Day 28: Almost ... The Big Island Of Hawaii

 

This morning started off with a surprise. We were supposed to be docking in Hilo, Hawaii, at 7am and were up early as we had a 7:15am departure for our excursion. All was going according to plan - it was about 6:40 am, and we had just entered the breakwater of the harbor. The weather wasn't too bad - overcast, and a little surf and swell. Then the ship rolled slowly to starboard, about 10 degrees, and then moved slowly to port, about 12-15 degrees, and continued to very slowly rock back and forth, getting close to a 20 degree list. 

There was crashing and clanking everywhere. We have a collection of bottles on our large desk in the room, and I had to make a flying save to prevent the gin bottle from hitting the floor, closely followed by some wine, champagne, and water. The wall-mounted TV was rotating with each change of direction, and we heard noises from all around us. Then relative quiet. A few minutes later, we were notified that conditions were too dangerous to dock and that we would return to sea as weather conditions were expected to deteriorate further. At this point, the surf was pounding onto and over the harbor wall. We made it safely out to sea, but not without some damage to the pool grill and the demise of hundreds of cups, saucers, and plates in the various restaurants. Fun.

For those of you who know about our previous cruise exploits - the serious tipping over of the Crown Princess back in 2016 - it brought back memories. We heard various theories throughout the day. From volcanoes (there was an Orange alert - but no anticipated eruption) to earthquakes  ( over 180 in the past 24 hours, but none big enough to cause trouble) to a plain old cold front that caused a large swell (most likely). 

Moving back to my theme of geology. The Big Island of Hawaii is the youngest of all the islands and is still being created and enlarged by two active volcanoes. Hawaii was initially built by five volcanoes. All the rocks are volcanic except for minor sedimentary rock formations derived from them. Mauna Loa and Kilauea volcanoes erupt often; Hualalai Volcano last erupted in 1801; Mauna Kea has had recent but no historic eruptions; Kohala Mountain has long been extinct.

Based on prior visits, it is a varied island. Some parts are green and tropically lush, while others are lava black, decorated with white stones for relief. It's really a matter of which lava flow will get you, especially in the southeast of the island. 







Comments

Post a Comment

Please leave a comment (and let us know who you are!!)

Popular posts from this blog

Day 141: Ponta Delgada - Ambling Through The Azores

Image
  Today, we visited the Azores, another set of islands in the Atlantic Ocean. They’re a group of nine volcanic islands about 850 miles west of Portugal, set in a 2-5-2 formation. To prove we’re truly heading home, they are about 1200 miles southeast of Newfoundland. We actually have to travel east-south-east to reach Bermuda, our next port of call. Allison went shopping and I took a walking tour of downtown Ponta Delgada - the unofficial capital and largest city. Considering they’re literally stuck in the middle of nowhere, the islands are impressive. Most have at least 3000 ft peaks and Pico Island maxes out at 7700 feet - the highest point in Portugal. When measured from the sea floor, the mountains in the Azores are some of the largest on Earth. The volcanoes are still active, averaging one event every 30 years. The large major blowup was 1957, so we’re overdue. Fortunately, nothing happened during our visit, although everywhere you look, there are cinder cones and volcanic remn...
Read more

Day 8 : Puntarenas - Costa Rica

Image
Another new country for both of us. Yay! Our latest port of call was Puntarenas on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. The Ticos and Ticas (as they nickname themselves) are a very eco-conscious country, so the excursion today involved an aerial tram through the forest, a horticultural and butterfly display, and many, many crocodiles. But - back to CR. The major businesses and exports of the country are medical devices (they bring in the parts and export finished supplies and devices) and consumables like coffee and bananas. Plus of course, tourism with a specialty in ecotours and surfing! The government, a number of decades ago, decided not to have a military. Instead, they invest the money they would spend into infrastructure and the people. There are heavy grants for anyone who grows coffee or lets their land "jungle over." Those grants are like an extra pension for many families. The first stop was the Tarcoles River Bridge. Translated, that means "River Of Many Crocodil...
Read more

Day 241 - Four Lessons and Life-Changing Events

Image
  You can't sail around the world without it impacting your view of the world. So here are my top four from the trip. I never truly realized the horrendous impact that European Colonialism had on the world from the mid-1400s until well into the last century. The devastation and cultural destruction was massive. It seems the Spanish and Portuguese were the worst, the Danes, Dutch and Germans the best, and the French and Brits were somewhere in the middle. It's way different seeing it in real life than reading about it in a history book. And yes - my forefathers contributed on a huge scale. There was a time when the sun never set on the British Empire. 
Read more