Oct 25, Thursday
Today we need to measure again for our new sail. It is being made for us by Carol Hasse in Port Townsend Washington and she needs more measurements from the top of the mast. This time she stays on the phone with us while we get her what she needs.
Once that is done, it is time to see if I can find the leak on the deck that is causing all the cans of food to rust. There is a cabinet right above the ice box where all the canned goods are stored. Even though everything has been caulked and painted it still gets damp and all of the cans are rusting. So all the food has to come out, just when I had almost gotten the cabin cleaned up, table and counter are once again piled high with stuff. Once the cupboard is empty and clean and dry, I get a bucket and start throwing water at the corner on the outside. No leak. I throw more water, still nothing. I throw water from the top and the sides and all around. Still nice and dry on the inside. Now what? Since Alan is going to be running wires through that corner today, I decide to leave everything and go to the spa. Several hours later I am warm, relaxed and glowing.
I make one last try to find the leak after dinner. With all the lights off, we shine a bright light on the outside to see if we can see the hole. Nothing. I give up. Of course the wiring project is not done so all of the food has to stay out for one more day. At least it is a good chance to see what we have to eat. I make up a list of meals for 10 days using the oldest cans first. By this time we get to Cabo we should have eaten our way through most of it and if we hit any rough weather we will find out for sure if there really is a leak.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Oct 24, 2012, Wednesday, Cabrillo Isle Marina, San Diego
A woman on the boat across from us has been doing yoga on the dock early in the morning and I decide to join her today. I start out with layers and layers of clothes on but gradually the sun comes up and the layers come off. Even though I am stiff and long out of practice it is a lovely way to start the day.
After breakfast, while the wind is still calm, we tackle the sails again. Little by little we figure out how they must have been tied on. We go back through old photos on my computer and Alan’s ipad looking for shots that show the rigging. Finally we declare it done. Hopefully we got it right. I don’t want to get out there in the middle of the ocean and have it all come apart.
The rest of the day is spent on various projects. Little by little we are getting to know the people on the other boats. There seem to be a number of them from Canada and the north west. They have all had their shake down on the way down the coast and they are ready to go.
A woman on the boat across from us has been doing yoga on the dock early in the morning and I decide to join her today. I start out with layers and layers of clothes on but gradually the sun comes up and the layers come off. Even though I am stiff and long out of practice it is a lovely way to start the day.
After breakfast, while the wind is still calm, we tackle the sails again. Little by little we figure out how they must have been tied on. We go back through old photos on my computer and Alan’s ipad looking for shots that show the rigging. Finally we declare it done. Hopefully we got it right. I don’t want to get out there in the middle of the ocean and have it all come apart.
The rest of the day is spent on various projects. Little by little we are getting to know the people on the other boats. There seem to be a number of them from Canada and the north west. They have all had their shake down on the way down the coast and they are ready to go.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Oct 23, 2012 Tuesday, Cabrillo Isle Marina, San Diego
Today was not a good day. It started with Alan making a phone call to find out where our new folding dingy is. The person he needs to talk to is not there and not returning his calls. He has decided that we will not take the sabot with us after all. It is very hard to see over it when it is tied to the deck and he is also afraid that it will get completely destroyed crashing up onto rocky beaches and coral reefs. We want it to teach one more generation how to sail. So several weeks ago he ordered a folding boat. It was supposed to be delivered to our house by the 17th or if they could not get it to us in time, we were to pick up a demo from the Long Beach Boat Show on that weekend. Somehow neither of those things happened. This is not a company that is good at customer service. So here we are, days from leaving, and no dingy. Not only that, but now we have to figure out how to get it from LA, where it will eventually be delivered, to San Diego. Neither Chris nor Audrey are available to bring it down. We could rent a truck and go home get it. We could cancel the order but it is already on the truck and on it’s way. After much discussion and phone calls to the dingy company, the marina office, Chris and Downwind Marine, we have a new plan. The truck will will be redirected to deliver it to Downwind Marine by Friday. We will take a taxi over there in the afternoon, carrying the motor, collect the boat, carry it several blocks to the dock, put it together and motor back across the bay to Rhapsody. Assuming all goes well, we will leave Etude in a dingy dock here and Chris will come down sometime after we are gone to collect her and take her back home to her place on the roof of the garage. So sad. Hopefully someone will take her out for a sail once or twice while we are gone.
So that was difficult issue #1. Difficult issue #2 was the sails. This started out well. They were delivered about noon They had been found to be in great condition even though they are 30 years old, just a few minor repairs and the new reef points. (For you non-sailors, reef points are a line of holes across the sail that allow you to make it smaller. If there is too much wind, you let the sail part way down and tie ropes through the holes and onto the boom to hold it tight. Now you have a much smaller sail. Sort of the opposite of a hem on a little girl’s dress. Remember those?) But I digress. We slipped the hanks into the mast track and hoisted away. Up it went, so smoothly on the freshly lubed track. Now to get it all laced back onto the boom. When we took the sails off we had taken pictures of every step so we would be able to put them back on again. Alan went below to find his photos and reappeared looking glum. All of his photos were gone. Sometime during the last week he had re-synced his phone and had lost all his photos. ARRAGG I sort of remembered how the ropes that I took off had been fastened but I had not paid any attention to what Alan did. Meanwhile, the wind had come up and the loose sails were flapping all over the place as we struggled to figure it out. We finally got them tied on any old how, lowered them down and tied them up for the night. We will try again first thing in the morning when there is no wind.
Now time to head across the bay in the dingy. There is another seminar tonight and Alan needs to get there early enough to do some more shopping. And time for difficult issue #3. The dingy motor had been charging all day but it was only at 60%. There had just not been enough sun. Yesterday, when we had gone over it had taken about 20% each way, so we should be OK, but we were going to have to go slow. The shopping went well, although he still did not find a running light for the dingy. At the end of the seminar we headed back across the bay, slowly, in the dark, with no lights. Luckily it was calm and there were no other boats out. Back home, a quick cup of tea and bed. Tomorrow has got to be better.
Today was not a good day. It started with Alan making a phone call to find out where our new folding dingy is. The person he needs to talk to is not there and not returning his calls. He has decided that we will not take the sabot with us after all. It is very hard to see over it when it is tied to the deck and he is also afraid that it will get completely destroyed crashing up onto rocky beaches and coral reefs. We want it to teach one more generation how to sail. So several weeks ago he ordered a folding boat. It was supposed to be delivered to our house by the 17th or if they could not get it to us in time, we were to pick up a demo from the Long Beach Boat Show on that weekend. Somehow neither of those things happened. This is not a company that is good at customer service. So here we are, days from leaving, and no dingy. Not only that, but now we have to figure out how to get it from LA, where it will eventually be delivered, to San Diego. Neither Chris nor Audrey are available to bring it down. We could rent a truck and go home get it. We could cancel the order but it is already on the truck and on it’s way. After much discussion and phone calls to the dingy company, the marina office, Chris and Downwind Marine, we have a new plan. The truck will will be redirected to deliver it to Downwind Marine by Friday. We will take a taxi over there in the afternoon, carrying the motor, collect the boat, carry it several blocks to the dock, put it together and motor back across the bay to Rhapsody. Assuming all goes well, we will leave Etude in a dingy dock here and Chris will come down sometime after we are gone to collect her and take her back home to her place on the roof of the garage. So sad. Hopefully someone will take her out for a sail once or twice while we are gone.
