Hello from anchorage A9 in San Diego! We have procured a FREE 30 day permit to anchor next to the USCG station in San Diego reserved for cruisers whose boats are registered outside of San Diego county. This anchorage holds only 20 boats and we are 1 of 12 sitting on the beautiful bay front of the city. This city has the most beautiful waterfront bordering the city at night.....even if it wasn't Christmas with all the high-rise lights and etc. it's got to be a beautiful site year round.
As you know we decided to return to S.D. after entering Mexican waters as the NOAA weather report had been totally wrong and we hit some nasty confused seas...confused seas my a - s! They knew EXACTLY what they were doing crashing over the bow, stern, port and starboard, sideways and EVERY way........
Anyway, we still have our desperately defective SEAWARD stove that needs to be repaired.! We've been calling Defender and Seaward for MONTHS now with problems we are having with it, and FINALLY "Tom" the rep at Seaward said he would meet us as SOON as we got to SD and take care of it...I called him as soon as we were checked in with the Harbor Police and Tom said our arrival was "bad timing for him" and told us he would send someone else down ASAP, since he had been in SD all day the day before. We eagerly awaited the repairman and even though we had supplies we had to procure, we made sure we had the phone with us at ALL TIMES, so we wouldn't miss the call AND the opportunity to get our BRAND NEW yet poorly designed/manufactured stove's issues repaired.....Well, all I can say right now so I won't get my panties in a bunch over this, SEAWARD STOVES SUCK AND THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE IS WORSE---We plan on telling EVERY cruiser we meet in the world NOT to even THINK about buying a stove from SEAWARD...........harumph!!!!!!!!
With issues going on with the boat, flooding rains for 2 days, short tempers and rapidly depleting funds, Jay and I are getting frustrated....so it was nice to get a friendly invitation to share Christmas Eve dinner with Tammie, her mom Lynn and her husband Richard.......
We had a lovely prime rib dinner last night with them and enjoyed a great Christmas eve filled with interesting conversation over cocktails. Richard gave us a great book on cruising yacht systems by Nigel Calder. Jay has had his nose buried in it all morning. I thinks he likes it! We will now tackle the current fuel tanks bilge water intrusion problem!
Merry Christmas to all!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Stormy Weather
Here we sit stuck once again, but this could be a good thing. Where we are anchored at present is maybe not where we are supposed to be, maybe. When arriving back in San Diego we headed to an anchorage that a local sailor told us about on past the Coronado Bridge. While following the channel towards the bridge a navy tug was approaching us pulling a long string of floating tanks with wheels protruding horizontally out the sides. I could not see the end of the string due to a bend in the channel ahead on our starboard side. It appeared that the tug was swinging wide to clear the bend. This turned out not to be the case. As we approached the tug contacted me and informed me not to maintain my current course because I was about to enter a portable ship berth. He then instructed me to pass on his starboard side, which I did. As we cleared the barge a Navy Patrol boat proceeded at a high rate of speed towards us, but upon closing slowed and stopped,just watching. My thoughts at this time were not pleasant. I am not one who likes authority figures, especially when I might have, unknowingly violated some obscure rule. My WHEW! didn't last long, when once again the patrol boat all of the sudden shot forward circling around between us and the string of floats. They slowed , pulling along side and asked very politely, if we would move further to port due to an approaching ship around the bend. I guess they were the Navy traffic control police. Before turning to port I asked the officer exactly where the anchorage was on the other side of the bridge. She replied that there was no anchorage there. Great, running way into the bay, with water in the fuel, to a nonexistent anchorage.What next? As I was turning around to head back towards the ocean the patrol boat rapidly returned and informed me that the anchorage we were seeking was on the right on the other side of the bridge. Cool, that confirmed what we were told. We anchored in 15' of water at low tide above the bridge. That evening the storm hit and has been getting worse as the hours pass.
It is now the second day here and the storm still rages. I have not had much sleep, due to not trusting the anchor completely and keeping a vigilant eye on its holding. About two hundred yards behind us lies the bridge columns which would wreak havoc on Wind Raven should the anchor pull loose. This morning we located another anchorage that is more protected, but are waiting for the wind and rain to abate a bit before attempting to move. The wind is supposed to die off around 7 or 8 this morning. Until then I will stay vigilant comforting myself with the fact that Judy is getting the rest she deserves and so desperately needs. She got up around 2am and sat with me for a couple of hours. She finally gave in to sleep and is now making those content sleeping sounds.Last night she was reading through some information on the anchorage areas in the area and discovered a discrepancy on which side of the bridge the designated anchorage is. We were planning on moving to a free 30 day anchorage to make repairs, but as stated we are stuck here for now. Man, it's really blowing hard out there. Besides the US Navy said it was here!
It is now the second day here and the storm still rages. I have not had much sleep, due to not trusting the anchor completely and keeping a vigilant eye on its holding. About two hundred yards behind us lies the bridge columns which would wreak havoc on Wind Raven should the anchor pull loose. This morning we located another anchorage that is more protected, but are waiting for the wind and rain to abate a bit before attempting to move. The wind is supposed to die off around 7 or 8 this morning. Until then I will stay vigilant comforting myself with the fact that Judy is getting the rest she deserves and so desperately needs. She got up around 2am and sat with me for a couple of hours. She finally gave in to sleep and is now making those content sleeping sounds.Last night she was reading through some information on the anchorage areas in the area and discovered a discrepancy on which side of the bridge the designated anchorage is. We were planning on moving to a free 30 day anchorage to make repairs, but as stated we are stuck here for now. Man, it's really blowing hard out there. Besides the US Navy said it was here!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
The best made plans!
Yep, we are in San Diego looking for an inexpensive moorage where we can make repairs. We left SD at two in the morning 29.5 hrs ago. As we were rounding the first point about 15 miles out I discovered my gasket material on the fuel tank inspection covers had failed. Yep, water in the fuel again. Upon this discovery we decided to head back to SD. This decision was based on the seas being confused with 3' wind waves and around 4' swells running at 4 to 4.5 seconds and we were beating into the wind. Definitely not a comfortable ride. Especially for poor Judy, who was definitely beyond "green around the gills". I don't know why she insisted on chumming so much when I wasn't even fishing!
You know this reminded me of our friends ride from Newport to Charleston. Steve was at the helm in really nasty stormy weather for that portion, while Lulu was curled up below and occasionally "feeding the fishes". What is funny, is that we had the identical experience on that section of our the trip. They also had transmission troubles (Loosing Fluid). Yep, so did we. Hmm, I wonder? Maybe I should pay closer attention to their trials and tribulations. On the other hand, maybe I should pay less attention. You know, the KINEHORA aspect. Judy toooo!
Today we will secure a place and procure some GOOD gasket material. I am also getting a small amount of diesel fuel into the oil after engine shut down. I believe this to be caused by the high pressure injection pump. At the same time I am hoping it to be an injector. This of course is "yet to be seen". But hey, life is a test, right?
Hope you all have a better day!
You know this reminded me of our friends ride from Newport to Charleston. Steve was at the helm in really nasty stormy weather for that portion, while Lulu was curled up below and occasionally "feeding the fishes". What is funny, is that we had the identical experience on that section of our the trip. They also had transmission troubles (Loosing Fluid). Yep, so did we. Hmm, I wonder? Maybe I should pay closer attention to their trials and tribulations. On the other hand, maybe I should pay less attention. You know, the KINEHORA aspect. Judy toooo!
Today we will secure a place and procure some GOOD gasket material. I am also getting a small amount of diesel fuel into the oil after engine shut down. I believe this to be caused by the high pressure injection pump. At the same time I am hoping it to be an injector. This of course is "yet to be seen". But hey, life is a test, right?
Hope you all have a better day!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Adios USA.....we hope!
By this time tomorrow we should be tucked in at a marina in Ensenada, Mexico. We called and there seems to be plenty of slips available. It is only about seventy miles from San Diego. We figure it will take us around ten hours to get there, give or take an hour or so. The weather isn't the best, but not that bad after midnight tonight. If it lays down to 20 to 25 knots, like it's supposed to, we will be off. Some say we are off anyway. But what do they know that we don't? Hell, they're sitting home on the couch watching re-runs of someone else's adventures!
As of the 20th we will no longer have Internet service on a steady basis. It will be wi-fi from here on out. This will be a new experience, so please be patient with us until we get the hang of it. Once we leave Ensenada, it could be seven to ten days before we can post on the blog. Our phone service will also change from nation wide to nation wide plus Mexico. Sounds good, but it has major changes in minutes available. We loose a considerable amount. As a result we will be forced to only make/accept business calls only, during the day. All personal communications will have to be after 9pm and before 6am. We have had several unexpected major expenses in the last month or so and must tighten our belts, so to speak.
As of the 20th we will no longer have Internet service on a steady basis. It will be wi-fi from here on out. This will be a new experience, so please be patient with us until we get the hang of it. Once we leave Ensenada, it could be seven to ten days before we can post on the blog. Our phone service will also change from nation wide to nation wide plus Mexico. Sounds good, but it has major changes in minutes available. We loose a considerable amount. As a result we will be forced to only make/accept business calls only, during the day. All personal communications will have to be after 9pm and before 6am. We have had several unexpected major expenses in the last month or so and must tighten our belts, so to speak.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
South
Our time is up, here at the Harbor Police dock, so we will be heading for Ensenada on the 19th to get our visas, temporary import permit etc. It is supposed to rain all next week. Oh well, It's not like we aren't used to rain, right?
We picked up our fishing licences yesterday in San Diego. Now we will be able to fish once we cross the border into Mexico. It's hard to believe that the fishing licences for foreigners are cheaper than resident fishing licences in Oregon. Also the regulations are so uncomplicated. They are short and to the point, only one page long! You don't even have to consult an attorney prior to dipping a line. It is also my understanding that they don't even change them daily, they stay the same ALL YEAR. Not like in Oregon, where you have to check on line for regulation changes every morning before you go out. How refreshing. Back to basics, what a novel concept. I think I'm going to like this, so called, backwards country.
Brad, the watermaker man, did an excellent job on our machine. It is my understanding that the particle content is supposed to be under four hundred to be acceptable. The water here at the Police dock is around four fifty. The water from the bay, after going through our desalinator is one hundred and ninety three. Needless to say, this makes us quite pleased with its performance, and Brads I might add. If anyone needs a reliable repair person, ( he also does wiring, etc.). You can contact him at;
Bradly A Destache (Technician)
2907 Shelter Island Drive 105/107
San Diego CA.92106
Lic #82010016587
619-847-5728
Our SSB Tuner was destroyed by the person who rewired our boat and we were unable to get it repaired. We decided to get a SSB receiver to enable us to receive the weather reports, but there are none available in the San Diego area. I don't know what we are guing to do about that. The teck. who worked on our SSB was supposed to get back in touch with us yesterday, but of course he did'nt keep his word. Most people don't seem to care about their word anymore. What ever happened to personal integrety?
We picked up our fishing licences yesterday in San Diego. Now we will be able to fish once we cross the border into Mexico. It's hard to believe that the fishing licences for foreigners are cheaper than resident fishing licences in Oregon. Also the regulations are so uncomplicated. They are short and to the point, only one page long! You don't even have to consult an attorney prior to dipping a line. It is also my understanding that they don't even change them daily, they stay the same ALL YEAR. Not like in Oregon, where you have to check on line for regulation changes every morning before you go out. How refreshing. Back to basics, what a novel concept. I think I'm going to like this, so called, backwards country.
Brad, the watermaker man, did an excellent job on our machine. It is my understanding that the particle content is supposed to be under four hundred to be acceptable. The water here at the Police dock is around four fifty. The water from the bay, after going through our desalinator is one hundred and ninety three. Needless to say, this makes us quite pleased with its performance, and Brads I might add. If anyone needs a reliable repair person, ( he also does wiring, etc.). You can contact him at;
Bradly A Destache (Technician)
2907 Shelter Island Drive 105/107
San Diego CA.92106
Lic #82010016587
619-847-5728
Our SSB Tuner was destroyed by the person who rewired our boat and we were unable to get it repaired. We decided to get a SSB receiver to enable us to receive the weather reports, but there are none available in the San Diego area. I don't know what we are guing to do about that. The teck. who worked on our SSB was supposed to get back in touch with us yesterday, but of course he did'nt keep his word. Most people don't seem to care about their word anymore. What ever happened to personal integrety?
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Ensenada vs Mission Bay
It looks like we will most likely go to Ensenada for our haul out repairs. The person who was supposed to arrange a haul out at Mission Bay never showed up. The first person (Brad) who was supposed to come by to check out the water maker, worked on it yesterday. He seems very competent and honest, no bullshit. That, my friends, is very refreshing, and rare I might add. He had to send the RO control unit into a shop to have a new one made. That will run around $500. The total cost will be around $1500. That's not bad considering that a comparable unit would cost over $8000. It puts out 20 gal an hour. On the test run yesterday it had a part per million content of 213, under 400 is acceptable. So that's pretty damned good. Especially since it was made in the eighties. I can't believe the pre-filters cost $49 ea. at Home Depot. That's just a regular home water filter, nothing special. I guess it is worth it to get all of those little "nasties" out. Brad is supposed to let me know today when they will have the parts ready. Soon I hope, as we are running out of dock time here. You are only allowed to stay here ten days. We have to leave here on the 18th for the haul out, either here or Ensenada.
We went over to Lynn and Richards for a great meatloaf dinner (prepared by Tammy) last night. It was very enjoyable seeing Lynn again and finally meeting her husband Richard, an exceptionally nice gentleman. They were very gracious hosts and both Judy and I enjoyed the evening tremendously. Their place is very nice with a great back yard. Trees, flowers and shrubs everywhere. We viewed both Tammy's and Lynn's paintings that exhibited a very talented family heritage.
Judy: Wow, what an "answer to prayer" our water maker repairer young man is! We have been worrying about whether we were going to find someone who could get it working again or if we were going to fork out thousands for a new water maker....as our funds become ever more skimpy with all the other "needs" this "demanding mistress" of a boat requires......I was adamant about our need for a water maker on board and Jay agreed, but we were very stressed about what news we would find out about whether it could be "resurected" or if we would have to buy a new unit, most likely one being not as good and most likely some MADE IN CHINA rinky-dink defective unit that would cost a bundle and not deliver the "goods." We know that when Lloyd owned the boat he made sure to buy the best of everything on the market at the time he had it----problem is it was over 20 years ago when he owned the boat and then the last owner, Chris, told us he never even used it the entire five years he owned the boat! This turned out to be a blessing in disguise! It turned out to be "unused" in a kind of mechanical "suspended animation" seemingly waiting to have new life breathed into it again! We found that Chris had not been a very good owner of the boat and many things he just used and used till it was basically used up........then sold the boat to us! So, in effect, his not using the water maker "saved" it for us! Wow, I guess sometimes Guardian Angels are assigned to watch over little things like water makers! And I disagree with Jay in that I have been looking at water maker prices (which are exhorbitant for such a mechanically unsophisticated mechanism) and have not yet found ANY on the market available to common yachties like us today that even come close to producing as much water as this Catalina 500 made by the now defunct "ASC Marine Systems" does. This will be a most excellent thing to own in the Sea of Cortez where we hear very little fresh, clean drinking water is available.
Brad, the "water maker wizard" is a very gracious young man who obviously has lived on a boat and knows the ins and outs of quite a few things regarding them. Usually when non-yachties come on the boat to do work they take over my entire "home" and I feel "displaced" and usually resign myself to the fact that I need to stay top-side or go shopping, etc. to stay out of the way. Not so with this young worker.....he knows how to move around on a boat with other people aboard using the Tai Chi-like movements that Jay and I have been becoming familiar with since moving onto the boat. You other boaters know what I mean.....the graceful, slow, deliberate movements to perambulate about the boat without bumping into and displacing the others on board. Anyway, needless to say I am quite impressed with Brad and can't wait to witness the miracle of life spring up with true "living water" in our fresh water tanks via the repaired water maker.
As Jay mentioned, we had a lovely dinner with Lynn, Richard and Tammy.....and they even served my favorite dessert creme brule----darn I can't find the "accent" marks to spell the French delicacy correctly--oh well.......needless to say it was divine....I think I can truly say it was the best I have ever had.........thank you Lynn and Tammy......and Richard for a wonderful evening of great food and great conversation-----I certainly would love to get to know Lynn and Richard better......many thanks, again to such a wonderful couple!
