Sailing – SarahRuthSeeks

Sail to the Mokes Adventure take 2

February 7, 2022 No Comments

Brian and I decided to take an easy beach day on Sunday, so I messaged Pat and Jeanie to see if they were around to hang out (I like to be social and Brian will just fall asleep on me). They were, so we set up camp with them and Pat took us out sailing. Compared to when Jess and I went, the seas were a bit rougher because there was higher winds. This should mean faster travel… except… ended up hitting reef quite a bit because we were heavier and the tide was low. We tacked a bunch of times trying to get out there.

We also brought along Kike, a neurosurgeon. He was playing backseat driver quite a bit which made for an entertaining ride. Regardless we made it to the Mokes! And made our way back to Queen’s baths. We borrowed water booties for our feet to get back there and it was definitely rough walking. Highly recommend stiffer soles, but we made it work. Brian’s essentially fell completely apart by the end.

This following picture is the only picture I have of us from being actually at the Queen’s baths…

Because the wave swells were so high they knocked us from the littler bath into the big bath (you can see a better picture of what I’m talking about with Jess and I actually in the baths in my other post. The smaller bath is to the right in the picture of me and Jess in the bigger one) . The waves came right over the rock wall and hit us really hard! I knocked into the rock wall behind me after the first and then got out because I wasn’t going to tempt fate twice. Well, Brian and Pat stayed in for a second wave and they both got pushed back into the big pool. Brian lost his glasses temporarily, thankfully Kike dove and found them… and Brian is pretty banged up on his legs and one shoulder (pictured). I have some road rash on the back of my leg.

Anyway, lesson learned that you’re only one bad decision away from being one of those “stupid tourists” and that you can’t mess with mother nature! I’d like to go back, ideally, when things are calmer and sit and enjoy the spot for a bit… interestingly, after those two huge waves we didn’t see many big ones while we were looking for the glasses. I wasn’t interested in finding out if it was a “one off”.

Our adventure wasn’t over yet. We walked around the other side down a short path just to check it out.

Nothing too exciting. We decide it’s time to head back to shore. Before we do, Pat’s firefighter instinct decides to pick up two girls (no older than 13 yo) who decided to swim out to the mokes and looked like there was no way they were getting back. They were sprawled out on the beach. The whole way home, they talked about how strong of swimmers they are… Brian and I talked about how even at our fittest we wouldn’t attempt that swim. Anyway, here are the four adults on our way back (the two girls are in front)

We had quite the adventure, more than we bargained for, but that’s life sometimes.

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Sailing to the Mokes

January 24, 2022 1 Comment

Backstory- Jess and I have been picking up trash on Lanikai about once a week. One week we encountered a family there who started a conversation with us and has a whole sifter to use to sift out microplastics, so we bonded over the beach cleanup. Anyway, turns out they have a sailboat and have offered to take us out on it. (Also turns out, Pat is a retired firefighter).

The mokes have been sitting there tempting me every morning… so many people will kayak or stand up paddle board out there, but it’s a little far beyond my risk tolerance. Let me tell you… the sailboat method was the best.

The day we went there was little to no wind, and it was the most leisurely, relaxing sail I’ve ever had. It was beautiful to see Lanikai from the ocean, and we were sailing next to turtles. I didn’t know what to expect, so these are only phone photos (I didn’t risk my big camera). I actually wasn’t even sure I was going to go, because I was nervous about the whole thing, but I took a risk and Pat was really kind and assuring.

The waves actually come in around both sides of the island to crash together in front of a beach. It looks a little daunting, but the boat was so stable and we did fine. We did spend a good 5 minutes watching all the kayaking tourists tip over, and I definitively decided I will not take a kayak out there.

Then we hiked around the back side and got to what is called the queens bath. It’s about 6ft deep. We jumped in! And just beyond is a smaller pool. You have to be careful where you put your hands, there are a lot of sea urchins in all the crevices!

Apparently the thing to do is relax and watch the waves break, sometimes they’ll break over the queens bath wall.

We didn’t spend too long here, but we could’ve. We made our way back through the washing machine waves (which ended up pouring down on us because they crashed!)

