Scott and I spent 2 very unproductive weeks in Avalon Bay. The first problem was the chop of the sea. Reisender was bounced around rather violently over several days due to the wind and waves. A couple of days we just rode it out on the boat, but we finally had to go ashore and get our balance back. Then, when we settled our mooring with the harbor patrol for a second week everything seemed fine. The next day we were informed that if we extended over 14 days we'd have to place the city of Avalon on our insurance. That wasn't a problem, but we were only planning on staying another week and it wasn't worth the hassle for 7 days. Newport Beach was only 4 hours away after all! We needed to re-provision anyway and it was time to see a new place, besides the rolling in the bay was getting to both of us. Linux seemed green most of the time. So we set off to Newport on the Tuesday before Christmas. It was a nice sail most of the way. Actually, we are still motor sailing most of the time, but that is soon to come to an end. The main-sheet should be fully rigged soon. About halfway through the trip the engine decides to give a little hiccup. It is actually a problem with the full tank that we noticed on the way down the coast. We have a flex fuel tank. It seems that the intake collapses and it gets difficult to siphon fuel. It's an issue we are still verifying so we haven't done anything just yet about it. As always, it seems that a second issue must arise at the same time. The voltage regulator started to burn out. Scott caught it in time and we motored guessing at the rpm's. The best part of all of it was I got to sail the boat for the 1st time. No engine to aid us along. The quiet was the first thing I noticed, then the pride in what we've done. It wasn't really an emergency and I was enjoying the time. Unfortunately I was at the helm and not Scott. After all, this is his true child. I felt a little guilty to get the honor of Reisender's first time under sail alone.
Coming into Newport was an experience. Avalon has spoiled us on mooring balls. Their system is truly idiot proof! Newport's will make an idiot of the best of us. Avalon has a system of two connected mooring balls with a pendant you pick up very easily. Newport is two balls with a loop to each. You need to use your own gear. Avalon has all the lines attached that is simply looped to the bow and stern cleats of the vessel. The crew of Reisender wasn't prepared for this. LOL! That's an understatement. Once we realized our error we set to getting spare lines ready and making do with whatever shackles we could quickly get to. After 3 passes we had the bow line and had to figure out how to get the stern hooked. We launched the tender and I began to row a line out to it. THE LINE WASN'T LONG ENOUGH!!!! Row back! Get a longer line and row out again! The tender got a little sloshed when we launched her in such a rapid hurry and I was in 5 inches of salt water. Now I'm tired and wet. We finally get her secured and make for land to find some dinner.
We've started to familiarize ourselves with the area. I've found the grocery stores, wine shops, bank, and boating stores. Christmas was lovely. It was 70 and sunny. Now we are back to work on the boat. New Year's Eve will be quietly spent on Reisender.... don't worry... I know where to find champagne.... it won't be that quiet!
All are safe aboard Reisender.... Happy New Year's from the Crew...Jerid, Scott, Linux and Pixel!
Scott and The Golden Gate
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Back to Avalon
Saturday, Scott & I started talking about how pricey it was to stay in the marina. It was a joint decision to move on Sunday afternoon to a protected anchorage off White Island in front of Long Beach. There are four islands from the 60's that are man made. They are actually designed to remove oil from the rigs that come into San Pedro Bay. We've been hearing stories about what a great protected anchorage there is at White Island. It's the only island with and anchorage in the bay. On Sunday we headed over around noon. It was a nice quiet motor over, and we even took a little tour of some of the house of Naples Island. Heading out of the jetties was an experience.... for those of you in small boats (sail, kayaks, canoes, etc.) if your draft is shallow, move to the side of the channel. I love to watch the under 10 foot sailboats, but they've got to remember a 2 foot draft can go places my 6 foot can't! The reports were right, it was a lovely anchorage with views of the Queen Mary, the Aquarium, and down town Long Beach. We could even see all the way to Catalina Island. The winds weren't scheduled to calm until Tuesday night. So we dug out some projects and books and settled in for 2 days of relaxation. The winds howled and we held great. On Tuesday the winds died, but we wanted to make a chandlery run on Wednesday morning before heading back to Avalon. Around 12:30 a patrol boat came by and told us we could only anchor there for Friday and Saturday nights or in an emergency. What to do? So, Avalon here we come. It would be very close to dark before we got in. The trip over was quiet, the only excitement not being able to see the crab pots that lined the break water due to the glare of the sun troubled us. Well when the winds shifted around to N we raised the jib and were flying at almost 7 knots! It was a real rush. We made it over in 4 hours. Currently we are on mooring ball #188 in Avalon Bay. Scott has announced today is a day off, and tomorrow starts two weeks of boat projects getting us all ready for the trip into Mexico. I'm not sure where we will spend the holidays, but I can't think of a better place to be unsure.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Waiting out the Santa Ana winds
Well, here we are, again in Long Beach. Leaving Avalon was like leaving a home we never knew we had, but all good things must come to an end... at least a brief interruption. The dreaded Santa Ana winds coming from shore were reported and Reisender and crew headed for cover. Safe and sound back in Long Beach almost 30 hours before the winds kicked up, we watched and listen to the news of what was going on offshore. There was actually more damage up in Pasadena, but we watched for 2 days as the Coast Guard warning flags showed gale force winds out there. So we stayed put! The strongest winds I heard of were out of the desert at 80 knots. Catalina Island only got 40 knots, but the bay we were staying at would have had that coming straight at us.... NO THANKS!!! So we ran some errands, visited with friends, and stocked up for our next set of projects when we get back out there. Today I stocked up on groceries, wine, and ice. There is enough propane to last for 3 months of cooking, or a month of cooking and heating. The truck goes into storage in the morning, and we are ready for a couple of weeks of quiet, work, and meditation. This is definitely not my longest blog, but I've been feeling rested lately and I felt like sharing a little while we wait this out.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
A little about Reisender and the beginning of this adventure
At the time I met Scott I'd never been on a boat, other than a little john-boat on Moon Lake back in Florida when I was a kid. After a couple of months he suggested we go to the Strictly Sail St Pete show in Florida that November. This was all back in 2004. Side-Bar: Joey and DJ: Have fun it's a great show! OK, back to the story: We drove straight through from Greenville, SC. The show was wonderful, and the first time I stepped aboard a boat and sat down all I could think about was the gentle rocking motion of the boat. Amazing! I was hooked. We spent all day looking over all sorts of boat equipment and asking questions. Who knew that 7 months later we'd be owning our first boat, or that in 11 months we'd start the project that would become Reisender.
Well, we moved to Portland for a change in perspective and find an area where learning to sail was a bit safer. After purchasing a small boat we'd begun playing on weekends with her. Scott learning technical sailing and I being a bit more "off the cuff". It all worked perfectly, than Scott found a real cruising boat, a Newport 41 C&C. She was up in Seattle, we called the owner and drove up one weekend. She was a wreck of a burnt hull, but her lines were beautiful and we both saw amazing potential. It was gonna be a long, dirty job, but she needed us, or at least that's how I felt about her. She was purchased and shipped to Portland in October of 2005. Once she arrived the real work began. Scott and I both looked at her and just thought "What have we done?" A friend came by and started to help get's Scott's mind off all of it. They pressure washed and started hauling off damaged items. It would take us a full 3 years to get the last of the damaged things out of the boat. The immediate task was to come up with a plan. Logic dictated take on the worst first. Repair the cabin top and cockpit. We toyed with the idea of changing to a center cockpit, but it would ruin her lines, so we opted to keep her design very close to original. Over the winter, Scott learned to build the molds and what kind of materials to use. It was a very hard winter on both of us. Neither had lived in such a dark, cold climate for a very long time. With spring, we went to another boat show, and with summer began the actual reconstruction of what would be a total 6 year project (and on going).
Well, it appears I'm very good at laying fiberglass. Scott does well with solid, rigid materials (wood, metal, etc) and I the more fluid objects (clothe, fiberglass, etc). We'd work for 2 weeks straight laying up the coach house and then the dreaded day of fitting it in. IT FIT PERFECTLY!!!! Just a little trimming and she fell right into place. The most amazing part is Scott had to guess at the curve for the companionway. It was almost completely destroyed in the fire and crumbled to the touch. We also decided to add a little more interior space, so we popped that bulk head back by 6 inches. To a non-boater it doesn't sound like much, but on a boat every inch matters. With that done, we set to tackle the cockpit. It went much easier, except fall was approaching, which means rain in Portland. Fiberglass and rain don't really mix. Actually they hate each other. We had to be extremely careful on our timing, but we did it and again the cockpit slide right into place. With that done, it was time for a small break. We took our little boat and hauled it down to Mexico on a trailer. You should have seen us sleeping in here in a Wal-Mart parking lot! Ha!
