(not very) Relaxing Days at the Marina

10-26-12 - Cabrillo Isle Marina - San Diego, CA - Day 116

Marina living is supposed to be so much easier and more relaxing than living on the anchor or being underway.  I can firmly say that this is not what we have been experiencing here at Cabrillo Isle.  The marina is great, with many nice amenities and an incredibly accommodating staff.  Not the least important of which is the hot tub at the Sheraton Hotel next door.  Our time here has been perpetual preparation, and it seems the longer we stay the more preparation is required.  You can never be too prepared to leave it seems.  As more Haha boats arrive every day I am jealous of their lack of time.  There is only so much they can do before departure date.  It is probably simpler and easier to not spend so much time getting ready to leave.


Yea!  A Water Toy

Through all the preparations we have been trying to have some fun and relax.  One nice thing about being tied to the dock is that you can go for a run in the morning without having to dinghy into shore.  Upon arriving 2 weeks ago we searched Craigslist and finally found ourselves a toy.  Conveniently enough, two docks down a lady was selling her stand up paddle board.  So we now officially have a toy!  Elizabeth's parents came to San Diego for a visit.  We felt bad as we spent most of their visit running around San Diego in search of everything from an internal snap ring to new glasses for Elizabeth.  With any luck they had some fun as well; visiting Coronado Island and having way to much ice cream; between rebuilding our spare water pump and making runs to the grocery store. 

New bed topper - What fun!

We should get crew like this
more often!

Our crew mate Laura arrived a few days ago.  She will be helping us with the trip to Cabo, so we can all get a little more sleep on the overnight passages.  We are looking forward to having her and her knowledge with us for the trip South.  Having crew is a new experience for us but it seems to be working out.  Between waxing 1/2 the boat already and making killer tritip tacos it seems to be working out!

New lazy jacks seem to work great

As our time here is winding down our projects are finally ending.  Mostly because time is running out, not because there's not more to do.  As I said when we left Grand Marina two months ago, there will always be more to do, and that is why a departure date is so important.  You could spend another month here preparing for every eventuality that might happen. 



Elizabeth, Laura and me.

We have spare pumps and hoses, we can suck fresh water from our tanks without power, we have paper charts of Mexico (even if they were last updated in 1869.  That's not an exaggeration) we have at least 5 different devices that tell us our location and at least three that send out an emergency signal if needed.  We can invert power, make cookies underway, listen in on the SSB nets, get weather fax downloaded to the Ipad (we think), there are pesos in our pockets, fuel in the tanks, solar panels are sucking up power, and there's two buck chuck in every corner of the boat.  It's time to leave, stop preparing and start doing.  Let's just hope that left handed screw shaft zinc invert-a-thingy doesn't break.  We didn't get a spare of that.






View from the cockpit at Cabrillo Isle Marina

 

Hola San Diego

10-11-12 - San Diego, CA - Cabrillo Isle Marina - Harbor Island - Day 101

Pt. Loma and San Diego in the background

We have officially made it to San Diego and are currently sitting comfy in a slip at Cabrillo Isle Marina on Harbor Island.  It doesn't seem that long ago that we were somewhere between Reno, Ohio, and San Francisco; telling people that we would see how it was going when we got to San Diego and then maybe we would head to Mexico.  Now I can't imagine not carrying on.  We have a list a mile long of things that we would like to do, buy, fix and complete before we leave.  Autumn Wind is officially NOT in sailing mode and we have been loving the ability to leave all the lights we want on, the use of hot water and the endless water supply. Our trip so far has been excellent.  There has obviously been some broken stuff and some tough times.  But overall I feel we have escaped some of the notorious weather the West coast is known for and have enjoyed many new places and met many new friends along the way. 

We left our slip in Alameda, CA on July 27th to begin our trip. 
We have lived on the boat for 101 days to date. 
We have been "slipless" (ie. in transit, or homeless) for 77 days.
We have traveled a total of 1,087.8 miles, including our time in the Delta and our trip up and down the coast
We have anchored 37 nights.
We have run the engine 151.8 hours since leaving Alameda.
Autumn Wind has consumed 70.3 gallons of diesel.
We have used approximately 3 gallons of propane for all of our cooking needs.  (hard to believe I know!)
Between our dink, Papa Kilo, and the generator we have used 5.8 gallons of gasoline.

We have consumed approximately 38 bottles of 2 buck chuck.
I have run 147.5 miles since moving aboard
Favorite anchorage so far was Port San Luis.
Least favorite place was Bodega Bay.
Highest wind speed has been a surprisingly low 28 knots around Santa Barbara Island

Unknown to us - big wind was hiding around the corner

Broken stuff has included:  Engine oil pressure switch and glow plug solenoid, seacock ball valve on head, Main sail tack to slide on boom (twice).  Keep your fingers crossed we seem to be doing good so far.
Suckiest anchorage: Richardson Bay one night when the swell was rocking the boat so bad you had to hold onto your drink or it would tip over.  Since that standard has been set, every anchorage has been good in comparison.
Dolphins/porpoises are cool to see and watch play in the bow wake.


