Saturday, February 15

We left Cairns at about 9 am, arriving in Sydney for our connection to Hawaii. After a six hour layover in Sydney, we boarded the plane to Oahu at about 10 pm. Our flight lasted about nine hours, and we arrived in Oahu at 11 am, also on Saturday. We arrived in Hawaii twelve hours earlier than we left Sydney, and only two hours later than we left Cairns. Crossing the International Date Line was “like deja vu all over again.”

This reminds me of a short story I read in grade school by Edgar Allen Poe: “Three Sundays in a Week.” A young man wanted to marry a certain girl, but his uncle and guardian, would not give permission. Finally, after some badgering, he agreed to let them marry when three Sundays occurred in one week. By bringing together some sailing acquaintances, the young man was able to convince his uncle that indeed, yesterday, today and tomorrow were all Sunday, after which the uncle gave his permission.

We are pretty tired, and have no activities planned while we are here, but anything can happen. The weather is lovely, warm and mostly clear. Our hotel is located near Waikiki Beach, which is a beautiful and popular beach. We hope to connect with some friends while we’re here.