Kaimusailing

s/v Kaimu Wharram Catamaran

Vessel Name: Kaimu
Vessel Make/Model: Wharram Custom
Hailing Port: Norwalk, CT
Crew: Andy and the Kaimu Crew
About: Sailors in the Baltimore, Annapolis, DC area.
21 March 2024 | St. Marys, GA
01 March 2024 | St. Marys, GA
23 February 2024 | St. Marys, GA
15 February 2024 | St. Marys, GA
11 February 2024 | St. Marys, GA
06 February 2024 | St. Marys, GA
26 January 2024 | St. Marys, GA
14 January 2024 | St. Marys, GA
09 January 2024 | St Marys, GA
23 December 2023 | St Marys, GA
10 December 2023 | St Marys, GA
25 November 2023 | St. Marys, GA
17 November 2023 | St. Marys, GA
17 November 2023 | Somers Cove Marina, Crisfield, MD
03 November 2023 | Somers Cove Marina, Crisfield, MD
26 October 2023 | Somers Cove Marina, Crisfield, MD
17 October 2023 | Somers Cove Marina, Crisfield, MD
11 October 2023 | Somers Cove Marina, Crisfield, MD
04 October 2023 | Alice B. Tawes, McReady Pavilion, Crisfield, Maryland Eastern Shore
03 October 2023 | Alice B. Tawes, McReady Pavilion, Crisfield, Maryland Eastern Shore
Recent Blog Posts
21 March 2024 | St. Marys, GA

Just Add Water

The rainy weekend started off with overcast and fog but no rain. It looked like I might be able to get something done on the D4 dinghy. I wanted to change the bow seat which is really the bow deck. The sailing option uses the deck to hold the freestanding mast. I didn’t like how the deck looked, [...]

01 March 2024 | St. Marys, GA

D4 Dinghy Alternative Seats

The rain event was more wind than rain, strong winds with gusts up to 44 mph. We drove into town to see what the harbor was like. There was a small sailboat that had dragged anchor and was sitting close to shore. The tide was out. We left and played with Bleu at Notter’s Pond.

23 February 2024 | St. Marys, GA

D4 Inside Seams

Day two of the dinghy build started out with me finishing wiring the hull bottoms together on the centerline of the bottom panels. This was much easier than the wiring of the chine edges of the bottom panels and the side panels.

15 February 2024 | St. Marys, GA

D4 Dinghy Day One

A Wharram Pahi 26 had been anchored in the river nearby the boatyard and was hauled out with the travel lift. I went around to look at it and talked to the owner couple. I was surprised that it had been built in Martinique in 1988. The boat is more than 30 years old.

11 February 2024 | St. Marys, GA

D4 Redux

The inflatable (deflatable) dinghy I had bought was deteriorating. It had bottom seams separating. It is a West Marine branded dinghy made out of PVC. HH66 is the adhesive to reattach the seams. A friend had a similar problem and bought the same adhesive. I was waiting to hear from him how it worked [...]

06 February 2024 | St. Marys, GA

The Clincher

We decided to go to Amelia Island for the day, probably to the beach. Our plan to cycle around on the Raleigh 20’s seemed like a bad idea, Bleu can’t keep up with a bicycle for very long and when he quits he quits. So we would walk, where?, Fort Clinch State Park. She has a forever pass for Florida [...]

