Year End Sail 2013

12/30/2013  HAPPY NEW YEAR and thank you for reading my journal.

In a way, I hesitate on posting this because those who see the beauty of our weather and ocean may all want to move here.   When we lived in Colorado as our grandchildren were growing up we saw the amazing beauty of the Rocky Mountains and the changing Fall colors there, but alas, this is about sailing in Long Beach California.  

I have mentioned my friend Fred and he and I had planned on going sailing on this beautiful Monday.   Fred brought his wife along to enjoy the day with him and that probably prompted me to ask my neighbor Marc if he wished to go out sailing with me. Marc has a boat in the slip right next to mine and is the proud owner of Reasonable Rigging.  http://reasonablerigging.com

Marc had his iPad handy and got some great pictures that I will gladly post here.

 Raising the main is something that I do each time I go out sailing, but usually I do this by myself.   Most of the time I single hand Spirit of Adventure.   The way it usually works is just outside of the breakwater with the engine running, I set the boat on a course heading directly into the wind.  With my tiller pilot connected to the tiller, I simply push one button and the boat stays on that same heading.

With the mainsail set, I head back to the cockpit.

 Once the boat is holding it's course to windward, I move forward and raise the main sail.   Note that I am wearing an auto inflating life jacket (suspenders) and that I am not harnessed to the boat.   One hand for the boat, one hand for keeping me on the boat is my usual rule.   The water is extremely calm and if I had to do this with stronger wind or waves, I would harness myself to the boat also.

 LOOK OUT!  This is a sight that you really don't want to encounter when the tanker or cargo ship is moving.   I shared with Marc that I believe it only takes about 17 minutes for one of these moving at full speed to get from the horizon to your boat.    This one (thankfully) was anchored so we could get pretty close to it with no fear.

A very scary sight when these are moving in the ocean.

 

As we enjoyed this sail, I communicated with Fred and his wife on Later Gator and we laughed at just how beautiful this end of the year sail was.   Even Sharon (Fred's wife) commented on how perfect it was for her.

Marc, owner of Reasonable Rigging.

As we returned to our slip, we were treated with a beautiful, beautiful sunset.   The perfect ending to a great day of sailing.

Sailing With Andy

12/14/2013

The weather report proclaimed that we would have winds 15-20 knots w/gusts to 40.   I sent Andy a quick text and we both agreed that it could be a real fun time for sailing.  We met at the boat around 11 AM and the wind was almost non-existent in the marina.    Andy is a new friend and the husband of Dawn who I play racquetball with on a regular basis.   This was a first for me on Spirit of Adventure because Andy is a very experienced sailor who has owned his own boat.  I knew that I would learn from him and I did.

As we left the marina we saw a few boats barely sailing and so we motored out a ways before raising the main and unfurling the jib.   Soon Andy had us moving as we headed South and out from behind the Long Beach breakwater.   It ended up being one of those perfect days for sailing with no wind over 10-12 knots.   I could tell that Andy loved sailing as much as I do.   All in all, it was a great day.

For a short video of this sail go to-  http://youtu.be/P0uH-xryajo

Alyssa and a Thanksgiving Sail

Thankgiving 2013

This Thanksgiving was a special one for us.  First we had our great niece Alyssa come over from Tempe Arizona where she is a junior at ASU (Go Sun Devils).   It was also her 21st birthday on Thanksgiving day.   We picked her up at the bus stop in Westminster late in the afternoon and drove directly to the Thanksgiving celebration at our friends home.   What a special day that was with another neat family and getting to celebrate Alyssa's birthday with 21 candles in a pumpkin pie.

Alyssa's visit included lots of time to visit, walks along Newport Beach, dinner out at her favorite place, a movie and of course (if I am posting this here) a sail on the Spirit of Adventure with Mary and myself.   Alyssa is always up for some adventure so I was pretty sure that she would enjoy the sailing.  She did!

As Alyssa said good-bye on Sunday morning, Mary and I both reflected on just how perfect this Thanksgiving was.

