Rim of the Pacific Exercises ( now for all !)
The red had changed to white, and suddenly the crossing was filled with scantily clad surf boards . This is Waikiki after all , the surf capital of Hawaii. Bikes, cars and scooters all seemed to be sprouting surf boards , heading for that next big wave . It is true , there is continuous surf here as there is nothing between here and the Antarctic ; thats a lot of ocean . I was 50/60 years too late join in this brigade without looking distinctly out of place ( and shape ) . We were still feeling sore after effectively been indicated to leave from a yuppy bar in Sydney . The waitress had given us the bill before we had finished our first drink ! The rest of the clientele looked good in their Lycra.
But back to that surf . Now wait , that surfer is running parallel to the wave , with his board above the water and no gliding sail. Not possible you may say , but there it was . Some seemed to be jumping up and down , while others stood still on their board . Further investigation revealed that these boards had 1 metre long hydrofoils under , which miraculously would raise the board up , and then with drag reduced, would speed up , and with energetic jumping would retaining elevation and momentum. Whilst sun bathing , one of these boards emerged to reveal both hydrofoil and battery powered propellor . It would seem that the surf itself was now redundant !
The climate is one of paradise , all year round warmth and showers . No doubt it was just that , until that is they decided to become the 50th state . Northern Americans developed with enthusiasm a holiday location for which they didn’t need a passport. This island , of which Honolulu is the capital , has a 6 lane motorway the full length , and development to match . The capital represents Manhattan by the sea. If you get a sea view from your expensive hotel , its a bonus . Somehow 300 acre of green in the middle has escaped the voracious constructors . Our hotel is at one end giving us an open view of this , and an extinct( hopefully ) volcano . A sea view exists between adjacent tower blocks . This hotel ( ( Lotus Honolulu ) has just been voted number one in Waikiki, not bad for one which offer no breakfast any day ,or bar only for 5 days. It’s the staff that has won this accolade !
As a non- surfer , then a visit here must include a trip to Pearl Harbour . ‘Let’s take the bus to see more of Honolulu’ . Well indeed we did . I keep forgetting that although USA may be one of the richest places on earth , it has a widely disparate sharing of that wealth . Some of our fellow passengers exhibited that , the driver had long ago realised that the agro from restricting these passengers was just not worth it . One particular ‘ bag lady ‘ was trying convince herself ( others were studious trying to ignore her ) , that she was an airline pilot with an MBA in business studies on her way to Guam . This particular pilot did de-bus at the airport , but perhaps it was the 2 litre bottle of vodka which shattered that illusion . …We took a taxi back !
Leaving numerous rough sleepers behind in a commercial area , we entered the manicured headquarters of the Pacific fleet and thence to the memorial site . Beneath these ‘waves ‘ is the USS Arizona where 1177 died ,1102 of whom are buried along with the ship. The attack brought USA into the war , thus determining its outcome . Winston Churchill slept soundly that night, now knowing he was not alone . We visited the USS Missouri, the last ever battleship , parked behind the Arizona.
With its 9 , 16 inch guns it is a fearsome sight . These can fire 1 tonne shells at the rate of 2 per minute PER gun . These have a range of 23 miles , so the second salvo is on the way before the first arrives . The Mighty Mo , as it was nick named , was launched at the end of the war seeing active service throughout until its decommissioning and mothballing in 1955. However perhaps its most famous role was as the venue for the formal Japanese surrender to General MacArthur . For me its the sight of Cher sitting astride one of those big guns belting out “ if I could turn back time “
The ship was refurbished and recommissioned in 1968, mainly now as a platform for Tomahawk missiles .; which it fired in Dessert Storm . The important addition was AC ; just think before , those sailors had to endure tropical heat inside a tin can whilst all around were trying to confine them to a watery grave . I always wondered how these warships could still function when the most exposed part , the bridge had been destroyed . Our ship’s tour was a fount of knowledge. So inside the bridge on this ship , was a sort of ‘pill box ‘ with 500mm thick steel sides in which the ‘ fire control ‘ could still function. The other insight was that guns had to be fired broad side , to avoid incinerating the ship from the explosive flames . . They were also fitted with some clever gas absorption to stop the ship being blown over by the recoil .
Our exercise on this bit of the Pacific is drawing to a close , as we sit on the balcony watching enthusiastic junior soccer squads , bigger beach volleyball, expectant surfers and a passing sailing fleet . Our gin bottle is empty , so we depart tomorrow for ‘Frisco bay ‘
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