When we returned it was time to remove and clean the toe-rails. Each one has 75 bolts, washers, and nuts. The auto industry back ground of Scott's really paid off here. Rather than caulking each of the 300 holes, he remembers a self sealing product used for attaching door panels to cars. It worked great. The first rain we found a few leaks, but nothing to serious and all we had to do was tighten them. Just some minor adjusting, and 5 years later coming down the coast we've found only 2 that leaked, again just a little tightening and we are water tight again. We started going to boat shows regularly and it was time to start shopping. The Oakland boat show, which is still our favorite, netted us 8 ports and one 24inch square hatch. All stainless steal and full of shine. It was time to attach the coach house and while I thought fiberglass work in general was a pain (not really the word I wanted to use) over head fiberglass work is the worst. You must paint on the resin on the surface, then paint the clothe, allow it to begin kicking, and press the two together and hope like heck it stay over head. It usually does, but it's not very fun. Oh, and by the way acetone and hair don't like each other. We've cleaned and cleared away, we've re-attached, and began to reshape, Year in... year out.
Then we started looking at the engine. She had a gas engine, in part as we understand the fire that happened aboard her, some of the fire was made worse by a gas can in the cockpit that the heat reached. It actually melted the boom in two. Well, we located a used Westerbeke 42 B engine outside of Seattle. We went up and the owner knew our boat, all boat owners love to talk about their boat. It was no surprise, she'd been racing in the Seattle area for decades. Well, it turns out the owner of the engine also had a Newport 41 and in the early 90's when he was looking at boats it was either the one he got or ours! What a coincidence. After even more talking to him, we found out he put this engine in the other boat because he didn't want a gas engine either. This engine was meant for Reisender. After hauling her back, we set to finding the parts for a rebuild. The Westerbeke dealing wanted top dollars for parts. Being the frugal people we are, Scott did more research and found our engine is nothing but a Mitsubishi diesel. We started ordering the parts through a supplier and saved probably 30 to 40 percent. Then it was my turn to start thinking about the galley. I knew the stove I wanted, a Force 10 three burner, but at 1400 dollars a bit rich for the budget. Craigslist to the rescue. There happened to be one in Newport, CA for $300 plus shipping. Happy 37th birthday to me! Well, than came lights, and teak. The teak was another great score. We found a man on CL who was selling a bunch of teak trim for next to nothing. It's now ours. Then another friend came walking down the dock with an old teak hatch. "Did we want it?" "YES!!!! It was all weathered and grey, but now it's shinning and our new companionway steps. Three years ago, we decided it was time to move on board. We barely had half the living space ready, so we divided the interior in two, put in a temporary bulk head and moved in September 2008. We'd hoped to work on the boat that winter, but no such luck. That was the worst winter storm in 40 years. No more winters in OR for Scott or I after that. With spring, the boat was in full swing again. More details and the beginning of a galley for me. Scott got his desk back in the form of a nav-station. Then Scott had a detached retina and all came to a screeching halt. No more work that year. It was a 3 month total recovery, and fall set in. Finally, spring and work on the boat. The engine finally running, and painting on the outside and inside. For my birthday in 2010, I got running water (I actually cried) and a complete galley. We decided it was time to Christen our baby. So on June 26, 2010 she officially was re-named Reisender. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 to 60 people came. Friends came all the way from eastern Washington. We had great food, good fun, good memories, and a lot of pride in what we had done. There's a tradition that a female member of the boat builders family Christen the boat, well we'd hadn't any on the west coast and ask our friend Sherry to do it. Scott got soaked in Champagne and we lasted late into the night. Then as seems to be our luck, I broke my foot getting off the boat, and while work didn't stop this time, it did slow down, and we missed another deadline to leave. We watched friends leave and it was all so sad for us. So what did we do, we moved on. October of 2010 we stepped the mast. We took Reisender out of her slip for the first time and motored her to the yard and had the mast put in. Every time we do something we are like proud parents.
But, 2011 was our year. We started with finishing out settee backs and our bunk. Then installing the head, and a new teak cabin sole. Finally, decision time, we left McCuddy's Marina, we just went around the corner, but it was the beginning of the beginning for us. After a few days of running the engine while at anchor we decided to build a hard dodger to mount the solar panels on. With the help of a friend, Jeff, the design came out perfect. We then spent a month on the Columbia checking systems. The steering came next. We'd been using the emergency tiller up to that point, but after a rebuild of the system it all worked perfectly. I'm so proud of Scott. 6 years ago we barely knew anything about boats. We worked on Reisender up until the day to cross The Columbia River Bar. Up until two hours before cast off we were installing the compass and windscreen for the dodger. Well, September 6, 2011 we started our cruising life. It's been almost 3 months and we've learned a lot, and we done a lot of work. Would I do it all again, yes, differently, maybe, but I would do it all again....
Side Note: there is a lot of equipment not mentioned that has been updated, and a lot of equipment found, or donated by good friends, and work that I haven't mentioned. I think this blog is long enough, don't you?
Well, we moved to Portland for a change in perspective and find an area where learning to sail was a bit safer. After purchasing a small boat we'd begun playing on weekends with her. Scott learning technical sailing and I being a bit more "off the cuff". It all worked perfectly, than Scott found a real cruising boat, a Newport 41 C&C. She was up in Seattle, we called the owner and drove up one weekend. She was a wreck of a burnt hull, but her lines were beautiful and we both saw amazing potential. It was gonna be a long, dirty job, but she needed us, or at least that's how I felt about her. She was purchased and shipped to Portland in October of 2005. Once she arrived the real work began. Scott and I both looked at her and just thought "What have we done?" A friend came by and started to help get's Scott's mind off all of it. They pressure washed and started hauling off damaged items. It would take us a full 3 years to get the last of the damaged things out of the boat. The immediate task was to come up with a plan. Logic dictated take on the worst first. Repair the cabin top and cockpit. We toyed with the idea of changing to a center cockpit, but it would ruin her lines, so we opted to keep her design very close to original. Over the winter, Scott learned to build the molds and what kind of materials to use. It was a very hard winter on both of us. Neither had lived in such a dark, cold climate for a very long time. With spring, we went to another boat show, and with summer began the actual reconstruction of what would be a total 6 year project (and on going).
Well, it appears I'm very good at laying fiberglass. Scott does well with solid, rigid materials (wood, metal, etc) and I the more fluid objects (clothe, fiberglass, etc). We'd work for 2 weeks straight laying up the coach house and then the dreaded day of fitting it in. IT FIT PERFECTLY!!!! Just a little trimming and she fell right into place. The most amazing part is Scott had to guess at the curve for the companionway. It was almost completely destroyed in the fire and crumbled to the touch. We also decided to add a little more interior space, so we popped that bulk head back by 6 inches. To a non-boater it doesn't sound like much, but on a boat every inch matters. With that done, we set to tackle the cockpit. It went much easier, except fall was approaching, which means rain in Portland. Fiberglass and rain don't really mix. Actually they hate each other. We had to be extremely careful on our timing, but we did it and again the cockpit slide right into place. With that done, it was time for a small break. We took our little boat and hauled it down to Mexico on a trailer. You should have seen us sleeping in here in a Wal-Mart parking lot! Ha!
When we returned it was time to remove and clean the toe-rails. Each one has 75 bolts, washers, and nuts. The auto industry back ground of Scott's really paid off here. Rather than caulking each of the 300 holes, he remembers a self sealing product used for attaching door panels to cars. It worked great. The first rain we found a few leaks, but nothing to serious and all we had to do was tighten them. Just some minor adjusting, and 5 years later coming down the coast we've found only 2 that leaked, again just a little tightening and we are water tight again. We started going to boat shows regularly and it was time to start shopping. The Oakland boat show, which is still our favorite, netted us 8 ports and one 24inch square hatch. All stainless steal and full of shine. It was time to attach the coach house and while I thought fiberglass work in general was a pain (not really the word I wanted to use) over head fiberglass work is the worst. You must paint on the resin on the surface, then paint the clothe, allow it to begin kicking, and press the two together and hope like heck it stay over head. It usually does, but it's not very fun. Oh, and by the way acetone and hair don't like each other. We've cleaned and cleared away, we've re-attached, and began to reshape, Year in... year out.
