8-26-12 - Loch Lomond Marina, San Rafael, CA - Day 55

It feels like we have become "Marina Queens" lately.  A "Marina Queen" for the non-boaters out there, is that boat that never seems to leave it's slip.  It just sits there waiting to be used; or better said; it sits there waiting to be taken out on the water.  Not necessarily neglected like the derelict boats, but more like a boat that has an owner that wants to go out, but seems to find and endless array of excuses not to.  Not all people care about this title and some think it's just fine.  It really comes down to how you want to use your boat.  For people who's primary purpose in owning a boat is to use their boats in a seaman like way (ie to go places or just go sailing) this is sort of a derogatory term for the guy next to them with the really nicely waxed boat.  The reality is Autumn Wind hasn't fallen victim to this fate.  Although I must admit we have spent the last week in a marina; Loch Lomond Marina in San Rafael, CA to be specific.  (Check the location link to the left for the exact slip in fact)  Actually we are far from this; as was noted by the guy walking by on the dock the other day.  He walked by as I was sitting on the leeward side of the boat as Elizabeth was giving me a hair cut (this means basically shaving my head)  I was on the leeward side so the hair would blow off the boat and ease the clean up.  He says "So you're new liveaboards?"  We both looked up a little offended.  Why would he think this, just because I'm sitting shirtless in 20 knots of wind having Elizabeth shave my head as our running clothes flap in the breeze off the rail to dry out at eleven o'clock on a Thursday; does that mean we are liveaboards?  Secretly, I felt a little proud to know that it looked like I lived on our boat, since I do, and that's the whole point of this thing, right?  I answered in my most yachtsman like way "why no, we are not liveaboards at all.  We are, in fact, a yacht in transit"  So I didn't really say that and we had a little chat about what we are doing and where we are heading.  But little to my knowledge, I had been told, that there is a distinct difference between a liveaboard and a yacht in transit, and that's what I wanted to say if I was more witty.  The exact difference is for someone else to explain because I don't really know what it is.



"It's only a mile or two"  More like 7!

So, yes we have been in a marina for the last week.  After leaving the Petaluma Turning Basin we proceeded to an anchorage off of China Camp.  (The location of the last post)  We spent two nights there before we rounded Pt. San Pedro and headed up the San Rafael Channel to Loch Lomond Marina where we have been camped out in slip J5 for the past seven nights.  In fact this is the longest we have been in one location since leaving Grand Marina a month ago.  The good thing about this location is that it is just far enough from San Rafael that we can't just walk in to do some shopping or eat dinner.  This has helped us stay on budget.  It also caused Elizabeth to con me into a 7.5 mile walk one day to "check out a restaurant she found on Yelp".  So we put some miles on our feet this week as well.



Working on the solar panels

In fact this has been a strategic stop to complete some projects that have been lingering.  The biggest of which is the installation of our solar panels.  That's where the "strategic" part of this stop comes in.  It just so happens that the guy who sold us the solar panels and parts, and who knows how this stuff should be assembled, lives in this marina and actually about four slips down from us on J dock.  This made getting our questions answered much easier.  While the total install took us about forty hours, (like four full days of work) I feel the end result is great and in ideal conditions we are actually energy independent.  I will make note that drilling many holes thru stainless tubing with a battery powered drill on a rocking boat is not for the timid.  This was the hardest part of the install and it turned out great in the end.  I must say thanks to Rob at Southbound Solar for all of his help, advice and the huge number of tools he lent us to help complete our project.  I think he was just as excited to see it come together as we were.


The final product of many hours of work.  Free power
here we come!



That's 9.3 Amps of FREE power!



E showing off her dinghy numbers

Besides the solar project we accomplished a bunch of other things that had been on the list for a while.  Elizabeth painted our registration numbers on the dinghy, so we are finally legal.  Not that that has stopped us from using it, but now we shouldn't get pulled over by the Coast Guard.  You wouldn't think putting black numbers on a PVC boat would be that complicated, but it is.  Nothing wants to stick or stay and the numbers usually end up pealing off of running onto the deck within a few days.  So 

Propane bottle cover.  A sewing machine sure would
have been nice.

with any luck this will be the last time for this operation.  She also sewed us a cover for our spare propane bottle.  How domestic of her!  I finally ran all of the lines for the second reef back tot he cockpit completing that project.  To finish the week off I finally had the time to replace our macerator.  The people who know what a macerator is and what this entails are rolling on the ground right now laughing at me because they know this may be one of the crappiest (ha joke) jobs next to rebuilding the head there is to do on a boat.  The macerator is sort of like (well exactly like) your garbage disposal, except that it chops up and pumps out our holding tank  In fact the box says it will chop up vegetable up to one inch.  This item has become more important recently as we will be leaving the Bay area soon and once you are beyond a magic line offshore you can legally pump your stuff overboard which makes conserving holding tank space less important.  The project went quite well, or at least as good as dealing with your own liquefied waste can go.  So with this week of projects behind us it looks like we are ready.  Drakes Bay and Tomales Bay are on our minds.  We'll see what the weather gods have to say about our plans.

What's that in your hand?  If you guessed
 a poo chopper you're right.

View from our anchorage in Richardson Bay.