Yesterday was a day of tragedy in the racing community, for the first time in the 65 year history of the Newport to Ensenada Race there were fatalities. Apparently, the s/v Agean, a 37 foot Hunter, was sunk while racing. The cause has not yet been determined, but initial investigation of what wreckage was found leads authorities to believe they either struck or were struck by a much larger vessel. So far 3 bodies have been recovered, but not yet identified. It is known that the owner was on board and acting in the captains capacity for the race. It is unknown of the full crew compliment. Traditionally, when racing, s/v Agean has a crew of 5.
My heart goes out to the families who have lost loved ones in this tragedy.
Scott and The Golden Gate
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Newport Beach to Ensenada Sailboat Race
Three days ago we started seeing a lot of boats coming into the bay. At first we thought it's simply spring is here, but after a couple of near misses while they were trying to pick up the mooring balls we got curious. I remembered something about a race and sure enough that's what everyone was coming in for. Watching them try to moor would have been funny if they weren't so close to us. One boat actually drifted into the can of the boat behind us. We decided to "hang out" in the cockpit while they were coming in. After our less than organized arrival in Newport back in December, I felt a lot better watching these new arrivals some what less than graceful attempt to moor.
Friday morning was the beginning of the race. I don't race, but I get so excited to see them all out there. There were over 200 boats this year, and I understand that this is down from years past. Someone in the crowd said people just don't want to go to Mexico with all the problems down there. I find that funny, because all our cruising friends in Mexico find just the opposite. They love being down there and feel completely safe. That just means better anchorages for us and them when we finally get there. I hate a crowded anchorage. I personally think it's the economy. We see more and more boats for sale here and fewer people heading south than in years past.
Back to the race, after making sure all our neighbors got off OK (meaning no damage to Reisender), we grabbed the cameras & binoculars and headed over the the Balboa Pier to watch the race begin. It was spectacular to see that many boats with sails up and ready for action. We watched them tack back and forth getting in place for the starting line. The race is approximately 150 miles and will take around a day to day and half to complete. At the time of writing this 3 boats are already in taking roughly 20 hours to complete the journey. For my non-boating followers that does not mean they won. It simply means they are FAST!!! All boats are not created equally and the differences in length, displacement, and sail area are all taken into account and the times will be corrected for these factors and the winner will be announced after all boats are in.
Scott and I looked on enviously as the first group headed across the starting line. Scott did the Oregon Offshore several years later and he would much rather have done this race. Only one night out and the days were warm and sunny compared to the Offshore, which was 3 nights and bitter cold the entire time. That's the difference of sailing Southern California and the Washington Coast.
We've certainly been active the last couple of weeks, I think spring fever is upon us and we are excited to be back in the boating mind set. We are excitedly sketching our plans for the summer and finally down to Mexico.
Cheers! and We miss you all!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Newport Beach Boat Show
This past weekend, we found ourselves going to the Newport Boat Show. We weren't planning on it, but a friend of ours was working the show and offered free tickets to us. No brainer, so we went. To quote our friend Harold "BORED!" After Strictly Sail in Oakland, we found very little of interest. The biggest problem is that this show is mainly geared towards powerboats. It was interesting to see how the other half live, but do we really need 3 staterooms, a dishwasher, and a washer/dryer. Granted I would love to have a dishwasher aboard, other than me, but it's just not practical. In this economic climate I wouldn't expect the first four booths to be banks offering financing for boats, but then again this is Newport Beach and as I write this, there isn't a house within my view under a million dollars. The average boat for sale at the show was somewhere around $600,000! We did stumble into a couple of sailboats. I'm moon over the new Tartan 43! Real solid TEAK soles throughout! Another highlight was seeing a C&C 61. It's the big (and I mean BIG) sister to Reisender. IAmazing how the lines look so similar. BTW- She did have a washer/dryer on board. Well the only other boat that really peaked out interest was a Nord Haven 52 (we can't remember the actual feet, but this is pretty close). What a beauty and 95,000 pound displacement! That's a heavy boat, our Reisender is only about 20,000 Lbs. and is considered fair. We thought about it for about two seconds then we realized neither of us had the 1.3 million asking price in our checking account. So, back to Reisender! She's taken us this far, even without a dishwasher and we are looking forward to seeing where she takes us next.