We went over to Lynn and Richards for a great meatloaf dinner (prepared by Tammy) last night. It was very enjoyable seeing Lynn again and finally meeting her husband Richard, an exceptionally nice gentleman. They were very gracious hosts and both Judy and I enjoyed the evening tremendously. Their place is very nice with a great back yard. Trees, flowers and shrubs everywhere. We viewed both Tammy's and Lynn's paintings that exhibited a very talented family heritage.
Judy: Wow, what an "answer to prayer" our water maker repairer young man is! We have been worrying about whether we were going to find someone who could get it working again or if we were going to fork out thousands for a new water maker....as our funds become ever more skimpy with all the other "needs" this "demanding mistress" of a boat requires......I was adamant about our need for a water maker on board and Jay agreed, but we were very stressed about what news we would find out about whether it could be "resurected" or if we would have to buy a new unit, most likely one being not as good and most likely some MADE IN CHINA rinky-dink defective unit that would cost a bundle and not deliver the "goods." We know that when Lloyd owned the boat he made sure to buy the best of everything on the market at the time he had it----problem is it was over 20 years ago when he owned the boat and then the last owner, Chris, told us he never even used it the entire five years he owned the boat! This turned out to be a blessing in disguise! It turned out to be "unused" in a kind of mechanical "suspended animation" seemingly waiting to have new life breathed into it again! We found that Chris had not been a very good owner of the boat and many things he just used and used till it was basically used up........then sold the boat to us! So, in effect, his not using the water maker "saved" it for us! Wow, I guess sometimes Guardian Angels are assigned to watch over little things like water makers! And I disagree with Jay in that I have been looking at water maker prices (which are exhorbitant for such a mechanically unsophisticated mechanism) and have not yet found ANY on the market available to common yachties like us today that even come close to producing as much water as this Catalina 500 made by the now defunct "ASC Marine Systems" does. This will be a most excellent thing to own in the Sea of Cortez where we hear very little fresh, clean drinking water is available.
Brad, the "water maker wizard" is a very gracious young man who obviously has lived on a boat and knows the ins and outs of quite a few things regarding them. Usually when non-yachties come on the boat to do work they take over my entire "home" and I feel "displaced" and usually resign myself to the fact that I need to stay top-side or go shopping, etc. to stay out of the way. Not so with this young worker.....he knows how to move around on a boat with other people aboard using the Tai Chi-like movements that Jay and I have been becoming familiar with since moving onto the boat. You other boaters know what I mean.....the graceful, slow, deliberate movements to perambulate about the boat without bumping into and displacing the others on board. Anyway, needless to say I am quite impressed with Brad and can't wait to witness the miracle of life spring up with true "living water" in our fresh water tanks via the repaired water maker.
As Jay mentioned, we had a lovely dinner with Lynn, Richard and Tammy.....and they even served my favorite dessert creme brule----darn I can't find the "accent" marks to spell the French delicacy correctly--oh well.......needless to say it was divine....I think I can truly say it was the best I have ever had.........thank you Lynn and Tammy......and Richard for a wonderful evening of great food and great conversation-----I certainly would love to get to know Lynn and Richard better......many thanks, again to such a wonderful couple!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Just Some Photos
Some days are good..............Others are questionable! I wonder what she is thinking?
Repairs
The plan was to haul out in Ensenada, but I might be able to haul out at a private yard here. Judy and Tammy were having problems trying to fold a sail yesterday and asked a passerby for help. He stopped to help and instructed them on the proper procedure. They got to talking and he offered to try to fix the water maker.
He also offered to help me with the repairs and said he might be able to get the boat hauled here for a decent price at a yard that will let us do our own work. If so, we might do it here instead of Mexico. We have not been hearing good things about Mexico's prices of late. At the Marinas they want from $2 a ft. to $3.50 a ft. a day for a slip. It looks like American greed has reached our southern neighbors.
This is some of the work that has been added to my agenda recently.
11) Clean bilge. (done)
12) Reseal fuel tank inspection covers with butyl tape. Never use 4200 again! (done)
13) Fabricate new lid for raw water filter. (done)
14) Install new Raw water filter. (done)
15) Install new wet muffler. (done)
16) Install new main halyard. (done)
17) Haul out.
18) Install new through hulls.
19) Install Interphase 180 SE.
20) Rebuild/replace seacocks.
21) Stop/seal water leaks. (done)
22) Secure new generator.
23) Sand/paint bottom.
24) Check rudder post.
25) Install new zinks.
26) Install new salt water faucet. (done)
27) Find/stop air leak in upper fuel filter. (done)
28) Replace/rewire inline fuse on fuel pump. (water tight) (done)
29) Replace bilge pump discharge lines. (done)
30) Get water maker up and running. (done)
31) Convert auto discharge to manual discharge. (done)
32) Lord please let this be all.
I'm sure there is something I have omitted, or forgotten, that will rear its ugly head at the most inopportune moment! Today I will meet with the person concerning the haul out and start working on the raw water intake. Damn, this is getting expensive!
Oh! I picked up a couple of Rapalla lures yesterday that are supposed to keep the freezer full of Mahi Mahi and Dorado. That is if we ever get to the Sea of Cortez.
He also offered to help me with the repairs and said he might be able to get the boat hauled here for a decent price at a yard that will let us do our own work. If so, we might do it here instead of Mexico. We have not been hearing good things about Mexico's prices of late. At the Marinas they want from $2 a ft. to $3.50 a ft. a day for a slip. It looks like American greed has reached our southern neighbors.
This is some of the work that has been added to my agenda recently.
11) Clean bilge. (done)
12) Reseal fuel tank inspection covers with butyl tape. Never use 4200 again! (done)
13) Fabricate new lid for raw water filter. (done)
14) Install new Raw water filter. (done)
15) Install new wet muffler. (done)
16) Install new main halyard. (done)
17) Haul out.
18) Install new through hulls.
19) Install Interphase 180 SE.
20) Rebuild/replace seacocks.
21) Stop/seal water leaks. (done)
22) Secure new generator.
23) Sand/paint bottom.
24) Check rudder post.
25) Install new zinks.
26) Install new salt water faucet. (done)
27) Find/stop air leak in upper fuel filter. (done)
28) Replace/rewire inline fuse on fuel pump. (water tight) (done)
29) Replace bilge pump discharge lines. (done)
30) Get water maker up and running. (done)
31) Convert auto discharge to manual discharge. (done)
32) Lord please let this be all.
I'm sure there is something I have omitted, or forgotten, that will rear its ugly head at the most inopportune moment! Today I will meet with the person concerning the haul out and start working on the raw water intake. Damn, this is getting expensive!
Oh! I picked up a couple of Rapalla lures yesterday that are supposed to keep the freezer full of Mahi Mahi and Dorado. That is if we ever get to the Sea of Cortez.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
San Diego
It was up at one in the morning, as I couldn’t sleep. Just anxious to get the hell out of Oceanside, I suppose. To my surprise, Tammy was also having problems sleeping, not a common trait for young ladies it seems, and got up to help me prepare for departure. To my surprise we were joined by Judy, who also arose to help upon hearing us talking. My first concern was to make sure the fuel filters were working properly, as I had problems getting a seal on one I had previously rebuilt. I had tested it the day before, but something was telling me to recheck it. It’s a good thing I did, because after starting the engine I switched over to it and it sucked air and killed the engine. Now our departure would be delayed while I bleed the fuel lines and injectors. We also had to pump out the tank etc. By the time we left it was four in the morning. There was zero wind so we had to motor again. Sometimes I wonder why I bought a sailboat, since there never seems to be any wind. The trip was uneventful, except for all the war ships warning everyone to stay at least five miles distant. The approach to San Diego was clogged with fishing boats and traps. I can’t figure out why they allow the harbor approaches to be clogged up like they do. Maybe they figure it will keep you on your toes. It took a total of eight hours to get here with my head in the bilge and vacuum hose in hand again.
We will be here at least five days to make repairs and install new items we had sent here to Tammy’s place of residence. Here at the Harbor Police Mooring they only charged $52.50 for five days in a very nice slip. This is the best and least expensive to date. What a nice surprise after that hell hole Oceanside.
Tammy’s mother Lynn came by to pick her up, stayed for coffee and a visit. It was nice to see her again after all these years. We invited Tammy to go with us to Mexico, but I had the feeling that Lynn was a bit apprehensive about her going. It’s too bad, as it is a once in a lifetime opportunity for her. Oh well, maybe she can fly down and join us later. It would have been nice to have her to help with watches on the way, but I am being self-serving I suppose and must allow her to make her own unbiased decisions. I will try to take as many nature photos for her paintings as possible on the way. She will drive us around today to get parts and supplies, which is a great help. Being in a strange port afoot is a real pain in the ass, not to mention feet, legs etc. Next port Ensenada Mexico for a haul out and bottom paint.
Now for Judy’s comments.
The first thing I want to say is how thankful I am for having our good friend Russell adopt my little nearly 15-year old blind Dachshund, Pepper, when we found out after trying her out on the boat that it was just not a good place for her to be with her limited vision. She was so happy in her beautiful yard in Eugene having Russ and his friends giving her love and hugs and Russ even taking her fishing and on car rides which she absolutely loved and even taking naps with Pepper in bed (thank you for your sweetness and your tears for my sweet Pepper girl, Russ (And for paying for the vet and funeral costs). Russ’s friend Beth even took her to visit the elderly people she cared for in an assisted living center and we heard that Pepper and the old folks loved visiting each other…..and watching Jancy “cuddle” with Pepper when she watched TV made me very happy knowing Pepper would be well cared for (although still missed by me, her mom). Alas, while in Avalon I got the extremely sad news that Pepper and Russ’s cat Princess were attacked by wild raccoons in my back yard and while Princess was able to escape, Pepper, being blind, was not. After Russ and Beth coming to her rescue and taking her to an emergency vet to their sadness and mine the vet was not able to save her. I was so sad and still am……a few days later while Tammy, Jay and I took a long hike up a canyon in Avalon on Catalina Island we came upon a little curve in the road where off to the side the people of Avalon had created a beautiful little cemetery for their beloved pets and as I walked up to the front of the beautiful site, right there, directly in front of me was a tiny grave with colored rocks with the name “Pepper” spelled out on them! How amazing! I burst into tears and Tammy ran up and took a photo of it and I plan to have it laminated and want to send it to Russell for the memorial site of the best little dog in the world that spent her life loved by all who knew her! She will always be in my heart and thoughts. I KNOW all dogs go to Heaven and we will get together again one day, my dear sweet “Miss Sassy Pepper” (her AKC name, as she was a registered dappled, sable Dachshund). Dream on sweet Pepper, your loving Mommy will be meeting up with you again one day!)
On a lighter note, we hear that our wonderful cat “Boogie” has (finally) made friends with my daughter Moriah’s Chihuahua, Oscar, and Moriah recently got a lab mix puppy for Boogie to play with which she named “Bone.” Moriah tells me that Boogie has become quite spoiled and loves playing and napping with Bone and Oscar! Bet he’s glad to not be puking on the boat and happy sleeping with my granddaughter Haley and Grandson Brandon who tell me they absolutely LOVE my kitty man! Thank you so much Moriah, Darrell, Haley and Brandon for adopting my sweet little Prince, Boogie!
Oceanside to San Diego was beautiful if a bit disconcerting, because of all the war ships, war games, planes and jets doing numerous fly-bys to check us out….at one point I got a kick out of two fighter jets homing in close and Tammy, thinking they were the” Blue Angels” stood up and waved, and with all that beautiful blond hair flying in the wind one jet dipped his wings in greeting at Tammy and flew on---we got a kick out of that one!
In San Diego it was very nice meeting Tammy’s mother Lynn…..after hearing such wonderful things from both Jay and Tammy about her for the past few years. Knowing both Jay and Tammy, I am sure Lynn had her hands full with all of them under the same roof as a family!!!!!! And WOW all three of them were surely blessed with beautiful hair!
Jay and I walked about 2 miles and had a great dinner at a very nice Mexican restaurant last night (with an O’Douls for Jay and a Margarita for me!) and walked back “home” immediately falling into bed exhausted after hardly getting any sleep the night before! So glad to be here with the great moorage rates and hope to get our water maker repaired and other things done like a bit of provisioning and boat work. Tammy has graciously agreed to provide “Taxi” services for us and it will be fun spending more time with her.
We will be here at least five days to make repairs and install new items we had sent here to Tammy’s place of residence. Here at the Harbor Police Mooring they only charged $52.50 for five days in a very nice slip. This is the best and least expensive to date. What a nice surprise after that hell hole Oceanside.
Tammy’s mother Lynn came by to pick her up, stayed for coffee and a visit. It was nice to see her again after all these years. We invited Tammy to go with us to Mexico, but I had the feeling that Lynn was a bit apprehensive about her going. It’s too bad, as it is a once in a lifetime opportunity for her. Oh well, maybe she can fly down and join us later. It would have been nice to have her to help with watches on the way, but I am being self-serving I suppose and must allow her to make her own unbiased decisions. I will try to take as many nature photos for her paintings as possible on the way. She will drive us around today to get parts and supplies, which is a great help. Being in a strange port afoot is a real pain in the ass, not to mention feet, legs etc. Next port Ensenada Mexico for a haul out and bottom paint.
Now for Judy’s comments.
The first thing I want to say is how thankful I am for having our good friend Russell adopt my little nearly 15-year old blind Dachshund, Pepper, when we found out after trying her out on the boat that it was just not a good place for her to be with her limited vision. She was so happy in her beautiful yard in Eugene having Russ and his friends giving her love and hugs and Russ even taking her fishing and on car rides which she absolutely loved and even taking naps with Pepper in bed (thank you for your sweetness and your tears for my sweet Pepper girl, Russ (And for paying for the vet and funeral costs). Russ’s friend Beth even took her to visit the elderly people she cared for in an assisted living center and we heard that Pepper and the old folks loved visiting each other…..and watching Jancy “cuddle” with Pepper when she watched TV made me very happy knowing Pepper would be well cared for (although still missed by me, her mom). Alas, while in Avalon I got the extremely sad news that Pepper and Russ’s cat Princess were attacked by wild raccoons in my back yard and while Princess was able to escape, Pepper, being blind, was not. After Russ and Beth coming to her rescue and taking her to an emergency vet to their sadness and mine the vet was not able to save her. I was so sad and still am……a few days later while Tammy, Jay and I took a long hike up a canyon in Avalon on Catalina Island we came upon a little curve in the road where off to the side the people of Avalon had created a beautiful little cemetery for their beloved pets and as I walked up to the front of the beautiful site, right there, directly in front of me was a tiny grave with colored rocks with the name “Pepper” spelled out on them! How amazing! I burst into tears and Tammy ran up and took a photo of it and I plan to have it laminated and want to send it to Russell for the memorial site of the best little dog in the world that spent her life loved by all who knew her! She will always be in my heart and thoughts. I KNOW all dogs go to Heaven and we will get together again one day, my dear sweet “Miss Sassy Pepper” (her AKC name, as she was a registered dappled, sable Dachshund). Dream on sweet Pepper, your loving Mommy will be meeting up with you again one day!)
On a lighter note, we hear that our wonderful cat “Boogie” has (finally) made friends with my daughter Moriah’s Chihuahua, Oscar, and Moriah recently got a lab mix puppy for Boogie to play with which she named “Bone.” Moriah tells me that Boogie has become quite spoiled and loves playing and napping with Bone and Oscar! Bet he’s glad to not be puking on the boat and happy sleeping with my granddaughter Haley and Grandson Brandon who tell me they absolutely LOVE my kitty man! Thank you so much Moriah, Darrell, Haley and Brandon for adopting my sweet little Prince, Boogie!
Oceanside to San Diego was beautiful if a bit disconcerting, because of all the war ships, war games, planes and jets doing numerous fly-bys to check us out….at one point I got a kick out of two fighter jets homing in close and Tammy, thinking they were the” Blue Angels” stood up and waved, and with all that beautiful blond hair flying in the wind one jet dipped his wings in greeting at Tammy and flew on---we got a kick out of that one!
In San Diego it was very nice meeting Tammy’s mother Lynn…..after hearing such wonderful things from both Jay and Tammy about her for the past few years. Knowing both Jay and Tammy, I am sure Lynn had her hands full with all of them under the same roof as a family!!!!!! And WOW all three of them were surely blessed with beautiful hair!
Jay and I walked about 2 miles and had a great dinner at a very nice Mexican restaurant last night (with an O’Douls for Jay and a Margarita for me!) and walked back “home” immediately falling into bed exhausted after hardly getting any sleep the night before! So glad to be here with the great moorage rates and hope to get our water maker repaired and other things done like a bit of provisioning and boat work. Tammy has graciously agreed to provide “Taxi” services for us and it will be fun spending more time with her.