Vegan Sushi

13 August 2022 | Kahala, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii
Cap'n Chef Andy | Hawaii Has no Word for Weather
I can personally recommend Food Lion's own, cheap, Cocktail Sauce, the Hot & Spicy version, not the Original, which equates with Heinz Original. Guess they are not that original. The hot and spicy version has a nice kick to it. If you had shrimp cocktail at Emeril's, this is the kind of cocktail sauce you would get.
.
I met my new neighbors across the dock. They have a kind of cat boat with a freestanding mast, almost like a windsurfing set up with a windsurfing boom, of large proportions, and a lot of strings to control it all. I'd rather write about something else, but I'm not going to let them alone.
.
The news was Eve has only one puppy left.
.
Helicopter Dave and Roughrider Lynn arrived in the marina in their steel boat. They are looking for rabies shots for their cat, Mr. Meow. I gave them some vaseline for Dave's leg, it looks like a burn. I advised them about the marina, it is a very nice place for them to stay. They can remain at anchor and use the dinghy dock at $10/day. They can rent a day slip very inexpensively. Overnight is almost $2 a foot, but then you have water and electric hook up. The marina rents golf carts that can be used to shop, everything is within 2 miles, grocer, restaurants, hardware, liquor, and the beer and wine shop which is in walking distance. If you can't make it there, you're cut off.
.
They talked about navigating the Pocomoke River, which looks like an interesting trip. The snag is power lines at 56 feet above the river just before getting into Pocomoke City. They could hit any of the big stores a sailor needs, Harbor Freight, Walmart, Lowes, Tractor Supply, also Don's for some crush drinks. Vessey Orchards is on the river on the way up, which I didn't know. The river parallels a scenic country road, the one we take from Crisfield to get to Pocomoke.
.
I hope they like the marina and stay a while, hope they are here when I return from Hawaii. They are old friends from the boatyard. No one is perfect. The boatyard is a crucible for friendship.
.
I was out of food and didn't want to buy too much, I'm flying out, somehow, in a couple of days. First I thought I'd use the airport shuttle, phone number listed on the airport's website. I had talked to the fellow about a month ago, before my phone problems, and now I couldn't get in touch with him. I left text messages and called several times. I then tried the local taxi service, Billy Joe's. I got him immediately and we arranged for him to pick me up for the airport. He knew where my dock was and had a key card to enter the marina after it is closed, which it will be at zero dark thirty the day I leave. Later the shuttle called me back, and I thanked him, but the taxi was ten bucks cheaper and he knew right where to pick me up. A big load off my chest.
.
I texted Cuddily, any supper plans?, I hoped I could tag along for some dinner. Breakfast will be without bread. Tomorrow's dinner will be probably out at the Fisherman's. She said she was making a pasta dinner. Bring white wine. I dropped what I was doing and rode to the wine store and asked for chilled pinot grigio. The lady at the store brought out a wine and said, this is what you need. You will have a nice evening. I said U2 and left on my bike over to the waterfront.
.
Cornelia Marie was there and Nori the Wonder Dog, Eve and Teri, the Bad Crowd, not all, but the main parts. We had a great meal and it turned out Eve's last puppy was probably taken. Not my favorite, the blue collared male, this was the brown collared male. I think she hates to see him go, but she says she is never going to try to breed puppies again.
.
I think Eve taught me a lot about relationships, it takes two to tango and not all tangos are Dezi Arnaz's numbers. It's better to have a relationship with someone who helps you get along and who you are helping get along. If there are difficulties, they will vanish under the might of the interested parties. Otherwise, difficulties become little wars, and we hope to have no more of that. It all starts from within and it can all be resolved within.
.
Eve needs a break and she will finally get out of town for a bit. I will too, but I'm going way out of town. I know things will be different when I get back, just as I know I will be different too. I will have my zen moments in Hawaii, not hard to do. The plane ride is a killer, though.
.
I am playing my bluetooth speaker with Hawaiian tunes. It's good I do this. A niche of the earth where maybe it might be good to go if the mainland breaks out in some kind of war. I'd rather be shot in Hawaii, but not in the ass, that would be embarrassing. We don't seem to learn from war, except how to devastate other people. It's hard to fathom the amount of violence that is perpetuated on civilians and citizens by governments that should be wiped out, not the innocent people who might have trusted them.
.
I can't take all the things I'd like to take along, including some people who probably would enjoy at least some part of the journey. I've been spending some time with myself, who better. I will hopefully survive the trip and then I can impart some of it to friends. I will of course write. I don't need much stimulus, I'd rather, in fact, have solitude, but not 8 hours in the airport. I will make the best of it. There is no resentment, there is no resentment, there is no resentment.
.