It's been nice to stop doing major projects and start doing some finishing work on her. We've been working on some of the trim. I'll be spending the next few weeks varnishing. I actually find it relaxing. It gives me time to meditate and let my mind wander, but not to far, we don't want streaks! Scott has been doing a project of his own. He's converted our table saw into a table saw.... actually he's added a spot to the table to mount our cordless to it. We now can finish the wood working just about anywhere. He wants to mount the router to the opposite end of the table. It's nice to have the right tools for the right job.
As always, if any of you find yourselves in Newport Beach, come by for a glass (or two) of wine and with a little advanced notice some dinner!
It's been nice to stop doing major projects and start doing some finishing work on her. We've been working on some of the trim. I'll be spending the next few weeks varnishing. I actually find it relaxing. It gives me time to meditate and let my mind wander, but not to far, we don't want streaks! Scott has been doing a project of his own. He's converted our table saw into a table saw.... actually he's added a spot to the table to mount our cordless to it. We now can finish the wood working just about anywhere. He wants to mount the router to the opposite end of the table. It's nice to have the right tools for the right job.
As always, if any of you find yourselves in Newport Beach, come by for a glass (or two) of wine and with a little advanced notice some dinner!
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Wine! Wine! and more Wine!
When most people think of California and wine, the mind automatically drifts to Napa & Sonoma, but there are many more wine regions in California that are just as good. After the boat show this weekend, we still had our rental car a couple of more days. Scott suggested we get away from boats and do something that we both really enjoy....WINE TASTING!!! The closest region is Temecula Valley. It's down the 15 at the edge of Riverside County on the way to San Diego. It's little more than an hour drive from Newport Beach, our current residence.
Tuesday started off sunny and warm in Newport and with a quick glance at the weather it was to be 85 in the valley. Definitely perfect wine tasting weather. After consulting a few web sites we had a couple of vineyards we wanted to see, directions, and a charged tablet to get us there. The drive was amazing along SR 74. It winds through the Cleveland National Forest and on the other side it deposited us over looking Lake Elsinore and the mountains beyond. If you are RVing there were several great little campgrounds along this route. There is also one at Lake Elsinore right on the lake.
I digress: we got into Temecula around 12:30 and started looking for our first vineyard. We had decided on Callaway Vineyard & Winery, because on of the websites said the best time was to go during the week and the views were amazing, and they were dead on right! We headed into their improvised tasting room. The main tasting room is under renovation. We were one of only two couples in the room. I get a little sticker shock at some of the tasting room prices and this was no exception. $15 for 6 one ounce tastes. We went ahead and did the tasting, and we weren't disappointed. At first after trying their sparkling wine, I had my doubts, but when I went onto the Calliope white I was impressed, and by the time I reached the reds I was hooked. Our experience in Temecula leads us to believe it is better suited to reds than whites. Every winery we've been to, we've preferred their reds. Callaway was no exception. While we still prefer Eola Hill's Sangiovese in Oregon to Callaway's, every other red got better and better. The Reserve Meritage was definitely peak of there selection. Scott also found a lovely Late Harvest Cabernet Sauvignon we added to our desert wine locker. We found our server to be an excellent source of knowledge both about wines and the local area. We ended our time at Callaway by joining their wine club. They send out two wines every other month at 30% off, you receive discounts at the restaurant and gift shop. Wine Club members also receive free tastings when they stop by and when the new tasting room is open club members have a private tasting room. As for the views..... I'm speechless..... and many of you know how difficult it is to get me quiet! We asked our server to outline a couple of wineries she would recommend and she did. We found one of them, but were disappointed with it's wines, but again the views were staggering. Even if you aren't a wine person, a drive through Temecula wine country is well advised. Winding through vine skirted hills with the scent of spring flowers on a warm day was a perfect way to spend an afternoon, an afternoon we soon won't forget and are planning on spending a few more over the months to come. I have to go back and pick up my wine of the month, don't I?
Tuesday started off sunny and warm in Newport and with a quick glance at the weather it was to be 85 in the valley. Definitely perfect wine tasting weather. After consulting a few web sites we had a couple of vineyards we wanted to see, directions, and a charged tablet to get us there. The drive was amazing along SR 74. It winds through the Cleveland National Forest and on the other side it deposited us over looking Lake Elsinore and the mountains beyond. If you are RVing there were several great little campgrounds along this route. There is also one at Lake Elsinore right on the lake.
