People don't normally think about life on a submarine...at least, I didn't until I boarded the USS Santa Fe. We just kind of take it for granted that these huge machines work, but have no idea what keeps it working.

COB (Chief of the Boat) John Davis tells us about how most attack subs will go for 60 to 70 days without resupplying; his longest time underwater was 97 days. The military will provide special home comforts to keep the crew happy; for example, if they are out to sea during a Super Bowl game, it gets transmitted to the sub and they can watch it live.

Since subs run on nuclear power, they don't need to rely on petroleum to keep them moving. The nuclear core is built to last 33 years, so as long as it can create its own steam, it's all good.

Submarines create their own water through a high-tech desalinization process and use that same water for drinking, operations, and the steam system that gets them moving. This same process is a part of creating their own air; as the denizens exhale carbon dioxide, a monitoring system pumps it out and makes the right amount of oxygen to keep them breathing.

(For a better explanation of the air & water production process, see Burt Lum's blog. Burt's scientific talk with one of the engineers went over my & Nathan Kam's heads!)

We got to climb up to the top of the sub--called the sail--while it was moving. We had to get strapped up like a zipliner and they hooked us to a grommet so that we wouldn't fall overboard if we slipped. (Even with all of this precaution, it was still scary!) This is the only light of day, aside from the periscope screen, that the crew gets to see while deployed. It is another observation point hooked up with devices to enhance their surveillance.

Front view. During this time of year, they can sometimes see whales. They are, however, very strict about staying the required distance away from the whales.

View of the trail we left behind. We noticed that the outside of the submarine wasn't necessarily smooth; turns out its steel hull is meticulously covered with an anechoic material that basically absorbs sound. The material and its adhesive is state of the art in that it has to endure being in water for long periods of time without peeling off.

I'm trying to keep this as general as possible so you can see more in William Cole's story next week. But I hope you feel you got a good peek into life on a submarine!

Tomorrow: What we ate on the USS Santa Fe.

I've been so fortunate to have the opportunity to experience things that few people can, and my latest embarkation on the USS Santa Fe--a Navy attack submarine--was quite a unique one. My blog today is a little general, but next week be watching for a story by Military reporter William Cole and photographer Richard Ambo (who got some great shots). I'll share some photos with you over the next few days to give you a glimpse of my day yesterday.

Honolulu Advertiser President & Publisher Lee Webber goes down the hatch.

Have you ever boarded a Navy submarine? Many people say that it's cramped and claustrophobic, but I thought they made efficient use of what little space they had to create as much comfort as possible. The evolution of flat screen monitors--which they have throughout the sub to monitor ocean activity at any time--is one part of that. I guess if I lived on a sub, I might think differently.

Deputy Commander for Training (Squadron 7) Douglas Perry, who reads my blog, briefing us in the board room on submarine life.

One thing I didn't realize about submariners is that the Navy selects the cream of the crop for this work. They're mostly technicians, each specializing in a complex area of technology and (for lack of a better word) surveillance. There is a stringent requirement process to get to work on a submarine, and a more rigorous process to get promoted. They're scientists, mechanics, and engineers.

We didn't get to see how they live, or as much as we saw on the USS Nimitz. Part of this is due to sheer physical size; the other part is the fact that so much of what submarines do is stealth operations, so obviously we can't give away the farm. It was still fascinating.

This was about as much as I was allowed to capture in the control room. They have two periscopes, fiber optically connected to the flat screens throughout the submarine. The guys operating it constantly walk in a circle as they observe the external surroundings and call out things they see (if necessary), and switch out every few minutes to keep from eyeball fatigue.

THIS was kind of neat--the sonar room. These guys listen for everything, and after years of training can tell you if the sound they hear is a cruise ship or the competitors sneezing two miles away. When you do a rapid descent, if you are going through a school of shrimp, it sounds like crackling bacon. As we went into deep water, we could hear whales singing, which was outrageously cool.

As we got into deeper water, they showed us how they dive and ascend quickly. Your ears don't pop like on an airplane, since the atmosphere and pressure is controlled. However, the submarine has to tilt to get moving quickly, so we were standing at extreme angles. Can you see blogger Nathan Kam leaning? We did this a few times.

Inside the torpedo room. It's impossible to get a good shot because of the close quarters; they even have beds for their staff to sleep in here. Can you imagine getting that rack assignment?

While in the control room, we also went through a simulated attack drill, where they shot a "water torpedo" at a target. It was pretty intense--the guys were lined up at different monitors, busy scribbling on dry erase charts and calling out coordinates and status reports. When they finally fired their torpedo, the sudden release of pressure caused our ears to pop a little. We later talked about the various ways they can release their weapons: vertically, horizontally, even land missiles. Technology has advanced so far that you can now fire a missile at a target, and if he moves location while the missile is still traveling, they can program it to change direction.

Commanding Officer David Adams oversees about 130 personnel, sometimes as much as 170, on the USS Santa Fe.

We also got to sit with Commanding Officer David Adams to talk about submarine operations. He was telling us about how they have about 150 people on board when deployed, but only 120 racks (beds) so the staff has to double up and sleep in shifts. Beds that are assigned to two people are called "hot racks"--I guess because the bed doesn't get a chance to get cold due to the sleep shifts. They work in 18 hour increments, mostly because they only have enough personnel for three shifts. So you might work six hours, and during the next 12 do things like maintenance, studying, sleeping, or eating.

