October 2003

Aloha from sunny, warm Hawaii!

What a beautiful place! We arrived on Oahu via Hawaiian Air on Wednesday and have been savoring every minute of our stay. We're in Kailua, a small town about 15 miles northeast of Honolulu at the Kailua Tradewinds, a small B & B. We are enjoying a delightful room with a kitchenette, a private patio, a pool 10' from our door and a view of the mountains.all for $80/night.a bargain in Hawaii. We've had great fun exploring the north shore, the windward and lea shores too! I've attached a couple pictures of some of the sights. We HAD to come to Hawaii so I could board the sailing vessel, Alaska Eagle , for my 17-day voyage to San Francisco as a course from Orange Coast College. I'll be sailing with 10 other women on the 65' boat as a learning & passage-making experience. I'll be taking the digital camera with me and will be able to share some of my experiences with you when I return to Wand'rin Star in Chula Vista. You can read about our progress at occsailing.com. Just click on "News...email messages from Alaska Eagle", then go to leg 6, that's the trip I'm on. You may also enjoy reading messages from the crews of the other legs of the journey.

Gary will return to California after I depart on Wednesday and tough it out for a couple weeks without me. I'm sure he'll find plenty to keep himself busy, as there's always something to do on the boat. He also has a JOB! A real one were he gets a paycheck..sort of. He's working on the "truck crew" at West Marine, which is a boating store. He works for 4 hours two nights a week stocking shelves; but the BEST PART is that he gets an associate's discount on everything he buys at West Marine. He has it figured out that he's earning $25+/hour based on what he's saved on merchandise..I think we're coming out ahead?????

The first weekend in October found Gary taking a Ham Radio class with Gordon West that resulted in him earning a General Ham Radio license. He's really excited about all the possibilities for communications that brings and is already looking at a new SSB (single sideband radio).more new toys.

We had a great visit with my sister & brother-in-law, Diane & Dennis. It was fun to be able to share our enthusiasm for life on Wand'rin Star with someone else. Please let us know if you'll be in the San Diego area and we'll welcome you aboard.

It's time to pack my duffle and finish up last minute details for my trip. Please keep me in your thoughts and wish me good winds! We miss you all and look forward to hearing from you!

Aloha,

Dorothy, Gary & Murray the Cat

© Copyright 2004
Last updated on January 15, 2005