So that was difficult issue #1. Difficult issue #2 was the sails. This started out well. They were delivered about noon They had been found to be in great condition even though they are 30 years old, just a few minor repairs and the new reef points. (For you non-sailors, reef points are a line of holes across the sail that allow you to make it smaller. If there is too much wind, you let the sail part way down and tie ropes through the holes and onto the boom to hold it tight. Now you have a much smaller sail. Sort of the opposite of a hem on a little girl’s dress. Remember those?) But I digress. We slipped the hanks into the mast track and hoisted away. Up it went, so smoothly on the freshly lubed track. Now to get it all laced back onto the boom. When we took the sails off we had taken pictures of every step so we would be able to put them back on again. Alan went below to find his photos and reappeared looking glum. All of his photos were gone. Sometime during the last week he had re-synced his phone and had lost all his photos. ARRAGG I sort of remembered how the ropes that I took off had been fastened but I had not paid any attention to what Alan did. Meanwhile, the wind had come up and the loose sails were flapping all over the place as we struggled to figure it out. We finally got them tied on any old how, lowered them down and tied them up for the night. We will try again first thing in the morning when there is no wind.
Now time to head across the bay in the dingy. There is another seminar tonight and Alan needs to get there early enough to do some more shopping. And time for difficult issue #3. The dingy motor had been charging all day but it was only at 60%. There had just not been enough sun. Yesterday, when we had gone over it had taken about 20% each way, so we should be OK, but we were going to have to go slow. The shopping went well, although he still did not find a running light for the dingy. At the end of the seminar we headed back across the bay, slowly, in the dark, with no lights. Luckily it was calm and there were no other boats out. Back home, a quick cup of tea and bed. Tomorrow has got to be better.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Oct 22, 2012, Monday
After last night’s rain, it is clear and calm this morning. For whatever reasons, this anchorage is only available on the weekends so everyone is up early, getting their boats ready to move. We have decided to move to Cabrillo Marina at Shelter Island. It is further up the channel than we had thought but seems like a nice place. Lots of other Haha boats are here already.
Over the course of the last year, whenever I was shopping I would pick up an extra one or two for the boat; soap, shampoo, lotion, floss, etc. At one point it was all sort of organized but recently it had turned into “just stuff it in and close the door”. Time to take everything out and reorganize. WOW! What a bunch of stuff. You would think we were going to be gone for 2 years. Oh right, we are. Well the good thing is, we won’t have to buy toiletries from here to Fiji. Meanwhile, where to put it all.
The first thing is to get rid of all of the packaging and then combine like items. 3 bottles of aspirin will actually all fit into one bottle. Several hours and 2 bags of packaging trash later, it is done. Everything sorted, combined and organized and neatly stowed. Remember to leave the TP accessible. Don’t want to be taking everything out to find it while the boat is rocking wildly. Rhapsody actually has an amazing amount of storage space, although not all of it is easy to get to.
While I am doing this, Alan is on the phone with the radio expert, checking out our radio. Eventually they figure out which frequencies are which and our radio is good to go. Of course I still can’t hear anything on it but apparently that is because there is no one there, not because our radio does not work.
In the afternoon we load up the dingy and head off across the bay to this evening’s seminar. It is a long way! We are hoping there is someplace to tie up when we get there. No one was very clear about this. As we get closer to the docks on the other side, another dingy races past us, so we follow it in and there is a dock where lots of other dingys are tied. A short walk up the street is Downwind Marine where the seminar will be held.
After last night’s rain, it is clear and calm this morning. For whatever reasons, this anchorage is only available on the weekends so everyone is up early, getting their boats ready to move. We have decided to move to Cabrillo Marina at Shelter Island. It is further up the channel than we had thought but seems like a nice place. Lots of other Haha boats are here already.
Over the course of the last year, whenever I was shopping I would pick up an extra one or two for the boat; soap, shampoo, lotion, floss, etc. At one point it was all sort of organized but recently it had turned into “just stuff it in and close the door”. Time to take everything out and reorganize. WOW! What a bunch of stuff. You would think we were going to be gone for 2 years. Oh right, we are. Well the good thing is, we won’t have to buy toiletries from here to Fiji. Meanwhile, where to put it all.
The first thing is to get rid of all of the packaging and then combine like items. 3 bottles of aspirin will actually all fit into one bottle. Several hours and 2 bags of packaging trash later, it is done. Everything sorted, combined and organized and neatly stowed. Remember to leave the TP accessible. Don’t want to be taking everything out to find it while the boat is rocking wildly. Rhapsody actually has an amazing amount of storage space, although not all of it is easy to get to.
While I am doing this, Alan is on the phone with the radio expert, checking out our radio. Eventually they figure out which frequencies are which and our radio is good to go. Of course I still can’t hear anything on it but apparently that is because there is no one there, not because our radio does not work.
In the afternoon we load up the dingy and head off across the bay to this evening’s seminar. It is a long way! We are hoping there is someplace to tie up when we get there. No one was very clear about this. As we get closer to the docks on the other side, another dingy races past us, so we follow it in and there is a dock where lots of other dingys are tied. A short walk up the street is Downwind Marine where the seminar will be held.
Oct 21, 2012, Sunday.
Audrey and Nick are coming today, bringing the boys for a last good-bye.and the boat is in chaos. The acquisitions from all of Alan’s shopping expeditions are everywhere, along with all of the papers from last night’s sortings and several bags of stuff from home that never got put away. By the time she arrives all is neat and clean. We have 4 more bags of stuff that we really don’t want for her to take home and 3 bags of trash.
The weather has turned cold and it is threatening rain when they finally arrive. We are anchored, not moored so we need to take the dingy in to collect them. The boys are in the first load of course and they hit the deck with a vengance, demanding to see everything. Jack goes straight for the pirate hat and sword and begins attacking everything and every one until daddy puts a stop to it. Bas takes a pole and tries to catch some ducks that are swimming past. Duck bread is found and soon the 2 ducks are overwhelmed by a noisy flock of seagulls.
After and hour of this, the adults decide it it too cold and rainy and we dingy-shuttle everyone back to the dock for dinner at the yacht club. Then a final good-bye. Off they go and off we go. I am going to miss my grandboys. They will be so big next time I see them.
Audrey and Nick are coming today, bringing the boys for a last good-bye.and the boat is in chaos. The acquisitions from all of Alan’s shopping expeditions are everywhere, along with all of the papers from last night’s sortings and several bags of stuff from home that never got put away. By the time she arrives all is neat and clean. We have 4 more bags of stuff that we really don’t want for her to take home and 3 bags of trash.
The weather has turned cold and it is threatening rain when they finally arrive. We are anchored, not moored so we need to take the dingy in to collect them. The boys are in the first load of course and they hit the deck with a vengance, demanding to see everything. Jack goes straight for the pirate hat and sword and begins attacking everything and every one until daddy puts a stop to it. Bas takes a pole and tries to catch some ducks that are swimming past. Duck bread is found and soon the 2 ducks are overwhelmed by a noisy flock of seagulls.
