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Sacramento, California, United States
so salty pieces of coral from surfing Hawaii in the 60's and 70's getting reef pounded living in my body fall through my skin from time to time!

sailing to Oahu

Jimi Hendrix was playing on Oahu. I had never sailed. Surfed Mexico, California, Hawaii! Aw, how hard could it be to sail 90-110 miles from Kauai to Oahu? Piece of cake, right? Remember it was the 60's! This is so bad. We thought we were looking at Kaiena Point,Ohau, knowing we weren't going to make the concert! But at least we were in site of Oahu-wrong! Coy, who had never sailed before, me,who had never sailed before, jeff and Abbott etc. We were looking at the sleeping giant on Kauai! We had done three-sixty's in the night! We sailed on the only tri-marran I've ever sailed on ( except later ) in my life, missed the concert! It was at the Waikiki Shell Ampitheater ( Moon eclipsed . We finally made Nawilwili Harbor! The Skipper tried to give us his boat saying, " It's trying to kill me"! We watched him go stark raving mad not even realising that had we got caught in the channel current we were on our way to Japan! Remember it was the 60's and we were going to see Hendrix. I left out some of the good stuff but I will make up for it later!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Elixer

Alan Turk, Linda, Ru-Ru ( the baby ) and Buster. Where are you? I'll be in San Francisco October 5Th for a kind of " Gathering of the Tribes", fete! Is Elixir gone? Larry is! Where did time and us go? I think a terrible mistake was made so long ago. It was a Rolling Stones song sung while we were rafted together on Maui, " Send me dead flowers in the morning"! Take me down little Susan, take me down! I know you think you're the queen of the underground! And you could etc!! This, however is the story of us leaving Nawiliwili to Oahu and not making it! Are you up for it? Elixir is a "42ft" Gaff rigged schooner-lean and mean! What! 12' beam? With top sails and a flying fisherman she goes. Just a puff ( not a bullet ) knocks her down. (as we found out the hard way off the south shore of Oahu) Hopefully, Gut, all your portals are closed! (not) So where was/am I? Oh yea! Gut needed to get to Oahu and decided to leave Nawiliwili Harbor with a storm brewing. We got our asses kicked. The lightning accented the size of the swells which we couldn't see because it was raining so hard not only was visibility extinct but one needed a snorkel to breath!! I must admit we were game and learned more about " to weather ", sailing than any of us had known before. God, gaff rigging has a peak and a helm, double halyard system that needs to be addressed and balanced. In heavy seas and weather it is a nightmare ( especially at night )to get it right! Ru-Ru thought it was great fun! Alan and Buster ( I was just an able bodied seaman ) decided enough after 12 hours of in your face on the nose beating to weather ass kicking winter Hawaiian/Aleutian crap!! With the lightening and " the lighthouse " guiding us downwind it was excellent to be home on Kauai in a safe harbor and a safe anchorage. Later we sailed to Oahu. It was magnificently uneventful! Ha! Go figure.

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