Hazel rests now in Ko Olina Marina on Oahu, her lines secured and her hull gently touching the protected Hawaiian water after more than twelve thousand nautical miles of rivers and open ocean. The Last Dance from Hilo Bay to Honolulu is behind us. Repairs are waiting. Summer downtime has officially begun. As Peter and I step off her deck for the first time in months, the weight of every mile we traveled finally settles in. It arrives not as exhaustion, but as gratitude. It al

Hazel is on her final voyage before she is put to rest in Ko Olina Marina on Oahu for the summer. She will finally receive some well deserved repairs and maintenance. The run from Hilo Bay on the Big Island to Honolulu is 225 nautical miles of open ocean sailing. For Hazel, that means a straight shot of about 36 hours. What a sail it has been so far. We have averaged 6.4 knots over the last 155 miles. I am writing this during my last night watch of the season. We have 21 knot

There are a few phrases sailors dream of saying out loud, and after 37 days at sea, crossing the longest open stretch of the Pacific without touching land, Peter and I finally earned one of them: land ho. When the Big Island first appeared on the horizon, I had to call my wife and show her. Trying to describe the feeling of seeing land after more than a month at sea is nearly impossible. Relief, joy, excitement, and a quiet sense of pride all collided at once. Moments later,