After and hour of this, the adults decide it it too cold and rainy and we dingy-shuttle everyone back to the dock for dinner at the yacht club. Then a final good-bye. Off they go and off we go. I am going to miss my grandboys. They will be so big next time I see them.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
October 20, 2012, Saturday.
Anchored in La Playa Cove, San Diego.
Dark and quiet, early morning, water like glass. Boats and ducks floating quietly. Boats all pointing one way, ducks the other. A hot cup of chai and my warm fluffy bathrobe. Peace.
The event of the day is the cruisers party and barbeque. Oh and by the way, it is at Downwind Marine which is coincidently having a huge sale. It is fun to start meeting others who will be sailing with us. Surprisingly most of them are old guys like we are, not the young kids I was expecting. At least some of them are as new to sailing as I am which makes me feel better. I drift around, listening to conversations while Alan shops, again. I discover a couple that was anchored next to us in Avalon. She is a master gardener and missing her garden, too. Ran into another woman that I met at the Women’s Sailing Convention last year.
There is much discussion of where to stay next week. We are only allowed to stay in our free anchorage on the weekends. During the week we either need to anchor way down by Coronado and take buses to get here or move to a closer marina and come by dingy. There is a new marina just around the corner which has been recommended. It is very close to the activities but it is still under construction and there is no plumbing. If there was a huge price discount we would be more tempted but it costs almost as much as all the others. Several others are mentioned and the discussion of where to dock a dingy keeps coming up. There are no public docks, just yacht clubs and marinas. It seems that the city would put in a couple of public dingy docks along here to encourage sailors to come ashore to shop and eat. We finally decide on Cabrillo Marina, even though it is a long dingy ride away. The draw is that lots of the other cruisers are staying there and that it is right next to the Sheraton. Marina fees include use of the pool and spa and a discount in the restaurant. Might as well indulge one last time.
Back to the boat early. The rest of the afternoon and evening are spent sorting, organizing and tossing papers. Finally we do not need all those lists and articles of good ideas. We are here, we have the boat, we are going!
Anchored in La Playa Cove, San Diego.
Dark and quiet, early morning, water like glass. Boats and ducks floating quietly. Boats all pointing one way, ducks the other. A hot cup of chai and my warm fluffy bathrobe. Peace.
The event of the day is the cruisers party and barbeque. Oh and by the way, it is at Downwind Marine which is coincidently having a huge sale. It is fun to start meeting others who will be sailing with us. Surprisingly most of them are old guys like we are, not the young kids I was expecting. At least some of them are as new to sailing as I am which makes me feel better. I drift around, listening to conversations while Alan shops, again. I discover a couple that was anchored next to us in Avalon. She is a master gardener and missing her garden, too. Ran into another woman that I met at the Women’s Sailing Convention last year.
There is much discussion of where to stay next week. We are only allowed to stay in our free anchorage on the weekends. During the week we either need to anchor way down by Coronado and take buses to get here or move to a closer marina and come by dingy. There is a new marina just around the corner which has been recommended. It is very close to the activities but it is still under construction and there is no plumbing. If there was a huge price discount we would be more tempted but it costs almost as much as all the others. Several others are mentioned and the discussion of where to dock a dingy keeps coming up. There are no public docks, just yacht clubs and marinas. It seems that the city would put in a couple of public dingy docks along here to encourage sailors to come ashore to shop and eat. We finally decide on Cabrillo Marina, even though it is a long dingy ride away. The draw is that lots of the other cruisers are staying there and that it is right next to the Sheraton. Marina fees include use of the pool and spa and a discount in the restaurant. Might as well indulge one last time.
Back to the boat early. The rest of the afternoon and evening are spent sorting, organizing and tossing papers. Finally we do not need all those lists and articles of good ideas. We are here, we have the boat, we are going!
October 19,2012 Friday
Today we need to leave Chula Vista and the California Yacht Marina and move up the bay into San Diego where all of the pre-rally activities are happening. First we need to go to the bank, drop off ANOTHER bag of clothes at the thrift shop ( just could not find space for all of Alan’s socks) and return the car. According to my iphone, there is a thrift shop right by Enterprise and there should be a bank along the way. Last night’s tide was really low, so I want to be heading down that narrow channel at high tide today. Taking no chances. High tide is at 1:00.
When was the last time you used traveler’s checks? $300 of old traveler’s checks had surfaced during the great clean out. Last time Alan was in Europe, he could not find any place that would cash them so he stuffed them in a drawer and forgot about them. Time to use them up. Well guess what? The sweet young teller at the first bank we tried had never heard of traveler’s checks and wanted to have him open an account in order to cash them. Since they had been issued by Citibank, we figured they would have to cash them. Unfortunately Citibank was in the opposite direction, the clock was ticking and the tide was running. Of course, they too had never heard of traveler’s checks. Supervisors were summoned. The checks were passed around and studied in amazement. There was much discussion of “looking up the correct procedure” and getting authorization. Computers were checked. They also tried to talk us into opening an account. I kept insisting that they were just like cashier’s checks and that we had paid for them and they needed to give us our money. Eventually we got the cash and were on our way.
Back to the marina, a quick last shower, checked out and on our way. It was only 2:30, the tide was still high. The day that had started out so pretty, turned cold and windy once we were out of the marina. Out came the warm jackets and waterproof pants. We went past the Navy, under the Coronado Bridge, across the main bay with a brisk wind and choppy water. Unfortunately we still have no sails so we could not hoist them. As we rounded Shelter Island to get to our anchorage, we found ourselves in the midst of dozens of little boats. There was a race had obviously just finished and the boats were heading for their docks and the party. There were teenagers on small boats racing around like teenagers do, seeing how fast they could go, how quickly they could turn and how close they could get to other boats. There were small children in sabots everywhere with instructors calling out directions and blowing whistles. We managed to drop anchor safely in the midst of all this. We launched the dingy, grabbed some food and headed off to our first seminar on how to use the SSB radio.
When were were talking to people about where to stay this week, one of the questions that came up was where to dock the dingy. Surprisingly, no one had any answer. There is no public dingy dock and very little public beach here. It is all yacht clubs and private homes. We finally decided to act like we belonged and pulled right up to San Diego Yacht Club and tied up. No one looked at us twice and a short walk later and we were at Downwind Marine listening to Gorgon West tell us everything we ever wanted to know about radios. Unfortunately, when he got to the end of the evening where he talks about how to tune in the various stations, it turned out that our old Furino radio was not on his list. It is an excellent radio, just no longer on his list of channels. Sure enough, when we got back to the boat and tried to practice what he told us we got nothing but static. We have an appointment to call him on Monday and figure out how to dial in the channels we need. Meanwhile, Alan will be studying the manuals again. I am still fairly clueless and am planning on waiting until they get it all sorted out. The main thing I learned was to use our VHF radio and call channel 16 if I need help. That I can do.
Today we need to leave Chula Vista and the California Yacht Marina and move up the bay into San Diego where all of the pre-rally activities are happening. First we need to go to the bank, drop off ANOTHER bag of clothes at the thrift shop ( just could not find space for all of Alan’s socks) and return the car. According to my iphone, there is a thrift shop right by Enterprise and there should be a bank along the way. Last night’s tide was really low, so I want to be heading down that narrow channel at high tide today. Taking no chances. High tide is at 1:00.