"watch out!"  They seem to have fun with us


Whales are still a little scary to see.
I picture the boat as a small child.  Sometimes you are glad to get off of it and leave it behind for an afternoon, but every time you return and are just about to round the last corner before you see it, you get worried about it.  It is hard to get it out of your  mind.  It doesn't sound like this really ever changes.

Observations on Autumn Wind:
You could spend a lot more, you could spend a lot less.  You will see the same stuff from your cockpit.
It's hard to keep your boat envy in check when having sundowners on other peoples boat. 
Big anchors and big chain are awesome.  The bigger the better, but make sure you can pick it up off the bottom without killing yourself.  Lets just say I don't need a gym membership anymore.
A windless and bow roller that could accommodate our chain would make raising the anchor grand.  Right now it is a little bit of a fight due to smooth drum windless, big chain, big shackles and little bow roller.
Can you sense the trend.  If you could spend big money on one thing, it would be ground tackle, windless (manual or electric) and bow rollers, chain locker setup. 
You can't see past the dink on the deck.  Not sure what to do about it.  Love the dink when at anchor, don't want spend an hour putting it together every time.  It's a compromise.


Maybe not perfect, but she's ours

We need more toys.  We don't have many and have realized that there's a lot of time to kill when at anchor.  SUPs, kayaks, snorkel stuff are all good diversions.
Learning to live without the Internet/cell phones is difficult.  We knew this would happen but didn't know how much time we really spent on it until it has been gone for 5 days at a time.
No matter what you do your life will revolve around the consumption of resources and how to reduce it.  Electricity & water primarily, but fuel (diesel, gas and propane) are a close second.
By far the best thing we did was install solar panels.  This can be observed by how little gasoline we have used.  The more solar the better.
The battery monitor is almost as entertaining as TV.  We watch it religiously.
Having ceramic dishes and mugs vs. plastic WM crap that will never break is very nice and makes you feel like you actually live on the boat.  It may break some day.  We'll buy more.

The reality is that the list is endless.  There are so many great upgrades and cool gadgets that would make life "easier".  You must make a call at some point and do what you can and forget the rest.  Be safe, be prepared, remember that this is probably more of an adventure than endless fun so treat setbacks with that attitude.  Remember that some people are going to work each day, so always be thankful for the choices you have allowed yourself to make.   

Miss Manners on Proper Sundowner Etiquette

10-8-12 – Leaving Avalon Harbor, Catalina Island – Day 98

The fun in the sun of the Channel Islands has unfortunately come to an end.  We are heading back to the mainland to begin our harbor hopping down to San Diego.  The islands have been a great experience and I’m happy we made the decision to visit them.  Santa Cruz Island with its many anchorages and rugged trails, Santa Barbara Island with its mean wind where we unfortunately didn’t make it ashore and Santa Catalina Island.  Catalina Harbor with its peaceful laid back feeling until Buccaneer days came along with a more “bustier” and crazy party feeling.  Avalon Harbor with its beautiful houses and nicely laid out, though very different to those new to the area, mooring field.  Not only are we leaving behind the beautiful islands but all of the new friends (hopefully only temporarily) we have met and re-met in these anchorages.  That leads us to the question: what is the etiquette for the ever present and always appreciated “Sundowners”

Leftover boatmade cake for
Ellie's Birthday

Inviting people over for Sundowners is almost required protocol when meeting new people or reacquainting yourself with old friends.  It doesn’t necessarily mean you know these people very well.  As was the case when we invited two couple over to share in Elizabeth’s birthday cake.  We had met both of them less than 24 hours earlier, but everyone had the commonality of simply being in the same anchorage. 

 That and being on a sailboat and heading south, which does count for a lot.  We had a great time sharing our boatmade birthday cake and a couple of two dollar bottles of wine.  But what is the protocol of Sundowners?  What time does this ritual take place at?  Do you bring something with you?  Are you obliged to reciprocate the offer?  How long do you stay?  Is a two dollar bottle of wine ok, or do you need to break out the good rum?  Shoes on or off?  Tie up your own dink or let the host tie it up where they see fit?

Our experience has been quite varied but there do seem to be some themes emerging.  (this is just my experience and I could be way off base, so let me know if I’m wrong)  There has been the Sundowner that lasts until well past moonrise where the bilges seem to be full of rum and next thing you know you’re smoking cigars and having dinner (Annie).  There are Sundowners that start at 3:30 and end at, you guessed it, sundown; with a glass of wine and good conversation.  So this ritual seems like it can take on a life of its own depending who you are with.  Including our get together we have shared Sundowners with six different boats in the last nine days.  That’s a fair number of people to hang out with that you didn’t really know all that well.  It’s sort of like arriving at a hotel and then knocking on the door next to yours to see if they want to come over for a drink and some conversation. 

