Nuka Hiva to San Diego

Sunday, October 23, 2011

The day started out sunny and warm, with a strong breeze from the east, which generated a beam swell that rattled the ship occasionally.  Today is a traditional Rijstaffell lunch in the Pinnacle Dining Room for those of us in Suites.  Today is also the “Walk for the Cure”, a 5KM walk to raise money for breast cancer research.

Monday, October 24, 2011

The strong breeze from the SE persists, with mostly sunny skies as we re-cross the equator headed north to San Diego. We are in the “doldrums”, but the wind and waves would say otherwise.   Today is the “Mariner Society” luncheon and the next to last formal night.  Passengers are apparently getting tired of formal nights since many people do not come to the dining rooms and there were lots of shorts at the show.  Shorts are discouraged by the dress code on board, but ignored by many people.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

The ship is in the so-called “doldrums” marked by overcast skies, heavy rain at times and a fresh breeze from the SE at 17-24 knots.  By this evening we will be north of the Tropic of Cancer.  The weather is still warm and very humid.  The skies cleared about 1400 and by 1700 the wind had finally decreased to 10 knots or less.  By 2200 we were at 11 degrees North latitude and the seas were nearly calm, just a low swell.  We still have some 1500 nautical miles to go before we arrive in San Diego.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

The wind and seas increased overnight, with the wind now 25 knots from the east with overcast skies.   There were brief periods of rain in the morning.  The seas are rough enough that the ship is once again creaking and groaning as we continue to head towards San Diego, just under 1200 nautical miles away at noon.  Miriam and I had dinner at the Pinnacle this evening before the farewell variety show, followed by the “Black & White Ball” with the ship’s officers.  The ball started at 10:30 PM and we finally got back to the cabin about 1:00 AM.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

At noon today we are still 750 nautical miles from San Diego, with the wind from the NE at 21 knots.  The skies are partly cloudy with the sun peeking through.  The air temperature has cooled considerably, now only 72 degrees, but with the wind feels even cooler.  The cruise is winding down, with repeats on the evening entertainment and the dinner menus are starting to look the same.  Berries have disappeared from the breakfast fruit selections, but there is still lettuce.

Friday, October 28, 2011

The seas calmed down overnight, with winds of less than 10 knots.  The temperature in the morning was only 64 degrees, but should climb during the day.  Today is packing day, and also time to review the charges, which came in as expected.  There is a repeat performer this evening and we need to have our bags in the hallway before we retire for the evening.  In the morning when we arrive are the US Customs and Immigration formalities before we disembark.  We have been told that we should be off the ship about 10 AM.

New news, this evening we had an impromptu didgeridoo demonstration in our cabin by Sean Patrick Ryan, one of the Koomurri Musicians that performed between Tahiti and Nuka Hiva.  It was a real experience!

October 29, 2011

We disembarked about 11:00 and took a taxi to the Hyatt Regency hotel.  After sighseeing, including a tour of the USS Midway (an aircraft carrier museum on the waterfront) we met our friends from the transatlantic cruise several years ago at the "C Level" restaurant on Harbor Island.  They are all leaving in the morning on the Zaandam for a 25 day cruise to Sydney and then another 14 days to New Zealand.

Papeete to Nuka Hiva

Some of the local fruits we sampled on Nuka Hiva

The "Survivor Nuka-Hiva" Beach

It is about 780 nautical miles from Papeete to Nuka Hiva, or somewhat further than Seattle to Ketchikan.  About halfway to Nuka Hiva we passed by several atolls in the Tuomotos, including Takaroa atoll which has the remains of an old square rigger, “City of Roxbury” on the beach.

