Wednesday 4/8/09 11:45pm HST (3 hours earlier than PDT)

Speed: 18.6 kts, Temp: 71.8 degrees, Humidity 77.8%

21 degrees 12’ N 158 degrees 19’ W

Sailed 2525.6 nautical miles from LA

Sailed 73.2 miles from Nawiliwili, Kauai

104.3 nautical miles to Lahaina, Maui

Seas: 4.0 – 7.5ft moderate, wind: Force 6 strong breeze

Sea temp 75.2 degrees

Welcome to Nawiliwili!!! In the wee hours of the morning, we reached Kaua’i, which is also known as the Garden Isle. Waialeale is the wettest spot on the earth getting about 450 inches of rain a year, and we thought Washington got it bad. This area is so green and lush, everything that grows is huge! Kim woke up early and woke Bonnie up to go into town early, prior to the excursion at 11:50am. A quick into town and back was perfectly timed. Marlene and Kathy were up, breakfasted and ready to go….go where you ask? Why the entire group was going Mountain Tubing!!! We were outfitted with a helmet with headlight, gloves and we brought our own water socks. We were given instructions and then…you wondering yet?  We were helped into our inner tubes that were already in the water. We were going to explore an old sugar cane plantations historic waterway system called flumes or ditches, which were used to float sugar cane down from the mountain side. These ditches were hand dug around 1870 by plantation workers and they dug through rock (yes, there are tunnels, five of them), and there are a couple of small waterfalls (well, maybe water drop is more appropriate) that you go over at a pretty fast pace. We went through the tunnels with our headlamps on and then the long one with lights off, a bit scary especially when someone is humming the “JAWS” theme song behind you! Marlene was bumping off the walls, Kim was spinning around and around with a huge smile, Kathy was torn between laughing and yelling at Bonnie to catch up, and Bonnie was at the back of the pack. If you ever get a chance to do it, you should, we all would do it again tomorrow! We were all wet, laughing and had a great time. It was about an hour long ride down. Next time, we’ll try and get Marlene up on the Zipline!! We had a brief break complete with snacks prior to making our way back to the ship. Marlene and Bonnie went onboard to get the showers started while Kim and Kathy headed in to town. When they got back, they brought back Starbucks for all!! We cleaned up and went to a late dinner.  A fun day filled with adventure, laughter and fun people, gotta find a way to keep the fun going! We are all tired but it’s a good tired. Everyone is in bed, dreaming of fluming and sunny days. Tomorrow we will be in Maui….and our trip is half way over. We miss our family and friends, but are so grateful for this time together and are trying to make each day as memorable as possible to carry us through the days when we are apart.