I digress: we got into Temecula around 12:30 and started looking for our first vineyard. We had decided on Callaway Vineyard & Winery, because on of the websites said the best time was to go during the week and the views were amazing, and they were dead on right! We headed into their improvised tasting room. The main tasting room is under renovation. We were one of only two couples in the room. I get a little sticker shock at some of the tasting room prices and this was no exception. $15 for 6 one ounce tastes. We went ahead and did the tasting, and we weren't disappointed. At first after trying their sparkling wine, I had my doubts, but when I went onto the Calliope white I was impressed, and by the time I reached the reds I was hooked. Our experience in Temecula leads us to believe it is better suited to reds than whites. Every winery we've been to, we've preferred their reds. Callaway was no exception. While we still prefer Eola Hill's Sangiovese in Oregon to Callaway's, every other red got better and better. The Reserve Meritage was definitely peak of there selection. Scott also found a lovely Late Harvest Cabernet Sauvignon we added to our desert wine locker. We found our server to be an excellent source of knowledge both about wines and the local area. We ended our time at Callaway by joining their wine club. They send out two wines every other month at 30% off, you receive discounts at the restaurant and gift shop. Wine Club members also receive free tastings when they stop by and when the new tasting room is open club members have a private tasting room. As for the views..... I'm speechless..... and many of you know how difficult it is to get me quiet! We asked our server to outline a couple of wineries she would recommend and she did. We found one of them, but were disappointed with it's wines, but again the views were staggering. Even if you aren't a wine person, a drive through Temecula wine country is well advised. Winding through vine skirted hills with the scent of spring flowers on a warm day was a perfect way to spend an afternoon, an afternoon we soon won't forget and are planning on spending a few more over the months to come. I have to go back and pick up my wine of the month, don't I?
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Strictly Sail Oakland 2012
This past weekend was the Strictly Sail 2012 Show in Oakland, CA. It is one of my favorite boat shows to attend. As the name implies, it is strictly sailing vessels of all types. There were close to a hundred different boats to climb all over. It's a sailor's playground. I particularly like the space on the Catamarans. No cramped quarters there. I was a little disappointed in some of the new productions boats. They've begun to get away from the tradition teak look and are moving to more readily available woods. Some of the boats felt very fake... well that's because some of the wood wasn't and it was fake. There was a feeling amongst our group that we were in glorified mobile homes. I guess that's the curse when ones own boat is A) older and B) semi custom. I am a fan of modern design, but several of the boats felt straight out of the IKEA show room. This was the first year the they didn't really shine, or that one didn't stand out.
As for the rest of the show, it was well worth it! I do have to say this is the first year we didn't spend a fortune on boat parts, but we did find a few new items that we will order in the next few weeks. The first was an item called Peek a Booo. The manufacturer wasn't even at the show, but while touring one of the boats we saw them installed on the port lights and really liked what we saw, or rather what we didn't. They are covers for the inside of the ports, very similar to blinds. They did a great job of blocking out the light. The design even calls for white on the out board side which reflects the heat away from the cabin. We stopped by New Found Metals, where we purchased our ports from, and he actually had one set up on the ports like ours. They have the cleanest lines and do a great job. They aren't cheap, but they aren't terrible expensive either.
http://www.zarcor.com/products/peek-a-booo/index.php
On a personal note, we had the wonderful time to catch up with dear friends. The first surprise was our friends, Dan & Becky of Nautidog, decided to spend a little more time in California. This was their first trip to the show and both seemed to enjoy it greatly. Becky and I spend time checking out the heads and galleys, while Scott and Dan were impressed by all the mechanical side to the boats. Kimber & Mike of Freebird came down from Portland. I've known them for years from my time at the Island Cafe. We got caught up and had a couple of drinks with them. If you are in the Portland area and need the name put on your boat, let me know and I'll hook you up with Kimber. She put the name on Reisender and we just love what she did. We also got to introduce her and Mike to our friends, Joe and DJ of Wyvern. We met them last fall while staying in the Bay Area. They were at the show promoting there magazine. A few of you may know it, Latitudes & Attitudes. All of our friends helped to make this a great weekend!
