00 PM after a minor repair to the mainsheet traveler. We will check in with you later. Hope everyone is doing great!!!

Aloha, Cheers and Ciao Mike and Kim somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.

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Still in Hawaii

We are still here in Honolulu on the island of Oahu. We did a shakedown cruise and found a few things that needed repair. We also had trouble with the SSB and sailmail so we decided to come back in a fix everything. The SSB and sailmail is running like a charm, we have brand new batteries and everything in the boat is nailed down or gone missing.

We are just sitting back with our beers, reading the weather and pretty sure we will leave tomorrow. Knock on wood. We will keep the Blog updated with sailmail and we head out into the Pacific.

Aloha, Cheers and Ciao, Mike and Kim as Crew on Sugarcane.

Aloha from Oahu

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Aloha we're currently in beautiful Oahu, Hawaii. The plan is to leave on Thursday, February 14th, for a shakedown day sail and overnight anchor. On Friday, February 15th we'll be heading across the Pacific Ocean bound for our first stop in the Marshall Islands, Majuro Atoll. We'll do some diving there, then head out to Pohnpe, Truk (Chuuk), Palau and lastly Cebu, Philippines. There will be lots of diving along the way at some incredible sites. We'll be updating the Blog site with written updates via the SSB radio along the way, and if we ever get a good internet connection we will put some updates with photos in.

We're traveling on the s/v Sugarcane which is currently docked in the Ala Wai Harbour. Sugarcane is a 55 foot Gulfstar Ketch Rig. The vessel is captained by Jerry Logan and we have a crew of three.





Originally we had a crew of four, Mike and I, John and Ian. John was the Mechanic/Fisherman and all around great guy, he is moving on to better opportunities.


Ian the Dive Instructor. Ian has gone back to Viet Nam working as a dive instructor. Unfortunately, we lost John and Ian, we will miss them we were looking forward to traveling with them.

The good news is that we found Bill, a retired Fire Fighter/Paramedic and a Mechanical Engineer. So now there are three.






It's taken us three weeks to get the boat ready, but the previous crew had already done two months worth of work. Then there is Dave the electrician/mechanic/magician and fixer of all things (except changing light bulbs) who has been a tremendous help in getting the boat ready. He lives here in Ala Wai Harbour on a Coast Guard boat that he bought and is refurbishing. He is retired Coast Guard.


We've had Sunday's off and have managed a few escapes between work while we've been here. We took a bus to the North Shore and saw the Pipeline unfortunately the waves were not breaking.





We accidently got off the bus too soon, and weren't quite sure where we were, but no worries we found something to do while we were there. It was a little local area, with a local park. Later that day we stopped somewhere on the North Shore for a great mexican food lunch and some cervesa. When we were leaving to catch the bus home we had a downpour hit and were starting to get soaked when a guy comes up to us with an umbrella and shares it with us...very cool... he helped us get the right bus back into Honolulu and catch the right bus back to marina. I know it's an island and it should be pretty straightforward to get around a circle...but look who your dealing with...we will get off the bus just to look at a beach, or a boat, or a person or a..well you get the picture :))))

We also visited Waikiki beach many times for swimming, sun, good food, drinks and sunsets, our favorite pastimes.













It's very crowded here in Honolulu but we have enjoyed our stay. To the left is the world famous Dukes. We tried to get in there and have a drink and look up an old friend from Huntington Beach who is a manager there, but it was soooo packed, we chose to walk.








As always we hope you all (or y'all) are doing well and we will be checking in when and if we can, we wish you a warmer, dryer and sunnier winter......



Aloha and Cheers Mike and Kim currently on the s/v Sugarcane

CREW NEEDED

We have a need for one (1) able bodied crew member to go from Honolulu HI to Marshall Islands, to Truuk, to Palau then Cebu, Philippines - 3-6 months time frame. It is a 54 foot Gulfstar, your own cabin, $1,000 month and airfare one way - what do you say? Must be able to sail, be able bodied, stand watches and general boat help. It is a dive trip, so along with working on the boat we will be diving all these spots so you need your own dive gear. We need this crew member ASAP - so any ideas let us know, it is going to be an awesome trip.

Cheers Kim and Mike email us at klangelk@yahoo.com

Adios Georgia!!!!

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Well........ we've had a change in plans - we are leaving Georgia for awhile. We have accepted crew positions on a 54 foot Gulfstar sailing vessel. She is currently docked in Honolulu, Hawaii where we will fly next Friday the 18th. From there we will be heading to the Marshall Islands. We are very excited about this new job opportunity and can't wait to get started. We will update the blog as often as we can to share our adventure.

We leave Delegal Marina on Monday to travel up the ICW to Thunderbolt Marina haul out where we will put Ka'imi on the hard (out of the water) while we are gone. The one great thing about Delegal Marina is it's Harbourmaster. You will always get a smile, a great attitude and a helping hand. Jimmie is the Harbourmaster, he does an excellent job and we will miss him a lot. Thanks for everything Jimmie!!!




We didn't see a lot of Savannah since we started working right away and we never had the same days off, but we did get out once in awhile. The Landings, which is the gated community that the Marina was in has some beautiful places to walk. We followed one of there nature trails one day and came across this spider - ewww.





