Sea Legs - We Wander The World

Friday, January, 20, 2023 – Day 31

Ahoy Friends! We’ve been at sea for the last 4 days and out of reliable internet range for most of that time. We have 1 more day until we reach Bora Bora. But… we are going to give posting a try today.

Since we last shared, we’ve enjoyed two wonderful days in Honolulu.

The Aloha Tower in the port of Honolulu.
Once the tallest building on the Island, now dwarfed by the high-rises of the city.

There are many, many more skyscrapers to the left of the Aloha Tower as you make your way down to Waikiki.

We visited Pearl Harbor on our last day in Honolulu. I am always filled with gratitude by the bravery and selflessness of those who defend our nation and others around the world in need of aide. May we never take their sacrifice for granted.

The Arizona Memorial across the water from the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center

We then bid a fond farewell to Hawaii and headed off on a 5-day journey to our next destination. We will arrive in Bora Bora on Sunday the 22nd.

Jeff’s fascination with the workings of the ship often finds us at the rail to watch the sail away. Here, the Pilot is being picked up after guiding the ship safely out of the harbor. The Pilot jumps from our moving ship onto his smaller vessel – once it pulls alongside, then off he goes to guide the next ship!

Jeff’s dad was a career Navy man, so when his orders came for Japan, Jeff and his family took a much less plush voyage across the Pacific to live in Japan for a few years. I think that early trip gave Jeff a lifelong love of travel and especially travel by sea.

And… speaking of Jeff’s love of the sea, here is his take on how to find your sea legs…

Some of you (and you know who you are) may have in the past, have had two, three or four more alcoholic drinks than you should. You probably felt that the world was spinning and walking in a straight line was next to impossible. Well, that’s just what Donna and I have been experiencing since we left Los Angeles. Not the excess drinking but the rocking and rolling.

So here is how we’ve coped with the seas.

First, is to just take it in stride, no pun intended. Almost any cruise at sea is going to experience some movement. So, enjoy it. The rolling is an excellent way to meet your fellow passengers as you bounce off each other. Just like Webels.

Secondly, keep a hold of something. An old sailor’s adage is one hand on the rail and one hand for the job. So, we try and hang on to something, be it a railing or a chair, table, or another shipmate when carrying a cup of coffee or a plate of cookies. I don’t care if I spill my coffee, but the cookies are out of this world.

Thirdly, keep your eyes focused on the horizon. We have never (knock on wood) gotten seasick, and we’ve been in some big storms and rough seas. But looking far out at the horizon helps to calm our stomachs and help us navigate walking the moving decks.

The last bit of advice is to walk like a penguin. Feet wide apart, waddle back and forth, and just thank God that you are built just a little (or a lot) bottom heavy with a lower center of gravity.

With all this in mind, it’s time for me to hit the deck for some walking about. Waddle on friends!