When was the last time you used traveler’s checks? $300 of old traveler’s checks had surfaced during the great clean out. Last time Alan was in Europe, he could not find any place that would cash them so he stuffed them in a drawer and forgot about them. Time to use them up. Well guess what? The sweet young teller at the first bank we tried had never heard of traveler’s checks and wanted to have him open an account in order to cash them. Since they had been issued by Citibank, we figured they would have to cash them. Unfortunately Citibank was in the opposite direction, the clock was ticking and the tide was running. Of course, they too had never heard of traveler’s checks. Supervisors were summoned. The checks were passed around and studied in amazement. There was much discussion of “looking up the correct procedure” and getting authorization. Computers were checked. They also tried to talk us into opening an account. I kept insisting that they were just like cashier’s checks and that we had paid for them and they needed to give us our money. Eventually we got the cash and were on our way.
Back to the marina, a quick last shower, checked out and on our way. It was only 2:30, the tide was still high. The day that had started out so pretty, turned cold and windy once we were out of the marina. Out came the warm jackets and waterproof pants. We went past the Navy, under the Coronado Bridge, across the main bay with a brisk wind and choppy water. Unfortunately we still have no sails so we could not hoist them. As we rounded Shelter Island to get to our anchorage, we found ourselves in the midst of dozens of little boats. There was a race had obviously just finished and the boats were heading for their docks and the party. There were teenagers on small boats racing around like teenagers do, seeing how fast they could go, how quickly they could turn and how close they could get to other boats. There were small children in sabots everywhere with instructors calling out directions and blowing whistles. We managed to drop anchor safely in the midst of all this. We launched the dingy, grabbed some food and headed off to our first seminar on how to use the SSB radio.
When were were talking to people about where to stay this week, one of the questions that came up was where to dock the dingy. Surprisingly, no one had any answer. There is no public dingy dock and very little public beach here. It is all yacht clubs and private homes. We finally decided to act like we belonged and pulled right up to San Diego Yacht Club and tied up. No one looked at us twice and a short walk later and we were at Downwind Marine listening to Gorgon West tell us everything we ever wanted to know about radios. Unfortunately, when he got to the end of the evening where he talks about how to tune in the various stations, it turned out that our old Furino radio was not on his list. It is an excellent radio, just no longer on his list of channels. Sure enough, when we got back to the boat and tried to practice what he told us we got nothing but static. We have an appointment to call him on Monday and figure out how to dial in the channels we need. Meanwhile, Alan will be studying the manuals again. I am still fairly clueless and am planning on waiting until they get it all sorted out. The main thing I learned was to use our VHF radio and call channel 16 if I need help. That I can do.
October 17, 18
Home from Georgia, a final, final clean up, clean out. What to take? What to toss? What to save? Alan’s room finally emptied. More trash. More bags to the thrift shop. More boxes of computer parts and cables to sort. As usual, it took longer than I had planned. We had rented a car because of all of the stuff and finally made it back to San Diego and the boat about midnight.
Thursday morning, I am feeling very cranky, a combination of once again leaving home and the mess of stuff on the boat, bags and boxes piled everywhere. Alan has 2 bags of clothes, including 6 pair of blue jeans. The problem with jeans is that they are heavy and bulky and take forever to dry when they get wet. I have been saying for a year that he needs lightweight pants, maybe linen, that will dry quickly and not take up so much room, but he loves his jeans, and he does look good in them. I decide that he can put away his own darned stuff, except that I quickly realize that he has no idea how to put things away. It is my job to clean up, pick up, put away and organize. I told you I was fussy this morning.
The day is saved by a visit from Nancy and Joe Schum. They are the couple that actually built Rhapsody in a meadow in the 80s. Not build like manage, delegate, supervise, shop for parts but actually hands on, nail by nail, screw by screw built her from the ground up. The fittings were hand made by Joe The sails were sewn by Nancy. They did everything, from the engine to the portholes to the water tanks to the wood burning heater. They even forged the iron for the keel from used tire weights. I am in awe.
After they left, we took the car into San Diego so Alan could do more shopping. I can’t get over what a shopaholic he has become with this boat. 50 years of suppressed desires are exploding. We also wanted to see where all of the parties and seminars will be happening and where the various anchorages and moorings are. We have a reservation for La Playa anchorage at Shelter Island but you can only stay there on the weekends so we need to find somewhere to stay during the week that is close to the activities.
Missions accomplished. Back home, into bed. Busy day tomorrow.
Home from Georgia, a final, final clean up, clean out. What to take? What to toss? What to save? Alan’s room finally emptied. More trash. More bags to the thrift shop. More boxes of computer parts and cables to sort. As usual, it took longer than I had planned. We had rented a car because of all of the stuff and finally made it back to San Diego and the boat about midnight.
Thursday morning, I am feeling very cranky, a combination of once again leaving home and the mess of stuff on the boat, bags and boxes piled everywhere. Alan has 2 bags of clothes, including 6 pair of blue jeans. The problem with jeans is that they are heavy and bulky and take forever to dry when they get wet. I have been saying for a year that he needs lightweight pants, maybe linen, that will dry quickly and not take up so much room, but he loves his jeans, and he does look good in them. I decide that he can put away his own darned stuff, except that I quickly realize that he has no idea how to put things away. It is my job to clean up, pick up, put away and organize. I told you I was fussy this morning.
The day is saved by a visit from Nancy and Joe Schum. They are the couple that actually built Rhapsody in a meadow in the 80s. Not build like manage, delegate, supervise, shop for parts but actually hands on, nail by nail, screw by screw built her from the ground up. The fittings were hand made by Joe The sails were sewn by Nancy. They did everything, from the engine to the portholes to the water tanks to the wood burning heater. They even forged the iron for the keel from used tire weights. I am in awe.
After they left, we took the car into San Diego so Alan could do more shopping. I can’t get over what a shopaholic he has become with this boat. 50 years of suppressed desires are exploding. We also wanted to see where all of the parties and seminars will be happening and where the various anchorages and moorings are. We have a reservation for La Playa anchorage at Shelter Island but you can only stay there on the weekends so we need to find somewhere to stay during the week that is close to the activities.
Missions accomplished. Back home, into bed. Busy day tomorrow.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Oct 8, day 8, Monday and Oct 9 day 9, Tues.
Two days home. More bags to the thrift shop. A last box of family antiques shipped to Texas for my brother. A quick trip to downtown LA to buy 12 yards of sunbrella fabric. Cut in half and stitched together, it makes an awning for the boat. When it is tied onto the masts and rigging it will provide shade when we are anchored. I wish I had had time to get it done and try it on the boat before we take off. Guess that is one of those thing that will get done in La Paz.
Finally sorted out and packed and off to the airport Tuesday night.
We have decided that there will be no posts if we are not on the boat, so there will be a one week gap here. This should be the last time. If you are interested in what happened, check my FB page. I am also going to give up numbering the days for now. I might start again when we take off across the open ocean to the Marqueses.
Two days home. More bags to the thrift shop. A last box of family antiques shipped to Texas for my brother. A quick trip to downtown LA to buy 12 yards of sunbrella fabric. Cut in half and stitched together, it makes an awning for the boat. When it is tied onto the masts and rigging it will provide shade when we are anchored. I wish I had had time to get it done and try it on the boat before we take off. Guess that is one of those thing that will get done in La Paz.