For a link on Alyssa's visit including our sail go to-

http://youtu.be/sl4tXobtzRI

Late November Sail

11/23/2013

After a week of off and on rain I was itching to get out and do some sailing.   I came down to the boat and had one small mend to do on my sail.   There is a pocket for holding a line that can tighten up the luff of the jib.  That line used to hang out and when I would tack, the line would sometimes get caught and eventually it ripped part of that pocket loose.   I had purchased a palm, needles, thread and beeswax to do the mending by hand.   This is a great skill that I did want to practice.   It was incredibly difficult to get the needle through the pocket and the sail even though I had a palm.  Finally I tried using the beeswax on the needle and "presto" it slid right through the the sail material.   OK, now I know.   I was just finishing the mending when Fred (Later Gator) came down and quickly readied his boat for a day sail.   I told him I would come out and "play" as soon as I could get my boat ready.   What a beautiful day!

Sail mender's palm to help push the needle through the sail.

Once I got out of the marina and got sailing, I tried to call Later Gator several times.   I heard Fred once, but then got no subsequent reply.   I looked for him for a short while and then just decided that I would enjoy the sailing by myself.  Later we found that Fred's radio wasn't working.    Fred and I always laugh because we always exclaim, "This is the best sailing we have experienced."  We say this each time we go out.   Well, today was the best, once again.

To view a video of this day's sailing go to...  http://youtu.be/22BRybEcxdI

Fair winds to you... 

Spirit of Adventure sailing fast

Last week Fred (Later Gator) and I went out for a sail each in our own boats.   Soon we were flying along and in a bit of a race.   Usually Fred out sails me and I have a hard time keeping up with him.   Now this shouldn't happen because I have a boat four feet longer than he does.   I usually just pass it off that Fred is a better sailor than I am which I really believe is true.   Well this day, I paid attention to the sails and hand steered my boat and wow did it make a difference.   It was such a fun day for both of us.   Here is some video at this Youtube link.

http://youtu.be/rL3tSGbAGjg

Radar

Yesterday I finally finished installing the radar on Spirit of Adventure.   I had bought the radar months ago and was just waiting until I had finished most of the other things on my list.   I have to admit that it was quite a challenge doing it by myself.    You have to picture me standing on a step ladder nine feet above the deck on the aft end of my boat and lifting a 25 lb object with no handles on it up above my head.   It was almost comical at times.   You see the directions included pictures with numbers by each of the pictures, but nothing written.   This was an exercise in doing it once, realizing that I had not done a crucial (How do I get wires hidden inside that tube now that I have the stand all put together and mounted?) part of the installation beforehand and then taking it apart and doing it again.   Now I have never been great with patience, HOWEVER, I am learning this quality very well now.     I am also finding that if I step back and sit down and think, I am much more creative than I ever gave myself credit for.   The solution (so far) is always there if I but give myself time to discover it.   Isn't that true in life also?
Now, some might ask (as my wife did), "Why do you really need radar?  You are not a plane."   Well, as I have mentioned at least once in this blog, much of what I am doing on Spirit is for me to be safer while single-handing Spirit while sailing distances.   Radar will help become an extra set of eyes while I am below (making a meal or sleeping come to mind first).   With radar, I can set a "guard zone" that is 15 miles or more out from my boat, in all directions, and it will sound an alarm if any other boat comes within that range of my boat.   It will not only tell me where that boat is, but it will tell me the direction and speed of the boat (ship) and most importantly, if it is heading on a course where our two craft may become too acquainted.    We used radar on our Pacific crossing and although we went for almost two weeks without seeing another vessel, it was a pleasant welcome when that alarm went off for the first time.   At 20 miles or more, one cannot even see the vessel except for the radar.   Other purposes for using the radar would include fog, rain and other weather.   The radar can look through this and can tell me where boats and the land (equally dangerous to run into) are.    Anyway, I am very happy with this device.

Spirit of Adventure with radar.

