In the mid-1800s the Hawaiians on Maui sang of “a forest of trees upon an unresting sea.” That unresting sea was the waters off Lahaina, the Lahaina Roadstead as it was called, and the forest was the masts of all the whaling ships anchored offshore. Other verses tell of wild-eyed sailors with strange accents and clothing coming ashore to fill casks with water, … [Read more...] about Tall Ships and Cachalots
Beacons on the Pali
By almost all accounts, the storm was a real screamer. It came up fast in the night and caught the ship of Captain Daniel McGregor somewhere off the sea cliffs or “pali” between Ma‘alaea and Olowalu, on the south shore of Maui. Most likely a schooner—a “coaster” engaged in the hazardous trade of moving cargo between the islands—McGregor’s ship was unable to make sail into … [Read more...] about Beacons on the Pali
Chasing Charles Lindbergh
One of the great celebrity tours in American history took wing on July 20, 1927. Two months after being the first to fly solo directly across the Atlantic Ocean, Charles A. Lindbergh embarked on a three-month, nationwide extravaganza. In the Spirit of St. Louis, the same plane in which he had tamed the Atlantic, the aviator touched down in 48 states and visited 92 cities. He … [Read more...] about Chasing Charles Lindbergh
Humpbacks in History
Not all of the mysteries regarding Hawai`i’s humpback whales are contained deep beneath the waves. On the contrary, some of their most provocative enigmas are hundreds or even thousands of feet above the water’s edge, on boulders and cliff sides on nearly every island. These formations are perplexing not so much for what is there as for what isn’t. Before the whaling fleet … [Read more...] about Humpbacks in History