The Whalesong buoy is LIVE!

Aloha everyone!

We had the usual challenges, but got the buoy in thanks to Bruce and Sher logistics and anchor setting, Paulo buoy refurbishing and base station set up, Trisha and Radha launch support, a host of other volunteers, Kihei Lifeguards with their jet ski. And Wendy Acosta for rescuing the buoy end of 2011 season and storing parts under her hale.

A rainbow greeted us on a sunny calm morning, after days of heavy rain on January 8. I only had a few days on Maui before Tokyo. A baby whale was born at Charley Young Beach so it was mobbed – and there were DLNR and Coast Guard teams there to protect the baby.

It was a lot of work for Paulo to get the base station going…the usual complex technical issues and our base computer broke down dead. It took the rest of this month for Paulo, Markus and I to get a new computer, and iron out the base station issues, but itʻs now working. Mahalo Paulo, and each of you. And Pua for the beautiful lei for the buoy.  And Markus for logistical support from Germany even as your new baby was born. Congratulations!

I presented Paulo with that shell lei (below) to thank him for accompanying me on several trips to Japan during the disaster, for saving the buoy after the earlier tsunami.

Also, we owe a great deal of gratitude to Wendy Grace, who donated significantly recently.  And each of you has contributed significantly to the project. And mahalo to my wife Nit for handing me tools and testing the system with me in the rain. Thanks to each of you.

From California where I am enjoying listening to the whales singing in my office, Aloha!

Dan