Finally sorted out and packed and off to the airport Tuesday night.
We have decided that there will be no posts if we are not on the boat, so there will be a one week gap here. This should be the last time. If you are interested in what happened, check my FB page. I am also going to give up numbering the days for now. I might start again when we take off across the open ocean to the Marqueses.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Oct 7, 2012, day 7, Sunday
Sunday morning. We need to get home today. It is going to be hard to keep track of the days while we are sailing. Alan has one last business trip to Sea Island, Georgia this week. We leave Tuesday so we need to get home and get packed. But first, he needs to measure for sails and finish the job at the top of the mast. Today he rigs both a bucket to haul tools up and a safety line in case he falls. Then back up he goes.
While he was up the mast, I set about rounding up everything that we did not need. This is our last chance to take stuff home. After this, anything extra will go to a thrift shop or into the trash. Every half hour or so there would be a yell from the top of the mast and I would go out and lower the bucket and readjust the safety line.
Finally, finally, finally it was done. Then time to take all the measurements for the new sail. It is to be a mizzen staysail. I am still not sure exactly what it is or why we need it but “everybody says” that we will love it. As far as I can tell, it gives us the potential of having 5 sails up at once. Seems like an awful lot of work to me, as well as a potential for disaster if we suddenly need to get them all down quickly.
A long hot shower and we loaded up all of our gear and headed for the trolley station to catch the train home. I had struggled with the internet, looking for a car rental for days and finally decided just to take the train. Everything worked smoothly until we got to Fullerton, last stop before LA. What should have been a quick stop turned into a 2 hour long delay. Official word was that a car was stalled on the track and they needed to get a tow truck to move it. Then the Track Inspector would have to certify that the track was not damaged before we could be cleared to go. Eventually a bus was sent for people who were making connections to other trains. Then another bus came for those who were going to Santa Barbara. Those of us who just wanted to get to LA were told in no uncertain terms to stay on the train and wait.
Eventually we made it home.
Sunday morning. We need to get home today. It is going to be hard to keep track of the days while we are sailing. Alan has one last business trip to Sea Island, Georgia this week. We leave Tuesday so we need to get home and get packed. But first, he needs to measure for sails and finish the job at the top of the mast. Today he rigs both a bucket to haul tools up and a safety line in case he falls. Then back up he goes.
While he was up the mast, I set about rounding up everything that we did not need. This is our last chance to take stuff home. After this, anything extra will go to a thrift shop or into the trash. Every half hour or so there would be a yell from the top of the mast and I would go out and lower the bucket and readjust the safety line.
Finally, finally, finally it was done. Then time to take all the measurements for the new sail. It is to be a mizzen staysail. I am still not sure exactly what it is or why we need it but “everybody says” that we will love it. As far as I can tell, it gives us the potential of having 5 sails up at once. Seems like an awful lot of work to me, as well as a potential for disaster if we suddenly need to get them all down quickly.
A long hot shower and we loaded up all of our gear and headed for the trolley station to catch the train home. I had struggled with the internet, looking for a car rental for days and finally decided just to take the train. Everything worked smoothly until we got to Fullerton, last stop before LA. What should have been a quick stop turned into a 2 hour long delay. Official word was that a car was stalled on the track and they needed to get a tow truck to move it. Then the Track Inspector would have to certify that the track was not damaged before we could be cleared to go. Eventually a bus was sent for people who were making connections to other trains. Then another bus came for those who were going to Santa Barbara. Those of us who just wanted to get to LA were told in no uncertain terms to stay on the train and wait.
Day 6, Oct 6 2012, Saturday
Lots to do. Perennial picking up and putting away. Maybe someday I will find a place for everything. Each time Alan starts on a new project, we have stuff all over again. The tools and parts stored in the engine room are organized but we still need to take the door off, crawl in, find the correct boxes and get the stuff out and then reverse the process at the end of the day. So while the project is going on the parts are all over the cabin.
The two main jobs for today are taking measurements to have a new sail made and installing the wind speed indicator at the top of the mast. However, there is a swap meet in the parking lot. So off we go to see what treasures we can find. Alan buys rope, lots of rope. I find a cedar plug that everyone says is the best fishing lure. He spends hundreds of dollars. I spend $2.
Now time to go up the mast. We have a wonderful mast climbing seat that hooks onto the mail halyard and attaches with rock climbing gear. It is way more comfortable than the traditional bosuns chair which goes between your legs and requires a second person to hoist you up but still a lot of work. By the time the gear is out and attached and he is ready to go up, a crowd had gathered, each with their own opinion about how this should be done. Hoist, hoist, hoist, up he goes, step by step. It seems to take forever but finally he is at the top of the mast. It seems like I should stand by in case there is a problem but there is really nothing that I can do. If he comes crashing down I certainly can’t catch him. After a while he comes back down, slowly, slowly. He has checked it all out and planned how to do it but it is too late today so he will get started tomorrow.
Lots to do. Perennial picking up and putting away. Maybe someday I will find a place for everything. Each time Alan starts on a new project, we have stuff all over again. The tools and parts stored in the engine room are organized but we still need to take the door off, crawl in, find the correct boxes and get the stuff out and then reverse the process at the end of the day. So while the project is going on the parts are all over the cabin.
The two main jobs for today are taking measurements to have a new sail made and installing the wind speed indicator at the top of the mast. However, there is a swap meet in the parking lot. So off we go to see what treasures we can find. Alan buys rope, lots of rope. I find a cedar plug that everyone says is the best fishing lure. He spends hundreds of dollars. I spend $2.
Now time to go up the mast. We have a wonderful mast climbing seat that hooks onto the mail halyard and attaches with rock climbing gear. It is way more comfortable than the traditional bosuns chair which goes between your legs and requires a second person to hoist you up but still a lot of work. By the time the gear is out and attached and he is ready to go up, a crowd had gathered, each with their own opinion about how this should be done. Hoist, hoist, hoist, up he goes, step by step. It seems to take forever but finally he is at the top of the mast. It seems like I should stand by in case there is a problem but there is really nothing that I can do. If he comes crashing down I certainly can’t catch him. After a while he comes back down, slowly, slowly. He has checked it all out and planned how to do it but it is too late today so he will get started tomorrow.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Day 5, Oct 5, 2012 Friday
We need to get to Tijuana today to get Mexican wifi cards so that we will have communications when we are in Mexico. As usual, it took longer to get going than I had planned so it was well after noon before we set off on foot to find the Tijuana Trolley. The trolley took us right to the border When we got off we saw a high bridge with large Mexican flags in the distance and lots of people walking across, so we set off in that direction. At the other end of the bridge however, it was clear that we were still in the US, not Mexico. When we asked how to get to Mexico, we were told that the path started behind McDonalds at the other end of the bridge. Back across the bridge a sign that we had missed earlier informed us that the new pedestrian path to Mexico begins behind McDonalds. Sure enough, behind McDonalds we found a narrow cement path, cement walls toped by a steel fence, turning and twisting with the backs of buildings on one side and barren brown hills on the other, through a turnstile and we were in Mexico. No immigration, no customs, just one bored looking guard who nodded as we passed. There is something wrong with this. Should there not be a more official border crossing than “behind McDonalds”?