Then we started looking at the engine. She had a gas engine, in part as we understand the fire that happened aboard her, some of the fire was made worse by a gas can in the cockpit that the heat reached. It actually melted the boom in two. Well, we located a used Westerbeke 42 B engine outside of Seattle. We went up and the owner knew our boat, all boat owners love to talk about their boat. It was no surprise, she'd been racing in the Seattle area for decades. Well, it turns out the owner of the engine also had a Newport 41 and in the early 90's when he was looking at boats it was either the one he got or ours! What a coincidence. After even more talking to him, we found out he put this engine in the other boat because he didn't want a gas engine either. This engine was meant for Reisender. After hauling her back, we set to finding the parts for a rebuild. The Westerbeke dealing wanted top dollars for parts. Being the frugal people we are, Scott did more research and found our engine is nothing but a Mitsubishi diesel. We started ordering the parts through a supplier and saved probably 30 to 40 percent. Then it was my turn to start thinking about the galley. I knew the stove I wanted, a Force 10 three burner, but at 1400 dollars a bit rich for the budget. Craigslist to the rescue. There happened to be one in Newport, CA for $300 plus shipping. Happy 37th birthday to me! Well, than came lights, and teak. The teak was another great score. We found a man on CL who was selling a bunch of teak trim for next to nothing. It's now ours. Then another friend came walking down the dock with an old teak hatch. "Did we want it?" "YES!!!! It was all weathered and grey, but now it's shinning and our new companionway steps. Three years ago, we decided it was time to move on board. We barely had half the living space ready, so we divided the interior in two, put in a temporary bulk head and moved in September 2008. We'd hoped to work on the boat that winter, but no such luck. That was the worst winter storm in 40 years. No more winters in OR for Scott or I after that. With spring, the boat was in full swing again. More details and the beginning of a galley for me. Scott got his desk back in the form of a nav-station. Then Scott had a detached retina and all came to a screeching halt. No more work that year. It was a 3 month total recovery, and fall set in. Finally, spring and work on the boat. The engine finally running, and painting on the outside and inside. For my birthday in 2010, I got running water (I actually cried) and a complete galley. We decided it was time to Christen our baby. So on June 26, 2010 she officially was re-named Reisender. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 to 60 people came. Friends came all the way from eastern Washington. We had great food, good fun, good memories, and a lot of pride in what we had done. There's a tradition that a female member of the boat builders family Christen the boat, well we'd hadn't any on the west coast and ask our friend Sherry to do it. Scott got soaked in Champagne and we lasted late into the night. Then as seems to be our luck, I broke my foot getting off the boat, and while work didn't stop this time, it did slow down, and we missed another deadline to leave. We watched friends leave and it was all so sad for us. So what did we do, we moved on. October of 2010 we stepped the mast. We took Reisender out of her slip for the first time and motored her to the yard and had the mast put in. Every time we do something we are like proud parents.
But, 2011 was our year. We started with finishing out settee backs and our bunk. Then installing the head, and a new teak cabin sole. Finally, decision time, we left McCuddy's Marina, we just went around the corner, but it was the beginning of the beginning for us. After a few days of running the engine while at anchor we decided to build a hard dodger to mount the solar panels on. With the help of a friend, Jeff, the design came out perfect. We then spent a month on the Columbia checking systems. The steering came next. We'd been using the emergency tiller up to that point, but after a rebuild of the system it all worked perfectly. I'm so proud of Scott. 6 years ago we barely knew anything about boats. We worked on Reisender up until the day to cross The Columbia River Bar. Up until two hours before cast off we were installing the compass and windscreen for the dodger. Well, September 6, 2011 we started our cruising life. It's been almost 3 months and we've learned a lot, and we done a lot of work. Would I do it all again, yes, differently, maybe, but I would do it all again....
Side Note: there is a lot of equipment not mentioned that has been updated, and a lot of equipment found, or donated by good friends, and work that I haven't mentioned. I think this blog is long enough, don't you?
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving!
Well, the weather finally held for a few days and Scott and I made it to Catalina Island, after a lovely time with friends in Long Beach. Long Beach was a wonderful break for us. It's where Scott calls home and we spent a lot of time walking and re-visiting some old haunts of his. He is always so happy when we are able to visit there. It's also very expensive in the marina. It was by far the most we've paid for a slip yet, but it's location was nearly perfect for provisioning without a car. The weather looked good on Tuesday and we decided it was time to make our way to Catalina (Avalon to be exact). It looked like good weather everyday but Thanksgiving, and even then the chance of showers is diminishing. It went from 80% at the first of the week down to 20% this morning. It is overcast, but that's kind of perfect pie baking weather! LOL! Well, our trip over was rather uneventful. A few crab pots, but it was clear and sunny, we were able to spot Catalina just a few miles outside the breakwaters of San Pedro Bay. For my non-boaters out there, most of the time we steer by compass, but on this trip we have visual point to steer by most of the trip. Our tradition is 2 hours at the helm, 2 hours off. This trip was so short we decided to do 1 on/ 1 off. We actually had perfect winds to raise our jib, it was the first time since it ripped and we repaired it. Our speed went from 5.5 knots up to 6.7 and our over all average getting here was 5.9. That's our fastest yet. Well, Avalon Bay is for lack of a better word "BEAUTIFUL" We were a little nervous because of reports we'd heard from other visiting friends. It's almost 50/50 of like and don't like Avalon. Definitely, we are in the like. The first thing that happens when you are visiting by boat is the Harbor Patrol comes out to you and takes your money and assigns you a mooring ball. He gave us great directions and we found it with no problem. Then there is the dreaded picking up the ball. We've watched videos and had several friends tell us how to do it. I'm on deck in foul weather gear and rubber gloves, I'd been forewarned about the slimy stern line. Scott drove us up to the ball, I plucked up the pendant and secured it the first try over our bow cleat, then hand over hand the stern line back and Scott fastened it to the cleat. All done in about 2 minutes. I was so proud of us! Not a mistake and there are always people watching when you do it, as well as the Harbor Patrol boat that came out to help us if we needed it. As soon as we were secure he began the normal questions about the holding tank being secure and no discharge over board. I informed him we had a composting toilet, we get a lot of confused looks on that one. He came aboard anyway and dropped the dye tablet in the compost. I have to laugh to myself, there is no way anything from our boat can go over board with this style of toilet. Oh well, it's his job! What a job! Poo Patrol! Yesterday we walked around down town and started meeting some of the people on boats around us. On the dingy ride to shore I was able to really see how clear the water is. We can see all the way to the bottom 40 feet beneath us!
Well, if you want you can see our boat on a live feed they have:
1) www.gotocatalina.com
2) click on "webcam"
3) click on "navigation"
4) click on "casino cam"
5) click on "beach"
We are in the bottom right hand corner, it's the yellow hull with the tall black mast between two power boats.
That's about all for now! Happy Thanksgiving! We've got all the trimmings and are looking forward to a nice lazy day! Hoping the same for all of you!
Well, if you want you can see our boat on a live feed they have:
1) www.gotocatalina.com
2) click on "webcam"
3) click on "navigation"
4) click on "casino cam"
5) click on "beach"
We are in the bottom right hand corner, it's the yellow hull with the tall black mast between two power boats.
That's about all for now! Happy Thanksgiving! We've got all the trimmings and are looking forward to a nice lazy day! Hoping the same for all of you!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
It's been a busy couple of weeks!
"On the go" is usually just an expression, but it was reality for Scott and I this week. I'll back up a bit. Last you heard, we were in Santa Barbara. After 4 very relaxing days we decided to pull up and head over to Santa Cruz Island where we heard the anchorage was great in a place called Pelican Bay (aptly named). Leaving around noon it was only gonna take us 5 hours to get there. A piece of cake after the trip down the coast. We got in a an hour before sunset, set the hook, and had a glass of wine. There was some roll, but all in all not bad or terrible uncomfortable. The weather forecast was a little windy when we left Santa Barbara, but it should be OK in the cove we were in. The winds were to come out of the north, we were quite protected from that direction. About 1 am we woke to howling winds... OUT OF THE EAST!!!!! The only direction we weren't protected from. It turned out the Santa Ana winds we forecast after we left Santa Barbara and were out of radio contact. It takes about 6 to 8 hours for them to come in, so they were right on time. Scott and I looked around at the waves crashing on the cliffs a few hundred yards from the boat and decided to stand watches. We discussed weather we should move the boat in the dark and it was dark! So, we continued to watch the shore and check the anchor. I think she dug in toward China, because we didn't move until we pulled her up early in the morning. After daylight, we made decided to head back to Santa Barbara. Our normal ritual when raising the anchor is for me to be on the bow and let Scott know when the anchor is up and secure in the bow roller, it didn't quite happen that way. Scott didn't want me on the bow as there was too much swell, even with the tethers he wasn't comfortable with me up there. I watched as the anchor came up and then the chain jumped out of the bow roller. It couldn't come up without someone going on deck. Scott dropped it a few feet below the water and we let it trail until we could get to calmer waters, which was 3 hours later. Finally calm enough, Scott crawled out and helped the chain and anchor back into the roller. The next day, we saw a little damage to the bow. The gel coat is chipped in two places and we have a small gouge on the starboard side from the tip of the anchor. Very minor and easy to fix, thank goodness we plan on repainting in Mexico next spring.