Jess attempted to learn some of the sailing things but I had no interest so I just sat along for the ride. This couple is very nice. He worked in LA as a firefighter and they are renting a small place out here and property managing for a house right on the beach. It’s great when great people meet great people! Afterward we hung at the beach with more of their friends, who turned out to be Air Force. They really want a tour of a sub… so in turn we get a tour of their… plane? Ha. But they fly the really huge ones. So that’s cool! Brian had to work all day. It seems par for the course… I wish I could go more into details but I can’t. Maybe one day.

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Story time

July 31, 2021 No Comments

Backstory. I’ve made mention of my subwife friend on here a few times. She was with us at SOAC in CT, then her husband stationed in Hawaii with us now. She was renting a short term rental from another sub family in Kaneohe and recently moved to a more permanent location. Her old landlord had brought her some limes from her tree, but had too many so she shared with me.

Fast forward to Wednesday. There was an event held by the Marine Corps officer spouses club (Kaneohe Officer Spouse Club, KOSC) (all officer spouse groups tend to co-mingle and allow other branch wives to join in). It was bingo night at the O-Club (officer’s club, a restaurant on base that, in theory, only officers (and their families) and above are allowed at. I offered to bring a prize for one of the rounds, which was a glass from Tiki’s, two rum nips, a small can of orange and pineapple juice, and a lime that Caitlyn had brought me.

I entered this big, restaurant room they had reserved with three or four large tables and took a seat at what was probably the head table (the chairs and bingo ball puller person(?) was there). Two women sat near me, one next and one across. It was quickly revealed that we were all Navy wives (we somehow find each other) and the one next to me was a subwife. She had told me that I looked familiar, and I kinda brushed it off because I hadn’t really met anyone yet at any events and everyone in subs starts to look familiar. So we both sat on it. She told me she lived in Kaneohe, and had been there for a while (6+ years). Kaneohe was where my friend was renting, and her landlord had been there a while. After a long delay, my brain has been fried from work, the thought occurred to me they must know each other, so I turned to her and asked her “Do you know the Jones’?” (name changed). She look across at her friend, who is about to bust out laughing, and turns to me and says “I am the Jones’!!” and we all erupted in laughter.

A little while later, someone wins my prize and I tug on her shirt and say, “Do you know where that lime came from? Your tree!” And we laughed again.

She had been inviting my friend to Thursday night booze cruises on their boat docked at Kaneohe Yacht Club. I had brought up a conversation my friend, her husband, and I had had about their boat and if it was a sail boat or motor or what. She took this to mean I was trying to nudge at getting invited to one of these, and that wasn’t the case at all, I had truly completely forgot that was a thing. Regardless, she told me to come tomorrow (Thursday) on their boat booze cruise. And if there’s anything that’s going to make me feel at home, it’s a boat booze cruise.

I was kinda caught up in the moment, so I didn’t get any pictures of their actual boat except one, but it is a house boat of sorts. There’s a below deck with two bedrooms and two bathrooms and small living area. They have a deck and front walkabout. We took it out, “chased” the sailboats for their weekly Thursday night race, got rained on, and moseyed on back to the dock. It was SO picturesque and I really enjoyed photographing regardless of the rainy weather. This is the same bay we went to the sandbar on Saturday.

This first picture is of me on the front walkabout before it started raining. I didn’t bring a towel to wipe my lens again. Face palm.

The next set of pictures are them on their way out. Lots of sailboat pictures, it was so fun to photograph!

You can see the heavy rain we’re about to get hit with in this next one.

And on their way back in.

Brian was on duty last night and even if he wasn’t he probably wouldn’t get home early enough to come. I am so thankful he is a really supportive husband of me going out and doing things on my own. I’m harder on myself about it than he is. I almost feel a little guilty, and I also just know he’d love doing it with me. I married him because I love spending time and doing these types of things with him. I remind myself this won’t last forever.

He just got home, so we get to eat dinner!

Oh, one last thing, we caught the Marine Corps practicing search and rescue drills.