Well, back to the show, if you've never been and live on the west coast... GO!!! GO!!! GO!!!! It's well worth it and the location and view from the event are fun. For my friends in the Northwest, it's usually just as the weather is breaking on the Bay Area, and that much needed sunshine after months of winter is just what the sailing Dr ordered. If you don't want to drive or fly in, consider the train. It stops right across the street from the show, literally, and gets in a few hours before the show opens. Then hop back on for the return train in the evening after the show closes. Take some friends and make a party. You'll be glad you didn't miss this show!
As for the rest of the show, it was well worth it! I do have to say this is the first year we didn't spend a fortune on boat parts, but we did find a few new items that we will order in the next few weeks. The first was an item called Peek a Booo. The manufacturer wasn't even at the show, but while touring one of the boats we saw them installed on the port lights and really liked what we saw, or rather what we didn't. They are covers for the inside of the ports, very similar to blinds. They did a great job of blocking out the light. The design even calls for white on the out board side which reflects the heat away from the cabin. We stopped by New Found Metals, where we purchased our ports from, and he actually had one set up on the ports like ours. They have the cleanest lines and do a great job. They aren't cheap, but they aren't terrible expensive either.
http://www.zarcor.com/products/peek-a-booo/index.php
On a personal note, we had the wonderful time to catch up with dear friends. The first surprise was our friends, Dan & Becky of Nautidog, decided to spend a little more time in California. This was their first trip to the show and both seemed to enjoy it greatly. Becky and I spend time checking out the heads and galleys, while Scott and Dan were impressed by all the mechanical side to the boats. Kimber & Mike of Freebird came down from Portland. I've known them for years from my time at the Island Cafe. We got caught up and had a couple of drinks with them. If you are in the Portland area and need the name put on your boat, let me know and I'll hook you up with Kimber. She put the name on Reisender and we just love what she did. We also got to introduce her and Mike to our friends, Joe and DJ of Wyvern. We met them last fall while staying in the Bay Area. They were at the show promoting there magazine. A few of you may know it, Latitudes & Attitudes. All of our friends helped to make this a great weekend!
Well, back to the show, if you've never been and live on the west coast... GO!!! GO!!! GO!!!! It's well worth it and the location and view from the event are fun. For my friends in the Northwest, it's usually just as the weather is breaking on the Bay Area, and that much needed sunshine after months of winter is just what the sailing Dr ordered. If you don't want to drive or fly in, consider the train. It stops right across the street from the show, literally, and gets in a few hours before the show opens. Then hop back on for the return train in the evening after the show closes. Take some friends and make a party. You'll be glad you didn't miss this show!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
"Quiet Moments"
In general Linux is a pretty mellow cat, as long as we feed him ON TIME, keep the litter box clean, and allow him cockpit access when it's sunny out. Well, there is one huge and I mean huge exception... The Engine!!!! It's his enemy! It's big, it's loud, it's just plan annoying to a cat, especially one like Linux that loves nap time. He can't get far enough away from it. That usually means in the cockpit with us. He's happy there if we can be between him and the beast. We've been lucky that we're were smart enough to train him to stay in the cockpit, but when we've got waves pitching us from side to side I still worry that one good one and he's overboard. Well, the solution, a harness. He hates it almost as much as he does the engine, but safety first aboard Reisender, fashion second. I went into the store to buy his new accessory and found out that because of his.... girth, shall we say, I had to go to the small dog section for him. HMMMMM maybe toooooo many cat treats! I found one and brought back for him to model for us. He was not amused. Well it's for his own safety, what's a caregiver going to do. So now at night we have one less thing to worry about. He still sleeps in the cockpit next to us, I was shocked when he stayed up with us during a rainstorm, albeit under the dodger, but he still got a little wet. Challenge number two we discovered was helping him to be one with the engine. No, he's not in the lotus position meditating while sitting on the engine well. Although that'd be a great photo! He's not that chill or hip. We've tried everything to calm him down. I sometimes miss dogs, a piece of cheese with a Benedryl in it and they are out. Not so with my very wise (and frustrating) cat. He'll spit out everything but the cheese! So we tried Pill Pockets! Again no luck, then by chance I walked into a pet store in Astoria and I explained we have a boat kitty that hates the engine. She knew exactly what to do. "Quiet Moments" by NaturVet. I am in love with this product. She asked me just one question, "is he a very clean cat?" VERY! He even thinks Pixel doesn't clean herself well enough and has to help her out. Well, this product is a salve that you put on his fur (preferably when he's not looking) and then he cleans it off. It's a life saver in our household. It's herbal and completely washable. I only have to sneak up on him a couple of hours before we start the motor and he's much more relaxed that he was before. He'll even go below when we are under way.... sometimes. He still hates the engine, but most of the time he is sacked out in the corner of the cockpit tethered off. If you have a cat that hates travel this might be the product you are looking for. The picture is him about 2 hours after putting on his salve. He stayed right in that corner until we pulled in to Port San Luis 16 hours later.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
California Here We Stay... For Now!