We had been told to tell the taxi driver to take us to “the Telcel store next to Starbucks”. A short taxi ride later there was Starbucks with the Telcel store next to it. An hour and $30 later we had a sim card for the iPad and a wifi stick for the computer. I am still not quite sure how all of this works, but Alan assures me that this means that we will be able to get internet while we are in Mexico, although I believe there is some sort of caveat like “ as long as there is a hot spot” or “when we are close to shore”. We shall see.
It was still early so we decided to check out the shops. Interestingly, directions to the shopping mall were given in statues instead of blocks. “Go three statues down this street”. Sure enough, every other block there was an enormous statue in the middle of the street. 3 statues later there was a very american looking shopping mall with a Starbucks and a Telcel store next to it.
Time to head back. When we came into Mexico, the line of people waiting to go the other way looked to be at least a mile long and not moving. We hoped that it would be shorter when we were ready to go back, but it still stretched down the block and around the corner. It was getting late, we were tired and hungry and still had a long walk back to the boat from the trolley. There must be a short cut for Americans. Yes! The nice policeman said to just go around the corner and there is a van that will take you straight to the border. No standing in line. Around the corner and down a short alley we came out onto a dirt road. Vans were lined up, people were being hustled into them and off they went Five dollar! Five dollar! We paid our five dollars and were packed in tight. Off we went, feeling like we were being smuggled, past the line of people waiting, onto the highway and then we stopped. And there we sat inching along. At one point several more people were added to the van, even though I was sure we were already fill. And still we just crept along, a baby cried, kids fussed, the driver got off and washed the van and Alan started to get that look in his eyes that he gets when he has not had anything to eat for a long time.
An hour later, the tour bus in front of us finally pulled away and the of our van opened doors opened. A border guard came out and inspected the van, under the hood, in the luggage compartment, in the wheel wells. Finally we were told to get out. We walked a few feet into a building, showed our passports to the guard and we were back in the US, right next to the McDonalds First order of business was food for Alan. It was amazing to see the change, almost like the incredible hulk morphing back to the sweet man I am used to. Since I often forget to eat, I tend to forget that others need food on a regular basis, something I am going to have to remember on this trip.
We caught the trolley and found a taxi at the station and made our way back to the boat and bed.
We need to get to Tijuana today to get Mexican wifi cards so that we will have communications when we are in Mexico. As usual, it took longer to get going than I had planned so it was well after noon before we set off on foot to find the Tijuana Trolley. The trolley took us right to the border When we got off we saw a high bridge with large Mexican flags in the distance and lots of people walking across, so we set off in that direction. At the other end of the bridge however, it was clear that we were still in the US, not Mexico. When we asked how to get to Mexico, we were told that the path started behind McDonalds at the other end of the bridge. Back across the bridge a sign that we had missed earlier informed us that the new pedestrian path to Mexico begins behind McDonalds. Sure enough, behind McDonalds we found a narrow cement path, cement walls toped by a steel fence, turning and twisting with the backs of buildings on one side and barren brown hills on the other, through a turnstile and we were in Mexico. No immigration, no customs, just one bored looking guard who nodded as we passed. There is something wrong with this. Should there not be a more official border crossing than “behind McDonalds”?
We had been told to tell the taxi driver to take us to “the Telcel store next to Starbucks”. A short taxi ride later there was Starbucks with the Telcel store next to it. An hour and $30 later we had a sim card for the iPad and a wifi stick for the computer. I am still not quite sure how all of this works, but Alan assures me that this means that we will be able to get internet while we are in Mexico, although I believe there is some sort of caveat like “ as long as there is a hot spot” or “when we are close to shore”. We shall see.
It was still early so we decided to check out the shops. Interestingly, directions to the shopping mall were given in statues instead of blocks. “Go three statues down this street”. Sure enough, every other block there was an enormous statue in the middle of the street. 3 statues later there was a very american looking shopping mall with a Starbucks and a Telcel store next to it.
Time to head back. When we came into Mexico, the line of people waiting to go the other way looked to be at least a mile long and not moving. We hoped that it would be shorter when we were ready to go back, but it still stretched down the block and around the corner. It was getting late, we were tired and hungry and still had a long walk back to the boat from the trolley. There must be a short cut for Americans. Yes! The nice policeman said to just go around the corner and there is a van that will take you straight to the border. No standing in line. Around the corner and down a short alley we came out onto a dirt road. Vans were lined up, people were being hustled into them and off they went Five dollar! Five dollar! We paid our five dollars and were packed in tight. Off we went, feeling like we were being smuggled, past the line of people waiting, onto the highway and then we stopped. And there we sat inching along. At one point several more people were added to the van, even though I was sure we were already fill. And still we just crept along, a baby cried, kids fussed, the driver got off and washed the van and Alan started to get that look in his eyes that he gets when he has not had anything to eat for a long time.
An hour later, the tour bus in front of us finally pulled away and the of our van opened doors opened. A border guard came out and inspected the van, under the hood, in the luggage compartment, in the wheel wells. Finally we were told to get out. We walked a few feet into a building, showed our passports to the guard and we were back in the US, right next to the McDonalds First order of business was food for Alan. It was amazing to see the change, almost like the incredible hulk morphing back to the sweet man I am used to. Since I often forget to eat, I tend to forget that others need food on a regular basis, something I am going to have to remember on this trip.
We caught the trolley and found a taxi at the station and made our way back to the boat and bed.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Day 4, Oct 4 2012, Thursday
This night watch was not nearly as nice as the last one. A weak wind coming from the wrong direction meant that I had to watch the tiller every minute, constant battle between finding the wind and holding the course. We were back in the shipping lanes and there were several boats around, including a brightly light cruise ship that seemed to be headed straight for me. Luckily it was going much faster than I was and passed safely in front of us. Shortly after that, a jib sheet suddenly came untied. I got Alan out of bed to help me both times, so he did not get much sleep at all. When he came officially to relieve me about 5am there was almost no wind and we were way too far north. Time to turn on the engine. We left the sails up but kept the engine on and finally made it to the Harbor Police dock about noon.
We had arranged to have a sailmaker pick up the sails to give them a through check up and put in another set of reef points. For you non-sailors, that is so we can shorten the sails in case there is a huge storm, not something that I ever want to do, but one more safety precaution. So we got to work taking the sails off with Alan carefully photographing everything as we did it. I sure hope we will be able to remember how to put them back on again. It does not look like they have ever been taken off. The ends were actually wrapped with strips of webbing sewn on. I am not quite sure how we are going to do that but I guess we will figure it out. She looks naked without her sails. Except for a few spots along the boom where the paint has rubbed off, everything seems good.
Once the sails were collected, it was time to move on. We had a reservation at California Yacht Marina, in Chula Vista at the very south end of the bay, almost to Mexico. It is run by the same company as our marina in Wilmington so we get two weeks free mooring. Unlike Long Beach/San Pedro, there are almost no container ships in San Diego, just lots of pleasure boats. This means that the harbor is much more shallow and only the main channel is kept dredged. As we got further and further south beyond the Coronado bridge, the channel began to get more and more narrow until it seemed to be barely wide enough for two boats to pass. The chart showed only a few feet of water on each side of the channel markers so missing the marks was not an option. We put the engine in dead slow and crept along, Alan standing up so he could see and me scrunched down in the cockpit watching the depth sounder and the chart and calling out the readings. We got down to 2.3 fathoms at one point and the keel depth is about 6 feet. I think we may need to make some adjustments to the cockpit arrangement so that the person steering can also see the radar. It’s fine if you are sitting down in the cockpit, but you really need to stand to see over the cabin when you are in close quarters and then you can’t see the screen. Eventually we made it into the marina entrance and slid smoothly into our assigned berth. Wow, I would hate to do that in a fog or bad weather!