Well, after that we were ready to settle in for some lunch and a nap, but we were woken by the harbor patrol telling us we couldn't anchor where we were and would have to move to the winter anchorage a mile further out and no where near as protected. It was still daylight and we were leaving the next day anyway. We spent the night rather uncomfortable, but after the night before who cared, sleep was sleep at that point. Early the next morning we woke, brushed our teeth and headed toward Ventura. It was a perfect day. Quiet, not a lot of boat traffic, scenic, just a little wind. We've only had two days like this in all our travels to date on Reisender. It's my habit to usually look for a slip before we ever leave from our departure port, but Ventura has thousands of slips and we were planning on stopping at the fuel dock once we got there and I would have plenty of time to call around. Two of the three marinas were full and the 3rd wanted $61.50 a night. Now I know that doesn't sound like a lot to non-boaters, but that is crazy! $1.50 a foot for a parking space for the night! No Way! We went to Oxnard and found the lovely marina, Channel Islands Marina with it's very accommodating staff and much more reasonable rate. As our luck would turn out, the weather was going to be against us for some time and we decided to use this time to go get our truck.
Rental car, over night bags packed, and Linux sedated we were off. I'd never gone the PCH route and it was well worth it. It skirts the coast line and winds around some of the most beautiful country I've seen. After a lovely night with friend in San Francisco, we headed to Portland early on Sunday and made it in 10 hours! Before any of you say anything about a lead foot, remember I drive like an old lady, the cruise control was never set to more that 5 miles over the speed limit. Portland was a blur and a rush to us, but we got all the shopping done, the truck repacked, and all the stuff we were off loading gone. A quick visit with our dear friend, Wayne, and we were off again. Roseburg the first night, San Francisco the next, and Oxnard the night after that! We fell into bed our first night home. Well, we are officially out of Oregon and are looking forward to the next leg of our adventure. We don't know for certain where we are going next, but it looks like Marina Del Rey, or Catalina Island, or...?...????
Well, after that we were ready to settle in for some lunch and a nap, but we were woken by the harbor patrol telling us we couldn't anchor where we were and would have to move to the winter anchorage a mile further out and no where near as protected. It was still daylight and we were leaving the next day anyway. We spent the night rather uncomfortable, but after the night before who cared, sleep was sleep at that point. Early the next morning we woke, brushed our teeth and headed toward Ventura. It was a perfect day. Quiet, not a lot of boat traffic, scenic, just a little wind. We've only had two days like this in all our travels to date on Reisender. It's my habit to usually look for a slip before we ever leave from our departure port, but Ventura has thousands of slips and we were planning on stopping at the fuel dock once we got there and I would have plenty of time to call around. Two of the three marinas were full and the 3rd wanted $61.50 a night. Now I know that doesn't sound like a lot to non-boaters, but that is crazy! $1.50 a foot for a parking space for the night! No Way! We went to Oxnard and found the lovely marina, Channel Islands Marina with it's very accommodating staff and much more reasonable rate. As our luck would turn out, the weather was going to be against us for some time and we decided to use this time to go get our truck.
Rental car, over night bags packed, and Linux sedated we were off. I'd never gone the PCH route and it was well worth it. It skirts the coast line and winds around some of the most beautiful country I've seen. After a lovely night with friend in San Francisco, we headed to Portland early on Sunday and made it in 10 hours! Before any of you say anything about a lead foot, remember I drive like an old lady, the cruise control was never set to more that 5 miles over the speed limit. Portland was a blur and a rush to us, but we got all the shopping done, the truck repacked, and all the stuff we were off loading gone. A quick visit with our dear friend, Wayne, and we were off again. Roseburg the first night, San Francisco the next, and Oxnard the night after that! We fell into bed our first night home. Well, we are officially out of Oregon and are looking forward to the next leg of our adventure. We don't know for certain where we are going next, but it looks like Marina Del Rey, or Catalina Island, or...?...????
Saturday, October 29, 2011
We did it!
Well, here we are, Southern California. Actually, we are in Santa Barbara to be specific. Our departure from Monterey was very uneventful and things were going smoothing until our sail ripped (another addition to the list of things to do in port, a list that always grows with every leg). It really wasn't that bad, but meant we couldn't do anymore sailing until at least the next port. Which was Port San Luis. From Monterey we'd plan on stopping in Morro Bay, but we were making such good time and it was early in the morning for a trip into Morro Bay we decided that another 4 hours would only have us in at a little after 2 pm. What we didn't know was the fuel dock closed at 2, then the winds came up. We couldn't get off the fuel dock. The decision was made to sit tight and either wait for fuel in the morning or wait for the winds to slow and try getting off then. Well, the winds finally died down around 7 or so and the harbor patrol came by and said we couldn't stay tied up to the dock. With their help, we found our mooring buoy. It was the first time we'd ever picked one up. It only took two tries and I was so proud as I pulled that slim covered line up on deck and attached it to the cleat. I was also glad I thought to bring along a pair of kitchen gloves to keep the slim off me. LOL! We got a good night's sleep.
Early on Thursday, was time to head down the coast and round Point Conception. It's considered the Cape Horn of the west coast. Timing is everything with rounding Conception. We picked the calmest day in weeks. Light winds predicted, low swell, and a route that took us almost 10 miles off. It would be our second rounding of Conception and the last time was like glass. With the luck we'd had so far, I was expecting a really rough passage around Conception. I was gladly disappointed. Reisender was flying along at almost 6 knots when we passed Conception and we made it there in about 9 hours from Port San Luis. Around midnight we started hearing all this chatter on VHF channel 16 about a missile testing from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the coast. I think 5 or 6 other boats called in to verify the coordinates of the testing. We were already inside the Santa Barbara Channel, so I wasn't very concerned. Around 3 am Scott woke me to see the missile being fired. It was rather amazing to see such technology. It was actually possible to see the different stages of the rocket firing. We were almost 40 miles away and it still filled the sky with light. Well, that actually was the whole of our excitement for the voyage, and I was happy about that. My new mantra is "a boring voyage is a good voyage" and believe me I want a boring voyage every time! After rounding Conception, our speed dropped to about 4 or 4.5 knots. I loved seeing all the oil rigs. The lights made the passage look like Christmas. Then the traffic started building, but Scott had laid a course that took us way outside of the shipping lanes. It also cut off about and hour of our voyage, and I was thankful because Santa Barbara is doing renovations and slips where limited for a boat our length. There was also at least one other ship behind us coming in and we wanted to have a slip at least our first few couple of days in Southern California (I need to desperately fill up on some provisions and propane).
The view from the companion way is of mountains, palm trees, the beach and the town of Santa Barbara. I smell salt and eucalyptus in the air. We had tacos at Wahoo's, a wonderful taco chain in the LA area. They specialize in the fish tacos the surfers used to survive on back in the 60's and 70's. Scott and I always stop in one when we are in the area. We had a good night's sleep and I'm looking forward to the farmer's market today and another walk on the beach. This afternoon it's time to scrub off the boat and get that sail down and looked at it. We'll stay another night or two. Scott has a look in his eye about going to Catalina before we head up north for our truck, but I'm not wanting another night passage for awhile and may be able to convince him a couple days on Santa Cruz Island might be what we need. Who knows where we will go next, but we are around Conception and we have months to figure it all out. The pleasures of no schedule. Well, wishing all of you fair winds and following seas.....