Maybe Hawaii is the last resort, but we usually make last resorts places in our imagination, they are not real, the real place is the place you find yourself in. So, for me, Hawaii is not an imaginary place, but it is remote and exotic enough, it will do. Each trip out there is a realignment of imagination with reality. I cry. But it must be allergies, they are awful right now. It's not memories of my niece dancing hula for my father. Being with my father at the consecration of a Hawaiian voyaging canoe, being with my family at his grave of his ashes, the last time we would all be together.
.
I have now run out of food. I am thankful for the pasta dinner at Cuddily's last night and now today I have further reason to cheer. Dave and Lynn agreed to meet me for a farewell dinner at the Fisherman's Grille, but only if they treat me. Could I invite Eve? Heck, the whole Bad Crowd might be there.
.
I went to Charles, the hair salon, and got clipped. I was now packing for the trip. It was hot and I took a break in the Boater's Lounge, small space but air conditioned. I was playing a game on my phone. Eve butted in, she had been in the marina's swimming pool. We had texted earlier about dinner at the Fisherman's and now I insisted she come. I guess my haircut had an effect on her and she said OK, but home first to shower. I returned to the boat to continue packing. Soon it was time to go to the Fisherman's, a short bicycle trip across the marina, less than 5 minutes.
.
I met Teri who was just parking and going in. I went in the back way and looked for Lynn and Dave out on the deck. I went inside where it was noisy but air conditioned. Eve was at the bar and I shook her chair. Then I saw Lynn and Dave in a booth, but we would need more room. We ended up at a round table for five at the urging of Eve. I had Dave on one side of me and Cuddily on the other. The conversation really took off with Lynn and Eve talking about their experiences raising animals. Teri and Cuddily were having a conversation, but Dave and I would chime in now and then.
.
We had drinks and shrimp salad seemed to be the popular dish for dinner. I had steamed shrimp. The cocktail sauce wasn't as good as I remember, but maybe I was remembering the steamed shrimp at Don's. A storm was brewing to the Northwest and threatening to blow in on us. We ate inside and suddenly the sky grew dark and guests started leaving. I left on the bicycle and felt a few drops of rain hitting me as I rode back to the boat.
.
I had a little packing still to do and had a glass of wine and listened to some music. I woke up about 45 minutes later than my arranged pick up time. I overslept. My driver was there at the dock waiting. Billy Joe was Billie Jo, not male. I threw things together and we flew up to the airport. Of course I couldn't get on the plane. I was in shock. Just the thing I didn't want happen happened. I was told I could fly tomorrow, which was not only a big delay, but a big waste of money to make that taxi ride again. The alternative was to wait for a later flight and fly it on standby, a hit or miss kind of thing. I wouldn't know if I could get on the plane until about an hour before the flight. I was getting texts about Charlotte, was I still in Charlotte, well, I was still in Salisbury. I did get on the flight and did get to Charlotte.
.
I was very glad to get that boarding pass. I noticed the passengers gathering to board the plane to LA had very nice hair. At least the women did. The men looked more fit and athletic than usual, maybe because of their athletic themed clothing, including a father and son wearing Tom Brady regalia, although it was Patriots themed.
.
I wasn't famished but knew to eat something, the result was a BLTP sandwich and a nice IPA draft beverage. A fellow struck up a conversation, which I provided via my paragraph monologue which I can use later in the blog, if I can remember it.
.
I was in pain in my hip from carrying my bag around the airports. Aboard the plane the lower seat back dug into my lower back and I would get a mysterious pain every now and then. The pilot took us off into the skies and around a giant thunderboomer. Probably raining down below. I was playing a game on the phone and seemed like I had all day to advance up to level 33. This is the Wooduku game. The higher levels of the "Journey" type of game are very difficult. Soon I noticed a change in the engine sound and that feeling that now we are descending. The pilot confirmed this and gave all the weather information for the Los Angeles area. When we touched down a voice from the back loudly said, I've had smoother landings on an aircraft carrier. It would be a short layover in LA, I thought, so I'd better check my gate information, my stamina was running out and my sore hip was being overtaken by my sore back. These commercial airliners must have all their passenger seats constructed in the same factory in Transylvania. And now I'll get flack from the fans of Transylvania, the FOT's.
.
We were arriving and departing the same concourse, in on Gate 47B and out on Gate 45, great, I will not have to lug and limp too far. I had time to relieve my intestinal discomfort and buy a salad to eat on the plane, hopefully with some red wine. I made my way to the nearby gate and sat until boarding. This is one of those planes that carries a million passengers. I didn't want to wait around standing in that line, so I sat and then joined the line as the second to last passenger. It still took a long time for all the people in front of me to find out how to put their bag in the overhead compartment and sit down in their seat. Some people, passengers and crew alike, went against the flow onto the plane, disrupted it, and slowed things down, amplified to me by my pain of standing on that sore hip.