Memories 5 of 2010

In June of 2010, I flew to Hawaii and fulfilled part of a dream I had for many years.   As a young college student in Long Beach I was able to learn to sail and I can still remember as I sailed out into the ocean for the first time, thinking..."If I have a proper boat and enough water and food, I could sail across this ocean."   After owning some sailboats and finishing my teaching career, I was able to cross the ocean for the first time in a sailboat.   You can view my whole trip on a 41 minute Youtube video at this address.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tZtdF5Ol6I

Enjoy.

Contemplation

This morning as I sat down at my computer I spotted this picture and really fell in love with sailing once again.   Now this happens fairly regularly.   This picture of Spirit of Adventure and myself sailing with Catalina Island in the background says it all for me.  My boat is almost swallowed in a swell and appears as being quite small.  My boat is 34" long and is actually the largest boat I have ever owned.  Some ask me if it is not too much for me to handle by myself.  With the aid of steering devices that I have aboard, I say, "Not at all!" and really mean it.  I do love having friends aboard to sail with and my sis is the best, but everything I have done to my boat has been to assist me in single handing my boat.    My friend Webb has modified a Moore 24 and is planning on leaving for a single handed around the world trip in it.   He has sailed around the world five times by himself, so I do have faith that he can do that again.   As I contemplate where I will go with Spirit, it is hard to say right now, but I know that wherever I go, with friends or not, it will be a fun adventure.   Fair winds to you today.

Out for a sail

9/24/2013

Today was a breakthrough for me.   Yesterday, I decided that all work and no play... well you know how it goes.   I decided that for every day of working on the boat I would go sailing for at least one day.   I really only have a couple of semi-major projects left on Spirit of Adventure and I did do the nice trip with my sis, but enough is enough.   

I got to the boat in the late morning and immediately started putting stuff away in preparation for a sail.   I would single hand today which is not a big deal and is something I should be doing regularly anyway.   As I was preparing the boat, Fred (of Later Gator fame) who owns the boat almost directly behind my boat, stopped by and inquired as to what I was up to.   Within about a micro second, Fred said he would take his boat out also.   

As I pulled out, he was about 15 minutes behind me and it gave me a chance to get outside the marina and to get my sails up and sailing.   Soon, I saw him behind me and so I slowed down a bit and we began communicating on the marine channel 69.   What I soon found out was that Fred had a great camera and before I knew it, he was taking both still and video of me sailing Spirit of Adventure.

Spirit of Adventure

The wind kicked up to around 15 knots and wow did we have a blast.   It really couldn't have been a more beautiful day sailing with my friend.

I believe that Fred not only did a great job of taking pics, but we are fast becoming friends.   We are talking about an around Catalina trip that we have both been wanting to do.   We will each take our own boats and single hand in tandem with the other.   We will plan it and do it.

An other interesting thing was that Fred was in Viet Nam just after I left and he plays the guitar.

Life is great!

Fred on Later Gator

It's getting colder here.

9/9/2013  New refrigeration on Spirit of Adventure

Dometic 55 qt cooler/freezer

After the shake down trip with my sis, we found that the ice cooler was really messy and only lasted about six days.  We had bought 75# of block ice and with the food floating in the water from the melted ice, having to empty that same water regularly and with the cooler slipping and sliding all around as we sailed.  To solve this challenge,  I bought and installed a 12v/120v Dometic 55 quart refrigerator/freezer.   I anchored it down so it stays in the same place no matter what the boat is doing.   It also uses very little power.   Fred, a friend of mine on Later Gater highly recommended this and says that it is the best purchase he has made for his boat.

I bought the thermal cover for it also.

Shake Down Cruise Aug 7th-16th (Part 3)

Santa Cruz Island to Long Beach

At over 96 square miles in size and the largest island in California, Santa Cruz contains two rugged mountain ranges; the highest peaks on the islands (rising above 2,000 feet); a large central valley/fault system; deep canyons with year-round springs and streams; and 77 miles of craggy coastline cliffs, giant sea caves, pristine tidepools, and expansive beaches.

The next morning when we awoke (we arrived quite late) the other boats that we had seen, very early that morning when we anchored, had left Smuggler's Cove.   Our anchorage was beautiful and so we took that time to do some clean up from the crossing and for me to take the dinghy to shore to try and inflate it more.   I'm not sure that I ever got more air into the dinghy but I am learning how that works also.   

