After our quick visit to Maui, we arrived at Ko Olina Marina on the SW corner of Oahu.


Orcinius entering Ko Olina Marina. Photo courtesy of Charisma Bob and Ann!!

Bob and Ann just happened to be out for a morning walk on the point when they spotted us coming in. Bob was snapping pictures of Orcinius while Ann ran back to the marina just in time to take our lines as we pulled up to the dock. They had arrived about 5 days before us, so they had the lay of the land and our parking spot for the next few weeks, all figured out.


It has been a blast being back together and hanging out again. Bob and Ann had a long long sail from New Zealand via Tahiti these last few months and we have been following them every step of the way. It has been fun catching up and swapping stories.


The entire gang has been doing lots of BBQing together with the convenient grills and picnic tables just up the ramp from Orcinius. And we all have been enjoying some of our favorite American foods once again - maybe a little too much! But that's okay - we both have one more long passage to get under our belts, so we will probably loose our burger belly one more time in the coming weeks.


This is a view of Orcinius at the dock in Ko Olina Marina.


And a view to our port side. Lots of large resort hotels in the area, as well as nice walking paths and calm lagoons to go swimming in.


A view to the bbq area just up the ramp from us.


And a look at Orcinius from the bbq area.


Last Sunday the 6 of us headed out for a drive to see some of the sites around Oahu. We headed to the east side for the views of Kane'ohe Bay.


The rugged and lush surrounding hills of the bay can't be captured in a photo.


On our drive back out of the valley, John found a turn off the highway where there was a park overlooking the bay and a stunning view to the NE. So we had to take a bunch of photos...












Next up was the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific - also known as Punchbowl Cemetery as it lies in a now extinct volcanic crater.


This historical burial site honors the veterans of 4 wars - it is a beautiful memorial.


The cemetery sits above Honolulu and has incredible views to downtown Honolulu and Waikiki.


The walls of the memorial are etched with names of those who were never recovered from battle. Ann was able to find her uncle's name - he was at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked in 1941.


The monument has a quotation from Abraham Lincoln who wrote a letter to Mrs. Bixby who lost 5 sons in the American Civil War: "The solemn pride that must be yours, to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of Freedom".


Inside the memorial are depictions of many of the campaigns throughout the South Pacific during WWII.


The view from Punchbowl toward downtown Honolulu.

And that gets us caught up with most of the pictures. We are now doing boat chores and starting to think about provisioning for the last leg home. All is well and fine from Hawaii!

Lisa