Anchored off the coast of Lahaina, Maui, with tender operations underway. [Note: If you didn't read Part I yet, you can read it here .] We arrived in Lahaina, Maui the next morning. Helga was still recovering and I was feeling a bit tired. Still, Maui was going to be the best chance to get in the water and swim with the fishes, just about my favorite thing to do. Helga decided she wouldn't be getting in the water, but she was happy to sit on the beach while I was swimming. We decided to take a walk about a mile up the coast from the center of Lahaina to Mala boat ramp and pier. It is supposed to be a great place to see turtles. A tender from Grand Princess arriving in Lahaina We had a nice walk up the coast and arrived at a stretch of beach near where I wanted to go snorkeling. Mala Pier isn't that big anymore, but it used to extend about a quarter mile out into the water. The abandoned portion that exists only underwater has become a cleaning station for sea turtles....
Sunrise from the stern of the Grand Princess a couple of days into the cruise [Blogger's note: I wrote this post a year ago, never quite finished it, so it didn't make it to the web site. I am getting into the mode of posting again, and when I came back to the blog editor, the story was still just sitting here. I figured, what the heck, go ahead publish it. I broke it into a few parts because it's pretty long. -03/23/2021] Helga made the decision to retire early, in January 2020, during the fall of 2019, a decision driven by the passing of our young boat neighbor and friend Sam, along with other factors. I thought it would be nice to give her a retirement present. Yes, we have our own boat that is suitable for long distance cruising (San Francisco to Hawaii is a 12 to 20 day trip one way for us) but long distances are more of an adventure than a vacation. We have plans to start cruising this summer, but I thought Helga might like going to Hawaii, a place she has never ...