The weather finally turned to rain as we approached Taiohae Bay on the south side of Nuka Hiva.  The bay is semi-circular and somewhat protected, except when the swells were from the southeast.  There were a number of sailboats anchored in a very open roadstead and they were all rolling heavily as we were taking the tender ashore.  We had booked a scenic driving tour to the Taipivai valley which was part of Herman Melvilles novels, including a look down onto the beach where “Survivor Nuka Hiva” was filmed.  There is no trace of the filming left, CBS completely cleaned up the area.  After driving through a coconut plantation we stopped for local fruit snacks and a chance to buy local handicrafts before returning to the ship in drenching rain.  The rain pretty much eliminated any of the scenic vistas we had hoped to see.

The Marquesan's do a lot of stone carving

The local cathedral with the orginal 1800 entrance preserved

This is the last stop before San Diego.   San Diego is 2837 nautical miles away and we have already travelled 6693 nautical miles for an estimated total cruise distance of 9530 nautical miles.

Moorea to Papeete

We actually arrived in Papeete by 2000 and we were able to leave the ship as soon as dinner was over.  The bars and clubs close to the ship were packed, but we found a table and shared some Tahitian beer with some of our cruising mates.  We got back to the ship by 0030 in order to get some sleep before the 4X4 tours the next morning.

The tour was called “off the beaten track – a 4WD safari” and we headed to the Papenoo river and valley outside of Papeete where we saw waterfalls, lots of scenery and had a chance to swim in the Papenoo River before returning to the ship at 1245.  The traffic, dust and smoke were all intense, with 160,000 inhabitants on the island of Tahiti and 80,000 in Papeete alone.  That left us some time to walk through the central market before we had to be back on board at 1430.  The ship departed at 1500 and is headed to Nuka Hive, some 768 nautical miles to the northeast, for our last port of call before returning to San Diego.

Bora Bora to Moorea

Sting Ray Encounter

Feeding the sting rays

Approaching the anchorage at Moorea

Day 2 of our stay in Bora Bora consisted of shopping in Vaitape and then going to a motu for a beach break in the afternoon.  This shore excursion returned to the ship just before departure giving us just time to get cleaned up before we hosted a “sail away” party in our cabin as we headed out of the anchorage to Moorea.  Moorea is not far, so the ship only travelled at about 11 knots all night.

The Westerdam entered Opunohu Bay in Moorea shortly after 0600 and the tenders began running to shore before 0700.  While we were anchoring we noticed a Nordhavn 55 anchored close by, and it turned out to be “Skie”.  We last saw Skie in Sitka during our 2010 voyage north and knew they were somewhere in French Polynesia.  We could not contact them directly, but sent a note via one of the tour guides who lives on his boat anchored nearby.  In the morning we had another 4X4 Land Rover tour of the island, up steep roads, through pineapple plantations and to incredible viewpoints in the morning.  In the afternoon Patrick went on a snorkeling expedition which included feeding manta rays, seeing lemon sharks and lots of fish. The texture of the skin was unbelievably soft, almost silky.   The Westerdam raised anchor at 1800 and headed the short 30 nautical mile distance to Papeete, Tahiti, where we expect to dock by 2100.

Pictures when we get a faster connection

Raiatea to Bora Bora

The Westerdam entered the lagoon at Bora Bora shortly after 0600.  The skies cleared somewhat overnight, but the wind was still brisk.  The first tenders went ashore by 0700, and Miriam and I went ashore with Craven’s at 0815 for a 4WD offroad tour of Bora Bora.  There were 6 people per Land Rover and with the top covers down, we had great views of the local scenery as we climbed up steep dirt tracks to some spectacular views of the peaks on Bora Bora.  We also stopped at an artist’s house where hand painted Pareau’s were made and then a black pearl farm.  In the afternoon we went back into town and made reservations to eat dinner at Bloody Mary’s, a seafood restaurant about 10 KM from the ship.

There almost no pleasure craft in the lagoon.  One exception is a Nordhavn 76 “Legend of Capricorn” from Brisbane, Australia.  We were surprised at the number of resorts that were closed, some due to typhoon damage and some to the downturn in tourist business due to the economy.  We have come to the conclusion that this is not the time of year for cruisers, if the winds and seas of the last week are any indication.