Heading for Oceanside
We left Avalon Bay heading for Oceanside last Sunday and again experienced problems, but made it okay. Does it ever end? I am beginning to think not. When I made my third routine engine check it was discovered that the sediment bowl on the primary Racor 500 fuel filter was almost completely filled with water. Upon this harrowing discovery I immediately switched to the secondary filter/water separator as the engine started to gain RPMs. Whew! That was close. When the water was drained and the filter checked, it was apparent that this situation required my immediate attention. As it turned out the problem was the misuse of 4200 by yours truly. Yep, I screwed up. Being a novice in its use, I had failed to allow it to set up prior to tightening up the new inspection plates on the fuel tank that I had previously fabricated. The tank being in the keel under the bilge made them vulnerable to water intrusion. Since the repair on the wet muffler was leaking a bit into the bilge and the newly ordered wet muffler was waiting in San Diego a permanent repair would have to wait. I decided the simplest solution would be to keep the bilge dry, but how? Ah, ha! The shop-vac . So it was that you could have seen me with my head down in the bilge, hose in hand, sucking out every little drop of water that so stubbornly insisted on keeping me occupied.
Upon arriving in Oceanside I stopped most of the water intrusion, but will have to wait until we reach San Diego to make permanent repairs, as the prices here are outrageous! The Marina is definitely” NOT” user-friendly. They charge a dollar a foot, accept cash or check only (no traveler’s checks), have only three washers and driers, and have an eleven o’clock check out time. I can’t believe a business that refuses to make change. Yep that’s right; you have to have the exact amount of cash. We walked for hours trying to get traveler’s checks cashed so as to be able to meet their ridiculous requirements. Believe, we will never return to Oceanside harbor. NUFF SAID!
Upon arriving in Oceanside I stopped most of the water intrusion, but will have to wait until we reach San Diego to make permanent repairs, as the prices here are outrageous! The Marina is definitely” NOT” user-friendly. They charge a dollar a foot, accept cash or check only (no traveler’s checks), have only three washers and driers, and have an eleven o’clock check out time. I can’t believe a business that refuses to make change. Yep that’s right; you have to have the exact amount of cash. We walked for hours trying to get traveler’s checks cashed so as to be able to meet their ridiculous requirements. Believe, we will never return to Oceanside harbor. NUFF SAID!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
TRASH
Sorry it has taken so long to update the blog, but we have again had some major challenges to overcome. However, all is well once again. We decided to leave Port Hueneme in the wee hours so that we would arrive in Avalon Bay at Catalina Island at around daylight the next morning. Upon approaching the breakwater I asked my daughter, Tammy, to check the oil pressure and water temperature for me, as I am unable to see them from the helm (a condition that WILL be remedied in the near future). Upon checking them she said that there seemed to be a little smoke coming out from behind the gauges. I had her take the helm so I could investigate the source. As I emptied the lazarette to investigate the smoke increased rapidly. Within a few minutes the cabin was filled with smoke to the extent of zero visibility. We were unable to shut down the engine due to our proximity to the breakwater. I called out to Judy to procure a fire extinguisher and radioed the Coast Guard of our situation and instructed the crew to put on life vests. I then entered the cabin, removed the companionway ladder and opened the engine compartment. Visibility was at zero and there was no glow coming from inside, indicating that for the time being there was no actual flame. As a previous Fire Fighter/EMT I took this as an indication of some extra time to find the source of the smoke. About this time we cleared the breakwater and I was able to shut down the engine. There was still no flame visible so I opened the cabin hatch, with an extinguisher at the ready, in an attempt to vacate the smoke through the engine compartment and out through the lazarette. While this was done I stood at ready with the fire extinguisher to kill any flames that could erupt due to the ventilation draft. The smoke began to clear with no eruption of flame. Another good sign. As all of this transpired I was in constant contact with the Coast Guard informing them of the situation.
As the smoke cleared the Harbor Patrol arrived and inquired of the situation. The young man was very professional and extremely courteous. It is a pleasure to know that such people still exist in our chaotic society today. Later it was discovered that he was new to the job, but by the way he handled the situation and his boat, you would never have known it. This young man (Mr. Collins) did an excellent job of towing the boat back to the Harbor Patrol dock. Upon arrival we were informed that we could use their dock to complete our repairs and were welcome to use any of their facilities we required. I can’t say enough about the courtesy extended to us by the Harbor Patrol there.
As it turned out, our problems were multiple. The impellor in the raw water pump was fried. This was due to the sea cock on the raw water intake being too loose and vibrating shut while under power. This of course caused the impellor to self destruct, which in turn caused the hose at the end of the exhaust riser loop to blow, which in turn caused the wet muffler to go dry collapsing the hose connection and heating the exhaust to a point that melted the bilge hoses that were against it. Hence the smoke! Once this was all repaired, I thought we were once again ready to embark on our journey. Not even, when the engine was started the water that is supposed to exit out of the stern, exited out the hose connection on the muffler. No problem, right? Just tighten the hose clamps. When I did that, the male outlet that the hose goes over collapsed. Shit, now what? There were none available and would have to be ordered. We ordered one and had it sent to my daughter's in San Diego. In the meantime it was get out the fiberglass. I made a mold out of aluminum can to make a new neck to attach the hose to, and then glassed over the whole top where it was cracked and about to fall apart. It was now 2:36pm. Once again the engine was started, but this time all was well. The only problem was the smell of smoke, which had now dissipated, thank God! Off again to Avalon, a bit late, but problems resolved!
We timed our arrival to be early morning during the daylight hours. The slip promised turned out to be a buoy, with no electric or fresh water. Oh well, can’t win em all. Catalina is beautiful, but very expensive. We went to see the botanical gardens and memorial, which were very nice and not too pricey. Judy and I decided to go for a walk while Tammy slept off “ too much fun” from the night before. We went up, and I do mean up, the hill to the bell tower and the Zane Grey pueblo. The view of the harbor was great and we took some good photos. At this point we decided to continue up the road to the top for a better view. A ways up we saw the Zip Line where people get their thrills by hooking themselves to a cable and speeding down over the canyons. The cost? Why, a mere $92.00 per person. On our way we started to notice the trash thrown out along the side of the road. It was not excessive, but seemed so, due to Catalina Islands general cleanliness. Judy is always picking up other peoples trash and putting it in a garbage can. I have also been known to do this, but not near as adamantly as her. We began to make a game of who could find and pick up the most along the way until we came to a gate blocking the road. A sign informed us that to continue up the road we must buy a permit for $12.00 each back in town. Shit, you can’t even walk on a public road without paying. We called the number on the sign and were informed that if caught by a Ranger on the road we could get in trouble. Judy and I discussed it and decided to risk it. I mean, who could justify fining people who are picking up trash along a road, for being on it without a $12.00 permit? We went up the road. About two or three miles further there was a turn-out cul-de-sac that overlooked the ocean. As we walked down picking up more trash we looked over the side and discovered a mass of trash (mostly cans & bottles) on the slope. Well look at all that fun!
Yep, we dove over the side and started picking the trash off the side of this very steep slope dodging the cactus that populated this slope and carrying it back to the top. This continued for about fifteen minutes and as I was approaching the top with a load, I looked up to see a pickup pull up with a big “RANGER” sign on the side. Uh Oh! Now the shit starts! Well this Ranger exits his official vehicle and in a very commanding voice says “ what are you doing down there?” Of course my response was “ picking up trash”. He just stood there looking kinda dumbfounded for a minute and then said "Oh." in a somewhat smaller voice. I then asked if he had a bag we could have to carry it up the hill with, as it was difficult to carry very much in our hands. He became very accommodating, but unfortunately he didn’t have a bag. He offered to let us put the trash in the back of his truck, but upon me doing so, he decided it would be better for us to put it on the ground and for him to come back later and pick it up. He never did ask if we had a permit to be up there, he! he! Gee, I wonder if he forgot. We continued to pack trash up that slope for the next few hours until that hill looked decent once again. Catalina is such a beautiful place, it seemed a desecration to ignore such an eye-sore.
On our way back down the mountain road Judy and I began to discuss the abuse of our land by the people that inhabit it, and decided to do what we can to help clean it up. We will begin by taking at least one day at every port we stop in to pick up trash along any trails or roads we walk. We will do this regardless of where we are. We did notice that the majority of cans and bottles were of Anhauser Busch origin. This in turn gave us the idea of forming an association of world cruisers who are willing to join in this effort to do their part in a worldwide clean up of trash everywhere they go. We also decided to approach Anhauser Busch to give them the opportunity of getting in on the ground floor of this project if they so desire. We are not accusing them of anything, but they might want to help clean up the cans and bottles that their customers have so wantonly discarded. On this first and foremost endeavor, their products were in excess of eighty percent!
Upon returning to town we began to see the teaming hoardes of new arrivals to the island via ferry, sailing and motor yachts who were getting ready for the Catalina Grand Prix Motocross event (the first one being held there since 1958.) The two-day event began the next day and we climbed up a few hills to get a good view only to be dissappointed by the timidity of most of the riders (who mostly appeared to be over the age of 40, 50 and 60!) As Jay harumphed that he could ride faster than most of the entrants on his chopper an older woman next to him began bragging about HER "bagger" bike. Jay laughed and we had a good time anyway because we got there after the rain had stopped that had pelted the riders earlier in the day. (Hopefully the 800 riders and the attendant guests will pick up their trash when they leave...funny but we noticed they were carrying cases of Budweiser and other Busch products as they headed up the hills along side us!) We left early, mildly dissappointed at the event but had a GREAT pizza made by a tiny local shop and fed the pigeons (including a one-legged "pirate-looking" bird). We walked back to the dinghy dock and headed for our own little floating "island" of peace and quiet.
Our friends from Canada, Steve and Lodie, arrived yesterday and came by for a dessert and night cap visit in the evening to fill us in on THEIR adventures since last our paths crossed. This morning they headed out for Oceanside, as they want to get on to Mexico asap. We will head out in a few days.
We are excited about the FREE EVENT being held on Monday which is a once-a-year "open house" tour of the Wrigley Mansion (of the chewing gum family who once owned the island and contributed to keeping it a pure and beautiful place for over 56 years until a Conservancy was begun to continue their labor of love). A $1 taxi service will carry visitors up the steep hill where the 22 room mansion proudly sits above Avalon Harbor. It is said that Ada Wrigley, wife of magnate William Wrigley Jr., chose this spot for her home because it is the very first spot on the island to see the sun rise and set each day. What a treat! Can't wait for the holiday treats and singing around the family piano that is supposed to be part of the free event.
As the smoke cleared the Harbor Patrol arrived and inquired of the situation. The young man was very professional and extremely courteous. It is a pleasure to know that such people still exist in our chaotic society today. Later it was discovered that he was new to the job, but by the way he handled the situation and his boat, you would never have known it. This young man (Mr. Collins) did an excellent job of towing the boat back to the Harbor Patrol dock. Upon arrival we were informed that we could use their dock to complete our repairs and were welcome to use any of their facilities we required. I can’t say enough about the courtesy extended to us by the Harbor Patrol there.
As it turned out, our problems were multiple. The impellor in the raw water pump was fried. This was due to the sea cock on the raw water intake being too loose and vibrating shut while under power. This of course caused the impellor to self destruct, which in turn caused the hose at the end of the exhaust riser loop to blow, which in turn caused the wet muffler to go dry collapsing the hose connection and heating the exhaust to a point that melted the bilge hoses that were against it. Hence the smoke! Once this was all repaired, I thought we were once again ready to embark on our journey. Not even, when the engine was started the water that is supposed to exit out of the stern, exited out the hose connection on the muffler. No problem, right? Just tighten the hose clamps. When I did that, the male outlet that the hose goes over collapsed. Shit, now what? There were none available and would have to be ordered. We ordered one and had it sent to my daughter's in San Diego. In the meantime it was get out the fiberglass. I made a mold out of aluminum can to make a new neck to attach the hose to, and then glassed over the whole top where it was cracked and about to fall apart. It was now 2:36pm. Once again the engine was started, but this time all was well. The only problem was the smell of smoke, which had now dissipated, thank God! Off again to Avalon, a bit late, but problems resolved!
We timed our arrival to be early morning during the daylight hours. The slip promised turned out to be a buoy, with no electric or fresh water. Oh well, can’t win em all. Catalina is beautiful, but very expensive. We went to see the botanical gardens and memorial, which were very nice and not too pricey. Judy and I decided to go for a walk while Tammy slept off “ too much fun” from the night before. We went up, and I do mean up, the hill to the bell tower and the Zane Grey pueblo. The view of the harbor was great and we took some good photos. At this point we decided to continue up the road to the top for a better view. A ways up we saw the Zip Line where people get their thrills by hooking themselves to a cable and speeding down over the canyons. The cost? Why, a mere $92.00 per person. On our way we started to notice the trash thrown out along the side of the road. It was not excessive, but seemed so, due to Catalina Islands general cleanliness. Judy is always picking up other peoples trash and putting it in a garbage can. I have also been known to do this, but not near as adamantly as her. We began to make a game of who could find and pick up the most along the way until we came to a gate blocking the road. A sign informed us that to continue up the road we must buy a permit for $12.00 each back in town. Shit, you can’t even walk on a public road without paying. We called the number on the sign and were informed that if caught by a Ranger on the road we could get in trouble. Judy and I discussed it and decided to risk it. I mean, who could justify fining people who are picking up trash along a road, for being on it without a $12.00 permit? We went up the road. About two or three miles further there was a turn-out cul-de-sac that overlooked the ocean. As we walked down picking up more trash we looked over the side and discovered a mass of trash (mostly cans & bottles) on the slope. Well look at all that fun!
Yep, we dove over the side and started picking the trash off the side of this very steep slope dodging the cactus that populated this slope and carrying it back to the top. This continued for about fifteen minutes and as I was approaching the top with a load, I looked up to see a pickup pull up with a big “RANGER” sign on the side. Uh Oh! Now the shit starts! Well this Ranger exits his official vehicle and in a very commanding voice says “ what are you doing down there?” Of course my response was “ picking up trash”. He just stood there looking kinda dumbfounded for a minute and then said "Oh." in a somewhat smaller voice. I then asked if he had a bag we could have to carry it up the hill with, as it was difficult to carry very much in our hands. He became very accommodating, but unfortunately he didn’t have a bag. He offered to let us put the trash in the back of his truck, but upon me doing so, he decided it would be better for us to put it on the ground and for him to come back later and pick it up. He never did ask if we had a permit to be up there, he! he! Gee, I wonder if he forgot. We continued to pack trash up that slope for the next few hours until that hill looked decent once again. Catalina is such a beautiful place, it seemed a desecration to ignore such an eye-sore.
On our way back down the mountain road Judy and I began to discuss the abuse of our land by the people that inhabit it, and decided to do what we can to help clean it up. We will begin by taking at least one day at every port we stop in to pick up trash along any trails or roads we walk. We will do this regardless of where we are. We did notice that the majority of cans and bottles were of Anhauser Busch origin. This in turn gave us the idea of forming an association of world cruisers who are willing to join in this effort to do their part in a worldwide clean up of trash everywhere they go. We also decided to approach Anhauser Busch to give them the opportunity of getting in on the ground floor of this project if they so desire. We are not accusing them of anything, but they might want to help clean up the cans and bottles that their customers have so wantonly discarded. On this first and foremost endeavor, their products were in excess of eighty percent!
Upon returning to town we began to see the teaming hoardes of new arrivals to the island via ferry, sailing and motor yachts who were getting ready for the Catalina Grand Prix Motocross event (the first one being held there since 1958.) The two-day event began the next day and we climbed up a few hills to get a good view only to be dissappointed by the timidity of most of the riders (who mostly appeared to be over the age of 40, 50 and 60!) As Jay harumphed that he could ride faster than most of the entrants on his chopper an older woman next to him began bragging about HER "bagger" bike. Jay laughed and we had a good time anyway because we got there after the rain had stopped that had pelted the riders earlier in the day. (Hopefully the 800 riders and the attendant guests will pick up their trash when they leave...funny but we noticed they were carrying cases of Budweiser and other Busch products as they headed up the hills along side us!) We left early, mildly dissappointed at the event but had a GREAT pizza made by a tiny local shop and fed the pigeons (including a one-legged "pirate-looking" bird). We walked back to the dinghy dock and headed for our own little floating "island" of peace and quiet.
