Day four on the Ka’imimoana and it started with buoy operations. It does not pertain to me at all as I am rarely involved with it. During the four years I was here, I made occasional appearances on the graded deck where the deck hands worked to see how things were going. But for actual deployment and maintenance, it is not in my domain but do help out the guys when they ask. Usually it involves data issues.
As I stated several days ago, I received e-mails from several KA alumnus. Many of you are not familiar on how I am associated with this ship. I was assigned as an electronics technician here from 2003 to 2007. In May 2007 I returned to the KA for augmenting and sailed from Mexico to Nuku Hiva then to Hawaii. A year later, in 2008, I came back again to sail from Portland, Oregon to Apia, Samoa via Hawaii. I am augmenting for Mr. “W” so he can have several more weeks at home with the wife and son. He and the CO of the ship requested that I fill in for him so I obliged. In addition, this is a chance for a trip back to Samoa as I did not make it there in 2009. Original plans were for “L” to fly to Samoa and meet me there. She did not want to travel alone and re-entering the US terrifies her. To make a long story short, she is not coming to Samoa. I indicated in another piece about her son which is part of this trip. Of course I am here to work too and support the ship and crew.
The old girl still sails good and what a workhorse she is. After sailing on the Hi’ialakai for three years I forgot how remote the stations where the KA stops are. On the Hi’ialakai you do not feel the seclusion because you see an island every so many days when we sail the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. On the KA, it is normal not to see land for 30 plus days. The longest run was from Hawaii to Kwajalein and back. The route was not bad if there was a stop in Apia to break the routine. The “Kwaj Run” at the end of the year was always the worst. The KA would be the last ship to pull into Hawaii before Christmas, unless there was a yard period on the west coast. After finishing buoys on the 180 line (International Date Line) the transit back to Hawaii took nearly two weeks and you can say that the mood was not very holiday-like. The one that was equal to in length but did not seem so long was the 95 to 110 line in the eastern Pacific. That line usually started the season. Stops include the Galapagos and Manzanillo, Mexico. The transit from Mexico to Hawaii took twelve days. Since we were sailing with the trade winds to our backs, you can count five seconds each time the ship would roll port to starboard and vice versa. When we saw South Point of the big island of Hawaii, we knew we were on our way home. Sometimes we would sail on the Hilo side of the big island and take the island hopping tour from the big island to Oahu. Of course, we did not stop at any of the islands, just sailed by.
Port calls I enjoyed the most were Manzanillo Mexico, Nuku Hiva Marquises Islands in French Polynesia and of course Apia. Galapagos was a one time deal in 2005 and the KA has never returned there since for liberty. I used to like going to Manza-grillo restaurant/cantina in Mexico and sit on the balcony and enjoy a cold cereveza and a meal. Afterwards I would relax and drink more beers while sitting at the balcony looking at the scenery below. I would go into wild imaginations of being Hemingway in Cuba planning his next novel. I knew then I had more than I should and catch a cab back to the ship. In Nuku Hiva I used to take tours with “Jocelyn,” a French expatriate married to a Maquisean. We would go the parts of the island we would not see if we did not have a vehicle.
To give you an idea on how remote the locations we stop are, unlike the Hi’ialakai, you see no birds in the vicinity. When we get near Malden Island, there will be some as it is a bird sanctuary.
Goodnight from 6N and 155W. Eleven days until Apia and counting.
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