Dinner at “Bloody Mary’s” was great, with fresh caught seafood.  Miriam had white albacore and Patrick had wahoo for entrees, while both of us had two versions of tuna, “big eye” sashimi and albacore kabobs.  We finally got back to the ship shortly before 10 PM, with NO lines for the tenders.  The tenders will run all night for the really hard core party people.

Spectacular Peaks on Bora Bora

Our 4WD transportation

The lagoon at Bora Bora

Rarotonga to Raiatea

October 14, 2011

After the aborted attempt to stop at Rarotonga we headed NE to Raiatea in brisk winds and seas to 15 feet almost on the beam.  Since we left early, the captain has kept the ship at only 13 knots, so there is quite a bit of roll motion even with the stabilizers.  It is very windy on deck, with the apparent wind as high as 50 knots.  The occasional larger seas cause the entire ship to shudder.

October 15, 2011

The seas remain the same as yesterday as we cruise at 13 knots towards Raiatea.  The winds remain brisk, gusting to 35 knots true wind speed.  The Westerdam, at 950 feet long, is still being moved around the ocean like a small boat.  When we happened to talk to the captain at noontime, he indicated the seas were seastate 6-7, or significant wave heights to more than 20 feet.  The wind across the decks is so high that most of the deck chairs on the aft pool have been lashed down to keep them from blowing away and the sliding cover over the amidships pool has been kept closed.  There are salt deposits everywhere, including our furniture on the verandah, which is 8 decks above the water.

October 16, 2011

As the sun rose through the clouds we approached Raiatea from the east side and entered the reef near the town of Utorua, at the north end of the island.  The brisk wind has continued but we made it through the entrance and docked at the town, where dancers greeted us.  Our tour was in motorized pirogues which each held about 35 passengers.  The destination of Faaroa River, the largest in Polynesia, was about 7 miles to windward, but inside the lagoon in the open boats.  We immediately regretted taking the bow seats as we were completely drenched in just a few minutes.  The crew finally passed out raincoats, but it was too late, we were all soaked, as well as our backpacks.

We finally arrived at the river, which was calm, and motored up perhaps one mile in the sun, looking at plants and a few birds.  After a short visit we headed to Moto Inru for a beach break.  The water was warmer than the air, but with the wind, we still were a little cold and welcomed the ride with the wind behind us back to the ship.  After changing into dry clothes we headed back into town.  Most stores were closed since it was Sunday, but a few shops were open.  We walked as far as the local marina before getting souvenirs and a cold beverage at the local bar.  By 3 PM the skies were totally cloudy and the wind had picked back up to 25 knots.

We left at 6 PM and headed northwest between Raiatea and Taha’a towards our destination of Bora Bora, just 47 nautical miles away where we will spend 2 days.  The wind is expected to continue, so it will be interesting to see how rough the water is in the lagoon at Bora Bora.

Our Canoe trip to the Faaroa River

Moving up the river

Entering the reef at Raiatea

Tabuaeran to Rarotonga – Part 2

Rarotonga from 1/2 mile offshore

October 12, 2011

We repeated October 12 as we passed back across the Date Line and are now only three hours behind Seattle, the same as Hawaii.  This is another day at sea, marked by partly cloudy skies and an increasing breeze.  There have been occasional rain squalls, but most miss the ship.  We spent the day exercising, reading or sitting poolside under the tropical sun.

October 13, 2011

The last day at sea before Rarotonga brought more wind and increasing seas, with more of the rain squalls.  At noon we were still some 330 nautical miles from Rarotonga and 1200 nautical miles from Tabuaeran.  The ship is cruising at a little over 17 knots, well below the usual 21 knot cruise speed for this type of ship, and we suspect it is just fast enough to always arrive in the early morning at our destination after leaving the previous destination in early evening.  The captain indicated during his noon position update that the windy conditions were expected to continue, but did not say there was a high probability of cancellation.  In fact, he emphasized that there was NO tropical depression in the area.