Our friends from Canada, Steve and Lodie, arrived yesterday and came by for a dessert and night cap visit in the evening to fill us in on THEIR adventures since last our paths crossed. This morning they headed out for Oceanside, as they want to get on to Mexico asap. We will head out in a few days.
We are excited about the FREE EVENT being held on Monday which is a once-a-year "open house" tour of the Wrigley Mansion (of the chewing gum family who once owned the island and contributed to keeping it a pure and beautiful place for over 56 years until a Conservancy was begun to continue their labor of love). A $1 taxi service will carry visitors up the steep hill where the 22 room mansion proudly sits above Avalon Harbor. It is said that Ada Wrigley, wife of magnate William Wrigley Jr., chose this spot for her home because it is the very first spot on the island to see the sun rise and set each day. What a treat! Can't wait for the holiday treats and singing around the family piano that is supposed to be part of the free event.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Transmission fix!
We didn’t have to replace the transmission after all. The problem turned out to be the oil cooler. The oil cooler is basically a heat exchanger that has raw sea water flowing through tubes, sealed off from, but surrounded by pressurized transmission fluid. What happened was the tubes sprang a leak and the pressure being greater on the oil side caused the transmission oil to vacate through the exhaust, via the cooling tubes. When the oil became low enough the transmission began to slip. In Santa Barbara I purchased a new oil cooler for $145.00, drained and flushed the transmission and filled it up with MD 111 fluid. I also drained the v-drive and replaced the 30W oil in it. As a result the drive train sounds/works great, so far.
We left Santa Barbara yesterday morning at ten, headed for Ventura Harbor. We decided to take a short cruise to make sure the transmission was going to work well. Our attempts to contact anyone at the marina were unsuccessful, so we went to the fuel dock to top off our tank and inquire as to dock/slip availability. Unfortunately, we discovered that they had a slip but the cost was $66.00 per night. It was out of the question to pay this exhorbatent amount for a slip in a stinky/ filthy marina! However, we were informed that six miles south there were slips available at Chanel Islands Marina. By the time we exited Ventura Harbor we had only two hours till dark. No problem though, I just kicked it up a bit to seven knots and we arrived in plenty of time to secure a slip. The Marina is beautiful here, and very clean. It has individual boat slips, much better than Santa Barbara. Although I must say, the blond receptionist is pretty and nice enough, but a bit lacking in the “giving directions department”. The docks are alphabetically marked well enough, but the numbers are not readable from the side of approach. If you go there make her spell it out. Make sure she counts dock fingers!
I spoke with our friend Gary and explained that our problem with the engine is a bad injector. We have been getting diesel in the oil when we shut the engine down. Not a lot, but enough to warrant very frequent oil changes. It seems that the main clue is that when the engine is started cold the exhaust is white. This I am told is due to raw fuel in at least one cylinder. Today I will replace the injectors with the new ones the previous owner was so kind to leave aboard.
Okay, confession time. When following our Canadian friends’ boat, I was unable to pick them up on radar, but I did have a shadow behind us. I knew this to be a shadow, because it was a clear day and there was obviously no boat astern. I later discovered that the boat astern was our friends' boat. How was this possible? Well it seems that when radars are installed they must be installed with the wires entering from the stern side. When I fabricated the solar/radar frame, I ran the wires through the pipe from the forward compartment to the stern. This made them exit the frame on the bow side and I hooked them up on that side, looked great! Unfortunately, this hooking up the wires on the bow side caused the radar to read backwards. Ops! Maybe if I have time after changing the injectors, I will turn the radar around. That’s all folks!
We left Santa Barbara yesterday morning at ten, headed for Ventura Harbor. We decided to take a short cruise to make sure the transmission was going to work well. Our attempts to contact anyone at the marina were unsuccessful, so we went to the fuel dock to top off our tank and inquire as to dock/slip availability. Unfortunately, we discovered that they had a slip but the cost was $66.00 per night. It was out of the question to pay this exhorbatent amount for a slip in a stinky/ filthy marina! However, we were informed that six miles south there were slips available at Chanel Islands Marina. By the time we exited Ventura Harbor we had only two hours till dark. No problem though, I just kicked it up a bit to seven knots and we arrived in plenty of time to secure a slip. The Marina is beautiful here, and very clean. It has individual boat slips, much better than Santa Barbara. Although I must say, the blond receptionist is pretty and nice enough, but a bit lacking in the “giving directions department”. The docks are alphabetically marked well enough, but the numbers are not readable from the side of approach. If you go there make her spell it out. Make sure she counts dock fingers!
I spoke with our friend Gary and explained that our problem with the engine is a bad injector. We have been getting diesel in the oil when we shut the engine down. Not a lot, but enough to warrant very frequent oil changes. It seems that the main clue is that when the engine is started cold the exhaust is white. This I am told is due to raw fuel in at least one cylinder. Today I will replace the injectors with the new ones the previous owner was so kind to leave aboard.
Okay, confession time. When following our Canadian friends’ boat, I was unable to pick them up on radar, but I did have a shadow behind us. I knew this to be a shadow, because it was a clear day and there was obviously no boat astern. I later discovered that the boat astern was our friends' boat. How was this possible? Well it seems that when radars are installed they must be installed with the wires entering from the stern side. When I fabricated the solar/radar frame, I ran the wires through the pipe from the forward compartment to the stern. This made them exit the frame on the bow side and I hooked them up on that side, looked great! Unfortunately, this hooking up the wires on the bow side caused the radar to read backwards. Ops! Maybe if I have time after changing the injectors, I will turn the radar around. That’s all folks!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Trials and Tribulations
We left San Luis Obispo Bay on the morning of 11/17/10 at 7AM, headed for Santa Barbara City Marina. The visibility was ¼ mile due to morning fog which burned off by ten. The swells were almost nonexistent with no wind. It was again impossible to sail, so we were forced to motor around Point Arguello and Point Conception. We timed our trip to round the points at night due to the winds having a tendency to lie down at that time. We had been warned of the hazards of this area by many sailors. Fortunately the weather was beautiful and the seas calm. On the other hand nothing is perfect.
Upon approaching Pt Arguello at dusk our transmission began to slip to a point of increasing the engine RPM’s three hundred revolutions every couple of minutes. We then discovered the transmission had lost all of its oil. Upon filling it with engine oil for a temporary fix, and adding more every hour or so to keep it going, we finally made it around Pt Conception. My question is: (why does shit always have to happen at night?). Anyway we made to the harbor after a lesson from our Canadian friends on anchoring etiquette.
After a nights rest I again checked the oil in the transmission and to my chagrin it was discovered that, not only was the oil evacuating the transmission, but now it was a milky white. SHIT! The problem has gone from an annoyance to a major problem. It is not just a minor oil seal replacement problem, but now a major replacement problem.
We found a new transmission for fifteen hundred including shipping from New Jersey. Of course the final cost will be closer to $2000.00 when installed. I just discovered the transmission heat exchanger will have to be replaced also. The good side is “better here than in Mexico”. The big problem now is getting traveler checks in our account, so we can then pay for it with Pay Pal. No one seems to accept American Express checks and our bank is in Oregon. Oh well all will work out. I just hope the shipping doesn’t take too long, as this harbor is certainly NOT cheap!
My daughter came up to sail the rest of the way to San Diego with us. As soon as we complete our repairs we will head for Catalina. In the meantime Judy and Tammy will explore Santa Barbara.
Upon approaching Pt Arguello at dusk our transmission began to slip to a point of increasing the engine RPM’s three hundred revolutions every couple of minutes. We then discovered the transmission had lost all of its oil. Upon filling it with engine oil for a temporary fix, and adding more every hour or so to keep it going, we finally made it around Pt Conception. My question is: (why does shit always have to happen at night?). Anyway we made to the harbor after a lesson from our Canadian friends on anchoring etiquette.
After a nights rest I again checked the oil in the transmission and to my chagrin it was discovered that, not only was the oil evacuating the transmission, but now it was a milky white. SHIT! The problem has gone from an annoyance to a major problem. It is not just a minor oil seal replacement problem, but now a major replacement problem.
We found a new transmission for fifteen hundred including shipping from New Jersey. Of course the final cost will be closer to $2000.00 when installed. I just discovered the transmission heat exchanger will have to be replaced also. The good side is “better here than in Mexico”. The big problem now is getting traveler checks in our account, so we can then pay for it with Pay Pal. No one seems to accept American Express checks and our bank is in Oregon. Oh well all will work out. I just hope the shipping doesn’t take too long, as this harbor is certainly NOT cheap!
My daughter came up to sail the rest of the way to San Diego with us. As soon as we complete our repairs we will head for Catalina. In the meantime Judy and Tammy will explore Santa Barbara.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Our Sailing Friends
Our Oregon friends Steve & Lulu (Siempre Sabado) and our Canadian friends Steve & Lodie (Wendelin) leaving Newport Oregon.
Siempre Sabado @
theyoders@yodersafloat.com
www.yodersafloat.blogspot.com
Siempre Sabado @
theyoders@yodersafloat.com
www.yodersafloat.blogspot.com
Tammy's Paintings
Here are a few more of her paintings. She has more, but her latest are the best. She has a natural born talent that she allowed to lie dormant for many years, but is now resurrecting it. Her work is improving rapidly now that she has the time to pursue it. Of course I am a bit prejudiced!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Watermaker
Steve and I worked on the water maker yesterday and found two major problems, solving one so far. Every time we tried to start it up the main fuse would blow. At first we thought the clutch was seized, causing the problem. After several fuses and closer inspection, we discovered the pump to be the culprit, not the clutch. The pump and the drive motor were seized. I had a spare wash down pump aboard that we installed. This solved the main fuse blowout problem. When we were searching for the fuse problem It was discovered that the switch module that diverts the water from the tank overboard was clogged with white stuff. Whether it was salt, corrosion, or lime, I have no idea. I cleaned it out and am soaking it in penetrating oil, in an attempt to free up the switch over valve. We believe this to be the reason for the waters failure to flow through the system, as it is activated electrically and must be free. We will try again today.
I thought I had my oil problem solved, but yesterday when I checked the oil it was overfull.Shit! First I was making oil with diesel, then using oil (leaking out), now gaining again. It seems that it never ends. The oil level was fine when we arrived here and was fine the next day. On the second day I failed to shut off the fuel line from the filter to the engine. The filter is above the engine so I think gravity came into play and fuel must have flowed down to the sump. The problem with this theory is that the engine oil does not smell like it has diesel in it. The engine only holds 4.25 qts of oil so the oil level on the dip stick changes dramatically with very little addition of any liquid. I wonder if the oil could take three days to drain back down completely? Nah! But then I did add oil on the trip down. A dilemma.
I thought I had my oil problem solved, but yesterday when I checked the oil it was overfull.Shit! First I was making oil with diesel, then using oil (leaking out), now gaining again. It seems that it never ends. The oil level was fine when we arrived here and was fine the next day. On the second day I failed to shut off the fuel line from the filter to the engine. The filter is above the engine so I think gravity came into play and fuel must have flowed down to the sump. The problem with this theory is that the engine oil does not smell like it has diesel in it. The engine only holds 4.25 qts of oil so the oil level on the dip stick changes dramatically with very little addition of any liquid. I wonder if the oil could take three days to drain back down completely? Nah! But then I did add oil on the trip down. A dilemma.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Stuck again
At least this time we are stuck in a modern well equipped marina here in Monterrey. It is a treat to have clean docks, hot showers, and a town with real stores. Upon approaching the marina there is a very narrow area that appears almost too tight to navigate through. When we reached this point, to our consternation, there were two little dinks sailing around circles, bouncing off of the pilings, precariously close to capsizing in the middle of this very narrow spot. One even hung the top of its mast under the pier. I thought for sure they would capsize, but miraculously they escaped the piers clutches. We proceeded through as soon as they cleared the area. Actually it was quite entertaining. It is nice to not be the brunt of the laughter for once. I'm sure our time will come again soon though. With this in mind, we somewhat stifled our laugh.
We were going to leave yesterday, but were once again thwarted by the weather. Next Monday looks good at present. Hopefully it will stay that way and we can get on with it. If so, our next stop will be Ventura and then Catalina. My daughter will join us in Ventura for the final legs to San Diego, as she wants to spend some time with us in Catalina.
Steve came over yesterday and checked out our electrical for us. He fixed several possible causes of our electrical maladies. We are keeping our fingers crossed. I'm sure it will be okay, as Steve is a shipwright and has plenty of expertise in such matters. He will be returning today to help fix the water maker. When working properly it is supposed to put out 20 gal an hour. This will be advantageous to other cruisers as well, as we hear water is sometimes hard to come by in the Sea of Cortez. Yes, we share!
Yesterday I replaced the control line on the jib and both sheets. Judy will whip the ends today. Shure am glad we bought a lot of extra double braid poly on e-bay to take with. I had to purchase the 3/8" control line from West Marine at 96 cents a foot. This was the third time I have replaced it. The first was due to wear.The second was due to operator error (mine). The third was due to changing the rout/#coils and moving the clutch back to a more convenient place in the cockpit. This time I made it extra long. I hope this was the last time as it's getting rather expensive.
Judy & Lodie went exploring yesterday. She said she had a great time and really likes Lodie. I'm glad she has some female company, ladies seem to need female companionship, or they get cranky! Men don't need any such trivialities, we're cranky all the time/on demand?
We were going to leave yesterday, but were once again thwarted by the weather. Next Monday looks good at present. Hopefully it will stay that way and we can get on with it. If so, our next stop will be Ventura and then Catalina. My daughter will join us in Ventura for the final legs to San Diego, as she wants to spend some time with us in Catalina.
Steve came over yesterday and checked out our electrical for us. He fixed several possible causes of our electrical maladies. We are keeping our fingers crossed. I'm sure it will be okay, as Steve is a shipwright and has plenty of expertise in such matters. He will be returning today to help fix the water maker. When working properly it is supposed to put out 20 gal an hour. This will be advantageous to other cruisers as well, as we hear water is sometimes hard to come by in the Sea of Cortez. Yes, we share!
Yesterday I replaced the control line on the jib and both sheets. Judy will whip the ends today. Shure am glad we bought a lot of extra double braid poly on e-bay to take with. I had to purchase the 3/8" control line from West Marine at 96 cents a foot. This was the third time I have replaced it. The first was due to wear.The second was due to operator error (mine). The third was due to changing the rout/#coils and moving the clutch back to a more convenient place in the cockpit. This time I made it extra long. I hope this was the last time as it's getting rather expensive.
Judy & Lodie went exploring yesterday. She said she had a great time and really likes Lodie. I'm glad she has some female company, ladies seem to need female companionship, or they get cranky! Men don't need any such trivialities, we're cranky all the time/on demand?
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Monterey Bay
We left Charleston OR. At dark thirty in tandem with Erick on his steel hulled Blue Note. The plan was to head south together as far as possible in the current weather window. As we entered the channel Erick was waiting off our port bow. When we came abreast he began to fall behind to follow us out. Before he had room to complete this maneuver, a very large fishing vessel appeared out of the fog astern. It proceeded to pass on the starboard side in the narrow channel. It was touch and go for a bit, but the captain obviously knew what he was about. We fell in behind and followed him out across the bar. Upon crossing the fog became thicker and we lost sight of Blue Notes masthead tri-color. Which was the only light on the at that time. We attempted to contact Erick on the VHS to no avail. We then slowed down to wait but he never appeared, nor did he respond to our calls.
We did make contact eventually, discovering that as soon as he crossed the bar, he turned south. We on the other hand continued west for ten miles before heading south, as this would give us the safety margin we desired to clear obstructions along the coast prior to going around Cape Blanco. Erick sailed at around three miles from the coast. When we finally made contact, we changed course to intersect and continue in our attempt to sail in tandem. This however, did not work. We lost contact with the cells, and never could make contact on the VHS. Erick did make contact again and informed us that he was going into Humboldt Bay to rest and for us to go on without him. We wished each other well, and sailed on to Bodega Bay.
The weather was decent but very cold. The seas were kind to us, running eight to nine feet at around twelve seconds. The winds were too mild to hoist sail, or coming from astern just hard enough to increase the chill factor enough to make it extremely uncomfortable in the cockpit. Judy got her first sight of Dolphins in the wild. She was very excited and quite exuberant in her display gratification. She retired to her bunk that evening quite content with her decision to go to sea. Around one in the morning I smelled exhaust fumes in the cockpit. Upon investigation it was discovered that the heat riser had developed a hole the size of a dime. I cracked the hatch, opened the companionway and the lazerett lid to vent the carbon monoxide out. I then placed a carbon monoxide detector between Judy and Ken on the salon table. Checking to making sure they were okay. I awoke Judy on the second morning out to share a beautiful sunrise on an exceptionally flat sea. This was also a first time experience for her. We sat together in the cockpit for several hours enjoying this beautiful morning before she retired back to her bunk.
