Boogieboarding at Bellows

There I go!!

Me getting ready to boogie-board! Sharon and Siena!

Me and Siena!

Colleen and Siena!

The day after I got to O'ahu, Sharon, Colleen, Siena, and I headed to Bellows Air Force Station/Turtle Cove, a beach vacation resort for military personnel (both Sharon and Colleen are in the Army). Bellows is located on the eastern end (windward side) of the island, in an area called Waimanalo. We rented a cabin there overnight. The beach was beautiful and the water was fantastic. Here are some photos from our day at the beach there!

The Hawaiian Islands -- the 50th U.S. state -- is a chain of 19 islands and atolls that stretch across an expanse of 1,500 miles in the North Pacific Ocean. It is one of the most remote landmasses on earth. First settled by Polynesians in about AD 1000, Hawaii has, through the years, seen a number of political incarnations: ruled by waring clans, then by a monarch, then by a provisional government, then as a republic, then as an annexed U.S. territory, and lastly as a U.S. state. Through it all, it has retained a certain character and uniqueness that is distinctly Hawai'ian.

My visit was to O'ahu, one of the eight "main" islands (the others being Hawai'i [also called The Big Island], Kaho'olawe, Kaua'i, Maui, Lana'i, Moloka'i, and Ni'ihau).

A view of Waikiki Beach.

Seattle, Washington

After being at sea for four and a half months, I returned home to Seattle on January 6th, 2007. My friends Troy and Brian were there to greet me at the airport. And my sister Candi was in town as well. It's sure great to be home after being away for a while. It definately was a lot colder than in the Caribbean -- over the next ten days it snowed about three times! On January 16th, I flew to Honolulu, Hawaii on vacation to visit my friends Colleen, Sharon, and Siena. Stay tuned for fantastic photos from that trip!

New Year's Eve 2006! I rang in the new year onboard as "Baby New Year." I was technically working, but it was really just an excuse to walk around in front of hundreds of people wearing only a diaper and a bow tie!

Jeri, Rachelle and I during Country Night!

Nassau, Bahamas

'The Dig' is a series of aquariums located beneath the lobby of the Royal Towers (one group of hotel towaers at the resort), and is the world's largest open air marine habitat. Hundreds of different aquatic species can be found in the Dig's various tanks such as angelfish, sharks, manta rays, and various types of jellyfish.

The goal of The Dig is to provide guests with a taste of life in legendary Atlantis. Interestingly, if one observes the bottom of the floors in the different aquariums, wreckage and debris will be scattered about representing lost artifacts from "Atlantis."

There is also a 'Predator Lagoon,' which is full of sharks, barracudas, and stingrays. A 100-foot clear acrylic tunnel runs underwater, allowing visitor unobstructed view of the marine environment.

More photos from The Dig.

Me attempting to snap a photo of a tank full of jellyfish.





Melissa, Mandy, and Mike entering the tunnel that cuts underwater through the Predator Lagoon.

Scenes from inside the Predator Lagoon.

Melissa and a barracuda!

Mandy and I.

Mike, Melissa, and I

This is a photo I took of the resort's artificial lagoon (filled with water pumped in from the ocean!) People can rent canoes, kayaks, water bikes, and paddleboats for use here.

Atlantis is a large resort/casino complex located on Paradise Island in Nassau. It combines Las Vegas-style gambling with beaches, restaurants, aquariums, spas, and waterslides, all done up in the theme of the mythical lost continent of Atlantis. The recent James Bond film Casino Royale, as well as Into the Blue, starring (my favorite) Paul Walker, were both filmed there. A big fan of resort casinos, I was blown away by Atlantis! My friends Mike, Melissa, and Mandy spent the day there with me.

For our Christmas and New Year's cruises, our itinerary changed in that we added Nassau, Bahamas and took away Grand Turk. (So for two weeks, our itinerary was Ft. Lauderdale -- Half Moon Cay -- St. Thomas -- Roadtown -- Nassau).

Nassau is the capital (and largest city) of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, a nation made up of about 700 islands. Nassau is located on the island of New Providence (see map). The city has a population of about 215,000, which is about 70% of the entire nation of 303,000.

Nassau is a popular tourist destination, with the world-famous Atlantis Paradise Island resort and casino attracting a lot of the visitors.

Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands

I'm going to close this entry with some shots from around the island, showcasing it's beautiful scenery.

Once you traverse the rock 'baths,' you end up at a small beach. It was really stunning and the water was great! The weather was a little touch and go that day, and before I knew it, some storm clouds had moved in pretty fast! There was a nice rain downpour, but as quickly as it had started, it was over.