October 14, 2011

The wind and seas continued throughout the night, with the apparent wind at 55 knots when we woke up.  We suspected, and it was confirmed later by the captain, that the seas were too rough to permit using the tenders to get ashore and so the stop was cancelled.  We have now travelled to 21 degrees south latitude, after starting at 48 degrees north latitude.  We did cruise along the lee side of the island just outside the reef for several hours at slow speed for photos before heading back northeast towards Raiatea.  Holland America has refunded the port taxes and the shore excursion cost and offered a glass of sparkling wine with dessert at dinner.  However, Rarotonga was one of the primary reasons for us choosing this cruise and to travel 5300 nautical miles and do only a drive-by and get a glass of inexpensive wine is really disappointing.  I suspect the cost to Holland America is substantial when a stop is missed, but this is now the second weather related port cancellation, and we are not finished, since there is only one port at which we dock for the remainder of the cruise.

Lahaina to the Equator

Children Posing for pictures

Schoolgirls on the main road

Climbing for coconuts

We have limited bandwidth on board, so only a couple of pictures until we arrive in Rarotonga.

Friday, October 7, 2011

The remainder of the day in Lahaina was pleasant.  We stopped for lunch at the Lahaina Yacht Club on Front Street and watched the boat traffic and surfers from the lanai.  After more shopping we finally headed back to the ship about 1500.  The ship began departure preparations about 1630 and by 1700 we were underway south past Lanai as the sun set.  The evening entertainment was a repeat from the very first night, so we skipped that and had a leisurely dinner instead.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Overnight the wind and seas picked up a little with an 8-10 foot beam swell which rocked the ship all night.  Morning rain squalls were gradually replaced by partly sunny skies, but the brisk wind made being on deck unpleasant at first.  The wind and swells gradually decreased and we spent the afternoon relaxing in or around the pools under mostly sunny skies before getting ready for formal night number three.  We joined Bill & Ruth Craven in the Pinnacle Grill for a special dinner finished off with Chocolate Volcano Cake.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Overnight we crossed the International Date Line (due to Kiribati wanting the who nation on the same day, even though we are not actually that close to the official date line) and lost Sunday entirely.  We woke up to rain showers and 79 degrees, with visibility of less than one mile.  The swells continue, now with a sizeable wind chop on top.  We seem to be picking up the edges of the tropical storms headed for Mexico as we head south towards the equator.  Our next stop, Tabuaeran (Fanning Island), part of the Northern Line Islands and the nation of Kiribati is tomorrow.  We will be able to go ashore only if weather permits.

Tabuaeran is an atoll with a diameter of about 7 miles at the widest point and has about 2000 residents.  There is no electricity or running water and no cars, but a few trucks.  Most families live in a “Fale”, a house consisting of a single room with dirt floors covered with gravel.  There are separate cooking and dining rooms to keep pests at bay.  Lifestyle is described as shared, and ancestor worship is still practiced.  The name “Tabuaeran” itself is taken from a Polynesian phrase that means hallowed footprint, probably from the shape of the atoll from the air.  It is a low lying arid atoll and just barely above sea level, so is very vulnerable to the effects of global warming.  The atoll has no native population, all the current residents moved here following its rediscovery by Captain Fanning in 1798.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