Early on Thursday, was time to head down the coast and round Point Conception. It's considered the Cape Horn of the west coast. Timing is everything with rounding Conception. We picked the calmest day in weeks. Light winds predicted, low swell, and a route that took us almost 10 miles off. It would be our second rounding of Conception and the last time was like glass. With the luck we'd had so far, I was expecting a really rough passage around Conception. I was gladly disappointed. Reisender was flying along at almost 6 knots when we passed Conception and we made it there in about 9 hours from Port San Luis. Around midnight we started hearing all this chatter on VHF channel 16 about a missile testing from Vandenberg Air Force Base on the coast. I think 5 or 6 other boats called in to verify the coordinates of the testing. We were already inside the Santa Barbara Channel, so I wasn't very concerned. Around 3 am Scott woke me to see the missile being fired. It was rather amazing to see such technology. It was actually possible to see the different stages of the rocket firing. We were almost 40 miles away and it still filled the sky with light. Well, that actually was the whole of our excitement for the voyage, and I was happy about that. My new mantra is "a boring voyage is a good voyage" and believe me I want a boring voyage every time! After rounding Conception, our speed dropped to about 4 or 4.5 knots. I loved seeing all the oil rigs. The lights made the passage look like Christmas. Then the traffic started building, but Scott had laid a course that took us way outside of the shipping lanes. It also cut off about and hour of our voyage, and I was thankful because Santa Barbara is doing renovations and slips where limited for a boat our length. There was also at least one other ship behind us coming in and we wanted to have a slip at least our first few couple of days in Southern California (I need to desperately fill up on some provisions and propane).
The view from the companion way is of mountains, palm trees, the beach and the town of Santa Barbara. I smell salt and eucalyptus in the air. We had tacos at Wahoo's, a wonderful taco chain in the LA area. They specialize in the fish tacos the surfers used to survive on back in the 60's and 70's. Scott and I always stop in one when we are in the area. We had a good night's sleep and I'm looking forward to the farmer's market today and another walk on the beach. This afternoon it's time to scrub off the boat and get that sail down and looked at it. We'll stay another night or two. Scott has a look in his eye about going to Catalina before we head up north for our truck, but I'm not wanting another night passage for awhile and may be able to convince him a couple days on Santa Cruz Island might be what we need. Who knows where we will go next, but we are around Conception and we have months to figure it all out. The pleasures of no schedule. Well, wishing all of you fair winds and following seas.....
Thursday, October 20, 2011
One Day of Perfection
We've been on the move for over 3 1/2 months now. It seems we've only have one true day of a perfect trip down the coast. Even that day wasn't fully perfect, as we could only raise the sail for a little while before the wind died completely, and I was suffering from the beginning of a cold (that is still here three days later). We've had all sorts of misfortune on this initial trip: fuel injector pump going out, current against us as we tried to cross the Columbia River Bar, fog with no radar, deciding we need radar and spent a week waiting for delivery, muffler needed re-welded, exhaust thru-hull blocked, un-predicted wind storm, waiting out a rain storm in port, trying to dry out the boat and clean the mold from the condensation of waiting out a rain storm in port, 13 foot swells, me getting sick, and a host of other things usually weather related.
So why are we doing this? It's a question we've asked ourselves several times over the last few weeks, but then we pull into a port and the question seems to disappear. It's the friends who came out to visit us all the way down the Columbia as we began to say "goodbye". Thanks for the encouragement and love: Jeff, Val, Eric, Diane, Jim, Jules, and Scott, even our dear friend, Harold, his former boat showed up even if he couldn't. Then there were the people we ran into along the way: Courtney, Mike, Linde, Ken, and the cruisers from the Sea Of Cortez cruisers rally. Once we left there it began with friends Dan and Becky teaching us how to crab and sharing some wonderful memories and food together. Sherry, my northwest mama, came for an evening, and we even caught up with one of Scott's cousins he hadn't seen in 10 years and got a behind the scenes tour of the Hatfield Marine center where she works. That's when we finally started to meet other cruisers. Erlin and Jen with there cat Minion (who I'm convinced would make a lovely boyfriend for Pixel). Then, there were the crews of Deep Playa, Puddle Pirate, and several others we met in different ports. We all share the same dream: to see, to explore, to get away. We'd all talk and share experiences: have you met so and so aboard such and such, or you must try this little restaurant when you get to such and such destination. My favorite conversation is to get sailors talking about ground tackle..... hours and I mean hours of talks about that one piece of equipment. Then there are the people in port. The night watchman who came down to make sure we were OK after a rough bar crossing, the staff who gladly accept mail for us, the guy early on Sunday morning telling me where to find the best bloody mary's in town, the lady at the farmers market telling me about her experience sailing for an afternoon and how she'd love to do it, the friendly harbor master who said "no you must be tired, check in tomorrow", the fisherman who came down the dock with a lure and trolling line for me as a gift when I asked about what best to use, even when we run across an old crust of a person it still adds to the experience of cruising.
I can't put it all on the people we've met. Then there is mother nature, with all her beauty. The dolphins playing in our bow wake early as the sun is just breaking over the mountains. We've seen sunfish, dolphins, whales, seals, sea lions, jelly fish, and now a sea turtle. A sea turtle! Swimming only feet from our boat! There are the cliffs that come straight down into the sea, the mist early in the morning, sunsets on the water can never be matched on land. I don't have the words to describe all the things I've seen in just these few short months. I can only imagine what else is laying out there waiting for us...
Then there are the wonders of man: harbor walls that make you so safe once you come through them after a rough passage, light houses, observatories, we saw Alcatraz from 1/2 mile away, and San Francisco bright as a Christmas tree at night, The Golden Gate Bridge popping out of the fog, The Golden Gate Bridge on a bright sunny day as we passed beneath her on the way out, and now I sit here writing this with the anticipation of seeing the old mission of Monterey in a few hours and the Aquarium after that. I hope it can live up to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. They are actually growing their own rain forest there. It's not to be missed.
Oh, I can't forget the food! You all know what a special part of my life food is. I grew up in the South and feeding everyone is part of our heritage. Thanks to the fisherman in St Helen's who sold me halibut and salmon straight off the boat, thanks to the wonderful farmers market in Astoria for the amazing produce, thanks to Becky and Dan for teaching us to crab, thanks to Trader Joe's for being so damned convenient in Emeryville and for having a wonderful wine selection. Also thanks to TJ's for being so close to the marina in Monterey! And thanks to all of you who shared meals with us on and off our boat.
There are so many other memories and new friends we've made. It truly is impossible to name them all. Thank you to DJ and Joe, Mike and Frank, Mike and Cheryl, The crews of Deihl with It, Wings of Dawn, and Turtle.
These and many more are the reasons we are out here and the reasons we will continue....
So why are we doing this? It's a question we've asked ourselves several times over the last few weeks, but then we pull into a port and the question seems to disappear. It's the friends who came out to visit us all the way down the Columbia as we began to say "goodbye". Thanks for the encouragement and love: Jeff, Val, Eric, Diane, Jim, Jules, and Scott, even our dear friend, Harold, his former boat showed up even if he couldn't. Then there were the people we ran into along the way: Courtney, Mike, Linde, Ken, and the cruisers from the Sea Of Cortez cruisers rally. Once we left there it began with friends Dan and Becky teaching us how to crab and sharing some wonderful memories and food together. Sherry, my northwest mama, came for an evening, and we even caught up with one of Scott's cousins he hadn't seen in 10 years and got a behind the scenes tour of the Hatfield Marine center where she works. That's when we finally started to meet other cruisers. Erlin and Jen with there cat Minion (who I'm convinced would make a lovely boyfriend for Pixel). Then, there were the crews of Deep Playa, Puddle Pirate, and several others we met in different ports. We all share the same dream: to see, to explore, to get away. We'd all talk and share experiences: have you met so and so aboard such and such, or you must try this little restaurant when you get to such and such destination. My favorite conversation is to get sailors talking about ground tackle..... hours and I mean hours of talks about that one piece of equipment. Then there are the people in port. The night watchman who came down to make sure we were OK after a rough bar crossing, the staff who gladly accept mail for us, the guy early on Sunday morning telling me where to find the best bloody mary's in town, the lady at the farmers market telling me about her experience sailing for an afternoon and how she'd love to do it, the friendly harbor master who said "no you must be tired, check in tomorrow", the fisherman who came down the dock with a lure and trolling line for me as a gift when I asked about what best to use, even when we run across an old crust of a person it still adds to the experience of cruising.
I can't put it all on the people we've met. Then there is mother nature, with all her beauty. The dolphins playing in our bow wake early as the sun is just breaking over the mountains. We've seen sunfish, dolphins, whales, seals, sea lions, jelly fish, and now a sea turtle. A sea turtle! Swimming only feet from our boat! There are the cliffs that come straight down into the sea, the mist early in the morning, sunsets on the water can never be matched on land. I don't have the words to describe all the things I've seen in just these few short months. I can only imagine what else is laying out there waiting for us...
