This past May, Dan and I were in Florida. I was taking care of Mom while Dan was studying charts and guide books in preparation for our passage to the Pacific Northwest. We were looking forward to leaving the beautiful tropical islands of Hawaii for a completely different cruising experience. It was time to leave. We had become too comfortable in Hawaii and like other cruisers in the area, we began growing roots here.
Prior to flying to Florida in March, we had Long Windid hauled out at a local boatyard to have her bronze strut replaced due to galvanic corrosion. It was a major dirty reconstruction job, a real mess. While the prop shaft was out of the boat, it was suggested that the packing gland be replaced. Dan agreed, since we had issues with the current gland spitting salt water into the bilge. It's rather unnerving to hear your bilge pump go off in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. While all eyes were focused on the strut repair work, a yard worker was given the simple task of installing the new packing gland. Once the work was completed, Long Windid was relaunched and motored five minutes away to her slip. Dan and I were confident that we were now ready for our jump off date of (weather permitting) early June to the Pacific Northwest. Only fluids needed to be changed before departing, but that could wait until we return from Florida.
Once we returned (three months later), Dan began changing main engine fluids. He tried to start the engine and it wouldn't turn over. Investigating, he opened up the exhaust mixing elbow and seawater poured out of the engine into the bilge. Sickened by the sight, Dan traced the plumbing. It was obvious the newly installed packing gland was plumbed incorrectly and seawater had siphoned directly into the engine. While we were gone, saltwater sat inside the cylinders and corroded (welded) the piston rings to the cylinder walls. Long Windid's well maintained and low hour Yanmar diesel engine was seized rock solid.
There go our plans to cruise to the Pacific Northwest. Now we had a big and expensive issue to deal with. What do we do, who do we turn to? First, we contacted our insurance company and filed a claim. Then, we visited the boatyard to let them know that we were very unhappy with the installation of the packing gland and told the general manager what we suspected cause the seized engine. Our insurance company immediately sent an investigator to assess the damage, took a boat load (no pun intended) of photos and wrote an extensive report. Days later, through the boating community grapevine, the boat yard had heard we contacted our insurance company and the general manager called to say they would take full and complete responsibility for the seized diesel engine and make it right without getting the insurance companies involved. We agreed to have our insurance company "stand down" and within a week a new Yanmar 4JH57 diesel engine, gearbox and electronic gear was ordered from Japan.
While waiting for our new engine to arrive, there wasn't a person on this island that we spoke to, believed we would ever get the engine replaced let alone installed by this boat yard or any other yard on this island. We had faith the general manager would be true to his word. Weeks went by, no word about the engine being shipped from Japan. Our insurance agent would call from time to time for an update in case we wanted to take another path to remedy our situation. Finally, we were told the engine was shipped. I figured two weeks to the distributor on the west coast of the mainland and then a week back to Oahu. Dan and I continued making adjustments on our calendar for a possible departure date.... now for San Diego, since we missed our weather opportunity for the Pacific Northwest. Weekly, the yard would give us the best update they could. No definitive arrival date to the port of Los Angeles. Weeks later, we learn the ship finally arrived but the container of new Yanmar engines is now being held up in customs for a discrepancy on the bill of laden. "How long can U.S. customs hold a container?" we thought. Well, get out the calendar, we'll just leave a week or two later. To see our calendar, it's a mess with all of the different departure dates. Worn out emotionally, (early August) Dan and I decided that if we can't leave by September 1st, we will have to stay another year. Major storms from the Aleutian Islands work their way down the coast and hurricanes off the coast of Central America traveling across the Pacific are a real concern this late in the season. After six long and agonizing weeks the engine was released from customs and arrived in Oahu. Once again, spending another week in the boat yard, they removed the old engine and installed the new one under the watchful eye of Dan. We were still hopeful to be able to make our departure date, but the window of opportunity was closing quickly. Long Windid was prepared, provisioned and ready to go after the mandatory 50-hour new engine break in period is completed. By mid-August, Dan and I put Long Windid through her paces by running laps up and down the leeward side of Oahu. We were able to log 25 hours on the new engine before we were facing a category 4 hurricane headed our way. Now, we found ourselves stripping the boat of its windage. Everything needed to be removed from on deck. We then centered Long Windid in the slip and secured her by triple tying the dock lines to the cleats. All we could do was wait for Hurricane Lane to hit and hope for the best. What other challenge could Neptune place in front of us to keep us from leaving this island??? The "hand writing was on the wall", it's been there for months, we were just too anxious to notice. Leaving this year just wasn't meant to be and we should have realized it earlier. Oh well, we'll just wait for next year's weather window, and maybe we will get to the Pacific Northwest after all.