As the sun rose over the SE horizon we could see Tabuaeran (Fanning Island) in the distance.  There was both a swell and wind chop, but the captain used the ship as a windbreak and created a lee as we stood offshore, no anchor.  Miriam and I were on the first tender ashore and the passengers were all greeted by islanders singing songs, selling curios and posing for pictures (for a fee).  We walked south from the landing and saw people processing seaweed, gathering coconuts, and lots of kids, including many in school.  There were also lots of dogs and pigs and relatively lush vegetation.  After several hours sightseeing we went back to the ship for restrooms (there are no facilities on the island) and then returned for more pictures and some swimming on the site of the former Norwegian Cruise Line beach, now fallen into disrepair.  After a long day in the sun we finally left Tabuaeran at 1700, bound for Rarotonga.  Tomorrow we cross the equator and will have the appropriate ceremonies to appease King Neptune and initiate some “polliwogs” on the crew that have not yet crossed the equator on a ship and received their “shellback” certificates.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Another day at sea marked by crossing the equator at 0602 in the morning.  At 1000 we celebrated the crossing with the fun King Neptune ceremony around the aft pool.  No passengers are allowed to participate, only watch, and the pool is then closed for cleaning out the debris from coating the polliwogs with everything from colored egg whites, syrup to dry cereal.  We had rain squalls late in the afternoon and the skies turned mostly cloudy.  At noon we had some 1100 nautical miles to go in order to reach the next stop, Rarotonga.

Honolulu to Lahaina

 The dinner cruises depart Aloha Tower

 The famous King Kamehameha Statue

 Iolani Palace, now a museum

Approaching the Arizona Memorial

 The aft gun turret base, still smelling of oil seeping

Inside the memorial

Hawaii state capitol building

Queen Iolani statue

Departing Honolulu for Hilo

Daimond head in the background

Fireboats greeting us in Hilo

Mauna Kea from the harbor on a clear day in Hilo

After docking late at Honolulu Harbor we waited for the crowds to thin out and headed into town, looking for the post office and internet access.  We found the post office just four blocks from the ship in a building across from Iolani Palace and mailed a package back to Bellevue.  Walking a few more blocks brought us to the Aloha Tower which has really changed since Jetfoil Days in the 1970’s, with lots of pricey shops and a few places to eat.  One of the coffee shops offered internet access when purchasing coffee, so we spent some time paying bills and updating the blog.  We shared a taxi into Waikiki with Craven’s and ended up at the Hilton Hawaiian Village for lunch and Mai Tai’s.  Dinner on the ship was nearly empty, with many guests sampling the BBQ on the Lido deck.  We decided to pass on that.

The next morning we departed on our shore excursion to the Arizona Memorial, which included stops at Punchbowl National Cemetery, downtown, and then to Pearl Harbor.  The tour of the Arizona Memorial was sobering as we reflected on the lives lost and that my Dad had survived the sinking of the battleship California on that “Day of Infamy” in 1941, nearly 70 years ago.  All the accounts we had read about that day fell into place seeing the actual sites.  Most of the people were respectful at the memorial.  There were several Pearl Harbor Survivors signing autographs, but we did not get a chance to talk to them with the timing of the shore excursion.  The new museums and film presentations were well worth the visit, but we wished we had even more time to look at them in detail.  The drive back to the ship was long due to traffic jams, but included at detour though Chinatown.

The Westerdam departed Honolulu at 1700 and we headed for Hilo under sunny skies.  Our entertainment this evening was a ventriloquist who had appeared on the David Letterman show and he was pretty good.  The seas and wind increased overnight as we approached the Big Island of Hawaii, but the skies were clear as we headed into Hilo Harbor, docking before 0800. We were surprised to see the “Zaandam” tied up, but found that rough seas off Lahaina had forced a detour to Hilo.  We are hopeful the seas will subside for our planned visit tomorrow.   The top of Mauna Kea was visible until about noon, and then the skies clouded over and rain showers arrived.  Taking a taxi into town, a distance of about three miles, we walked around the old town that survived the Tsunami of 1946 and went to the museum, which had been a bank before the tsunami.  We watched the video presentation in the old bank vault and then headed back to the ship for lunch.  The rain showers discouraged us from further forays into town.

On Friday morning we were able to get ashore quickly and are sitting in a Starbucks sipping iced coffee while we update the blog.  This evening when the ship departs Lahaina we head south for French Polynesia.