Then there are the wonders of man: harbor walls that make you so safe once you come through them after a rough passage, light houses, observatories, we saw Alcatraz from 1/2 mile away, and San Francisco bright as a Christmas tree at night, The Golden Gate Bridge popping out of the fog, The Golden Gate Bridge on a bright sunny day as we passed beneath her on the way out, and now I sit here writing this with the anticipation of seeing the old mission of Monterey in a few hours and the Aquarium after that. I hope it can live up to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. They are actually growing their own rain forest there. It's not to be missed.
Oh, I can't forget the food! You all know what a special part of my life food is. I grew up in the South and feeding everyone is part of our heritage. Thanks to the fisherman in St Helen's who sold me halibut and salmon straight off the boat, thanks to the wonderful farmers market in Astoria for the amazing produce, thanks to Becky and Dan for teaching us to crab, thanks to Trader Joe's for being so damned convenient in Emeryville and for having a wonderful wine selection. Also thanks to TJ's for being so close to the marina in Monterey! And thanks to all of you who shared meals with us on and off our boat.
There are so many other memories and new friends we've made. It truly is impossible to name them all. Thank you to DJ and Joe, Mike and Frank, Mike and Cheryl, The crews of Deihl with It, Wings of Dawn, and Turtle.
These and many more are the reasons we are out here and the reasons we will continue....
Saturday, October 15, 2011
San Francisco
We've been here since Monday night and all I can say is "WE LOVE IT". Thursday evening we went over and spent 2 nights with good friends in the city, and did a little sight seeing. Most of you already know Scott and I could easily call San Francisco home, and it's now getting time to move further south before the fall and winter weather sets in. If that happened we would stay until spring, but we are gonna push on. It's very sad for us to leave a place we've worked so hard to get to, but there are more places and sunshine waiting us. It's also hard to leave because we've already made some new friends here in the marina and they are so warm and welcoming. We are both feeling quiet and melancholy about out next leg. I think that is why we are slowing down a bit. The next jog will only be to Half Moon Bay, a distance of only 30 miles. Then we will be onto Monterrey. Can't wait to see the aquarium there. We have on more serious cape to round and then we are in truly Southern California and hopefully the sunny weather. Wish us luck!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Fog, Mendocino, Waves, Swells, Winds, Golden Gate, and more Fog!
The last time I wrote we were in Eureka desperately needing a better selection of wine and waiting on weather. We finally got both!
We seem to keep running into people we know. We thought this was over, with the exception of running into other cruisers, but we got one last surprise. We were walking down the dock on Thursday and someone we knew from Portland has been helping a family move down the coast. They were only moored 4 boats over from us. It was a nice reunion and he was very complementary of the progress on Reisender.
Well, Friday dawned and we had the window we needed to make our next run to Bodega Bay (where they filmed "The Birds"). It was 180 miles and we had Cape Mendocino ahead of us. Cape Mendocino is called the Cape Horn of the west coast. We've done it twice before on other boats and we knew it would be bumping, but staying off shore by 10 miles would keep us a safe distance. The only problem was the offshore report for 10 miles or more was much worse than that of 10 miles and closer. We decided of a course about 8 miles off. I must say it was the smoothest rounding of Mendocino we've ever experienced. This was such a relief as we left Eureka with only about 300 yards of visibility. Thank Goodness for radar! The morning we left was the first decent weather window and it looked like a parade of boats leaving the harbor. There were 5 or 6 that I know of, which means there must be another 3 or 4 after that all heading to different locations. As I said, our rounding went smoothly, which is a blessing. It doesn't always go that well for most people. The afternoon went along rather boringly, another blessing. I'd rather had a boring passage than an exciting one. We did have a little excitement, We raised the jib for an hour or so. It's the first time we've ever been able to do that. Reisender is officially a sailboat!!! Well, a little excitement was worth it, but then the winds started to kick up and we were back to motoring. We didn't mind that! WE'D RAISED THE SAIL!!!!! Well, the night came and went, but a little bumpy, but again we didn't mind. Then the winds clocked around to southerlies. YUCK!! But we persisted, Bodega Bay was only a few hours away. Then the swells began to build. So now we have 15-20 knot southerlies on our nose and intermittent 12 foot swells out of the northwest and 3 foot out of the southwest. Scott said I did a great job as we rounded Bodega head. I was a little nervous, but we had been in stuff just as bad earlier on our leg and we did have daylight with us. We came around and finally made our way into the shadow and protection of Bodega head. We tied off at Spud Point Marina just at sunset. It's always a call for wine or cocktails after a crazy passage. That night we were warm with wine and accomplishment as we watched Alfred Hitchcock's classic "The Birds".
Monday would have been the last weather window for a few days to make it to San Francisco, the highlight of our US west coast trip. To say we LOVE San Francisco is an understatement. We both feel at home here and have never failed to enjoy the time we spend here. I also want to see a couple of museums that we haven't seen yet. We had talked about passing as the weather windows are getting shorter, but after everything we've been through in the past 6 years, we decided we deserved this indulgence. We left on Monday at 8 am. FOG! followed by RAIN! That was our entire trip down to San Francisco. We also had southerlies again, but that was only an issue for the first third of the trip, then we turned east to make our way into the Bay. The fog stayed with us all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge, but we were on a flood tide, so we had a really smooth crossing under the bridge. The fog was so thick we couldn't see the top of the bridge. It's the first time I wasn't really nervous about the fog. We had AIS, our chart plotter, and radar. Between the 3 items we could identify all shipping traffic with AIC, right down to ship name, destination, size of vessel, and speed. Well, to shorten the story we were tied down to Emeryville Marina on the east bay. It's a very full, very maze like marina, but we found our slip and I'm happy with the mooring rate. We are convenient to the city and are looking forward to seeing some good friends.
Well, I think I've rattled on for a while and I need to go handle checking into the marina and get some fresh produce, meat, and of course wine!
We are safe, sound, and happy!
We seem to keep running into people we know. We thought this was over, with the exception of running into other cruisers, but we got one last surprise. We were walking down the dock on Thursday and someone we knew from Portland has been helping a family move down the coast. They were only moored 4 boats over from us. It was a nice reunion and he was very complementary of the progress on Reisender.
Well, Friday dawned and we had the window we needed to make our next run to Bodega Bay (where they filmed "The Birds"). It was 180 miles and we had Cape Mendocino ahead of us. Cape Mendocino is called the Cape Horn of the west coast. We've done it twice before on other boats and we knew it would be bumping, but staying off shore by 10 miles would keep us a safe distance. The only problem was the offshore report for 10 miles or more was much worse than that of 10 miles and closer. We decided of a course about 8 miles off. I must say it was the smoothest rounding of Mendocino we've ever experienced. This was such a relief as we left Eureka with only about 300 yards of visibility. Thank Goodness for radar! The morning we left was the first decent weather window and it looked like a parade of boats leaving the harbor. There were 5 or 6 that I know of, which means there must be another 3 or 4 after that all heading to different locations. As I said, our rounding went smoothly, which is a blessing. It doesn't always go that well for most people. The afternoon went along rather boringly, another blessing. I'd rather had a boring passage than an exciting one. We did have a little excitement, We raised the jib for an hour or so. It's the first time we've ever been able to do that. Reisender is officially a sailboat!!! Well, a little excitement was worth it, but then the winds started to kick up and we were back to motoring. We didn't mind that! WE'D RAISED THE SAIL!!!!! Well, the night came and went, but a little bumpy, but again we didn't mind. Then the winds clocked around to southerlies. YUCK!! But we persisted, Bodega Bay was only a few hours away. Then the swells began to build. So now we have 15-20 knot southerlies on our nose and intermittent 12 foot swells out of the northwest and 3 foot out of the southwest. Scott said I did a great job as we rounded Bodega head. I was a little nervous, but we had been in stuff just as bad earlier on our leg and we did have daylight with us. We came around and finally made our way into the shadow and protection of Bodega head. We tied off at Spud Point Marina just at sunset. It's always a call for wine or cocktails after a crazy passage. That night we were warm with wine and accomplishment as we watched Alfred Hitchcock's classic "The Birds".
