Exploring Hilo!
23 March 2018 | Pacific Ocean on route to Hawaii
Helen/Mark
We both had 12 glorious hours of sleep overnight! It was very quiet and not much surf to wake us. Maybe the occasional wave rocked us some, but that just helped to keep us sleeping. My body actually hurt from being in bed so long. We had a message on my phone from Customs who informed us that he was only going to be in the office until 9 and back later in the day. So, we rushed to get the dinghy in the water with the motor. The motor worked on the first pull. That hasn't happened in forever. We loaded up documents and headed to shore around 8. Got to the beach okay but we had to lift the dinghy up the hill so we could tied it to a park bench. One guy that volunteered at the park offered to help us That was great. Once the dinghy was secured we walked to the Customs office, which was maybe a mile away. Got there is good time. The Customs officer was very helpful and friendly. Talked about things to do around the island. Walked back and decided to wait for a bus. We knew it was only $2 each, but found out from the driver that seniors get a rate of $1. Can't beat that! Also, paid $2 for a Montreal guy who didn't have change. He was trying to get to a beach or state park with volcanoes and the rental car was too expensive. We got off the bus to check in with the Harbor Master office, which was part of the government offices. It took us almost an hour to do the very lengthy check in. We were charged $2/person/day + another fee for the week that we will be staying here, to anchor only. There are no services. The only marina has no mooring slips available. Not boater friendly! So, we got back on the same bus, one hour later, and our Montreal guy was on our bus again. He told us that he would be taking a bus to the black sand beach and maybe to one of the state parks. He seemed happier. We went to a shopping mall which had everything from Home Depot, to Target, Macys, Walmart, Sears and many other stores. We walked around to the various stores to see if we could replace my cell phone battery. No one carried batteries. It's something that we will have to order and have shipped to Oahu. Mark located a few things on his list of boat items needed and we got a few groceries. Then we took a cab back, which was around $10. I didn't think the prices on food were that much more expensive than Jax. We got back to the beach and the dinghy and the dinghy motor were right where we left them. Yeah! We slowly dragged the dinghy down the hill which is now chunks of rock. Poor Mark. That dinghy is heavy! I was worried the would damage the hard bottom. Then we loaded in our purchases, before paddling to deeper water. Then Mark started the motor, on the first pull. Motoring back to Charabia at mid-afternoon felt and looked like after sunset. There were thick and dark clouds all day. We are just getting some rain now. It rained on Mark trying to catch a few winks in the cockpit. We may get our wifi set up as there is none here. That way Mark could research car rental prices and availability. We would like to do some touring/exploring Lots to see. We are exhausted from our miles of walking. We have not walked that much in almost a month. Our temperature was warm enough and we were in shorts and tees. Our salon temperature is 80 degrees. We are comfy cozy. Thanks again to everyone that sent us satellite messages throughout the trip. We loved hearing from you. My cell phone is working, so give us a call to catch up. Or text my phone when you get a chance. Once we get connected to wifi, we will post some pictures from our crossing. I'm afraid they are all going to look the same.