At Sea between San Diego and Honolulu

Seas remained calm, with 10 knot winds and a low northwest swell, overcast skies.  This weather pattern is expected to persist for another 24 hours and then get warmer and sunny for the last two days of the four day crossing to Honolulu.  We are getting into a shipboard routine, which includes a workout and hydrotherapy session before breakfast, some seminar attendances (like a cooking demo), lunch, another workout session and then getting ready for dinner and evening entertainment.  Not much stress in this routine.

By day three the skies have cleared, the wind is gentle and the sun bathers have come out of hiding, nearly every outside deck chair is taken.  This evening we went with Bill & Ruth Craven to “La Cirque”, the recreation of the famous New York restaurant by the same name.  The Pinnacle Grill is transformed with new decorations, dishes and uniforms to appear the same as the namesake restaurant.  The menu items are supposed to be the same as the original, but in our opinion, fell a little short.  Still, it was a good experience and meal, which included lobster salad, a deconstructed Caesar salad, butternut squash soup, chateaubriand and chocolate soufflé or crème brulee for dessert, along with wine pairings for each course.

Our last day at sea started out with rain squalls and mostly cloudy skies.  They finally passed by and we had a sunny afternoon walking the promenade deck.

This morning we approached Honolulu and passed by Diamond Head.  We will stay overnight in Honolulu and plan on visiting the Arizona Memorial tomorrow.

 Passing Diamond Head

 Dinner at "La Cirque"

 Gathering on the verandah for evening cocktails

Looking for the "green flash" - too many clouds

San Diego Interlude

The mission at the Presidio, San Diego

The first formal night was fun.  We started with appetizers and wine in Bill & Ruth Craven’s cabin and then headed for the show.  There were many people in attendance that ignored the “formal” night dress code, with everything from jeans to t-shirts and shorts.  The show was entitled “Stars of Stage & Screen” and was a high energy dance and vocal production by the Westerdam singers and dancers.  After the show we went to the Vista dining room for dinner and then the Ocean Bar for an Irish Coffee.  By now the seas and wind had moderated so it was a peaceful night.

In the morning, our last sea day before San Diego, the weather started out sunny but then we ran into dense fog.  We listened to the fog horn until early evening when visibility improved to 3-5 miles as the ship headed down the Santa Barbara Channel past the Channel Islands.  The marine layer producing the poor visibility persisted overnight, but lifted as we docked at the “B” Street Pier in downtown San Diego.  We were joined by the Statendam and the Sapphire Princess. 

Miriam and I left the ship about 0900 to meet our friends, Mary, Kyle and Kathleen for a tour and lunch in La Jolla.  After stopping at the Presidio and the Mount Soledad war memorial we headed into La Jolla.  The fog still was present in La Jolla, so we did not get the views we expected, but we had a great lunch at “Georges” in La Jolla Cove.  The sun finally broke through as we headed back to the ship, where we re-boarded a little after 1500, so we could attend the mandatory lifeboat drill at 1615.  The Westerdam left at 1650 under sunny skies and headed west towards Hawaii.

At Sea Southbound from Columbia River

The weather did not cooperate so the Astoria stop was cancelled and we are now spending 3 days at sea rather than the 2 days originally planned.  As the day progressed, the seas did continue to build in height, but also were longer, so the ride remained about the same.  Miriam and I went to lunch in the Vista dining room at the stern and the waves looked incredibly large.  We then spent some more time in the exercise room and hydrotherapy suites before dinner.  There were many empty tables at dinner, so service was very quick.  The Captain had ordered champagne for everyone as partial payback for having to cancel the Astoria, Oregon stop.  We headed to the show, which was a less than funny comedian and suspecting that might be the case we sat in the back and finally left early.  We were not the only ones that did so, including people sitting down in front.

The wind continued to abate overnight, and the swells moved around to the beam, so we had a gentle rolling motion when morning arrived.

Tonight is the first formal night so we will have to get dressed up for the first time this cruise.