Soon we were motoring (no wind) along the cliffs of Santa Cruz Island and we were both impressed with the beauty of the island.   This is the same thing my sis and I had done on our last visit in my Ericson 29.   We headed toward Lady's Harbor on the NE side (the side the mainland of CA is on).  I had not looked at the Garmin to determine the distance and had estimated that it was only an hour or two up the island.

What is the date???
  I thought that this video was funny because when we are sailing, it is very difficult to keep track of what day of the week it is, let alone, the date.   It's really a factor of how we are relaxing and having fun.   The day of the week or the date are just not important.

This island has had inhabitants for over 10,000 years.   The Chumash people numbered at around 1200 here at one time.   It is a beautiful island that is now managed partly by the National Parks and also by a conservancy.  After motoring for about two hours I realized that Lady's Harbor was going to be at least another three hours ahead.   We were still pretty tired so we decided to pull in near the coastline of Santa Cruz and look for another cove to spend time in.

This cove ended up being every bit as beautiful as Lady's Harbor and the neat thing was that we had it to ourselves.   On the second day here, we began thinking about when Diana would fly out and how long it would take us to sail back to Long Beach.   We left in the afternoon of Aug 14th for the almost 100 mile trip back to Long Beach.   

Just a note here... On this trip of nine days, we ran out of water (we had a spare 10 gallons) we ran out of diesel for the engine (I will bring spare diesel after this) and we were down to just one meal left for food.   We ate great and yet I still lost eight pounds during the nine days.   Sailing overnight is really not bad and both Diana and I got quite a bit of rest on the night-time sails.  We sailed/motored over 250 miles.  The most important part of my trip was having my sis along.   The learning that happened in me was tremendous.   I hope I never stop learning.   Just as with life, when we would get in an uncomfortable place, we would feel like it was never going to end.   It would end and the beauty that awaited us was always worth a bit of being uncomfortable.   

We arrived back in Long Beach at 1:30AM on Aug 16th, the day that Diana flew home.

This is what memories are made of.  

  

Shake Down Cruise Aug 7th-16th (Part 2)

From Catalina To Santa Cruz Island 

The next morning, we began motoring toward Santa Cruz Island at 7:15 AM.   With the new battery, it seems as though our battery situation is resolved for this trip.   I want to add here that in my mind, this shake down cruise was to check out the systems I have already on the boat and to identify things that I still needed to do on Spirit of Adventure to make her more seaworthy and maybe even more comfortable.   With the help of my very patient and encouraging sis, this was accomplished.

Motoring from Catalina Island

The seas were very calm and as we left the west end of Catalina we were soon motoring in the open ocean swells.   They only averaged about 2-3 feet and were not unpleasant to motor/sail in.   I might add that from Catalina to Santa Cruz Island is 70 nm and even traveling at 5 nm/hour, it would take us at the minimum 12 hours to get there.   You may remember, that I like to sail so our crossing took us until just after 1 AM in the morning (18 hrs).   One neat thing happened as evening came on us and we began to do individual watches.   The night sky was beautiful and the Milky Way and stars were brighter than I can remember for Southern California.   As we watched the stars, meteors would slowly move across the sky.   As I sat in the cockpit, I would exclaim "Oh wow!" out loud as they fell from the heavens.   The only other time I had seen them this clear was one year back packing in the Sierra's.   Coming into this anchorage in the middle of the night with no moon was no easy thing to do.   With a combination of our depth sounder, the Garmin navigation device and both Diana and my eyes and piloting, we finally anchored on our second attempt.   I have a new rule for Spirit of Adventure to always plan landfall during the daytime.

