Or, What we are doing in the off-season of cruising.
Before Returning to Honolulu
As noted in a previous post, we put the boat away earlier than planned due to cold and stormy weather. It was a relief to know the boat was out of the water and safely stored indoors for the winter months in western Scotland. Indeed this was a good move, as several storms with winds over 50 knots (57 mph) have moved through west Scotland this winter. After storing the boat, we took some time in the UK and EU to relax and decompress from the non-stop travel and stress of sailing in challenging weather.
We took a train to the little village of Mells, in SW England and stayed two weeks.
Our accommodation was a stone & thatch cottage built in 1595. The village of Mells had a little store/post office/cafe that met all of our needs. We were just a bus-ride away from the bigger town of Frome. While sometimes we spent all day in bed under the cozy covers reading and sipping coffee, other days we headed off to nearby towns/sites, including Stonehenge, Bath, Salisbury, and Bradford-on-Avon.
After a relaxing two weeks in Mells, we traveled by train–including the Eurostar–through the Chunnel–and went to Lille, France for two weeks. Although the Chunnel is only 30 miles long, there was no mistake that we had traveled to another country! The quiet of the little village of Mells was replaced with the hustle, bustle, and crowds of Lille, the 4th most-populated city in France. There was lots to see and do and EAT in Lille, and the city was easily walkable.
Brugge was absolutely charming… and delicious!
London was our final stop before heading home.
So much to see in London!
MJ visited with her high school classmate, Sue, who now lives in London!
Honolulu R & R
The warmth, humidity, and fragrance of the flowers welcomed us home on 06 November 2024. Although Adam and I had amazing adventures aboard Hokukea in Sweden, Norway, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, we were ready to be home for a while. We both enjoy living in Honolulu, and we had missed our family and friends. Our R & R consists of sleeping in some days and having our coffee in bed, whale watching (from bed, the lanai, or Born Free), going for long walks or hikes, exercising, cooking (Adam is cooking 1/2 the time now that he is retired), getting together with friends, checking out new restaurants and happy hours, and reading. We are making very good use of e-books from the Hawaii State Library! And MJ is delighted to be racing again aboard Born Free!
“Lucky to live Hawai’i” and grateful for so many good friends!
Preparation for Cruising Season 2
Adam is busy with constructing micro-electronic devices (such as sensors to monitor tank levels), taking an online course on a programming language for micro-electronics, and learning to use a 3-D printer to make accessories for the micro-electronics and miscellaneous boat needs. He’s also staying in touch with marine services (engineering, rigging, electronics, electrical system) in Scotland who are doing work on Hokukea while she is in storage.
I have submitted paperwork/requests for renewing our annual boat registration, ship’s radio station license, and boat insurance. I’ve also constructed a spreadsheet detailing sailing distances within our intended cruising areas for 2025 with harbors and marinas noted that can accommodate Hokukea (particularly given the 2-meter depth of her keel). Together, Adam and I referenced the sailing distances worksheet and drafted an itinerary for our 6-month sailing season in W Scotland; the Outer Hebrides; the Orkney Islands; Fair Isle; the Shetland Islands; Bergen, Norway; Hardangerfjord,; SW Norway; Gothenberg, Sweden; Sweden, Bornholm & ChristiansΓΈ, Denmark; and SE Sweden.
Above is the map showing our tentative route from W Scotland to SE Sweden, May-September 2025. The following are just the initial pages of the cruising distances spreadsheet and our 2025 itinerary:
Here are a couple of sample pages from some of our planning/cruising guides.
A cruising guide to the Outer Hebrides
Details of an anchorage in the Outer Hebrides
Similar guide for cruising in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
The numbers indicate the number of marinas and harbors in the guide for the area.
Details of a marina in the Hardangerfjord in W. Norway. The areas marked in red in the photo and on the small chart indicate where guest boats may dock.
Adam and I will depart Honolulu on 1 May 2025. We’ll visit Adam’s sister, Karla and her husband, Roger, in Boston for four days. We will fly from Boston to Paris and spend 5 days there with our daughter, Anisa (she’s currently stationed with the Air Force in Turkey). From Paris we will go to Dublin where Adam will fly his drone and document the flight to complete the requirements for an EU Drone Operator’s License. And on 14 May we’ll travel to Largs, Scotland where Hokukea is stored. Hokukea is scheduled to be launched on 19 May for our 2025 cruising season.