After nearly two years in beautiful Oahu Hawaii, (with mixed emotions and some sadness), it's time to head north to catch the easterly trade winds that will deliver us to the Pacific Northwest, as we originally planned. We'll be leaving Hawaii sometime the end of May / beginning of June, weather permitting.
While in Fiji, we had Long Windid hauled out to have her bottom painted and the running gear inspected. It was then that Dan first noticed the strut, which is normally a brass color, had started to turn pink. This meant electrolysis was attacking and weakening the strut. Dan searched the interior of the boat for the cause of the attack and found a bonding wire had broken loose. He re-attached the wire to the strut which protruded thru the bottom of the boat, thinking that would fix the problem. Fast forward two years... in preparation for our Pacific Northwest passage, we pulled the boat to paint her bottom and have some below the waterline work done. Dan was sickened to find the strut had become even more deteriorated - to a point that dead pieces of metal had broken off the strut's leading edge. It was obvious we had to replace it. We couldn't take the chance of wrapping a rope or fishing net around the propeller and snapping off the strut. Puncturing a hole in the bottom of Long Windid in the middle of the Pacific, since I don't swim would be catastrophic. It took 12 weeks to have the strut fabricated and shipped to Oahu from England. Since the busy yard had an opening to accommodate us, we once again had Long Windid hauled out for the replacement to be installed. Normally, Dan would have had the work done when I was on the mainland. But since I wanted to oversee the major project, I decided to stay on board in what turned out to be a "major construction site". This meant climbing up and down an extension ladder 4-5 times a day for five long hot days. I was living with paint residue, metal and fiberglass grindings, dirt, grim and the smell of resin and solvents strong enough to turn your stomach. We had to sleep on the floor in the salon, since our stateroom was the construction site. However, from our second-floor loft, 12 feet in the air, I could see my lagoon calling for me.
YES" ...I stayed on board. All part of the adventure!
What caused the failure of our original strut??? It wasn't something as simple as the bonding wire Dan found broken. It turned out the bonding strap, a 1 ½ wide braided wire that connects all of the bonding wires to thru hulls and under water gear throughout the boat. The strap had completely corroded beneath the exhaust and fuel hoses. It's not until you have to tear everything out of the boat in order to get to the strut box, that this could have ever be found.

Prior to departing San Diego for Mexico over three years ago, just like most other cruisers preparing for an extended voyage, our original "to do" list was not only extensive, but also expensive and exhausting. Our prioritized list focused mainly on boat systems and other projects making sure Dan and I would be living as comfortable as possible while cruising Long Windid in the warm tropics. As hard as we worked toward completing each task, it always seemed we needed more time before our departure date.
What I remember about the list, was way down at the bottom, Dan was to get his scuba diving certification while still in San Diego.
Scuba diving is an activity Dan wanted to further participate in since his introductory dive nearly twenty years ago when we first visited Bora Bora. To sell me on the idea, Dan figured once certified, he could explore the beautiful underwater gardens of the Pacific. That wasn't one of his more convincing arguments but when he mentioned he could also deal with any boat related issues below the waterline, I was sold but only if all the other tasks had been completed and there was still sufficient time. Looking back, we should have made the time to get him certified.
Diving services in most countries are non-existent. While anchored, Dan would always put on his mask and fins to dive on the boat wiping off the growth from her bottom. It seems his inability to hold his breath longer than 17 seconds at a time made for long exhausting days to complete the job. He would also spend hours snorkeling the reef systems at each beautiful location.
While in Florida, Dan is fortunate that my son Mike and our beautiful daughter-in-law Iris who are avid divers, have encouraged him to dive with them. So, Dan decided to finally take the courses needed and has successfully completed his "Advance Open Water Certification". Now, after traveling through some of the most beautiful dive spots in the world, Dan is finally a certified diver! Obviously a little late and a bit after the fact for the South Pacific, but there are still plenty of beautiful places to dive in Florida and more warm water destinations to come.
For me, I'm still just as happy to lounge on deck above the waterline!