This is a good place to add something very important.   On Spirit, I have two devices that help me sail without being at the tiller.   The first is an electronic device made by Navico and is called a tiller pilot.  The way it works is that when you don't have wind and you have to motor, you set up the tiller pilot and hook it to the tiller and then when the boat is on course, you simply push one button and the pilot will keep the boat (motoring) on that heading.   On our trip of 18 hours to Santa Cruz Island, the tiller pilot guided our boat for at least 12 of those hours.   The second device uses no electricity and is the Monitor wind vane that I described in an earlier posting.     The wind vane is able to be used (almost) anytime the boat is sailing.   The monitor sailed us on this crossing for most of the rest of the trip.   On hind sight, I could have sailed with the Monitor a lot more, but we would have been sailing farther (we would not have been able to sail straight to our destination and would have had to tack back and forth) and we would have sailed much slower than the motor could take us.   If we would have sailed, we could have each taken turns sleeping and would have arrived more rested and during daylight, the next morning.  I am learning!

Monitor wind vane working beautifully!

                            Tiller master- "amazing"

Shake Down Cruise Aug 7-16 (Part 1)

Aug 7th-16th

My sis, Diana, flew in from Colorado on Aug 6th and as soon as I picked her up from the airport we ran to two grocery stores and the Army Surplus to provision Spirit of Adventure for her first real shake down cruise.   It was so good to see my sister and since we had sailed together before, I felt super comfortable with her as my first, first mate.   We stayed on the boat in the slip that evening and sorted/stowed everything for the trip.   We would be gone for nine days.

The next morning, we awoke and did some more running around purchasing last minute items.  She had purchased a GoPro camera and we needed a 12 volt adapter for charging it.   By early afternoon, we were ready to leave, but for some reason, the batteries were dead.   We plugged back into shore power and this gave me some extra time to install my new solar panel with a charge controller.   We ended up leaving at 5PM in the afternoon and as soon as we got out of the marina, we were in a solid 10-15 knots of wind.   Diana sailed for awhile inside the breakwater and soon we had departed for Catalina Island.    Crossing saw the wind hit 15-20 knots and we flew across the 26 miles to Catalina.  I love sailing and Spirit seemed to like it also.   As I neared the island, I expected the winds to die down and yet just two miles off Spirit hit her fastest speed of the trip.   7.3 knots was more than I thought she could do.   After some more battery problems, we headed toward Avalon and spent the night on a mooring there.   Diana and I had awoken at 3:15 AM and we finally moored at just after 3:00AM the next morning.   I had stayed awake for twenty four hours!

The following morning, we waited for the solar panel to charge the batteries and then motored toward Twin Harbors.   As we passed Toyon Bay, just west of White's Landing,  we passed some great kelp beds and so we anchored there for the night.   The next morning I jumped in with the new GoPro camera and swam in some beautifully clear water.    Look at the third video to see the six foot long shark that was swimming right below me.   As soon as it realized I was above it, it shot off and was quickly gone.

This afternoon, we finally gave in and took the dinghy to Avalon and bought a new, fully charged battery.   This solved our battery problems for the rest of the trip.

Installing the Monitor Wind Vane

July 27, 2013

Wow, so much to catch up on.   Part of an adventure is doing things that you have never done before.   A Monitor Wind Vane is a device that mounts to the back of a sailboat that can help the boat steer with no one touching the tiller.   On my cruise from Honolulu to San Francisco, I would say that the Monitor, on the boat I sailed on, sailed well over 2,000 miles with very little attention given to it.   It uses no electricity and many have sailed around the world with this device helping them.

Well, when I opened the box for the Monitor, I knew right then that I needed help.   With no hesitation, I called my friend Gary and he cleared his calendar for a day at the marina.   This was a fun project, but not without some challenges.   One funny thing is that we opened the box and began spreading out all of the parts on a tarp behind Spirit of Adventure.   We started putting pieces together and soon two other boat owners came by and began giving advice on how to install the Monitor.    Even Gary and I could not agree on how to do the install.   We laughed as the other boat owners finally left and we got out the directions.

How could this thing possibly fit?

Gary was great and soon we began to study the directions and piece together the parts.  Drilling the stainless steel was really a time consuming part of the whole operation.   Slow drill with lots of pressure.   After quite a few hours, we finally completed the installation.   What a beauty!  THANKS GARY!

