If you look up the Hawaiian word Maluhia, you will find definitions such as: "serenity", "peace", "calm", "silence", "safety", "at ease", and "placid". It is only fitting that this is the name of our new boat and the feelings that she has imparted on us since we have made her our home. I finally feel a sense of serenity that I have not felt in quite some time. Maybe it is the lapping waves against the hull or the gentle rocking motion that quickly comforts me and sends me into a sweet slumber. Or perhaps, it is the long desired peace and quiet of no roommates, no roosters, and no loud neighbors. I forgot how placid life is while living at sea. Alas, Maluhia!
We have been living on board our lovely boat for about a month and a half now, and we are both thankful for everything that this lifestyle has to offer. There have been challenges (of course), but if anything these obstacles have shown us how great of a boat we have. The hot, balmy summers that we typically expect here in Lahaina have been more like winters with frequent showers, big swells, and nasty fronts with 50 mph winds surrounding us. We have had rough dinghy rides out to the boat late at night dressed in full foul weather gear huddled on the floor of the dinghy in crash position with waves breaking over us. We even had waves crashing over Maluhia swamping our bunk...talk about serious weather on a mooring ball! That's boating in Hawaii for you! Everyone tells me that if I can survive living on a mooring here, I will be golden as this is probably one of the hardest mooring spots we will ever encounter. I have rather enjoyed the challenge and I feel very happy about having an extremely heavy boat that makes me feel safe.
Its not all rough out there either. We have really beautiful days where I delight in laying out on the deck of the boat with friends or we enjoy a sail to neighboring islands or anchorages (days off permitting). Unfortunately, we do not get to do as much sailing as we would like, but we know that this is something that we will get our fill of very soon in the near future! With opposite work schedules, Mike and I hardly got to enjoy the newly wed bliss we were hoping for. We are lucky to even see each other some days, let alone get our major projects done on the boat. We both are really looking forward to having some time off soon.
The summer months are breezing by and before we know it, it will be time for us to set sail on our first big adventure aboard our new boat. We are planning on leaving Hawaii in September and making a crossing over to San Francisco to pick up our stuff and to try and sell our other vessel Isabella. From there we will head down the California coast to Mexico, and eventually will continue down the Central and South American coast lines. Stay tuned for updates as we spend the next few months getting prepared for our journey!