Given what it took to get here, I had expected to find either very few boats or only small power boats with a very shallow draft. Surprisingly, it was packed full with hundreds of large sailboats. Since it was after 5:00 the office was closed but the nice couple on the next boat lent us a gate key so we could get in and out. We secured the boat, hit the showers, had dinner and turned in. Tired, but far less tired that I had expected after sailing for 3 days straight and quite proud of ourselves.
This night watch was not nearly as nice as the last one. A weak wind coming from the wrong direction meant that I had to watch the tiller every minute, constant battle between finding the wind and holding the course. We were back in the shipping lanes and there were several boats around, including a brightly light cruise ship that seemed to be headed straight for me. Luckily it was going much faster than I was and passed safely in front of us. Shortly after that, a jib sheet suddenly came untied. I got Alan out of bed to help me both times, so he did not get much sleep at all. When he came officially to relieve me about 5am there was almost no wind and we were way too far north. Time to turn on the engine. We left the sails up but kept the engine on and finally made it to the Harbor Police dock about noon.
We had arranged to have a sailmaker pick up the sails to give them a through check up and put in another set of reef points. For you non-sailors, that is so we can shorten the sails in case there is a huge storm, not something that I ever want to do, but one more safety precaution. So we got to work taking the sails off with Alan carefully photographing everything as we did it. I sure hope we will be able to remember how to put them back on again. It does not look like they have ever been taken off. The ends were actually wrapped with strips of webbing sewn on. I am not quite sure how we are going to do that but I guess we will figure it out. She looks naked without her sails. Except for a few spots along the boom where the paint has rubbed off, everything seems good.
Once the sails were collected, it was time to move on. We had a reservation at California Yacht Marina, in Chula Vista at the very south end of the bay, almost to Mexico. It is run by the same company as our marina in Wilmington so we get two weeks free mooring. Unlike Long Beach/San Pedro, there are almost no container ships in San Diego, just lots of pleasure boats. This means that the harbor is much more shallow and only the main channel is kept dredged. As we got further and further south beyond the Coronado bridge, the channel began to get more and more narrow until it seemed to be barely wide enough for two boats to pass. The chart showed only a few feet of water on each side of the channel markers so missing the marks was not an option. We put the engine in dead slow and crept along, Alan standing up so he could see and me scrunched down in the cockpit watching the depth sounder and the chart and calling out the readings. We got down to 2.3 fathoms at one point and the keel depth is about 6 feet. I think we may need to make some adjustments to the cockpit arrangement so that the person steering can also see the radar. It’s fine if you are sitting down in the cockpit, but you really need to stand to see over the cabin when you are in close quarters and then you can’t see the screen. Eventually we made it into the marina entrance and slid smoothly into our assigned berth. Wow, I would hate to do that in a fog or bad weather!
Given what it took to get here, I had expected to find either very few boats or only small power boats with a very shallow draft. Surprisingly, it was packed full with hundreds of large sailboats. Since it was after 5:00 the office was closed but the nice couple on the next boat lent us a gate key so we could get in and out. We secured the boat, hit the showers, had dinner and turned in. Tired, but far less tired that I had expected after sailing for 3 days straight and quite proud of ourselves.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Day 3, Oct 3
Hooray, we made it through our first night at sea. Wed. was spent on more odd jobs and sleeping. Alan made his first noon sight with Fiona’s compass and we worked on getting good with the GPS and iNavX software on the iPad and plotting our course on the chart. Most of this day was out of sight of land. Late in the day we began to pass San Clemente on the back side. This is where the navy practices firing and bombing and there were numerous messages on the radio warning vessels to stay clear of various locations. None of them were close enough to us to worry about but we gave the island a wide berth. We finally rounded the end of the island about midnight and set what we though was a good course for San Diego. Alan went to bed and I took over. Unfortunately the wind was now coming from the wrong direction and very light and try as I might, I could not hold the course.
Hooray, we made it through our first night at sea. Wed. was spent on more odd jobs and sleeping. Alan made his first noon sight with Fiona’s compass and we worked on getting good with the GPS and iNavX software on the iPad and plotting our course on the chart. Most of this day was out of sight of land. Late in the day we began to pass San Clemente on the back side. This is where the navy practices firing and bombing and there were numerous messages on the radio warning vessels to stay clear of various locations. None of them were close enough to us to worry about but we gave the island a wide berth. We finally rounded the end of the island about midnight and set what we though was a good course for San Diego. Alan went to bed and I took over. Unfortunately the wind was now coming from the wrong direction and very light and try as I might, I could not hold the course.
Day 2, Oct 2, 2012, Tuesday
Once again a late morning so we did not leave Avalon until 2:30. It is so lovely there it is hard to leave. We spent several hours trying to find places to put things so that they will be secure and taking care of odd jobs. Around noon we finally launched the dingy and rowed ashore for a stroll through town. It is amazing how Avalon keeps its charm after all these years. It does not look very different from when I went there as a girl scout in the 50’s, except that the shops are more upscale and ice cream is $3/scoop. If you have never been there, I strongly encourage you to go. Boats leave from Long Beach and San Pedro.
We finally cast off and headed under power to the south end of the island where we picked up a good wind and raised the sails. I was starting to feel the first twinges of seasickness so I dug out a patch and stuck it behind my ear. It worked and I felt fine. Our intention is to sail out as far as we can before midnight and then turn and head for San Diego. This will give us more practice night sailing and navigating.
We haven’t quite figured out the watches yet but Alan likes to stay up late and I fall asleep after dinner and get up early, so we went with that pattern. As I fell asleep I heard Alan singing from the cockpit. He told me later that he realized that his life was set when he saw South Pacific on stage when he was 8 or 9. “You’ve got to have a dream. If you don’t have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?” and “Once you have found her, never let her go.” Listen to the sound track and you will see what he means.
I took over the helm about 3am. The night was beautiful, with a full moon and a brisk wind coming for once from the right direction. The tiller was lashed so all I had to do was keep a lookout for ships and check the compass from time to time to be sure we were still on course and log our position every hour.
Once again a late morning so we did not leave Avalon until 2:30. It is so lovely there it is hard to leave. We spent several hours trying to find places to put things so that they will be secure and taking care of odd jobs. Around noon we finally launched the dingy and rowed ashore for a stroll through town. It is amazing how Avalon keeps its charm after all these years. It does not look very different from when I went there as a girl scout in the 50’s, except that the shops are more upscale and ice cream is $3/scoop. If you have never been there, I strongly encourage you to go. Boats leave from Long Beach and San Pedro.
We finally cast off and headed under power to the south end of the island where we picked up a good wind and raised the sails. I was starting to feel the first twinges of seasickness so I dug out a patch and stuck it behind my ear. It worked and I felt fine. Our intention is to sail out as far as we can before midnight and then turn and head for San Diego. This will give us more practice night sailing and navigating.
