That would be a pretty quick boat trip. It's a month or so, each way from Honolulu to Mombasa. I estimated that yesterday, I think, but then at lunch today, I was rereading "We Were Soldiers Once..", and Hal Moore relates that it took his unit, in several WW-II era transports, "the better part of a month" to go from Charleston S. Carolina to Vietnam. That's about 20% greater than the Honolulu-Mombasa distance but that still means it's at least 3 weeks each way by boat. Today there are 4 weeks between the end of the Fall Semester and the beginning of the Spring Semester. (Dec. 19-Jan. 11 for this year). But, in 1961 most schools on the semester system didn't end until a couple of weeks after New Years, maybe 3 weeks. and then started up again very quickly, with maybe a week or two off. My first couple of years at college, '68-'70 at least, we did it that way too, then like Hawaii, we changed to starting earlier, late August (this year it is the 24th) finishing the fall semester before Christmas (Dec. 18), and then returning in mid January (Jan 11) and finishing the spring semester in mid May. (May 7).
One-way honeymoon boat trip to Kenya, marriage takes place there, he flies back to Honolulu for spring semester and she stays with his family till after Barry 0 is born.