Monday would have been the last weather window for a few days to make it to San Francisco, the highlight of our US west coast trip. To say we LOVE San Francisco is an understatement. We both feel at home here and have never failed to enjoy the time we spend here. I also want to see a couple of museums that we haven't seen yet. We had talked about passing as the weather windows are getting shorter, but after everything we've been through in the past 6 years, we decided we deserved this indulgence. We left on Monday at 8 am. FOG! followed by RAIN! That was our entire trip down to San Francisco. We also had southerlies again, but that was only an issue for the first third of the trip, then we turned east to make our way into the Bay. The fog stayed with us all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge, but we were on a flood tide, so we had a really smooth crossing under the bridge. The fog was so thick we couldn't see the top of the bridge. It's the first time I wasn't really nervous about the fog. We had AIS, our chart plotter, and radar. Between the 3 items we could identify all shipping traffic with AIC, right down to ship name, destination, size of vessel, and speed. Well, to shorten the story we were tied down to Emeryville Marina on the east bay. It's a very full, very maze like marina, but we found our slip and I'm happy with the mooring rate. We are convenient to the city and are looking forward to seeing some good friends.
Well, I think I've rattled on for a while and I need to go handle checking into the marina and get some fresh produce, meat, and of course wine!
We are safe, sound, and happy!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Taco Time!
OK, second recipe.... Today we had taco salad... I've finally found the mix I like to the seasoning and I just had to share with everyone
1 Tblspn dried diced onion or onion powder
2 Teaspns chili powder (I like chipotle powder)
1 1/2 teaspns salt
1 teaspn garlic powder
1 teaspn cumin
1 teaspn cayenne (more or less to taste)
Mix together spices. Brown beef and drain rendered fat. Add half the mix to the cooking beef.
Salad dressing: I use red wine garlic infused vinegar and 1 teaspn of the taco seasoning then I slowly add EVOO mixing with a whisk. I toss this with the a salad, then top with tortilla chips, cooked beef, and shredded cheddar cheese. We both agree it came out perfect.
Now a little update as to our cruising: We are STUCK in Eureka, CA for a couple more days. The weather is totally against us right now and we have the dreaded Cape Mendocino ahead of us. We've done this trip twice before and are not looking forward to our next leg. It's just that it can be rather bumpy, and after our adventure in Southern Oregon we'd rather have a smooth ride for the next few passages. Oh well, it is what it is. At least it finally stopped raining and I've got left over chicken satay to make Thai Chicken Pizza with tonight. What else could I really want, oh yes, a better selection of wine than what I'm finding at the closest store!
1 Tblspn dried diced onion or onion powder
2 Teaspns chili powder (I like chipotle powder)
1 1/2 teaspns salt
1 teaspn garlic powder
1 teaspn cumin
1 teaspn cayenne (more or less to taste)
Mix together spices. Brown beef and drain rendered fat. Add half the mix to the cooking beef.
Salad dressing: I use red wine garlic infused vinegar and 1 teaspn of the taco seasoning then I slowly add EVOO mixing with a whisk. I toss this with the a salad, then top with tortilla chips, cooked beef, and shredded cheddar cheese. We both agree it came out perfect.
Now a little update as to our cruising: We are STUCK in Eureka, CA for a couple more days. The weather is totally against us right now and we have the dreaded Cape Mendocino ahead of us. We've done this trip twice before and are not looking forward to our next leg. It's just that it can be rather bumpy, and after our adventure in Southern Oregon we'd rather have a smooth ride for the next few passages. Oh well, it is what it is. At least it finally stopped raining and I've got left over chicken satay to make Thai Chicken Pizza with tonight. What else could I really want, oh yes, a better selection of wine than what I'm finding at the closest store!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Third Times the Charm
Well, that's how the old expression goes, and for us it was the truth. It took us three attempts to make it to Eureka, CA. The first attempt was a week and a half ago. We were preparing to leave around midnight when Scott noticed we weren't getting much water out of the exhaust. After checking into it our muffler was leaking badly and would need some welding done. We watched Ventured, a boat we have been sailing with, sail off without us. The next day we found a welder and got the muffler back after 2 days. We still had a problem, which Scott once again tracked down quickly. The through hull was blocked, which caused water to back up into the muffler and caused the crack. Well all things fixed we had to wait for weather.
Attempt number two: We finally were underway around 1 in the morning last Thursday. After a very smooth bar crossing, we had a very boring and smooth morning, followed by a quiet early afternoon, but we had the afternoon and evening to contend with. By mid afternoon the wind switched around from the south and we started getting sustained winds of 20 knots to gusts of 30 on our nose. This began kicking up rather uncomfortable wind waves that were coming in the opposite direction of the sea swells. We checked the weather again and decided it might be more comfortable a little further off shore, and it was, just a little. Before dark, we started hearing a suspicious noise under the boat. We both were a little nervous that is might be the prop. We slowed the throttle and babied it while we checked to see if we could diagnose it from the boat. Scott finally thought it was just hearing the seas at different angles that we were accustomed to. After 4 hours of only making 2 knots we decided to try upping the throttle a little and he found the seas died down enough we weren't making that noise any longer. We were finally running a long at 4 knots. We ended up battling the wind and waves for over 16 hours. It took us almost 10 hours to go from Cape Sebastian to pass Brookings, OR. This is a trip of just 4 or 5 hours normally. We were concerned about the fuel to make it all the way to Eureka. So a decision was made to head into Crescent City, CA. Crescent City was recently the site of most of the damage of the Tsunami last March. When we arrived they still didn't have any spare slips, as a matter of fact they barely had any marina at all. The fuel dock was intact and we were given a ride to a local convenient store. Everyone was so nice an helpful. They really wanted the boating traffic back. They advised us where we could anchor in the bay (free anchorage my favorite). We anchored and enjoyed a nice cocktail and discuss the events of the last 24 hours. To say we were nervous is an understatement. It turns out that we didn't make a mistake. Our friends on Ventured went to the NOAA station in Eureka and found out the wind storm was not predicted. It apparently stretched a huge part of the coast. Our friends tried to make for Bodega Bay and turned back with 2 other boats.
Attempt 3: Saturday dawned and it was clear we had a weather window to jump down to Eureka. Eureka was only 65 miles away and about a 14 hour trip. As the day went on the sun came out and we left Crescent City around 1:30 pm. It was very smooth and only showed a little building of the seas, but the wind was still on our nose, but nowhere near the winds we had on the earlier leg. It was slow going averaging about 4 to 4.5 knots. Scott and I stand 2 hour watches and it seems to work for us. I was a little nervous when darkness hit, but it was an uneventful evening. Little bumpy, and a little windy, but we'd gone through some really rough stuff and this wasn't so bad. Around 2 am we spotted the lights of Humbolt Bay and started our approach. Scott and I picked our way through the jetties and up the bay to Eureka, when fog set in. We would have been OK but for a loading crane with a very bright light still on. It was nearly blinding us. Well, around 3:15 we were safely in the marina and tired off enjoying a glass of wine. Having a much easier leg and managing our first night crossing of a bar helped rebuild some of the confidence I had lost during the trip from Coos Bay to Crescent City.
The boat handled all of this like a champ. She is strongly built and handles the seas much easier than we could have hoped. She really took a beating and we are tracking down a couple of areas that need a little more caulk, but all in all everything inside stayed put and we are happy with the job she did. We are safe and sound and enjoyed a nice day off yesterday with a few errands and boat projects to work on while we wait for the next weather window, hopefully with northerlies.
Attempt number two: We finally were underway around 1 in the morning last Thursday. After a very smooth bar crossing, we had a very boring and smooth morning, followed by a quiet early afternoon, but we had the afternoon and evening to contend with. By mid afternoon the wind switched around from the south and we started getting sustained winds of 20 knots to gusts of 30 on our nose. This began kicking up rather uncomfortable wind waves that were coming in the opposite direction of the sea swells. We checked the weather again and decided it might be more comfortable a little further off shore, and it was, just a little. Before dark, we started hearing a suspicious noise under the boat. We both were a little nervous that is might be the prop. We slowed the throttle and babied it while we checked to see if we could diagnose it from the boat. Scott finally thought it was just hearing the seas at different angles that we were accustomed to. After 4 hours of only making 2 knots we decided to try upping the throttle a little and he found the seas died down enough we weren't making that noise any longer. We were finally running a long at 4 knots. We ended up battling the wind and waves for over 16 hours. It took us almost 10 hours to go from Cape Sebastian to pass Brookings, OR. This is a trip of just 4 or 5 hours normally. We were concerned about the fuel to make it all the way to Eureka. So a decision was made to head into Crescent City, CA. Crescent City was recently the site of most of the damage of the Tsunami last March. When we arrived they still didn't have any spare slips, as a matter of fact they barely had any marina at all. The fuel dock was intact and we were given a ride to a local convenient store. Everyone was so nice an helpful. They really wanted the boating traffic back. They advised us where we could anchor in the bay (free anchorage my favorite). We anchored and enjoyed a nice cocktail and discuss the events of the last 24 hours. To say we were nervous is an understatement. It turns out that we didn't make a mistake. Our friends on Ventured went to the NOAA station in Eureka and found out the wind storm was not predicted. It apparently stretched a huge part of the coast. Our friends tried to make for Bodega Bay and turned back with 2 other boats.