Upon approaching the coast at Bodega Bay, we discovered a gauntlet of crab traps blocking the approach. There were boats everywhere. We found the entrance to be very narrow and congested with power boats trying to exhibit their capability of excessive speed. Upon reaching the much needed fuel dock, it was discovered that we had timed our arrival to coincide with the opening day of crab season. Our boat holds 100 gallons of fuel and we took 87 gallons. Whew, that is too close. The opposing currents must have been much stronger than anticipated.
The following morning we walked to the top of the hill on the opposite side of the bay and purchased some “Quick Seal,” somewhat like JB Weld. I then cleaned off the offending riser elbow, hammered out two can lids to fit snugly over it. Setting them aside, I mixed up the Quick Seal and covered the offending area with it. Prior to its hardening I placed the newly shaped can lids over the elbow and secured them with hose clamps. The whole area was then wrapped with non-flammable cloth. Problem solved……………….. almost. It seems that when one solves a problem with what is available at the time, it is inevitable that Murphy’s law will sneak in. Oh, the repair held admirably, but oh the stink! It smelled like rotten piss, yuck-a-doooo.
We said adeau to Bodega Bay heading out. That night Judy decided to fix some baked chicken breasts for dinner. When they were about half done she discovered , to her chagrin, that we had failed to fill the propane tanks in Bodega Bay, Ops! I’m sure the crabs enjoyed the half cooked treats, while we ate cold sandwiches.
We are continuing to experience electrical problems, even though we purchased all new batteries. The person that rewired the boat got it wrong. We are going to hire a real electrician to find out what the hell is wrong. It is extremely frustrating to put out over ten thousand dollars for a job poorly done. Live and learn I suppose.
We decided to stop at Santa Cruz to fill the propane tanks. As we approached the entrance I radioed the marina for an entrance report. They gave us the go ahead, and we proceeded to approach the jetty. The swells were running about six feet as we approached and the wind was at six knots. At about 1000 yards, the wind increased to eleven knots and the waves began hitting the full length of the jetty at the same time. Not a good sign, but still do-able. At around 500 yards the wind jumped up to 19 knots. This was “NOT”acceptable! I aborted.
We then crossed the bay and experienced a very rough ride into Moss Landing. Upon searching for a slip we experienced another malady when the transmission linkage slipped. This caused the failure of the ability to engage reverse. Which in turn, almost caused us to kiss another boat. Whew! Close call. Once docked we had an excellent dinner at the local authentic Mexican restaurant. Then it was early to bed.
The following day I went to get propane. After inquiring with a local as to the whereabouts of propane, I loaded up the empty tanks on our trusty folding dolly and headed out. After dragging them around for an hour or so, I discovered that propane was no longer available at Moss Landing. I was told they no longer carried it because they only made around 15 cents a gallon on it. What ever happened to service?
Later that morning I decided to find out where our Canadian friends (Steve & Lodie) were. When I called them I discovered they were right around the corner in the Monterey marina. Well shit howdy! We didn’t waste any time leaving Moss Landing and are now enjoying the company of our Canadian friends here in Monterey!
We did make contact eventually, discovering that as soon as he crossed the bar, he turned south. We on the other hand continued west for ten miles before heading south, as this would give us the safety margin we desired to clear obstructions along the coast prior to going around Cape Blanco. Erick sailed at around three miles from the coast. When we finally made contact, we changed course to intersect and continue in our attempt to sail in tandem. This however, did not work. We lost contact with the cells, and never could make contact on the VHS. Erick did make contact again and informed us that he was going into Humboldt Bay to rest and for us to go on without him. We wished each other well, and sailed on to Bodega Bay.
The weather was decent but very cold. The seas were kind to us, running eight to nine feet at around twelve seconds. The winds were too mild to hoist sail, or coming from astern just hard enough to increase the chill factor enough to make it extremely uncomfortable in the cockpit. Judy got her first sight of Dolphins in the wild. She was very excited and quite exuberant in her display gratification. She retired to her bunk that evening quite content with her decision to go to sea. Around one in the morning I smelled exhaust fumes in the cockpit. Upon investigation it was discovered that the heat riser had developed a hole the size of a dime. I cracked the hatch, opened the companionway and the lazerett lid to vent the carbon monoxide out. I then placed a carbon monoxide detector between Judy and Ken on the salon table. Checking to making sure they were okay. I awoke Judy on the second morning out to share a beautiful sunrise on an exceptionally flat sea. This was also a first time experience for her. We sat together in the cockpit for several hours enjoying this beautiful morning before she retired back to her bunk.
Upon approaching the coast at Bodega Bay, we discovered a gauntlet of crab traps blocking the approach. There were boats everywhere. We found the entrance to be very narrow and congested with power boats trying to exhibit their capability of excessive speed. Upon reaching the much needed fuel dock, it was discovered that we had timed our arrival to coincide with the opening day of crab season. Our boat holds 100 gallons of fuel and we took 87 gallons. Whew, that is too close. The opposing currents must have been much stronger than anticipated.
The following morning we walked to the top of the hill on the opposite side of the bay and purchased some “Quick Seal,” somewhat like JB Weld. I then cleaned off the offending riser elbow, hammered out two can lids to fit snugly over it. Setting them aside, I mixed up the Quick Seal and covered the offending area with it. Prior to its hardening I placed the newly shaped can lids over the elbow and secured them with hose clamps. The whole area was then wrapped with non-flammable cloth. Problem solved……………….. almost. It seems that when one solves a problem with what is available at the time, it is inevitable that Murphy’s law will sneak in. Oh, the repair held admirably, but oh the stink! It smelled like rotten piss, yuck-a-doooo.
We said adeau to Bodega Bay heading out. That night Judy decided to fix some baked chicken breasts for dinner. When they were about half done she discovered , to her chagrin, that we had failed to fill the propane tanks in Bodega Bay, Ops! I’m sure the crabs enjoyed the half cooked treats, while we ate cold sandwiches.
We are continuing to experience electrical problems, even though we purchased all new batteries. The person that rewired the boat got it wrong. We are going to hire a real electrician to find out what the hell is wrong. It is extremely frustrating to put out over ten thousand dollars for a job poorly done. Live and learn I suppose.
We decided to stop at Santa Cruz to fill the propane tanks. As we approached the entrance I radioed the marina for an entrance report. They gave us the go ahead, and we proceeded to approach the jetty. The swells were running about six feet as we approached and the wind was at six knots. At about 1000 yards, the wind increased to eleven knots and the waves began hitting the full length of the jetty at the same time. Not a good sign, but still do-able. At around 500 yards the wind jumped up to 19 knots. This was “NOT”acceptable! I aborted.
We then crossed the bay and experienced a very rough ride into Moss Landing. Upon searching for a slip we experienced another malady when the transmission linkage slipped. This caused the failure of the ability to engage reverse. Which in turn, almost caused us to kiss another boat. Whew! Close call. Once docked we had an excellent dinner at the local authentic Mexican restaurant. Then it was early to bed.
The following day I went to get propane. After inquiring with a local as to the whereabouts of propane, I loaded up the empty tanks on our trusty folding dolly and headed out. After dragging them around for an hour or so, I discovered that propane was no longer available at Moss Landing. I was told they no longer carried it because they only made around 15 cents a gallon on it. What ever happened to service?
Later that morning I decided to find out where our Canadian friends (Steve & Lodie) were. When I called them I discovered they were right around the corner in the Monterey marina. Well shit howdy! We didn’t waste any time leaving Moss Landing and are now enjoying the company of our Canadian friends here in Monterey!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Yahoo! We're On Our Way in Bodega Bay
11/7/2010
Well, HALLELUJAH! We got a weather window on Wednesday, November 3rd at 9 pm after diligently watching the weather for 2 1/2 weeks as we were stuck in Coos Bay (aka HELL HOLE, to me). Accompanying us was Ken, the same sailor who originally helped Jay bring our boat up from Moss Landing California to Newport, Oregon 2 years ago.We set out with a new sailing friend, Eric, from Alaska following us in his vessel "Blue Note,"with his trusty chocolate lab sidekick "Jazz."
We had decided days earlier to sail down together for safety and other reasons. Unfortunately as we left, motoring, in a thick fog following a fishing vessel with huge, bright lights, Eric turned West closer to shore than we wanted to sail and we lost track of him for about a day. Eric finally called us the next day telling us that he was exhausted and was pulling into Eureka to rest. We told him we were going on to Bodega Bay and if he wanted to he could catch up with us. But since Eric is sailing alone while we have 3 on board to take helm shifts, and Eric was finding it impossible to keep up with us he decided to take it slower and head down alone stopping for rest as needed. We bid each other a safe trip and promised to meet up "sometime" in the Sea of Cortez.
The seas were wonderfully mellow all the way to Bodega Bay. The only bad part was having to MOTOR the entire way because we virtually had no wind at all to put up the sails. It was lovely Saturday morning and Jay woke me up to see the ocean at about 5 am as the water looked like a placid lake instead of the ocean. The sky was a beautiful golden orange and Jay took some great photos of the sunrise. A little while later we were visited by not one, or two but FOUR groups of dolphins at different intervals who delighted us with their graceful jumps and soaring thru the crystal clear bluish water along side the boat as close as a mere 1 foot away! Several "played" with us seemingly trying to race the boat.....their grace and beauty in nature was beyond belief to me and I thankfully and joyfully yelled my greetings to them in wonderment over these incredibly beautiful fellow mammals. I feel truly blessed from this experience thanking the Great Indian Chief in the Sky for creating such beautiful, intelligent seaward companions to share the earth and our ocean adventures with us. I have to admit that I am experiencing an incredible affinity with sailors who tell stories of falling in love with the sea! When out in the ocean I am finding a peace and quietude of spirit that I have never felt before.....like totally being part of nature instead of just a "user" of its resources.
After manuevering the incredibly long, circuitous bay route into Bodega Bay, all the while dodging a bazillion crab traps (wouldn't you know we would arrive on the FIRST DAY of crabbing season!) we arrived at the fuel dock at 4 pm. Having to motor from Wednesday to Saturday without stopping we knew we were close to being out of diesel and the 85 gallons we put into the tank proved it----after paying for fuel and a slip for the night $30--we were nearly $300 poorer! We hope on our next leg of our trip we can sail and not have to pay for fuel. I can't wait for our next "leg" to begin. I am so glad to be in California where Jay and I both were born.
Well, HALLELUJAH! We got a weather window on Wednesday, November 3rd at 9 pm after diligently watching the weather for 2 1/2 weeks as we were stuck in Coos Bay (aka HELL HOLE, to me). Accompanying us was Ken, the same sailor who originally helped Jay bring our boat up from Moss Landing California to Newport, Oregon 2 years ago.We set out with a new sailing friend, Eric, from Alaska following us in his vessel "Blue Note,"with his trusty chocolate lab sidekick "Jazz."
We had decided days earlier to sail down together for safety and other reasons. Unfortunately as we left, motoring, in a thick fog following a fishing vessel with huge, bright lights, Eric turned West closer to shore than we wanted to sail and we lost track of him for about a day. Eric finally called us the next day telling us that he was exhausted and was pulling into Eureka to rest. We told him we were going on to Bodega Bay and if he wanted to he could catch up with us. But since Eric is sailing alone while we have 3 on board to take helm shifts, and Eric was finding it impossible to keep up with us he decided to take it slower and head down alone stopping for rest as needed. We bid each other a safe trip and promised to meet up "sometime" in the Sea of Cortez.
The seas were wonderfully mellow all the way to Bodega Bay. The only bad part was having to MOTOR the entire way because we virtually had no wind at all to put up the sails. It was lovely Saturday morning and Jay woke me up to see the ocean at about 5 am as the water looked like a placid lake instead of the ocean. The sky was a beautiful golden orange and Jay took some great photos of the sunrise. A little while later we were visited by not one, or two but FOUR groups of dolphins at different intervals who delighted us with their graceful jumps and soaring thru the crystal clear bluish water along side the boat as close as a mere 1 foot away! Several "played" with us seemingly trying to race the boat.....their grace and beauty in nature was beyond belief to me and I thankfully and joyfully yelled my greetings to them in wonderment over these incredibly beautiful fellow mammals. I feel truly blessed from this experience thanking the Great Indian Chief in the Sky for creating such beautiful, intelligent seaward companions to share the earth and our ocean adventures with us. I have to admit that I am experiencing an incredible affinity with sailors who tell stories of falling in love with the sea! When out in the ocean I am finding a peace and quietude of spirit that I have never felt before.....like totally being part of nature instead of just a "user" of its resources.
After manuevering the incredibly long, circuitous bay route into Bodega Bay, all the while dodging a bazillion crab traps (wouldn't you know we would arrive on the FIRST DAY of crabbing season!) we arrived at the fuel dock at 4 pm. Having to motor from Wednesday to Saturday without stopping we knew we were close to being out of diesel and the 85 gallons we put into the tank proved it----after paying for fuel and a slip for the night $30--we were nearly $300 poorer! We hope on our next leg of our trip we can sail and not have to pay for fuel. I can't wait for our next "leg" to begin. I am so glad to be in California where Jay and I both were born.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Window
It looks like today will be the day we have been waiting for. There appears to be a three day window opening today, maybe longer. High tide is around noon so we should get out of here around then if they open the bar and Ken (our friend from Portland) arrives on time. Waves are large but well spaced. Shouldn't have any problems. Wind Raven is very sea worthy. The further south we get the better the weather and seas look. If the weather holds and we don't have any more electrical problems, we should make San Francisco or hopefully Monterey Bay. Boy, wouldn't that be a treat after the last three weeks.
We are still finding glitches in the electrical. I am not able to separate the house batteries from the starting battery. I disconnected the + post on the starting battery and the engine still turns over, no matter where the master switch is turned. I did this by putting a cut off switch on the + side. This morning I will move it to the Neg side and see if that will work as a temporary fix.
Judy called around and located a refrigeration repair man recommended by Englund Marine here. He is an independent worker and not only amiable, courteous, and good, but very reasonable. He drove a half hour each way, worked over two hours, and only charged $75.00. To top that off, he gave me a badly needed education on my refrigeration system. Also he came over at 8PM after another job he was working on. His first name is Matt and (541) 551-0864. He also said that he can troubleshoot over the phone. I don't know how he would charge for this service, or if he only does it for existing customers. I recommend him highly!
We are still finding glitches in the electrical. I am not able to separate the house batteries from the starting battery. I disconnected the + post on the starting battery and the engine still turns over, no matter where the master switch is turned. I did this by putting a cut off switch on the + side. This morning I will move it to the Neg side and see if that will work as a temporary fix.
Judy called around and located a refrigeration repair man recommended by Englund Marine here. He is an independent worker and not only amiable, courteous, and good, but very reasonable. He drove a half hour each way, worked over two hours, and only charged $75.00. To top that off, he gave me a badly needed education on my refrigeration system. Also he came over at 8PM after another job he was working on. His first name is Matt and (541) 551-0864. He also said that he can troubleshoot over the phone. I don't know how he would charge for this service, or if he only does it for existing customers. I recommend him highly!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Crew Member Lost Overboard
Yesterday we had to say good bye to a faithful crew member who was a part of our family for over a year. Everyone who came aboard met our cat "Boogie." He is so smart and attentive to his humans that we were even able to "potty train" him to use a human toilet----at least for #1........He tried very hard to become a good crew member, but at every sail outing he became violently ill with or without his sea sickness and anti-anxiety meds. Since, as we all know, cats can't "talk" in a language we stupid humans can understand he tried to "signal" us that he did NOT want to live on a boat......his messages were: 1) not using his cat box for #2 AND 2) sweetly snuggling up to Jay and I, acting all loving at first and then giving us a "bite" on the face.....day before yesterday he did it to Jay's cheek and actually drew blood. Then, we believe, his message became vividly undeniable: "Get me outta here you idiots, can't you SEE how MISERABLE I AM??????"