Since we have been cruising Mexico and the South Pacific, Dan and I have been pushed along from country to country by customs and immigration officials due to visa expiration dates. Kinda' cruisers graduation of sorts.
Now that we are in the Hawaii, there are no time restrictions. "Island time" has become a way of life for us. It's very easy to find yourself putting off tasks and projects for another day just to enjoy the moment. The project list for Long Windid has been neglected. Recently, Dan figured that if he got a part time job at West Marine, his days off would become more important and therefore more productive. His strategy seems to have paid off because he has once again become motivated and is working hard on Long Windid projects. Me on the other hand, my motivation is to continue to enjoy my tropical lagoon.
We will be going back to Florida to be with my Mom this coming week. As much as we hate to leave here we are looking forward to seeing family and friends on the mainland again. Planning on returning to Hawaii middle of August.
Hope you all have a wonderful summer!

Since we were going to stay in Oahu longer than previously planned, we decided to buy an "Island Car" for a means of convenient transportation. An island car is a "beater" car used to run around the island, similar to the old VW buses used when mainland counter-culture surfers invaded the island in the 60's. So, in today's world, where do you go to find inexpensive reliable transportation in Hawaii? Surely not a used car lot, Auto trader or Carfax. No, you search Craigslist. Ideally, you hope to find someone leaving or being transferred off the island and needs to liquidate their belongings. After hours of exhausted search and phone calls, I finally spoke to a young man named Reuben who said the 2003 Scion we were originally interested in was just sold but he had another car available. A silver 1998 Volvo S70 with 85,000 miles. Reuben was on his way to the DMV to re-register the car and get the required updated safety report. He suggested we meet him in the Costco parking lot at 4:00pm that afternoon. With cash in hand, Dan and I took the local bus to Costco where we met Reuben. He was a pleasant entrepreneurial young man born in Mexico City, raised in Anaheim, California and recently moved to Oahu. It was in the Costco parking lot where we learned that he buys cars from an auction and flips them through Craigslist. In the far distant corner of the parking lot, Reuben and his partner had four other cars lined up that he just bought and was detailing them. The Volvo is in fair condition, everything works and is in good order, as stated only 85,000 miles. The only issue right now is the drive train. Seems there is a small lug when backing up. I guess we'll just have to park the car in a way that doesn't require backing up or else Dan will have to push us out of a parking stall. After signing the paperwork and driving out of the parking lot, I contacted our insurance company to make sure we were insured. No sooner than I hung up with the agent, Dan seeing a car wash quickly turns into the next lane without signaling, cutting off a car. Within seconds, blue lights were flashing behind us. YES, Dan cut a police car off. We pulled over onto the shoulder. The officer gets out of his car, marches to the driver side puts both hands on the lowered window, sticks his head in the car and asked in a rather stern voice, "What were you thinking? Cutting off a police officer in a very expensive car". Dan stumbled around for an answer but decided there was no reasonable excuse so he just apologized and told the officer that we just bought the car and was not familiar with it. He then asked to see Dan driver's license and registration. When the officer saw the registration, he inquired where we bought the car. We told him Costco parking lot. The disturbed look on his face after hearing "Costco parking lot" was sobering, we not only sounded but felt stupid! Did we do something illegal, I asked? Since we had all the necessary paperwork, he reluctantly confirmed it was legit. Now, the officer wanted to see the insurance card of which luckily had just been texted to me from the Hawaiian insurance agent just minutes before. After a while the officer started to feel sorry for us and was nice enough to eventually let Dan off with just a warning and not a $360 fine. Now, Dan has to hear me nag him about his driving skills every time we get in the car. Sometimes, I think he would have rather paid the fine!

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Boynton Beach, Florida. Dan and I are enjoying the holiday season with my mom, son and daughter-in-law. Hope to be back in Oahu, Hawaii early January 2017.