Attempt 3: Saturday dawned and it was clear we had a weather window to jump down to Eureka. Eureka was only 65 miles away and about a 14 hour trip. As the day went on the sun came out and we left Crescent City around 1:30 pm. It was very smooth and only showed a little building of the seas, but the wind was still on our nose, but nowhere near the winds we had on the earlier leg. It was slow going averaging about 4 to 4.5 knots. Scott and I stand 2 hour watches and it seems to work for us. I was a little nervous when darkness hit, but it was an uneventful evening. Little bumpy, and a little windy, but we'd gone through some really rough stuff and this wasn't so bad. Around 2 am we spotted the lights of Humbolt Bay and started our approach. Scott and I picked our way through the jetties and up the bay to Eureka, when fog set in. We would have been OK but for a loading crane with a very bright light still on. It was nearly blinding us. Well, around 3:15 we were safely in the marina and tired off enjoying a glass of wine. Having a much easier leg and managing our first night crossing of a bar helped rebuild some of the confidence I had lost during the trip from Coos Bay to Crescent City.
The boat handled all of this like a champ. She is strongly built and handles the seas much easier than we could have hoped. She really took a beating and we are tracking down a couple of areas that need a little more caulk, but all in all everything inside stayed put and we are happy with the job she did. We are safe and sound and enjoyed a nice day off yesterday with a few errands and boat projects to work on while we wait for the next weather window, hopefully with northerlies.
Monday, September 26, 2011
A little something to eat while we wait out the weather.
My friend, Becky, requested a recipe and you all know how much I love to cook, so it seems natural that a post about cooking and a recipe should appear from time to time (probably more often than it should). We visited Dan and Becky Kong in Newport, OR for almost two weeks on our trip south. There was a lot of good food. Dan and Becky taught us to crab and how to clean and cook them. When we left we had one bag of crab down in the very bottom of the ice chest. As a celebration for making it to Charleston safely, I decided to use the last bag (sadness- Becky send more CRAB!) to make a souffle. The recipe is as follows:
1 lb cleaned and picked over crab meat
4 tlbspn butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk at room temperature
6 separated eggs
dash of cayenne and a dash of dry mustard
1/2 cup Asiago cheese
1/2 cup grated white cheese (jack or swiss)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter souffle dish. Melt butter over med-low heat. When it is hot add flour and whisk smooth. Cook for a few minutes and whisk the entire time to keep from burning and to help keep it smooth. Remove from heat and add milk a little at a time. Add yolks, salt, pepper, cayenne, mustard, crab, and cheese. Whip eggs white to soft peaks. I do this by hand because they are easier to control and I live on a boat (no electric mixer). It will take about 7 to 10 minutes by hand. You can add cream of tartar or arrowroot to help stiffen the egg whites. GENTLY fold the egg whites into the mixture. When all is folded, pour gently into the souffle dish. Bake in the preheated 400 degree F oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Test with a skewer to see if it is done. Enjoy.
Now, a thing or two about cooking on a boat. Boat ovens for the most part don't regulate very evenly and the temperature needs to be checked every ten minutes to make sure it isn't getting to hot. We also anchor out often and power consumption is a concern. That is the reason I don't usually use electric appliances. I do a lot of hand chopping and mixing. I've found it relaxing as I don't have the normal hectic 9 to 5 life. There is time to spend really preparing a meal. Well, more about my galley later. I'm hoping to take some photos so those of you not living on a boat can understand the compactness of a galley. One must be very organized on a boat and clean up as one goes a long, otherwise you can get overwhelmed quickly.
Well, that's really all for now. I hope my next post is more about our trip, but if you enjoy the cooking side please let me know.
Cheers,
Jerid
1 lb cleaned and picked over crab meat
4 tlbspn butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk at room temperature
6 separated eggs
dash of cayenne and a dash of dry mustard
1/2 cup Asiago cheese
1/2 cup grated white cheese (jack or swiss)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter souffle dish. Melt butter over med-low heat. When it is hot add flour and whisk smooth. Cook for a few minutes and whisk the entire time to keep from burning and to help keep it smooth. Remove from heat and add milk a little at a time. Add yolks, salt, pepper, cayenne, mustard, crab, and cheese. Whip eggs white to soft peaks. I do this by hand because they are easier to control and I live on a boat (no electric mixer). It will take about 7 to 10 minutes by hand. You can add cream of tartar or arrowroot to help stiffen the egg whites. GENTLY fold the egg whites into the mixture. When all is folded, pour gently into the souffle dish. Bake in the preheated 400 degree F oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Test with a skewer to see if it is done. Enjoy.
Now, a thing or two about cooking on a boat. Boat ovens for the most part don't regulate very evenly and the temperature needs to be checked every ten minutes to make sure it isn't getting to hot. We also anchor out often and power consumption is a concern. That is the reason I don't usually use electric appliances. I do a lot of hand chopping and mixing. I've found it relaxing as I don't have the normal hectic 9 to 5 life. There is time to spend really preparing a meal. Well, more about my galley later. I'm hoping to take some photos so those of you not living on a boat can understand the compactness of a galley. One must be very organized on a boat and clean up as one goes a long, otherwise you can get overwhelmed quickly.
Well, that's really all for now. I hope my next post is more about our trip, but if you enjoy the cooking side please let me know.
Cheers,
Jerid
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Three months and homeless!
Dear Friends,
I don't know who will even read this, but several friends have inquired as to our adventure. It's been a long road (or should I say river) to get here. We started restoring Reisender 6 years ago next month. We've asked ourselves what we were doing on several occasions, I still don't know if we will ever have the answer to that one. What we do know is sitting still is not for us, so after quite a few years, quite a lot of headaches, many anxious days, and a few dollars later, here we are heading down the coast to who knows where. We've had the love and encouragement of many of you and we've had the doubt's of several others (for those of you betting against us.... pay up the the other party).
We left Portland on August 11, 2011, and it has been the slowest 300 miles we ever hope to have. Our happy little floating home has only made it to Charleston, OR, but here we are. September 24, 2011. We used the Columbia River as a test cruise, and we have re-camped each time down the coast to evaluate what needed to be brought up to snuff and make us more sea worthy. The boat is getting better every leg of the journey and so are we.
Sitting in Portland all these years has been difficult for both of us. We have worked hard and watched friends prepare and take off with us standing on the dock. Sometimes tears in our eyes. They've always been wonderful telling us we were next, but then the next friends left and again we were standing on that dock. Casting off from our dock on July 2nd was heaven, but now we are here in Charleston and we found new friends casting off and us standing again on the dock. We know we are only days behind them, but being left behind again with our goal so close is saddening. Our little home is in great shape and ready for the next leg with the exception of our muffler which should be delivered in the next few days. To all our friends who have gone on ahead of us and watched us standing on that dock.... we will catch up to you! That's a promise we intend to keep!
I don't know who will even read this, but several friends have inquired as to our adventure. It's been a long road (or should I say river) to get here. We started restoring Reisender 6 years ago next month. We've asked ourselves what we were doing on several occasions, I still don't know if we will ever have the answer to that one. What we do know is sitting still is not for us, so after quite a few years, quite a lot of headaches, many anxious days, and a few dollars later, here we are heading down the coast to who knows where. We've had the love and encouragement of many of you and we've had the doubt's of several others (for those of you betting against us.... pay up the the other party).
We left Portland on August 11, 2011, and it has been the slowest 300 miles we ever hope to have. Our happy little floating home has only made it to Charleston, OR, but here we are. September 24, 2011. We used the Columbia River as a test cruise, and we have re-camped each time down the coast to evaluate what needed to be brought up to snuff and make us more sea worthy. The boat is getting better every leg of the journey and so are we.
Sitting in Portland all these years has been difficult for both of us. We have worked hard and watched friends prepare and take off with us standing on the dock. Sometimes tears in our eyes. They've always been wonderful telling us we were next, but then the next friends left and again we were standing on that dock. Casting off from our dock on July 2nd was heaven, but now we are here in Charleston and we found new friends casting off and us standing again on the dock. We know we are only days behind them, but being left behind again with our goal so close is saddening. Our little home is in great shape and ready for the next leg with the exception of our muffler which should be delivered in the next few days. To all our friends who have gone on ahead of us and watched us standing on that dock.... we will catch up to you! That's a promise we intend to keep!
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