Monitor Wind Vane installed

PS- As a side note, the Monitor worked beautifully on our shake down cruise (next post) and relieved us from the tiller for hours at a time.   After the boat, this is one of the best purchases I have made.

Departure nears...

August 2, 2013

Wow, where to begin.   Over the last month, Mary and I have hosted both of our grand-daughters here in CA for just shy of three weeks.   We sure love them both.   Christian, the younger of the two (15) came down to the boat and helped me install some neat forest green carpet under the table and on some shelves in the v-birth area.   It really was a two person job and turned out great.  

The bow rail was broken and just floating around.  It has now been welded.

Over the last week some other accomplishments have helped make the Spirit of Adventure more ready to face the open ocean.   This next Tuesday, my sis, who loves sailing as much as I do will fly into Orange County and after stocking the food for our trip we will head out to Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands.  We will probably visit at least one other island.   We will be gone 7-8 days and it should be a great shake down cruise for the boat.

These are some pics of some of the things that have happened since the last update.

                                     

The new Dorade vent

Note the 1972 Islander insignia.

  There are so many other things like... buying a 6HP outboard for the inflatable, a whisker pole (which keeps the head sail out when going down wind), all new standing rigging (what holds the mast up), new life-lines,  the purchase of two personal floatation devices (PFD's) with built in harnesses.   I have also done an inventory on how much rope & chain I have for anchoring.   I marked the rope at 100' intervals.   I just purchased two new winches as one of the old ones (1972) was frozen and would not work.   I also just finished installing the new Garmin GPS/Chartplotter.   I had fun sanding and painting the transom (back) of the boat which took off the old name.   Tomorrow, with the help of a friend, I will attempt to install the Monitor Wind Vane.   More pics to follow.               

Table Continued

Ok, ok... so what's the big deal about a table.   Well, for one thing I didn't have a table in my boat and now I do.   The total cost was under $100 and it is starting to look nice.   Not as nice as my dad would have done, but I have already touched on that topic earlier.   If you remember in my last blog, you saw a piece of plywood (albeit nice maple plywood) and it was in the "bed" position.   Here are some current shots of it in the "table" position and it does (from my perspective) look a bit like a table.

OH YES!  I added a handrail to the inboard edge of the table and I might add, no flimsy table here!   It has two (not one) pedestal mounts and is secured to the wall where all of the bookshelves are.   I predict that it will hold up in a storm and although the rest of the boat might fall apart, that table will still be able to be held onto.   Yes, some of you with an artistic eye, may have noticed the "cute" design in the trim on each end of the table.   It currently has only two of the five coats of varnish that it will eventually get.

By the way, Mary and one of her teaching friends (Vivian) came down to the boat on the Fourth of July and we ate dinner on this very same table.   It hardly looks used even now.   Just after eating, we sat in the cockpit and watched the beautiful Long Beach fireworks.   THIS WAS MARY'S FIRST TIME TO SEE THE BOAT.    I do love my wife for letting me have my fun and perhaps eventually some adventure.

Also, this week I cleaned the bottom of the boat myself.   Mask, snorkel, fins, shorty wetsuit and a soft brush had the bottom clean in only two days.   Actually only about two hours on two different days.   I waited for 2 1/2 months and it was starting to grow things on the bottom of the boat.   From now on I will do it once a month and it should be easier.

All in all, I am getting quite pleased with how "Spirit of Adventure" is shaping up.

Below deck

Table
Ok, I am not a carpenter.   My dad was a carpenter all of his life and he ended his career as a finish cabinet maker.   His work was always beautiful and he would spend a long time just making sure it was perfect.   As I tackle the inside of my boat, I realize two things,  THE DECK IS FINALLY FINISHED!!!  As the painting came to an end, I purchased and installed new cowl vents and even did a dorade cowl vent on the forward deck.   These let air into the boat and the dorade will let air in, without allowing water to come in with the air.   Anyway, they look great and help to finish off the deck.

The one thing that my boat has been missing was a table below deck.    Where is my dad when I need him?   Well, after due consideration, I decided to build one myself.   I want it to look nice, but I also wanted it to be inexpensive (this is really a relative term at this point) and be very sturdy and functional.

