Sailing from Berkeley to Hawaii in a 19ft Sailboat

Summary

Chubby Commutes to Hawaii: A Technical Discussion By Bill Teplow From Dream to Plan As a consulting exploration geologist, my work life tends to consist of periods of intense work punctuated by periods of intense unemployment. True to form, I completed my last work assignment on July 8th and I found myself with a month and a half of enforced leisure before my next gig. Since the coming job was located on the Big Island of Hawaii, an old fantasy of mine started to materialize as an actual plan. In early July, while looking at my West Wight Potter 19 "Chubby" sitting jauntily at her berth at the Berkeley Marina, tugging at her dock lines and proudly showing off her new bottom paint, it dawned on me that I could use her to commute to my next job. On July 9th I started serious preparations for the trip. Just as I was getting heavily into the outfitting, my client on the Big Island called and asked me to show up on July 16th at a coordinating meeting for the project startup. I flew over to Hilo a day early and went straight to Radio Bay, the small boat harbor located in the far eastern corner of Hilo Bay, tucked in behind the big commercial docks. I chatted with the very friendly and accommodating Harbor Master's staff and got all the information needed for proper check-in and for renting a space at the harbor. I also got a chance to see the particular style of anchoring and stern tie that is used at the 10' high cement sea wall. The daily fee for keeping Chubby at Radio Bay is $8.50. There is a 30 day limit that can be extended if there is room. When I arrived four weeks later in Chubby, there were two boats tied up, leaving room for perhaps 15 more, so space was not an issue. There is a locked restroom with shower at the dock for the exclusive use of cruisers, and a market and laundromat one block away. The friendly atmosphere and secure tie-up for my destination port gave me the final push to commit to the voyage. Upon return home to Oakland I found myself with four d...