So we realized we had a decision to make----I called my daughter Moriah and she said she would take him if we could "send" him up----she lives in Sweet Home and we are in Coos Bay......we don't have a car so I called our faithful buddy, Gary, in Winchester who we met in Newport. He has a sailboat and lives on it also. Long story short Gary said his brother goes to Sweet Home every other day or so, so Gary called him and worked it out for us. So yesterday Gary came to Coos Bay, took us shopping and we passed on Boogie to Gary in his cat carrier with all his toys, dishes, etc. and Gary in turn passed Boogie and his acoutrements to his brother who then drove Boogie up to Sweet Home right to my daughter's door and delivered him! My kids and grandkids all love Boogie and it was especially meaningful to my granddaughter Haley as she took a shine to him and unfortunately her previous cat had been killed by a car just a few months ago.
As soon as Boogie is able to let Moriah's Chihuahua, Oscar, know who the "boss" is, I am sure they will get along. Sure beats having to make Boogie "walk the plank." I am sad but relieved as I know now that it wasn't fair to Boogie to have to endure all that sea sickness and boat life when his main career used to be hunting mice and other creatures on land. But I bet Boogie will have some great sea story adventures to share with his land lubbing kitty buddies........farewell, sweet Kitty Prince, you WILL be missed............Cat Mom Judy
So we realized we had a decision to make----I called my daughter Moriah and she said she would take him if we could "send" him up----she lives in Sweet Home and we are in Coos Bay......we don't have a car so I called our faithful buddy, Gary, in Winchester who we met in Newport. He has a sailboat and lives on it also. Long story short Gary said his brother goes to Sweet Home every other day or so, so Gary called him and worked it out for us. So yesterday Gary came to Coos Bay, took us shopping and we passed on Boogie to Gary in his cat carrier with all his toys, dishes, etc. and Gary in turn passed Boogie and his acoutrements to his brother who then drove Boogie up to Sweet Home right to my daughter's door and delivered him! My kids and grandkids all love Boogie and it was especially meaningful to my granddaughter Haley as she took a shine to him and unfortunately her previous cat had been killed by a car just a few months ago.
As soon as Boogie is able to let Moriah's Chihuahua, Oscar, know who the "boss" is, I am sure they will get along. Sure beats having to make Boogie "walk the plank." I am sad but relieved as I know now that it wasn't fair to Boogie to have to endure all that sea sickness and boat life when his main career used to be hunting mice and other creatures on land. But I bet Boogie will have some great sea story adventures to share with his land lubbing kitty buddies........farewell, sweet Kitty Prince, you WILL be missed............Cat Mom Judy
Staying busy
Some more items we have worked on to improve the condition of Wind Raven!
Completed as of 11/07/10
Install/Replace/Repair
Radar reflector
Shaft Shark
Manual bilge pump (1)
Macerator pump
Self release EPIRB
Cockpit speakers
Wash-down pump
Bilge exhaust system
Anchor bridle
Anchor bridle cleats
Engine hoses
Clean & inspect rigging hardware
Tune rigging
Build/install dual fuel filter system
Engine coolant flow meter
Completed as of 11/07/10
Install/Replace/Repair
Radar reflector
Shaft Shark
Manual bilge pump (1)
Macerator pump
Self release EPIRB
Cockpit speakers
Wash-down pump
Bilge exhaust system
Anchor bridle
Anchor bridle cleats
Engine hoses
Clean & inspect rigging hardware
Tune rigging
Build/install dual fuel filter system
Engine coolant flow meter
Sunday, October 31, 2010
A glimmer of hope
The weather, (Sea) forecast is once again promising a glimmer of hope. Even with large bumpy seas, if all remains as is, we will be granted a three to four day window, in which delusions of grandeur now exist. We will be praying to the Great Chief in the sky, that we may be granted this long awaited passage. As Charleston, Oregon is definitely NOT the place we wish to spend the winter. We lust for milder climates. Oh, what we would give for 80 degree temps with blue water and calm seas. Yeah, yeah, I know…..Dream On!
We have been making good use of our time here. Catching up on Maintenance and installing a few items that have been lying dormant on the “To Do” list. I am still having a problem with the charging of the house batteries. The only way I can get them to take a charge, is to put the control switch on ALL. The house batteries are supposed to be isolated from the others, by putting the main switch on #1. The problem is that on # 1 they won’t take a charge from any source, Alt, Solar, or AC power plug. That is unless, as stated before, I change the main battery to ALL. I am a little concerned about this, because if anything pulls excessive amps, including a short, it will drain all the batteries except the capstan battery. This battery is isolated with its own switch. The emergency use of that battery would prove difficult, as it is located in the chain locker. If we ever catch up with Steve & Lodie, I will call on his “expertise,” even if I have to grovel a bit.
In our current dreams we will reach Moss Landing next week. In reality, where will we be at this time next week? Only God knows that! Sure do hope he’s on our side!
We have been making good use of our time here. Catching up on Maintenance and installing a few items that have been lying dormant on the “To Do” list. I am still having a problem with the charging of the house batteries. The only way I can get them to take a charge, is to put the control switch on ALL. The house batteries are supposed to be isolated from the others, by putting the main switch on #1. The problem is that on # 1 they won’t take a charge from any source, Alt, Solar, or AC power plug. That is unless, as stated before, I change the main battery to ALL. I am a little concerned about this, because if anything pulls excessive amps, including a short, it will drain all the batteries except the capstan battery. This battery is isolated with its own switch. The emergency use of that battery would prove difficult, as it is located in the chain locker. If we ever catch up with Steve & Lodie, I will call on his “expertise,” even if I have to grovel a bit.
In our current dreams we will reach Moss Landing next week. In reality, where will we be at this time next week? Only God knows that! Sure do hope he’s on our side!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Stuck in Coos Bay (again) sung to the tine of "Stuck in Lodi again" by CCR
Ten days here....and we thought the weather was getting better....NOW it looks like it's getting worse for the next few days thru the weekend......not a very clean port but our friend Gary came down yesterday and took us shopping for groceries (he and Jay) while I got taken to a laundromat to do the week's laundry...but it was cool they had a video arcade, vending machines for all kinds of stuff and boo koos of old Enquirer magazines to leaf thru.....I had NO idea that Carnie Wilson (beach boys kid) had porked out to about 300 lbs again after her gastric bi-pass and that Oprah and her best gal pal Gayle (somethingoranother) are having a feud......and that Russell Brand explained why he "slept around" so much cause he "wanted to make sure he found the right girl" before he married Katy Perry! The things I don't hear on the boat! so laundry was actually fun and informative.....ha ha
Back to real life: Jay and I found this great huge (30 x 25 ft) netting (I think it was a soccer goal net) at St Vinnie's and we have been making great storage nets for the v-berth sides and etc. to give us more secure storage for our "stuff".....
Boogie is in a depressed state right now...hope he gets better....he got in trouble for pooing in the v berth on the floor instead of using his box and Jay boxed his ears and yelled at him and he hasn't been the same since.....last nite I went to move him over to get into bed and he growled at me, bit me on the shoulder and gave me an evil look......I think since Jay is the alpha cat, he thinks he is second in line and he was trying to exert his alpha #2 cat power over me.....I guess I am the wimp of "the family 'pride'" as I didn't fight him back........he is just sleeping a lot......wish I could till this bad weather is over. I don't want to get stuck in this yucky port much longer........hope our sailing friends Lulu and Steve and Lodie and Steve are faring better, but I hope we get out of this place and get to meet up with them again. Boy will I appreciate warmer, drier weather...keep praying for good waves and wind......Judy
Back to real life: Jay and I found this great huge (30 x 25 ft) netting (I think it was a soccer goal net) at St Vinnie's and we have been making great storage nets for the v-berth sides and etc. to give us more secure storage for our "stuff".....
Boogie is in a depressed state right now...hope he gets better....he got in trouble for pooing in the v berth on the floor instead of using his box and Jay boxed his ears and yelled at him and he hasn't been the same since.....last nite I went to move him over to get into bed and he growled at me, bit me on the shoulder and gave me an evil look......I think since Jay is the alpha cat, he thinks he is second in line and he was trying to exert his alpha #2 cat power over me.....I guess I am the wimp of "the family 'pride'" as I didn't fight him back........he is just sleeping a lot......wish I could till this bad weather is over. I don't want to get stuck in this yucky port much longer........hope our sailing friends Lulu and Steve and Lodie and Steve are faring better, but I hope we get out of this place and get to meet up with them again. Boy will I appreciate warmer, drier weather...keep praying for good waves and wind......Judy
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Changing Reports
At two this morning the alarm drug us out of bed, only to discover the NOAA sea condition report had changed. Our predicted window slammed shut. Now with nine ft waves dominated by 4 ft wind waves driven by high winds out of the west. The Wx report was even worse with Hazardous Sea warnings for small crafts. I guess we hang tight here till the two storms coming up the coast pass by. Supposedly this will be next weekend. We could make it to Crescent City (116 NM), but it would be a miserable, extremely cold trip.
Oh well, there is always something that needs to be done on the boat. I have a cabinet that is full of things
" to be installed" There is also the Interphase 180 se sonar that I can install all of, except the port transducer, which I have to install another thru-hull for. Will have to wait until we haul out in Ensenada to do that. The weather is supposed to turn nasty here on Thursday, so will have to plan my work accordingly.
We walked to Englund Marine yesterday to get a spot light. They only had two in stock. A 60,000 candle power one, which would be useless, and a LED one that was measured at 500 lumens. The salesman said the Sheriffs Dept. liked them so well that they bought several for their boats. What I want to know is how do I compare the intensity of lumen's to candle power? Guess I'll check the Internet. The price on the LED seemed high at $116.00. I've never seen such ridiculous prices as when they say "marine."
Judy's version:
After spending days in this dirty marina I was so excited to think we would finally get to leave...then we woke up at 2 in anticipation of salvation from this yucky port only to have the weather change and thwart our plans...guess God must have something else in mind for us this week.....wish we were further south like Steve and Lulu and Steve and Lodie......we will make it I know....to the sunshine...but they say patience is a virtue but mine is getting thin.....the only saving grace here seems to be the fact that the sun has been shining every day we've been here and all the people we've encountered have been extremely nice.....so we will wait till Captain Jay says it's time to leave............
Oh well, there is always something that needs to be done on the boat. I have a cabinet that is full of things
" to be installed" There is also the Interphase 180 se sonar that I can install all of, except the port transducer, which I have to install another thru-hull for. Will have to wait until we haul out in Ensenada to do that. The weather is supposed to turn nasty here on Thursday, so will have to plan my work accordingly.
We walked to Englund Marine yesterday to get a spot light. They only had two in stock. A 60,000 candle power one, which would be useless, and a LED one that was measured at 500 lumens. The salesman said the Sheriffs Dept. liked them so well that they bought several for their boats. What I want to know is how do I compare the intensity of lumen's to candle power? Guess I'll check the Internet. The price on the LED seemed high at $116.00. I've never seen such ridiculous prices as when they say "marine."
Judy's version:
After spending days in this dirty marina I was so excited to think we would finally get to leave...then we woke up at 2 in anticipation of salvation from this yucky port only to have the weather change and thwart our plans...guess God must have something else in mind for us this week.....wish we were further south like Steve and Lulu and Steve and Lodie......we will make it I know....to the sunshine...but they say patience is a virtue but mine is getting thin.....the only saving grace here seems to be the fact that the sun has been shining every day we've been here and all the people we've encountered have been extremely nice.....so we will wait till Captain Jay says it's time to leave............
Monday, October 18, 2010
Around the Capes
I installed the water heater yesterday and it works great, at least in the galley. I was minus one 1/2'' nipple so couldn't run the hot water to the head. Tried to get Judy to loan me one, but she wasn't going for it. Sure is nice to have hot water again though. It's surprising how we tend to take things, like running hot water, for granted. That is until we suddenly don't have them.
It looks like we will be able to leave Charleston around midnight or one tonight. That is if the weather holds. It is around 60 miles to Cape Blanco and we want to go around it in the daylight. Locally they call our next sail around the Capes "the horn of the pacific"
Shure hope the weather holds. We don't much care for this marina, although the sun has been out every day. The transient dock is open to the public for crabbing. Yuck, what a nasty dock. The public doesn't seem to care much about cleaning up after themselves, or their animals. If you get what I mean.
Our next intended stop is Crescent City, or Humbolt. Depending on sea conditions.
It looks like we will be able to leave Charleston around midnight or one tonight. That is if the weather holds. It is around 60 miles to Cape Blanco and we want to go around it in the daylight. Locally they call our next sail around the Capes "the horn of the pacific"
Shure hope the weather holds. We don't much care for this marina, although the sun has been out every day. The transient dock is open to the public for crabbing. Yuck, what a nasty dock. The public doesn't seem to care much about cleaning up after themselves, or their animals. If you get what I mean.
Our next intended stop is Crescent City, or Humbolt. Depending on sea conditions.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Stuck in Charleston
It is now the 16th and the seas off Cape Blanco are still not acceptable to venture out. The next possible window, and I stress "possible," is not until next Tuesday. This will give us time to do some extra work on the boat such as installing Judy's new hot water heater. This will also free up some badly needed storage space.
Since my last post I have discovered more electrical problems that had to be dealt with. The house batteries wouldn't take a full charge. At first we thought it might possibly have something to do with the installation of the two new solar panels' control box, as we had to send it back to the manufacturer earlier due to it being a faulty unit. I had avoided checking the house batteries with my new hydrometer due to the fact that all of our spare teak wood supply was secured above the battery box in the quarter berth and the quarter berth was being used for storage and was therefore packed full. We finally gave in and pulled everything out of the quarter berth and upon checking the batteries we discovered that they were in poor condition. We called the local Battery Exchange and procured 4 new Trojan 125s which they actually delivered to the marina and our boat at no charge. The gentleman who delivered them was extremely nice and carried all the batteries down to the boat and carried the old batteries back up the dock. We were very surprised at the great customer service we received from this retailer. When I disconnected the batteries I had to follow a strict procedure written down by the electrician who installed the new solar panel control box and had to reverse that procedure upon installation of the new batteries. Upon completion of this procedure I connected the solar panels and again to my chagrin there was no input and the light would not come on. At this point I was extremely frustrated/pissed off wondering WTF was going on! I was so angry that I told Judy "I'm finished for the day and will deal with this tomorrow!"
After a good night's sleep and several cups of coffee I received a phone call from Steve and Lodie, our friends from Canada who are several days ahead of us on the water. I explained the situation to Steve (who is also a shipwright) who advised me to start at the control box or the panels and test for voltage until I located the problem. I decided to start at the panels which were only putting out one volt due to the lack of sun but I followed this meager current back to the control box without discovering any change. I then checked the wires from the batteries to the control box and still could find no faults. I then disconnected the control box, referred back to the hook up instructions and repeated them exactly the same as I had previously. This time, voila, they worked! So as to the problem I don't have the foggiest! Fortunately we now have power and are ready to go, unfortunately the weather isn't cooperating. We get conflicting reports from NOAA and the VHF(WX). So we went to the Coast Guard Station and asked why we were getting conflicting reports from NOAA and the local VHF reports. We asked if they used the NOAA weather reports online and were told no they used the U.S. weather info. They then brought us a hard copy of the report which was favorable. Upon walking back to our boat we were discussing how similar their report was to the good report we had from NOAA. When we reached the boat, fired up the computer and used the site they gave us it turned out to be the same NOAA report site that we had been using. All in all the coast guard doesn't seem to know what report they are using.....
Tomorrow I will install Judy's new water heater. That is unless our prayers are answered and there is a miraculous change in the forecast, and we are able to sail around Cape Blanco to Crescent City or beyond.
Judy and I are doing fine, but it would be nice to have another crew to help on watches.
Since my last post I have discovered more electrical problems that had to be dealt with. The house batteries wouldn't take a full charge. At first we thought it might possibly have something to do with the installation of the two new solar panels' control box, as we had to send it back to the manufacturer earlier due to it being a faulty unit. I had avoided checking the house batteries with my new hydrometer due to the fact that all of our spare teak wood supply was secured above the battery box in the quarter berth and the quarter berth was being used for storage and was therefore packed full. We finally gave in and pulled everything out of the quarter berth and upon checking the batteries we discovered that they were in poor condition. We called the local Battery Exchange and procured 4 new Trojan 125s which they actually delivered to the marina and our boat at no charge. The gentleman who delivered them was extremely nice and carried all the batteries down to the boat and carried the old batteries back up the dock. We were very surprised at the great customer service we received from this retailer. When I disconnected the batteries I had to follow a strict procedure written down by the electrician who installed the new solar panel control box and had to reverse that procedure upon installation of the new batteries. Upon completion of this procedure I connected the solar panels and again to my chagrin there was no input and the light would not come on. At this point I was extremely frustrated/pissed off wondering WTF was going on! I was so angry that I told Judy "I'm finished for the day and will deal with this tomorrow!"