Two Harbors - Friday before Buccaneer Days

The common theme seems to be: start around 4:00 to 5:00, spend about two hours and then be on your way.  As the invitee it doesn’t seem to be required to bring anything with you.  This is a change as in the normal world you almost always take something with you when invited over to a friends.   Light snacks and wine are pretty common.  The brand of wine doesn’t seem to really matter and isn’t why you’re getting together anyway.  Follow the hosts lead on quantity and pace and understand that every beer you drink they probably had to haul back to their boat in a backpack from the grocery store two miles away.  So in many ways offering you beverages and snacks is quite generous, so don’t abuse it.  If there are enough days before one or the other departs, reciprocity is good form.  You are basically hanging out in someone else’s home so be respectful of their stuff and realize that their dirty underwear might be laying on their bed so you better not blush easily.  Everyone’s boat has that thing you probably shouldn’t grab onto or shouldn’t step on, so tread lightly it’s different for each boat.  When talking avoid things  like religion, anchor choices or what you used to do; since we are all cruisers now and that’s what counts.  Finally, remember that the people you are spending time with very well may be the same people you are calling in an emergency out on the ocean one day; and you hope to leave a good enough impression that they will come to your aid.

Avalon Harbor - Nice place for a Sundowner

That’s my impressions of Sundowners at this time.  It’s a custom more people should propagate in the “real” world.  The number of people you cross paths with over and over again is incredible.   You never know who you’ll run into next, who they know and where you’ll meet again.  Then the next day one or the other of you depart and someone new drops their anchor next to you, and it starts all over again.

 

That's Buffalo S%*T

10-5-12 - Catalina Island, Catalina Harbor - Day 95

We came to Catalina Island with grand anticipations of experiencing many things, not the least of which was the buffalo experience.  Apparently there is a herd of buffalo on the island that are frequently viewed.  Additionally, in a little tourist guide to Two Harbors, the harbor we are currently floating around in, they talk about the delicious buffalo milk.  Now this got Elizabeth excited.  As a milk professional the chance to taste genuine buffalo  milk sounded quite unique. 

That's Buffalo S%*T

After our first day here we decided it was time to venture into the wilderness and search for these elusive buffalo, maybe milk one and try some of that buffalo milk.  Ok so we had no intention of milking the buffalo, if we found them.  We did take a nice long hike that took us to one of the many mountain tops of the island where we could look all around and see the Pacific on both sides of the island.  We looked and looked but never got a glimpse of the buffalo.  We have encountered many piles of poop that look suspiciously like they came from a buffalo.  Not being a buffalo expert I'm not exactly sure what they eat, and not being particularly interested in "investigating" their poop I'm just going to go with my theory and assume it's correct.

  They claim that the buffalo were brought to the island many years ago for the filming of a movie.  I'm pretty sure they also brought a bunch of fake buffalo poop and scattered it around the island on the trails and such so that there would be good story to tell tourists.  What a great way to get tourists to the island.  Who wants to go all the way to Yellowstone and be cold when you could just power over to Catalina Island and check out the buffalo in your flip flops? 

On to the buffalo milk.  After trying the little grocery store where they looked at us like we were crazy, and not being able to wrangle up a wild buffalo for the milking, we settled on trying some at dinner during our "nice night out" excursion.  The "nice night out" idea could be a whole paragraph in its own.  Needless to say for us to take a shower (by shower I mean hot water out of a bag in the coach roof with the outlet dangled thru the bathroom hatch) put on fancy clothes (meaning one of the two button down shirts I have, Elizabeth actually brought some nice sun dresses)  and dinghy into shore (I even gave Elizabeth a towel to sit on for the ride) then walk half a mile down a dirt road for a sit down dinner, that's what I mean when I say "nice night out"  Elizabeth ordered her buffalo milk and come to find out it was a total sham.  I was a foofoo drink of blended stuff with coconut and various liquors designed for underage girls.  It was delicious, but probably not from the elusive buffalo.  If it was; I will be buying a buffalo upon my return. 

Buffalo Milk...very suspicious.

We looked far and wide for them.
Catalina Harbor from our hike

So the verdict so far is that there are no buffalo on the island and this whole thing was just a scam to get tourists to the island.  We have been greatly disappointed so far but will keep looking for the elusive buffalo for the remainder of our stay.


Two Harbors (pre Buccaneer days)

I promise more pics...internet is veeeeery slllllllooooow right now.