Dear Friends,
I apologize for the long duration between posts, but to be honest we're really not done much but work on the boat and visit with good friends here in Southern California. Last year, Scott and I hoped to leave early enough in the season to enjoy a summer in California. After all my trips to California, I've never had the pleasure of being here during summer months. Well, the weather was against us and we seem to have an endless list of projects while still in Portland and weren't able to leave until after Labor Day. Over the last few weeks we found ourselves rushing to get ready for our departure for Mexico. Then, we asked ourselves why? We were doing the same thing that we did last year in Oregon, RUSHING! Why were we pushing ourselves so hard? We like Southern California, we have friends here, we are officially cruising, and we have no deadlines. So, again, why were we rushing and putting ourselves through the stress? There are only eight weeks before hurricane season and we'd be stuck in the northern end of the Sea of Cortez, but we could spend the summer gunkholing in Southern California. The summer spent going back and for to Catalina and then a couple of months in San Diego? Why Not? Then there is the trip we are planning to see our families back east. Traveling across borders with the cats isn't that easy, and it would be twice as expensive. Then there is the stress to the cats as they got to the vet twice for the health certificate and travel a lot longer in the car that Linux is comfortable with. So, here we are in Newport Beach and here we will stay, at least for another 2 months while we visit family on the east coast. We started making lists of the things we want to see here and we will start in the next couple of weeks of sight seeing right here! I've seen so many friends pass up California to get south, well with the weather getting better everyday and the projects getting checked off our list, we can kick back and enjoy some wonderful California Wines, which you all know I will enjoy! Well, friends, if you find yourselves in the area, give us a call. I'm always good for a meal, some company, and of course some California wine!
I apologize for the long duration between posts, but to be honest we're really not done much but work on the boat and visit with good friends here in Southern California. Last year, Scott and I hoped to leave early enough in the season to enjoy a summer in California. After all my trips to California, I've never had the pleasure of being here during summer months. Well, the weather was against us and we seem to have an endless list of projects while still in Portland and weren't able to leave until after Labor Day. Over the last few weeks we found ourselves rushing to get ready for our departure for Mexico. Then, we asked ourselves why? We were doing the same thing that we did last year in Oregon, RUSHING! Why were we pushing ourselves so hard? We like Southern California, we have friends here, we are officially cruising, and we have no deadlines. So, again, why were we rushing and putting ourselves through the stress? There are only eight weeks before hurricane season and we'd be stuck in the northern end of the Sea of Cortez, but we could spend the summer gunkholing in Southern California. The summer spent going back and for to Catalina and then a couple of months in San Diego? Why Not? Then there is the trip we are planning to see our families back east. Traveling across borders with the cats isn't that easy, and it would be twice as expensive. Then there is the stress to the cats as they got to the vet twice for the health certificate and travel a lot longer in the car that Linux is comfortable with. So, here we are in Newport Beach and here we will stay, at least for another 2 months while we visit family on the east coast. We started making lists of the things we want to see here and we will start in the next couple of weeks of sight seeing right here! I've seen so many friends pass up California to get south, well with the weather getting better everyday and the projects getting checked off our list, we can kick back and enjoy some wonderful California Wines, which you all know I will enjoy! Well, friends, if you find yourselves in the area, give us a call. I'm always good for a meal, some company, and of course some California wine!
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