After a good night's sleep and several cups of coffee I received a phone call from Steve and Lodie, our friends from Canada who are several days ahead of us on the water. I explained the situation to Steve (who is also a shipwright) who advised me to start at the control box or the panels and test for voltage until I located the problem. I decided to start at the panels which were only putting out one volt due to the lack of sun but I followed this meager current back to the control box without discovering any change. I then checked the wires from the batteries to the control box and still could find no faults. I then disconnected the control box, referred back to the hook up instructions and repeated them exactly the same as I had previously. This time, voila, they worked! So as to the problem I don't have the foggiest! Fortunately we now have power and are ready to go, unfortunately the weather isn't cooperating. We get conflicting reports from NOAA and the VHF(WX). So we went to the Coast Guard Station and asked why we were getting conflicting reports from NOAA and the local VHF reports. We asked if they used the NOAA weather reports online and were told no they used the U.S. weather info. They then brought us a hard copy of the report which was favorable. Upon walking back to our boat we were discussing how similar their report was to the good report we had from NOAA. When we reached the boat, fired up the computer and used the site they gave us it turned out to be the same NOAA report site that we had been using. All in all the coast guard doesn't seem to know what report they are using.....
Tomorrow I will install Judy's new water heater. That is unless our prayers are answered and there is a miraculous change in the forecast, and we are able to sail around Cape Blanco to Crescent City or beyond.
Judy and I are doing fine, but it would be nice to have another crew to help on watches.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Newport to Charlston OR.
We left Newport Oregon on 10/12/10 and headed south for Crescent City, or Humboldt CA, as our first intended port. As usual, the best made plans never seem to work out. Yep, more electrical problems. Judy called out to me from the cabin to inform me that one of the red lights on the inverter panel was flashing. When I tried to start the engine to boost the charge, the engine refused to turn over. To my chagrin, I discovered that we lost our starter battery. I then switched over to all on the main battery switch and started the engine. The light stopped flashing. We were back in temporary service mode. At this point the closest port was Charleston. We arrived outside Charleston at around eleven thirty that evening. One of the first things I learned was never try to enter an unfamiliar harbor in the dark of night. I ended up spending most of an extremely cold night at the helm keeping Wind Raven pointed into the wind, until I discovered that she is quite capable of lying a-hull on her own. At this point I first took care of my bladder problem, and then crouched under the protection of the dodger, as the wind was up to around 20k and damn cold. There were two large trawlers in my proximity that I was keeping a sharp eye on all night. At five in the morning, after lying a-hull for almost six hours we had only drifted about a mile. Around an hour before daybreak we headed towards the bar at Charleston. The bar report wasn’t bad, so we headed across the bar in four foot rollers extending up the channel about ¼ mile. We were glad we waited to enter, as the entrance was not well marked and if you missed it you would end up riding a large wave onto a somewhat rocky beach.
We are now safely docked in the harbor with, (we hope) all repairs completed. We were informed that the 775 CCA deep cycle battery that came with Wind Raven was the wrong type. We procured a 1000 CCA starting battery in North Bend. I was in for a surprise when I tried to remove the old battery. I am too big to fit into the engine compartment and enable myself to get into a position to lift it out. I tried several times to no avail. Luckily when James arrived to finish labeling all of the new electrical switches he was able to pull the old battery and install the new one, due to his small stature.
We planned to leave Charleston today 10/15/10, but due to unpredicted weather changes we will lay over another day. I am not keen about going around Cape Blonco sixty seven miles south in 20 – 25kn winds and combined waves of 12 to 13ft at 9 seconds. Tomorrow will be much better. We can both use the rest anyway.
Next stop Humboldt, We hope
We are now safely docked in the harbor with, (we hope) all repairs completed. We were informed that the 775 CCA deep cycle battery that came with Wind Raven was the wrong type. We procured a 1000 CCA starting battery in North Bend. I was in for a surprise when I tried to remove the old battery. I am too big to fit into the engine compartment and enable myself to get into a position to lift it out. I tried several times to no avail. Luckily when James arrived to finish labeling all of the new electrical switches he was able to pull the old battery and install the new one, due to his small stature.
We planned to leave Charleston today 10/15/10, but due to unpredicted weather changes we will lay over another day. I am not keen about going around Cape Blonco sixty seven miles south in 20 – 25kn winds and combined waves of 12 to 13ft at 9 seconds. Tomorrow will be much better. We can both use the rest anyway.
Next stop Humboldt, We hope
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Shakedown Cruise
Shakedown cruise- Jay’s version:
Hi Folks!
We left Newport last Friday morning (9-17-10) heading southwest to put us a safe distance from the leeward shore. It was a little bumpy, but not bad. Sometime during that day someone inadvertently hit the rocker switches on the electric panel, turning all but one on. This resulted in a tremendous drain on the batteries. Unfortunately, we failed to notice this ,as the seas were rapidly increasing. The wind went from 23k to over 30k in less than fifteen minutes. As night approached I lost the GPS. It would come on but could not find the satellite. I started checking the electrical and discovered the problem with the batteries, but still not knowing the switches were on. I started the engine to build the power and just as it was beginning to come back the engine started to overheat. Shutting down the engine I then emptied the lazarette, putting everything in the v-berth. Upon accessing the engine it was discovered that the alternator / water belt had severed. At this point I threw aside all of the equipment in the v-berth in order to access the spare parts compartment. To my chagrin, it was then discovered that of the four extra belts all were too large. The next eight to ten hours were spent in the dark with a flashlight making a variety of makeshift belts which would last from five to ten minutes before self destructing. During this time the seas had risen from to fourteen to sixteen feet with thee to four feet breaking waves. The winds were in excess of 40 knots and we were over 100 miles off the coast.
Not being able to make a decent repair we decided our best option was to head back to Newport sailing in a northeasterly direction. We sailed through the night with four reefs in the main and still no power. The handheld GPS was working sporadically, but only for extremely short periods.
Upon arriving seventy miles off the coast from Newport, we headed south easterly in an attempt to arrive south of the bar to give us the safest approach, as the wind was still out of the south.
After a couple of hours the wind died and we turned the helm over to the ladies. Exhausted, Tom & I laid down. When Tom awoke five hours later we discovered that we had only made it five miles in five hours, due to the four reefs and no wind to speak of. I could not sleep during that period so put out a fishing rod and hooked a Tuna. Didn't want him on board so drug him along.
As we headed toward Newport the win rose and again we reefed the main. The wind built fast, but not as fast as before. The seas built to around eight feet with small breakers. It had been sunny from the time we arrived off the coast of Newport, but now we could see another storm between us and the coast. Sure enough, Newport had low visibility. When we arrived we could not tell if we were south of the bar as intended or not. Due to the poor visibility. We contacted the coast guard instructing them that we had no power or electronics, but believed we were south of the bar, and requested a lead in. They located us 3.2 miles south of the bar and requested to tow us in as the bar was rough.. I refused the tow (been there, done that before) and requested a lead to the bar. We sailed in with four reefs across the bar, under the bridge to the entrance to the marina. I turned into the wind as Tom dropped the main, fired the engine and dashed for the marina slip.
The coast guard met us at the dock and did an inspection which we passed almost as well as Wind Raven handled the high seas.
All in all, it was one hell of a shakedown cruise. We are now extremely confident in the abilities of Wind Raven. She is one hell of a good sailing vessel!
Hi Folks!
We left Newport last Friday morning (9-17-10) heading southwest to put us a safe distance from the leeward shore. It was a little bumpy, but not bad. Sometime during that day someone inadvertently hit the rocker switches on the electric panel, turning all but one on. This resulted in a tremendous drain on the batteries. Unfortunately, we failed to notice this ,as the seas were rapidly increasing. The wind went from 23k to over 30k in less than fifteen minutes. As night approached I lost the GPS. It would come on but could not find the satellite. I started checking the electrical and discovered the problem with the batteries, but still not knowing the switches were on. I started the engine to build the power and just as it was beginning to come back the engine started to overheat. Shutting down the engine I then emptied the lazarette, putting everything in the v-berth. Upon accessing the engine it was discovered that the alternator / water belt had severed. At this point I threw aside all of the equipment in the v-berth in order to access the spare parts compartment. To my chagrin, it was then discovered that of the four extra belts all were too large. The next eight to ten hours were spent in the dark with a flashlight making a variety of makeshift belts which would last from five to ten minutes before self destructing. During this time the seas had risen from to fourteen to sixteen feet with thee to four feet breaking waves. The winds were in excess of 40 knots and we were over 100 miles off the coast.
Not being able to make a decent repair we decided our best option was to head back to Newport sailing in a northeasterly direction. We sailed through the night with four reefs in the main and still no power. The handheld GPS was working sporadically, but only for extremely short periods.
Upon arriving seventy miles off the coast from Newport, we headed south easterly in an attempt to arrive south of the bar to give us the safest approach, as the wind was still out of the south.
After a couple of hours the wind died and we turned the helm over to the ladies. Exhausted, Tom & I laid down. When Tom awoke five hours later we discovered that we had only made it five miles in five hours, due to the four reefs and no wind to speak of. I could not sleep during that period so put out a fishing rod and hooked a Tuna. Didn't want him on board so drug him along.
As we headed toward Newport the win rose and again we reefed the main. The wind built fast, but not as fast as before. The seas built to around eight feet with small breakers. It had been sunny from the time we arrived off the coast of Newport, but now we could see another storm between us and the coast. Sure enough, Newport had low visibility. When we arrived we could not tell if we were south of the bar as intended or not. Due to the poor visibility. We contacted the coast guard instructing them that we had no power or electronics, but believed we were south of the bar, and requested a lead in. They located us 3.2 miles south of the bar and requested to tow us in as the bar was rough.. I refused the tow (been there, done that before) and requested a lead to the bar. We sailed in with four reefs across the bar, under the bridge to the entrance to the marina. I turned into the wind as Tom dropped the main, fired the engine and dashed for the marina slip.
The coast guard met us at the dock and did an inspection which we passed almost as well as Wind Raven handled the high seas.
All in all, it was one hell of a shakedown cruise. We are now extremely confident in the abilities of Wind Raven. She is one hell of a good sailing vessel!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
A Beautiful Day
I can now say summer has finally arrived. At least for one day. We still have much to accomplish prior to our departure, however when you wake up to a warm summer day on the Oregon coast, you had better take advantage of it. Perfect sunny days here just don't come around often enough to ignore. Even if we tried to be diligent in the pursuit of the perfect seaworthy craft, our minds would not be on our current project, but on the joy of sailing on such a rare beautifull day. With this fact in mind, we invited our neighbor (Jason) along and went sailing.
Judy took the helm, motoring out of Yaquina Bay and across the bar to the open sea. Heading NW into the wind we deployed the jib, allowing Judy to get a feel for Wind Raven. She sailed her for around 30 minutes before raising the main. The track is a bit sticky on the main and I must clean and silicone it ASAP. We sailed for around four hours, putting Wind Raven through her paces. As before she performed very well. The wind was much lighter than the 23 knots on our prior sail. This pleasurable decrease in wind was amplified by the beautiful smile etched on Judy's lovely face. She sailed Wind Raven back across the bar and through the channel into Yaquina Bay where we dropped sail and then returned to our moorage. All in all, a fantastically beautiful day.
Our friend Jason was an excellent crew, and a pleasure to share such a perfect day of sailing with. Someday I hope to have such a mellow personality as he. Perhaps life on the sea will contribute to the smoothing of my somewhat rough edges? I certainly hope so, and am certain Judy would agree!
Judy took the helm, motoring out of Yaquina Bay and across the bar to the open sea. Heading NW into the wind we deployed the jib, allowing Judy to get a feel for Wind Raven. She sailed her for around 30 minutes before raising the main. The track is a bit sticky on the main and I must clean and silicone it ASAP. We sailed for around four hours, putting Wind Raven through her paces. As before she performed very well. The wind was much lighter than the 23 knots on our prior sail. This pleasurable decrease in wind was amplified by the beautiful smile etched on Judy's lovely face. She sailed Wind Raven back across the bar and through the channel into Yaquina Bay where we dropped sail and then returned to our moorage. All in all, a fantastically beautiful day.
Our friend Jason was an excellent crew, and a pleasure to share such a perfect day of sailing with. Someday I hope to have such a mellow personality as he. Perhaps life on the sea will contribute to the smoothing of my somewhat rough edges? I certainly hope so, and am certain Judy would agree!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Shakedown Cruise
Yesterday we sailed Wind Raven across the bar at Newport for the first time in over a year. Upon leaving the harbor the wind was around 12 knots, the swell at 6' with small white caps. We motored out to the second buoy, headed into the wind and set the main. Proceeding NW we checked her newly tuned rigging. After confirming all was well so far, we then deployed the jib. To my chagrin we discovered that I had run the jib sheets on the wrong side of the forward shroud....OOPS! After correcting this oversite on my part, we deployed the jib for the second time successfully. By this time the wind had increased to around 18 knots and the wind waves proportionately. Wind Raven performed admirally, sailing close hauled at ten degrees. I let her fall off to starboard at around 40 degrees, turned the helm back to port and waited. To my surprise she responded coming around nicely into the wind.
The swell and wind waves were increasing along with the wind, which was now at 20 knots. We continued NW for about three hours before heading due south on a broad reach, continuing south a few miles past the the harbor. The wind was now at 23 knots with breaking whitecaps. Heading NW taking the waves at around 30 degrees to port it was a bit rolly at times, but again she performed wonderfully. At approximately three miles NE of the jetties I headed her in, as the wind was continuing to build and it was getting a bit bumpy. We sailed her accross the bar into the harbor. Upon coming under the Newport bridge, which is behind a bluff to the NW, the wind suddenly died. Wind Raven was slowing rapidly when we were hit by a strong gust broadside but to no avail, as again she pulled out of it as we sailed her into the bay. Turning into the wind under power we furled the jib and dropped the main. It did take two attempts before successfully docking Wind Raven in the heavy wind, but I must take the blame, as I missed the first shot at it. My only complaint concerning Wind Raven is her steadfast refusal to back to starboard. Even with a Max Prop! Our friend Tom, who has sailed his entire life and has owned several different sailboats, both larger and smaller than Wind Raven, commented on Wind Raven's performance (with a big smile on his face)saying "Life just doesn't get any better than this--if only the temperature were 20 degrees warmer and the water blue!" Now we just need to get our poor cat, Boogie, some seasick meds as he did NOT fare as well inside the v-berth as we did topside.
The swell and wind waves were increasing along with the wind, which was now at 20 knots. We continued NW for about three hours before heading due south on a broad reach, continuing south a few miles past the the harbor. The wind was now at 23 knots with breaking whitecaps. Heading NW taking the waves at around 30 degrees to port it was a bit rolly at times, but again she performed wonderfully. At approximately three miles NE of the jetties I headed her in, as the wind was continuing to build and it was getting a bit bumpy. We sailed her accross the bar into the harbor. Upon coming under the Newport bridge, which is behind a bluff to the NW, the wind suddenly died. Wind Raven was slowing rapidly when we were hit by a strong gust broadside but to no avail, as again she pulled out of it as we sailed her into the bay. Turning into the wind under power we furled the jib and dropped the main. It did take two attempts before successfully docking Wind Raven in the heavy wind, but I must take the blame, as I missed the first shot at it. My only complaint concerning Wind Raven is her steadfast refusal to back to starboard. Even with a Max Prop! Our friend Tom, who has sailed his entire life and has owned several different sailboats, both larger and smaller than Wind Raven, commented on Wind Raven's performance (with a big smile on his face)saying "Life just doesn't get any better than this--if only the temperature were 20 degrees warmer and the water blue!" Now we just need to get our poor cat, Boogie, some seasick meds as he did NOT fare as well inside the v-berth as we did topside.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Some chores completed
Some more chores completed since my last post. We had a diver install the new Shaft Shark on the shaft in front of the Max Prop. We had to remove the shaft zink to accomodate it, but were told it was not necessary, due to having another zink on the prop. I will be keeping a close eye on it to make sure.
I also installed a new Whale Gusher hand bilge pump, after disassembling the old one and discovering the housing was eaten almost completly through. Rebuilt the macerator pump. Re-plumbed the water heater only to find that it leaks now. Tightening up the new bronze plumbing must have been too much for the old tank. A new tank might be in order now. I also plumbed in the macerator pump. We got lucky and found a flow meter at a store in Eugene for under $100, quite a savings. I placed it in line just after the sea water strainer. We can now monitor the water flow to the heat exchanger and be able to tell if the impeller is going bad, before the engine overheats.