In case you were wondering:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalina_Island_bison_herd

A Day in The Life

10-1-12 – Somewhere between Santa Cruz Island and Santa Barbara Island – Day 91

I figure it may get old just hearing about where we are and what we are doing day to day.  Yes we are constantly moving on to new locations and you can usually see where we are by checking the SPOT.  (If I remember to turn it on)  So what is it that we really do day to day?  It’s been 91days since we moved onto the boat and we’ve traveled about 900 miles to date.  So what else have we been doing? 

There are sort of three different standard days.  Day one is a travel day.  Day two is a day at anchor.  (This day could be broken down into the subcategories of anchored with city access and anchored with no city access)  Day three is a day at a marina; this being very similar to anchored with city access.

Travel days usually begin earlier than all the rest.  Basically, figure out how far you need to go and then figure out how long that would take you at a brisk walk/jog.  Then figure out when you need to leave in order to arrive at your destination about an hour before dark to allow for anchoring etc..  Then there are the generalizations about weather to consider, like you shouldn’t round Pt. Conception much after noon as the wind comes up or usually the wind gets heavier in the afternoon.  For a simple example figure we need to go 50 miles one day.  That should take us between 8.5 and 12 hours.  It’s nice to be at your destination at about 6:00PM this time of year.  So that means we would leave somewhere between 7:00 and 8:00 AM.  Before departure you need to have a morning workout of raising 35 lbs of steel and 50 feet of 3/8” chain off the bottom of the ocean, make some coffee, lunch for later, eat breakfast and listen to the weather.  The do a final check of everything, and I mean everything, in the boat to  make sure it will not move if shaken vigorously and tipped at a 35 degree angle for extended periods of time. 

 This does help to keep the counters and tables clean as nothing will stay there long if forgotten.  Once the anchor is up and we have departed all that’s left to do is get to your destination.  You now have 8 to 10 hours to kill.  Books, charts and the local cruising guide works well to kill time. 

Looking for billion ton freighters

Someone needs to pay attention so little Autumn Wind doesn’t get run over by a billion ton freighter going 25 knots.  That person basically looks up at least once every five minutes or so, looks around the horizon for big moving things, checks the wind, sails, engine temp if under power and generally takes stock of what’s happening around us.  Then they do it again in five minutes over and over.  Like driving you don’t have to pay attention all the time, just when things are changing.  They just change a  lot slower at 6 miles an hour.  Then again billion ton freighters going 30 miles an hour don’t stop very quickly either, so you need to take that into consideration.  Depending on the weather we may sail almost immediately after leaving or motor for a while if there’s no wind or motor with the main sail up to help us out.  Basically trying to maintain some forward progress towards the destination so that we actually do arrive during daylight.  At some point we have some lunch, a snack, some tea.  In Southern California there is an endless stream of chatter on the VHF to listen to.  Sometimes someone we’ve met along the way will hear us hailing a freighter and call us on the VHF just to say hi.  Those are always nice calls to get, lets you know that someone else is out there.  The person on watch looks out for crab pots, lobster pots, fishing nets, kelp, other boats, dolphins (hoping they come closer), whales (hoping they stay a long ways away) and any number of other things that seem to be floating around in the ocean. 



Always time for a nap.

Today for instance we encountered about a dozen mylar happy birthday balloons floating in about a mile radius 20 miles offshore.  After giving a couple of them a wide berth thinking they might be a fishing net we realized our folly and stopped worrying about them.  You never know what you’ll see.  Now all of this assumes that it is a nice day, not dark, not nighttime, not foggy.  When those things are included in the equation everything seems to take on a higher importance.  Now you must look intently into the fog as if you can see something, then down at the radar, hoping you see something there before you do in real life; then repeat endlessly.  If you do see something on the radar and determine it is a boat then you need to hail them and make sure they see you also and then make sure you don’t hit each other.  These situations can be stressful.  Once at your destination you either drop the anchor, yes the one you picked up earlier that morning, or tie up to a dock. 

Anchor Downs in the cockpit

This is when the Anchor Down comes into play.  It is a very important part of your day, used primarily to make sure your anchor doesn’t move once set, but sometimes employed even at a dock. 

So that basically encompasses the day of a vessel in transit.  Wake up and lift the anchor.  Move the boat via some propulsion method to the next location.  Drop the anchor.  Feed yourself somewhere in there and try not to get run over by things bigger than you.  It’s pretty straight forward in the end.  That may be why it is so rewarding.  You know for certain if you were successful or not at the end of the day!  I’m happy to say that we have been very successful to date; although those whales did get pretty close today… 

Moon rise (yes, moon rise)

 

Days at anchor and days at dock to come in the future.

P.S.  The dinghy has been named Papa Kilo.  You’ll have to dig deeper in the blog if you can’t figure that one out.

Can you find PK on the beach?

Papa Kilo - Our little Dink

Nothing to do with this post, just having fun.