I could see where work on a submarine is probably pretty intense, but not for the living quarters. They said that if you work on a sub, there's no room for procrastination because the pace is quick and there is constantly work to do. Most of the guys that I observed were pretty focused (or "chop chop," as my friends would say) and super task-oriented. As they got higher up the ranks, you could see the demeanor relaxed a little more, but for the most part all of the submariners are always concentrating on the target of the day--whether it's the competition, upgrades to the ship, learning a new task, or showing civilians their operations--and thinking of how to do it in the most efficient way possible.

Climbing up & down around the submarine is very tight and very vertical! You need good upper body strength, IMHO, do to this long-term.


Nathan Kam, Ron from the Navy, me, and Burt Lum. Nathan and Burt did NOT get to throw me overboard as they had planned!

Tomorrow: More cool things we saw on the USS Santa Fe. You can see Nathan's pictures here and Burt's pictures here.

So I'm shopping at Pearlridge the other day, looking for sales and new products to tweet about. I came across a bunch of slippers in Town & Country (T&C) Surf, all with what looked like different colored socks attached to them. These $30 thigh-high slippers are called TubeFlops, and they are all the rage with young girls in Hawaii.

I didn't understand what they were for. Rosie, the manager, kept explaining the different ways you use them, but I couldn't wrap my head around them. Were they created to keep your legs warm after surfing?

"Yes, you can use them for that, or when you change out of your athletic shoes after working out," she said. "But you can also use them to go out, like the brochure pictures show." (See pic at right.) The whole brochure, in fact, makes TubeFlops look kind of sexy to wear, almost something you could wear out clubbing. Almost.

You can wear them all the way up, or scrunched to the desired height on your calves, as shown. Their marketing must work, because when T&C first brought in a shipment, it sold out quickly. They are now on their second shipment.

Then one of the store employees showed me how she wears TubeFlops. I don't know if she looks familiar to you, but she was familiar to me! Steisha Sheather was Miss Teen Aloha Tower when I worked there.

"These are totally cute. I'd buy them," she said. Steisha and Rosie said this trend is similar to the leg warmers of the 80s (remember those, Rodney Lee?).

I thought it was just for clubby girls and athletes until I went to eat with my fashion-forward friend Maile on a recent cold night. She was wearing rubber slippers and cutoff gray nylons that only covered her calves! I asked if she did that to emulate the TubeFlops, and she said, "What's that? I'm cold."

So there you have it. Girls, if you want to get TubeFlops, they're $30 at T&C Surf and are machine-washable. Wear them to the beach, the clubs, or just...well, when your legs get cold.

There are a lot of fundraisers going on to help the people of Haiti, that's for sure. While a lot of the clubbing set was downtown at Rage 4 Haiti last night, I went to Roy's in Hawaii Kai for "Extending Aloha to Haiti."

This event came together pretty quickly--I think a week ago, he decided to do this, then called Melanie Kosaka of Share Your Table and Neenz Faleafine of Pono Media. Through the magic of social media--mostly Twitter--tonight's event sold out in a day with no advertising or PR. The demand was so great that they added a second event, happening this Sunday, which (I think) has also sold out.

Roy created a menu of Haitian-inspired dishes, and due to the current economic climate, the event was "pay what you can afford." Here's what we ate.

Corn fritters

Hawaiian style conch ceviche

Caribbean style chicken with Nalo greens

Gateau De Patate

Okay, we cheated. After all was said and done, we couldn't leave without ordering Roy's famous chocolate souffle!

Someone on our table ordered a S'more pastry for dessert.

Jason Kim loves chocolate, and loves face time on famous people's blogs! That's Scott Kamiya sneaking in for his face time.

By the way, you can see more photos from last night's event at Metromix, courtesy of Ed Morita.

It's amazing to see so many people pulling together to help the people of Haiti, and on such short notice. Even if you don't have an event to attend, I hope you are able to contribute to the cause. If you need information, contact the American Red Cross - Hawaii at 734-2101.

As you may know, I live in a pretty cool area with lots of eateries and a few boutiques. The latest store to join the neighborhood is The Sake Shop, which is appropriate given the number of Asian restaurants and BYOB spots.

I walked over yesterday to check it out; the one drawback on this place right now is that their suppliers got wiped out of inventory for New Year's. So owner Nadine Leong has a lot of "zen space" in the shop as the shipments gradually make their way to the shelves. Eventually, they will have a larger selection plus sake accessories and paraphernalia to help you become a sake enthusiast.

"We have a deep affinity for the Japanese culture, especially the food and drink. We hope to share our excitement and passion for sake with everyone by opening our new shop," she says.

The sake selection is pretty extensive as it is. They have everything from flavored sakes to unfiltered sakes to sparkling sakes, in various grades. The prices range from about $10 to $90 per bottle, and even then the bottles range in size.

The really good stuff is stored in the refrigerated case. I'm interested in eventually trying the Summer Snow, or getting a sweet sake to take to Little Oven.

Don't feel like reading? Check out my short video with a little lesson on sake from Nadine!

If you go, just know that the shelves are still being stocked, so you will have to come back for a visit. There's lots of parking in the back; just turn right on Kaheka Street, then right on Liona Street, then right again into the lot.

I'm still learning to drink sake, so tell me what you find, and what your favorite sake is!

The Sake Shop
1461 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96814
Phone: 808-947-7253
Email: sakeshophawaii@gmail.com
10 am to 8 pm Monday - Saturday
10 am to 6 pm Sunday
Twitter: www.twitter.com/sakeshop