We also saw lots of different butterflies, deer, birds, plant life and huge trees.








Next we headed for Tybee Island to see what that was like. We needed a sandy beach fix. We stopped at the Crab Shack on our way because we heard it had great atmosphere, which it did. The food was good and there were cats roaming around - you know where Kim was - and alligators out front.

The alligators were in a big pond out in front of the restaurant. They are bred and raised in captivity. They had fishing poles with strings on the end and if you got some alligator treats from the store you could feed them. We didn't but watched some kids feeding them, pretty scary to see those jaws open. I really don't want to go in the water with one of those!!! SEE THE VIDEO AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.

The beach was very nice and the water was still warm enough that you could of swam in it. Mike is walking on the bridge that goes from the street to the beach. Kim is on the pier.

We loved this insurance ad, we asked if he would insure our boat - but he said no only cars.






Here is a little bit of fog as we wake up one morning on the dock.










So we have both quit our jobs - Mike at the Plantation Golf Course. He wanted to say goodbye to Frank, Tom, Paul, Matt, Ed, Charlie, Austin, Bill, Richard, Lady Bob, Roy, the rest of the Rangers, his boss Brian and wanted to wish Jeremy good luck with that Caddy Job. He had a great time working with these guys.







Kim wanted to say goodbye to her friends at Home Depot - Jaime, Sandy, Sunny, Kia, Jennifer, Terry and Ebony.





Cheers for now and we will keep you updated on our new adventure to the South Pacific. Kim and Mike on Ka'imi

Jekyll Island to Skidaway Island

We stayed at Jekyll Island for a couple days. It was here that we learned how to communicate in the south. People here are very friendly and you will always get a "How y'all doin?" We would reply "Very well, thank you, how about yourself?" With that we got a quizical look and silence, so we thought we must be saying something wrong. We were determined to get to the bottom of this, so the next time we came across some people, we were the first to give the greeting. Mike said "How y'all doin?" and their replay was "Fiiiine" followed by "It's hot for sure though." Next people it was Kim's turn, "How y'all doin?" their reply "Goooood" followed by "Those clouds might make a visit." So we tried it out, when anyone asked how we were doing, we'd say Fiiiiine or Goood, and we got a smile in return and sometimes even a conversation. It was also here that we found out about Delegal Creek Marina and decided to give it a shot. We had asked about staying at Jekyll Island Marina because we wanted to stay in Georgia, but there was a long waiting list for long term transients, so we decided to head on to Skidaway Island and Delegal Creek Marina.

So here we are a Delegal Creek Marina in Savannah, Georgia working and saving money. We are getting alot of improvements done to the boat, like replacing all the port windows, replacing all all the hatch lexan and revarnishing the teak. We are also working on a new hot water heater, new showers, faucets and sinks, the list goes on. In the next posts we will show you a few pictures of the surrounding area, which is beautiful, and some of the improvements we have made.

Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas, Cheers from Mike and Kim on Ka'imi

See VIDEO Of Conception Island

Click here to see the video of Conception Island.

Tiger Point Marina, Fernandino Beach, FL

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Before we left on our road trip we made sure Ka'imi was safely hauled out and ready for the work to begin. The travel lift had a flat tire so they were not able to haul us out until the next day. They never power washed to bottom we had to do it by hand when we came back from South Carolina so we could get started on the sanding and painting. You can see the black creosole on the sides of Ka'imi from Seafarer's Marina which was very hard to remove. The water line is tape that was also very hard to remove, you can see where it had already started peeling off. That happened at soon as we launched in St. Martin, we used old tape :(.

Before they hauled us out, we gave them a picture of where to put the straps - but they obviously didn't use the picture because they broke the cable that goes from the keel to the skeg. We we asked him about it, the owner said oh ya, what do you have that on there for and do you want us to put it back? We thought a moment and said ---"YEESSS, we would please like you to put it back that way it was. It will hopefully protect our prop and strut from crab pot lines. Thank you very much." The lift bay is very shallow at low tide, and since they could not get our boat out right away, you see the mud on the rudder and skeg where Ka'imi had sat in the mud for awhile.

We cleaned and scrubbed the hull, cleaned and sanded the bottom and finally applied the bottom paint. It paid off, doesn't she look beautiful. While we are here in Georgia we will be replacing the back window and next time we haul out, we will be having the name plate redone. We had done it hurriedly when we left St. Martin when we changed to name of the boat to Ka'imi, so we hope to get a more professional job done next time.

One day we were talking to the owner of the yard when we heard a loud noise, then the crunching of metal then some loud profanities. Some guy had been working on one of the boats and removed a boat stand that he shouldn't have and the boat toppled over on it's side, luckily not damaging any other boats but crushing the guys truck who was working on the boat. Ooopss!!! Wish we would of taken a picture of that.

We are finally ready to launch and we say we want to go at slack tide. The owner puts us into the lift bay on the incoming tide and starts to launch us saying he can't wait - crap. To make matters worse they let the lines go too soon, even though Mike told them to hold them until his signal. Well Mike got us out of there, but it was very difficult. We were glad to be gone!!!! We hit the ICW and left Florida.

We anchored overnight in Georgia waters then headed to Jeckyl Island, Georgia

Cheers Mike and Kim on Ka'imi