We gave all of the deck hardware a thorough soaking in penetrating oil, and then Judy and I spent a day cleaning all of the corrosion off the rigging hardware. We then coated all of the turnbuckle threads with lanolin grease. The next day Rick the Rigger came down from Toledo and tunned the rigging. He did a great job and is very reasonable. I would highly recommend him, he is not only competent, but an extremely amiable individual. He was more than willing to share his knowledge. I enjoyed the time spent with him very much.
I have one more hose to replace and the re-plumbing will be complete.Last, but certainly not least, was the building and installation of a dual fuel filter system. This will give me much peace of mind upon crossing bars and navigating tight areas.
Yesterday, I ran all of the lines (except the Pro-Furl) into the cockpit. Now that they are set up correctly, I will replace them with the new 1/2" double braid polyester, that has been waiting so patiently on their spools in my shop area for the past few months. I also started the temporary fix on some of the seacocks. Whoever installed them , did so incorrectly. They did not secure the flanges to the hull by shortening the through-hulls, or building up the area between the hull and the bottom of the flange.Nor did they glass them. We will replace the through hulls and sea-cocks in Ensenada. In the meantime I am blocking and shimming up around the through hulls and under the base of the seacocks to give them support. I can't believe Wind Raven survived such negligent care in the past.
I will TRY to be more diligent in my postings. But no promisses, much, MUCH more to do before the 15th.
I also installed a new Whale Gusher hand bilge pump, after disassembling the old one and discovering the housing was eaten almost completly through. Rebuilt the macerator pump. Re-plumbed the water heater only to find that it leaks now. Tightening up the new bronze plumbing must have been too much for the old tank. A new tank might be in order now. I also plumbed in the macerator pump. We got lucky and found a flow meter at a store in Eugene for under $100, quite a savings. I placed it in line just after the sea water strainer. We can now monitor the water flow to the heat exchanger and be able to tell if the impeller is going bad, before the engine overheats.
We gave all of the deck hardware a thorough soaking in penetrating oil, and then Judy and I spent a day cleaning all of the corrosion off the rigging hardware. We then coated all of the turnbuckle threads with lanolin grease. The next day Rick the Rigger came down from Toledo and tunned the rigging. He did a great job and is very reasonable. I would highly recommend him, he is not only competent, but an extremely amiable individual. He was more than willing to share his knowledge. I enjoyed the time spent with him very much.
I have one more hose to replace and the re-plumbing will be complete.Last, but certainly not least, was the building and installation of a dual fuel filter system. This will give me much peace of mind upon crossing bars and navigating tight areas.
Yesterday, I ran all of the lines (except the Pro-Furl) into the cockpit. Now that they are set up correctly, I will replace them with the new 1/2" double braid polyester, that has been waiting so patiently on their spools in my shop area for the past few months. I also started the temporary fix on some of the seacocks. Whoever installed them , did so incorrectly. They did not secure the flanges to the hull by shortening the through-hulls, or building up the area between the hull and the bottom of the flange.Nor did they glass them. We will replace the through hulls and sea-cocks in Ensenada. In the meantime I am blocking and shimming up around the through hulls and under the base of the seacocks to give them support. I can't believe Wind Raven survived such negligent care in the past.
I will TRY to be more diligent in my postings. But no promisses, much, MUCH more to do before the 15th.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Old Friends Visit
We had some old friends of Jay's visit this weekend from Reno. It was great seeing Jim and Colleen and to find out they are following not only OUR blog but the blog of our newest sailing friends Steve and Lulu!
Speaking of the Yoders: Steve came by on the 9th and had his curls cut----I guess getting ready for their daughter Cody's upcoming nuptials.....I was so busy organizing in the cabin that I didn't even peek out to say "HI" to Steve and feel terrible about it as he and Jay were discussing the possibility of our sailing South together (since they are still in Charleston--at least their boat is--waiting for them to get back after their daughter's wedding.....) when I heard about the possibility of sailing with Steve and Lulu I got so EXCITED......always good to have friends to travel with to foreign shores...safety and strength in numbers (and a lot of fun too!) So I hope we really DO our own "Baja HaHa" together, Steve and Lulu.......and hope Cody's wedding is wonderful.......
Jay and I got so much work done on the boat when James (our electrician buddy) was gone that we are nigh unto gnashing at the proverbial bit to take off......new hoses here, new clamps there, another coat of varnish on the hatch in the Saloon......(boy do I HATE to sand) but Jay bought this cool little sander (NOT FROM CHINA) that is making short shrift of our work.......and I am supposed to update all the work Jay has done on the boat here on the blog, but we are so busy we don't get around to doing much except eating and sleeping....so it was so nice to have friends come for the weekend. We had my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter come down last weekend and had a great time except for when the guys TRIED to go fishing with our dock neighbor and had to be pulled off the jetty only to be pulled right into the path of about a 300 ft ship and THEN the ship had to run aground in order to not plow right into the fishing boat my guys were on......in the fog, in the dark at 4 a.m......Glad I stayed behind on THAT one........
I know we will have "down time" when we sail and will be able to keep up with our blog when we take off and get into port where there is wifi....for now, our internet gets turned off on the 27th of this month cause we need to curb costs from here on out. Jay is also getting rid of his phone.
It's Sunday and Jim and Colleen just left....they were going to drive down to visit Steve and Lulu on Siempre Sabado, but the Yoder's blog said they are still getting things ready for the wedding so they are back in Silverton....... we called Jim and let him know the Yoders are son exista pas in Charleston for now, so they will just drive down the coast to Weed and cut over to get back home to Reno.
Jay tells me we will finally take the boat out most likely next week...to start to sail and our good buddy Tom P. says he may come down to San Diego with us on the first leg of our Holiday.....We will try to meet Steve and Lulu in San Diego or Ensenada for the sail further south .....what fun! I don't want my kids to worry about me.....Jay is very level headed and skilled at whatever he does so I feel confident in his navigational abilities.....especially with our EXPERT buddy Tom along.....hey Tom, no pressure or anything but we Really look forward to sailing with you..........I trust my guardian angel will keep me safe.........later....I will let Jay do the update on the work completed...he's better at the techno stuff than I am.........hey, I agree with Cindy Lauper when she sang "Girls just want to have fun....!" That's me, these days.....just want my kids and grandkids to learn to sail and come with us lots!........later, fellow bloggees......
Speaking of the Yoders: Steve came by on the 9th and had his curls cut----I guess getting ready for their daughter Cody's upcoming nuptials.....I was so busy organizing in the cabin that I didn't even peek out to say "HI" to Steve and feel terrible about it as he and Jay were discussing the possibility of our sailing South together (since they are still in Charleston--at least their boat is--waiting for them to get back after their daughter's wedding.....) when I heard about the possibility of sailing with Steve and Lulu I got so EXCITED......always good to have friends to travel with to foreign shores...safety and strength in numbers (and a lot of fun too!) So I hope we really DO our own "Baja HaHa" together, Steve and Lulu.......and hope Cody's wedding is wonderful.......
Jay and I got so much work done on the boat when James (our electrician buddy) was gone that we are nigh unto gnashing at the proverbial bit to take off......new hoses here, new clamps there, another coat of varnish on the hatch in the Saloon......(boy do I HATE to sand) but Jay bought this cool little sander (NOT FROM CHINA) that is making short shrift of our work.......and I am supposed to update all the work Jay has done on the boat here on the blog, but we are so busy we don't get around to doing much except eating and sleeping....so it was so nice to have friends come for the weekend. We had my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter come down last weekend and had a great time except for when the guys TRIED to go fishing with our dock neighbor and had to be pulled off the jetty only to be pulled right into the path of about a 300 ft ship and THEN the ship had to run aground in order to not plow right into the fishing boat my guys were on......in the fog, in the dark at 4 a.m......Glad I stayed behind on THAT one........
I know we will have "down time" when we sail and will be able to keep up with our blog when we take off and get into port where there is wifi....for now, our internet gets turned off on the 27th of this month cause we need to curb costs from here on out. Jay is also getting rid of his phone.
It's Sunday and Jim and Colleen just left....they were going to drive down to visit Steve and Lulu on Siempre Sabado, but the Yoder's blog said they are still getting things ready for the wedding so they are back in Silverton....... we called Jim and let him know the Yoders are son exista pas in Charleston for now, so they will just drive down the coast to Weed and cut over to get back home to Reno.
Jay tells me we will finally take the boat out most likely next week...to start to sail and our good buddy Tom P. says he may come down to San Diego with us on the first leg of our Holiday.....We will try to meet Steve and Lulu in San Diego or Ensenada for the sail further south .....what fun! I don't want my kids to worry about me.....Jay is very level headed and skilled at whatever he does so I feel confident in his navigational abilities.....especially with our EXPERT buddy Tom along.....hey Tom, no pressure or anything but we Really look forward to sailing with you..........I trust my guardian angel will keep me safe.........later....I will let Jay do the update on the work completed...he's better at the techno stuff than I am.........hey, I agree with Cindy Lauper when she sang "Girls just want to have fun....!" That's me, these days.....just want my kids and grandkids to learn to sail and come with us lots!........later, fellow bloggees......
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Work, Work and More Work!
Well, 2 days ago Jay and I decided to get started on the cleaning and inspection of the standing rigging wire, blocks, becket cams and etc. (for "land lubbers" this means the big, fat cables that hold your mast upright and steady it in heavy winds and seas). While inspecting the head blocks we discovered two of our fiddle blocks are made of aluminum with stainless steel snap shackles---so boy oh boy, did we have some serious electrolylis and corrosion going on! We have two fiddle head blocks and two becket cams. Just checked the West Marine catalog and fiddle head blocks prices ruin from approx. $100-350 EACH and the ones with the becket cams are over $200 each......we might double check and make sure if we REALLY NEED new ones or can assure ourselves that these "will do" until we are in friendlier boating market areas.....now today we get to spray all the rigging, put the color on it, then the "developer" on it to see if we have any serious issues with the cables. Kinda waiting til the sun comes out.
Wondering about our newest boating friends, Steve and Lulu and if they made it out of Winchester Bay----we were glad to see Sunday when we drove down to see them that they still had that "boating spirit" even after experiencing the roller coaster-like ride south they made on their 1st toe of their trip.
Can't wait to leave on our "vacation!" (and anyway what are we "vacating?"-----and where did that word come from anyway? I know the British call such a trip "Going on a Holiday," and I think that better sums up the concept.....vacating sounds like an end of sorts and Holiday sounds like a plan for FUN! I am all for FUN!!!!!!!! Gotta talk Jay into being funner....ha ha or at least be willing to do MORE FUN THINGS! I can't believe I am living with a man who works as hard as my dad, Joe Kinworthy, used to work and who likes to act as Commander of the world and get me to work right along side him (or else suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune...) ha ha....But you know, outside in the salt sea air with the sunshine on my face working on as one freind called it "an outrageously fantastic" yacht----life is good. I have never been so happy in my life----now if I can just get phone calls, letters, emails, text messages or Ham radio messages from my wonderful girls, Moriah Wickstrom, Annie Mason, Darcie Pelsor (soon to become Darcie Alexander....and what a great name Darcie Alexander sounds somehow sophisticated and cool......love you and Walter Dartle!) and Alana Jane, my baby girl.....then life would be way sweeter!!!!!! I'm not so good at this leaving the kids and my grandkids behind! How do people like Dave and Barbara Janssen do it, going to Guam with Jen and Julian so far away??????-----Do they even know how much we think of them many times a day?????? It was bad enough when I moved to Eugene and they were all in So. Oregon! But I did get Alana and Mikey to move up when he was a baby and live near me for 6 months....but alas, Alana's allergies/sinuses didn't like the Eugene area and jobs were better for them in Medford, so they left me again.....I was sooooooooo sad to lose my baby girl.....I thought I would get to keep her up here forever!!!!! Then Alana moved back for a while with Mikey when Aunt Sharen lived here and it was wonderful being able to hug everyone......but I guess the girls all have their own lives now and maybe don't have much time to think about parents.....it's funny, I think, that I had a pretty sad home life growing up, yet as an adult I would go visit mom when she moved to Shady Cove sometimes 3x a week when my three oldest were in elementary school and I talked to Dad and visited him with his girlfriends/wives when they came thru Oregon on their excursions in their RV--and visited them numerous times when they were out on the road....just so I could give my "Daddy-Do" a big hug and hear his stories about his latest antics or worst jokes! It's like I didn't get along with my parents when I lived with them....but became close to them when I became an adult. THEN.....not wanting to be like MY parents I hoped I was raising my girls to feel more loved and closer to me.......and I thought, except for pretty typical teen age issues and problems that we all go thru in life that bring us sadness and pain sometimes thru no fault of our own, I thought especially in the last couple of years that I was on pretty good footing, relationship-wise, with all my girls.....but I wish I could see and hear from them more......hey, I've got a plan...now this might work......if I take off on a yacht to a beautiful tropical island, then PERHAPS I can "lure" my girls and grandchildren to visit me cause it will be beautiful, warm and wayyyyyyyyyy fun seeing mom/grandma!@!!!!!!!!!! I am going to start working on this plan........Annie, I'm in Cabo San Lucas.....can you come clean my teeth? ha ha......I really think this might work....
Wondering about our newest boating friends, Steve and Lulu and if they made it out of Winchester Bay----we were glad to see Sunday when we drove down to see them that they still had that "boating spirit" even after experiencing the roller coaster-like ride south they made on their 1st toe of their trip.
Can't wait to leave on our "vacation!" (and anyway what are we "vacating?"-----and where did that word come from anyway? I know the British call such a trip "Going on a Holiday," and I think that better sums up the concept.....vacating sounds like an end of sorts and Holiday sounds like a plan for FUN! I am all for FUN!!!!!!!! Gotta talk Jay into being funner....ha ha or at least be willing to do MORE FUN THINGS! I can't believe I am living with a man who works as hard as my dad, Joe Kinworthy, used to work and who likes to act as Commander of the world and get me to work right along side him (or else suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune...) ha ha....But you know, outside in the salt sea air with the sunshine on my face working on as one freind called it "an outrageously fantastic" yacht----life is good. I have never been so happy in my life----now if I can just get phone calls, letters, emails, text messages or Ham radio messages from my wonderful girls, Moriah Wickstrom, Annie Mason, Darcie Pelsor (soon to become Darcie Alexander....and what a great name Darcie Alexander sounds somehow sophisticated and cool......love you and Walter Dartle!) and Alana Jane, my baby girl.....then life would be way sweeter!!!!!! I'm not so good at this leaving the kids and my grandkids behind! How do people like Dave and Barbara Janssen do it, going to Guam with Jen and Julian so far away??????-----Do they even know how much we think of them many times a day?????? It was bad enough when I moved to Eugene and they were all in So. Oregon! But I did get Alana and Mikey to move up when he was a baby and live near me for 6 months....but alas, Alana's allergies/sinuses didn't like the Eugene area and jobs were better for them in Medford, so they left me again.....I was sooooooooo sad to lose my baby girl.....I thought I would get to keep her up here forever!!!!! Then Alana moved back for a while with Mikey when Aunt Sharen lived here and it was wonderful being able to hug everyone......but I guess the girls all have their own lives now and maybe don't have much time to think about parents.....it's funny, I think, that I had a pretty sad home life growing up, yet as an adult I would go visit mom when she moved to Shady Cove sometimes 3x a week when my three oldest were in elementary school and I talked to Dad and visited him with his girlfriends/wives when they came thru Oregon on their excursions in their RV--and visited them numerous times when they were out on the road....just so I could give my "Daddy-Do" a big hug and hear his stories about his latest antics or worst jokes! It's like I didn't get along with my parents when I lived with them....but became close to them when I became an adult. THEN.....not wanting to be like MY parents I hoped I was raising my girls to feel more loved and closer to me.......and I thought, except for pretty typical teen age issues and problems that we all go thru in life that bring us sadness and pain sometimes thru no fault of our own, I thought especially in the last couple of years that I was on pretty good footing, relationship-wise, with all my girls.....but I wish I could see and hear from them more......hey, I've got a plan...now this might work......if I take off on a yacht to a beautiful tropical island, then PERHAPS I can "lure" my girls and grandchildren to visit me cause it will be beautiful, warm and wayyyyyyyyyy fun seeing mom/grandma!@!!!!!!!!!! I am going to start working on this plan........Annie, I'm in Cabo San Lucas.....can you come clean my teeth? ha ha......I really think this might work....
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