FLIGHT FROM MAINLAND IS UNEVENTFUL
By Bob Van Leer

  (AT SEA OFF HONOLULU, HAWAII, FEB 27, 1993) - Our cruise ship, S.S. Constitution, left the dock at Honolulu just after 9 p.m. this evening and is now out at sea. Astern of the ship, Diamond Head is silhouetted against the glow from the city. Betty and I arrived in Honolulu this afternoon after an uneventful flight. We left from Arcata this morning on a commuter plane, transferring to a DC-10 wide body jet in San Francisco for the flight to Honolulu which was scheduled for four hours and 46 minutes but arrived a half hour early.

  The flight was completely uneventful and, after arriving, we took a cab to the pier and boarded the Constitution.

  The Constitution, and its sister ship, the Independence, were transatlantic luxury liners in the days before airplanes took over transatlantic travel. They sail on seven-day cruises around the Hawaiians both departing Saturday evenings from Honolulu at 15 minute intervals. Our ship, the Constitution, sails counter-clockwise, and the Independence sails clockwise. These are American-built ships with American crews and can sail from Honolulu back to Honolulu. Because of the Jones act, foreign ships are forbidden from taking passengers between U.S. ports.

  The passenger load Is light on this trip, about 550. The crew is about 320. The ship is 682 feet long with a beam of 89 feet and a passenger capacity of 798.

  Aboard the ship we joined my two sisters and their husbands, all from St. Louis, Bud and June Pallardy and Lou and Rush Chiodini. They had wanted to visit the Hawaiians and asked if we would like to join them and that seemed like a good idea. We are not able to spend much time together because of the distance we live apart.

  The cruise director does not want to see anyone idle so there were three events already in the time we sailed after 9 p.m. First there was a bon voyage party, then a crowning of a cruise king followed by the crowning of a cruise queen, all three in different places on the ship.

  The passengers are not young. During the ceremonies a half-dozen couples were identified that had 50 or more wedding anniversaries.

  Finally, the events of the day were complete and we retired to our staterooms. Ours is quite comfortable. A little small by motel standards but quite adequate. We are in an inside cabin. The location is as close as possible to the center of the ship, fore and aft and side to side. This is in deference to brother-in-law Lou, who has a little problem with the motion of the ship.

  Tomorrow we will be at sea and will have a lifeboat drill. The ship has a daily newsletter of activities and we can, if we wish, be going at some activity or other from morning to night. However, we probably won't. We are here to relax and visit.