.
Finally I was seated and wondered how long before the wine poured and I could eat my $14 salad that looked about the size of a small berry box. The pilot came on the PA and said a mechanical test of the plane failed, but perhaps the techs could fix it, if not we would have to take a different plane. A short time later he said it was definite, we would have to deplane and board a different plane. The deboarding was like the boarding, only in reverse, same disfunctional actors. I was not happy.
.
The different plane was located in a different concourse, LA is a very large airport. I kept up my march and soldiered on. At the new boarding gate the disfunction rose, or sank, to a nastier level. The airline personnel seemed flustered and unable to deal with the steadily developing crisis. We were given outdated recorded announcements that we could be arrested if we weren't wearing our covid masks. Some were wearing them, but most did not. The passengers that had been waiting at that gate to board a flight to Fort Lauderdale were told to go to a different concourse to get on a different plane there. This announcement came at regular intervals while the news for us Honolulu passengers was not unusually bad, the same mechanical test had to be performed on this aircraft, that's spelled with an ft, not a p. Fortunately, I guess, it passed. The flight crew had to make a lot of changes such that an aircraft crossing the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii might need versus the requirements to cross the continent to Fort Lauderdale. The original ETD was 10:53 PM at the old gate, now the ETD was 12:30 AM. I revolted by eating my dime sized $14 salad.
.
The same old boarding process and the same old befuddled wrong way actors were in play once again. I was trying to calculate when we would get to Honolulu and had texted my sister-in-law that we were delayed by quite a bit, she replied she was ill and could I Uber to the house. Sure.
.
I found the clock app on the Samsung Galaxy has useful timers for pizza baking, etc., and also displays world times. I had NY and London times displayed. It's useful when contacting my daughter to know the time of day there. There is also a display of whatever time zone the phone is in, it automatically adopts that time zone and indicates what time zone it is.
.
I had dozed off and wondered what time it was and the phone said 12:44 AM, Pacific time zone. But hadn't we taken off at 12:30, flown to altitude? I checked NY time and it said 5:44 AM. I found that when I clicked on one of these times a world map popped up and I could scroll from London to NY and see the times there. I scrolled the map to Hawaii and when I clicked on Hawaii, the local Hawaiian time popped up. It was around 10:30 PM and we had about 2 hours left in the flight. I showed a flight attendant this function and she gave me a bottle of red wine.
.
Landing and debarking was somewhat more bearable now that we had arrived. The airport was dead, everything closed, security yawning and wishing me a good morning. I went to the baggage claim area to contact Uber. At this time of night I was able to get a ride to Kahala for about $53 and the driver was there in about 7 minutes. He was muslim and had his wife with him in the car, covered from head to foot. Not the usual Hawaiian garb. The roads were free of traffic and he didn't stray from the correct route.
.
At the house I gradually remembered where to enter and where to go to my room. There was a note that there was food in the fridge. I needed to take a shower and sleep, in that order. Usually the first night in Hawaii has visitors waking up at about 4 AM, wide awake, and the town is dead asleep. That didn't happen this time. I slept till almost 8, a noise awakened me, I went down to the living area and caught up on phone traffic. I had received a text from my daughter who was boarding a plane in England while I was deplaning and getting the Uber ride. I was able to text Crisfield also when I arrived, people were getting up for the day while I was getting shut eye at night.
.
Soon after waking I had the pleasure of meeting my sister in law's housemate who made badly needed coffee and then ran off to work. Then came sis-in-law who caught up with me all the news of the last 3 or 4 years and I did the same. She made me poached eggs on toast with avocado, tomato, and some herbs. Yumm. We had to help someone move furniture and boxes of stuff, drove across Honolulu in a little pickup truck, packed it, strapped it, then returned via Waikiki and Ala Moana, around Diamond Head. We stopped and unpacked the truck sis had to go to an appointment while I had some stuff to write up.
.
We were being treated to dinner, later, and my daughter had texted she was getting on a plane for Honolulu from San Francisco. While she flew we went to a vegan restaurant that specialized in sushi. They had one of my favorite beers, Asahi Super Dry, so I had that while the rest of the table got sake. Appetizer sushi's arrived, one with beets had a shot of super strong sake in the middle of the platter. One of the pieces of sushi was loaded with jalapenos, whoever got that piece of sushi had to down the potent shot, looked milky. Guess who "won", I didn't finish that piece of sushi but enjoyed the shot. More and more vegan sushi arrived and we consumed most of it. The rest came back to sista's house for later.
.
The image is of vegan sushi arriving at the table.




Comments

About & Links

SailBlogs Groups