This table will also lower down to make a bed in the main salon when I have crowds over for sleep-overs.   This size will be almost as large as a double bed.   Almost.    Well here it is just after I first cut it and placed it in the "down" position.   I still have a lot of work to do on this, but it does look a bit like a table.

Bed when I bought the boat.

By the way, there was a big, ugly bed in the salon when I bought the boat.   It was permanent.

Progress Not Perfection

May 23, 2013

The bow area seems to be looking quite good.

Well, some may have wondered what is happening these days.   Mary and I have been traveling and I have had to be patient with the progress on my boat.   We left for Israel early in April and I left the painter (who I shall continue calling Jim) to work while I was gone on vacation.   When I got back the work had turned into an art project and I decided to fire the artist.   Within a few days I had located a "recommended" painter and hired him to finish the deck.   Now I seem to remember reading a story by Jack London about a boat he had bought and spent a lot of money rebuilding it to go to sea.    I laughed at how he kept pouring more and more money into his rebuild.   He had the money and so he did it.   I can really identify with Jack now, however, I am not laughing quite as much when it was him doing it. Mary and I left in early May for our next adventure in traveling, this time on a small ship along the East coast of the US.   

Note the absence of  blue non-skid.   The non-skid is now a light tan.

Now this time, I had met the fellow in the slip next to my boat and he agreed to keep me posted on my new painter.   He just sent me the first pictures of the new work.   This painter is only painting the non-skid parts.   Not only is the new fellow a reliable boat painter (not an artist though) he can stay on schedule and actually do the work he says he will do.   The painting will need a bit of personal help by me when I get back, but that will be a great learning experience.   Check out some of these pictures...

Mary and I will be home at the end of the first week in June.

Memories 4

After the American 24 sailboat, came my largest and one of the best boats I will ever own.   It was an Ericson 29 that I bought in partnership with my friends Mike and Deanna.   I had been without a sailboat for a few years and I had gone to Mike to discuss this unchangeable need for another sailboat.  I don't know if I wanted him to talk me out of it, but I just shared my heart and my desire for some more adventure in my life.   We talked and within a few weeks he started sending me ads for sailboats for sale.   I then realized that he had captured my same disease and wanted to partner with me in buying a boat.   Financially, this was just what I needed and we soon found the "boat of our dreams."   It was beautiful and would sleep four.   Deanna, I believe, was equally excited and soon we were sailing the ocean blue.   They were great learners, the best of friends and were always (it seemed) up for an adventure.

 This sailboat had been kept up and was too large to trailer.   We were now introduced to renting a slip and the marina life.    We also had the monthly expense of a bottom cleaning and the haul out and bottom painting every few years.

I do believe that Mary actually liked the boat also.   Mary is a fair weather sailor and I am afraid that I (who like a good stiff wind) would sometimes get her and our son (who also suffered from mal-de-mer) into some rough weather.   They didn't like that.   Sara, our daughter, on the other hand was like me and never got sea sick.   When it got rough, she would put a few boards in the gangway and go down below to do puppet shows for the rest of us huddled into the cockpit.

Ericson 29

One summer my dad who lived in Colorado had planned on coming to California and spending a week with me sailing up to the Channel Islands.
I so looked forward to spending time with my dad and letting him experience the thrill of sailing.   He was a hard working carpenter all of his life and never joined the carpenter's union.   He had put in for vacation and even though he was 66 years old, he was still working.   One week before we were supposed to go, he called me and told me that his boss had told him that if he left, he wouldn't have a job when he got back.   He cancelled the trip.   By the next summer he had a heart attack and died at the young age of 67.   We never did take that trip together.