We haven’t quite figured out the watches yet but Alan likes to stay up late and I fall asleep after dinner and get up early, so we went with that pattern. As I fell asleep I heard Alan singing from the cockpit. He told me later that he realized that his life was set when he saw South Pacific on stage when he was 8 or 9. “You’ve got to have a dream. If you don’t have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?” and “Once you have found her, never let her go.” Listen to the sound track and you will see what he means.
I took over the helm about 3am. The night was beautiful, with a full moon and a brisk wind coming for once from the right direction. The tiller was lashed so all I had to do was keep a lookout for ships and check the compass from time to time to be sure we were still on course and log our position every hour.
Day 1 Sept 30, 2012
The Voyage of the Rhapsody has begun, Sept 30, 2012. After a weekend of trying to get everything stowed as guests show up to wish us well, we cast off at 6pm and headed down the channel. A magnificent full moon rose as we headed to the oil island in Long Beach harbor and by the time we anchored it was full dark, calm with a gentle swell. We had a quick dinner and tucked ourselves into our cozy bunk, planning to get an early start.
Monday, Oct 1 our first full day. They say a lousy dress rehearsal makes a good opening night. Let’s hope we got it all out of our system. We did not get up early. The closest gas dock at Shoreline Marina was closed so we had to go all the way back to San Pedro for gas. We both got hit by the boom and i got my toes caught under the tiller. The cabin was full of stuff from the casting off party that never got put away. Although the weather was clear in the harbor there was a thick layer of sea fog just outside Angels Gate Lighthouse. And because we had spent the night on the boat and were “only going to the gas dock” we had neglected to go through our casting off check list.
We got gas and headed out into the open ocean at high noon and the neglect of the check list became an immediate problem. Not only was it foggy but there was a brisk wind. We were still under power with no sails up, no life jackets on, safety lines not out, portholes open and things crashing around in the cabin. Stupid, stupid. In the middle of the chaos, Alan’s non-Tilly hat flew off. Seemed like a good chance to practice a man-overboard drill so around and around we went. We never did get the hat and I got boomed again. Little by little we got it together and learned a couple of strong lessons. Never neglect the check list and practice man overboard drills all the time!
The sun finally came out and the wind stayed strong. We flew along at 6-7 kn. We made it to Avalon in 4 hours, which is a record for us.
Avalon is beautiful as always. The winds were calm inside the harbor and it was still warm enough at 5:00 for Alan to go for a swim after we tied up. Several other boats here are flying the HaHa flag, meaning that they are also headed for San Diego and Cabo San Lucas. Friends with a condo at Hamilton Cove had invited us for a Bon Voyage dinner and we spent a lovely evening with them.
Introduction
These are photos from building Rhapsody.
This is my story of our sailing adventures. I am Laura, a retired librarian up until now only an occasional sailor. My husband, Alan, and I are both in our late 60s. This is when one is supposed to retire from a life of adventure and settle down with grandkids and cats and long walks. But we have always done things different.
For as long as I have know Alan, he has dreamed of having his own boat and sailing it to the South Pacific. Through all the years of our married life there were boats. There was a sabot which he built with his dad when he was 12, which as far as I could tell always sailed backwards and spent most of its time under a tree in the front yard. There was Prelude, the Hobie Cat that we bought when we lived on Mt Baldy. We sailed it in Malibu, Lake Havasu, Puddingstone, Mexico and Long Beach but eventually it was parked in the garage with a broken trailer and there never seemed time to get it fixed. There were several summers when we chartered a boat and sailed to Catalina for a week. There was a season when Alan crewed on the tall ship Dirigo and carved it’s dolphin figurehead. There was Lionheart, a catboat which came and went in a year. The ill-fated Cotton Jenny that sank the first time we took her out. Little by little life went on, the kids grew up, grandkids were born, we got older and the dream of the South Pacific seemed like a childhood fantasy. But always in the background of our life was the undercurrent, “This is not my real life, I should be sailing the South Pacific”.
And then life changed. Alan’s parents died and there was some unexpected money. It was “put up or shut up” time. He put a broker to work and eventually, there was Rhapsody, the boat of his dreams. After several months of negotiations squeezed into a very busy work schedule which included a trip to Japan, she was ours. We had a sailboat.
Rhapsody is a Neriea class ketch, designed as a project boat for Rudder Magazine by L. Frances Herreshoff in 1947. I actually found copies of all of the articles at the central library in LA. She was actually built in built in 1980 in Lemon Grove, CA , about 10 mi from San Diego by Nancy and Joe Schum. They read our blog and sent us the pictures "We, and another boat builder, shared a space in an open field that is now on the side of Hwy 125. Joe lofted the hull from blueprints that a friend had bought years before. We we laid her up ourselves." (Thank heavens they decided to add fiberglass to the original plans.) She was launched in 1980 and sailed for the first time in Feb. 1981.
I will now skip over 3 years of drama and trauma, of cleaning out the house, and sorting out our finances, of taking classes. learning to sail and getting seasick, of getting to know each other all over again and learning to live and work together in very close quarters. It’s done and we are on our way, ready or not.
These are photos from building Rhapsody.
For as long as I have know Alan, he has dreamed of having his own boat and sailing it to the South Pacific. Through all the years of our married life there were boats. There was a sabot which he built with his dad when he was 12, which as far as I could tell always sailed backwards and spent most of its time under a tree in the front yard. There was Prelude, the Hobie Cat that we bought when we lived on Mt Baldy. We sailed it in Malibu, Lake Havasu, Puddingstone, Mexico and Long Beach but eventually it was parked in the garage with a broken trailer and there never seemed time to get it fixed. There were several summers when we chartered a boat and sailed to Catalina for a week. There was a season when Alan crewed on the tall ship Dirigo and carved it’s dolphin figurehead. There was Lionheart, a catboat which came and went in a year. The ill-fated Cotton Jenny that sank the first time we took her out. Little by little life went on, the kids grew up, grandkids were born, we got older and the dream of the South Pacific seemed like a childhood fantasy. But always in the background of our life was the undercurrent, “This is not my real life, I should be sailing the South Pacific”.
And then life changed. Alan’s parents died and there was some unexpected money. It was “put up or shut up” time. He put a broker to work and eventually, there was Rhapsody, the boat of his dreams. After several months of negotiations squeezed into a very busy work schedule which included a trip to Japan, she was ours. We had a sailboat.
Rhapsody is a Neriea class ketch, designed as a project boat for Rudder Magazine by L. Frances Herreshoff in 1947. I actually found copies of all of the articles at the central library in LA. She was actually built in built in 1980 in Lemon Grove, CA , about 10 mi from San Diego by Nancy and Joe Schum. They read our blog and sent us the pictures "We, and another boat builder, shared a space in an open field that is now on the side of Hwy 125. Joe lofted the hull from blueprints that a friend had bought years before. We we laid her up ourselves." (Thank heavens they decided to add fiberglass to the original plans.) She was launched in 1980 and sailed for the first time in Feb. 1981.
I will now skip over 3 years of drama and trauma, of cleaning out the house, and sorting out our finances, of taking classes. learning to sail and getting seasick, of getting to know each other all over again and learning to live and work together in very close quarters. It’s done and we are on our way, ready or not.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)