My sis Diana, however, did come out the next summer from Colorado and we cast off on the same trip that I would have taken with my dad.   I don't know if it was Dad helping us or not, but we had a great and safe adventure.   On the first night, my sis was extremely tired and I could not awaken her to stand watch so I just did what I had to and sailed on through the night.   Toward morning, I was falling asleep at the wheel and I began to think about all of the "what if things " that could happen in the night.   I have seldom felt fear in the ocean, but that night I did.   We could hit something and hole our boat, a whale could hit us, our mast could break and on and on.   Within a very few moments, the sun started to lighten the eastern sky.   Just then a small group of dolphin came out of the darkness and frolicked around and around me.   I got the overwhelming sense that my dad had sent them to let me know that everything would be just fine and that "maybe" he was along for the fun.

Painting the deck

April 28, 2013

Ok, ok... I am getting it.   When I want something done by someone other than myself, I should plan on it taking twice as long as I thought or was promised and as to the price,  I should just double that also.   After getting a very high recommendation from the person who sold me my boat and had his boat's deck painted by this person, I hired him to do my deck also.    Now, I know that the deck was way too much for me to handle and that I wouldn't have even invited anyone I know on the boat with the deck the way it was.   I will call this person Jim.    Jim's paint job, on the boat that I looked at, was eight years old and still looked like new.

Jim went to work on April 4th and he assured me that by the time we got back from our two week trip, the job would be finished (barring bad weather).   Mary and I flew off to Israel and I believed that I had won the jackpot for both getting to travel with my wife and also getting my deck painted while I was away.   

Now I have learned a long time ago not to pay a lot up front and to always hold back what I would need to finish the job.    We had agreed on a total price with materials before I hired Jim.

When we got back (no bad weather here in CA) the job was about half done and more materials (of course) needed to be purchased.
My boat looked like a big taco all wrapped up with tape and paper.   My marina neighbors were getting a bit nervous but assured me that Jim had not (yet) painted their boat with over-spray.   The guy on one side of me was kind of hoping that a good wind would blow a bunch of paint onto his boat as it really needed a paint job.    He had it planned how he would turn his boat in the slip so that both sides would get done.

Big taco... Wrapped!

I have to admit that the old flaky, cracked paint was disappearing and Jim was making everything look smooth if not shiny.    Someone told me that he was an artist and that you must not rush an artist.   Let me just say here that I am retired, with (except for traveling) pretty much unlimited time (unless I die first).   That saying, "What? Me Worry?" and Bob Marley's  "Don't worry, be happy!"  Ran through my head and I decided to just let the artist work.

Nice job!

4/1- 4/2, 2013

Old bottom paint or lack thereof

New bottom paint

After some adjustment with the boat yard, I drove to the boat yard and was pleasantly surprised to see that they were putting my boat back into the water.   I had told the owner and he had repeated back that he knew that I wanted to see the work done before it was four feet under water.   Wow, was I pleased.   If you have read my last post, you know that they painted the bottom (two coats) with the wrong color blue.   The owner of the yard assured me that it would be re-painted green as I had agreed upon and directed.   I am so happy that I went with green.   What do you think?

I asked John who was in charge of the yard if they had just added one green coat or two?   He said that they had added two more coats of the green.    Once in the water, I motored back to Long Beach and as it was getting late, I only had a chance to hose and scrub off the boat yard grime that had accumulated on the deck.

The more I fix up this boat, the more beautiful I think she is.

Today (Tuesday) the fellow that had been recommended to paint the deck stopped by and after some haggling, we agreed on a price.   The work will be done during the two weeks that Mary and I are out of the country on a trip to Israel.

Boat Yard

3/29/2013-  I awoke early this morning and decided to drive the 30 miles to where I was having the boat yard work on my boat.   I had gotten no call backs and had left quite a few messages.    As I pulled into the yard, I was pleasantly surprised to see my boat being worked on and in fact the bottom had already been prepped and painted.   The owner had written down all of the things that I wanted done, but I could see right away that they had painted the bottom blue instead of green.   The owner quickly apologized and said that it would be green the next time I saw it.   The rest of the work was proceeding and some of it was actually done.  As I spoke to Jr., one of the workers, he took notes and said that all of the work would be done by Monday after Easter.   I was once again happy and my schedule seems back on track.

 

Memories 3

American 24

3/24/2013-
After quite a few years of belonging to the Aqua Cat group the club just kind of dissolved. We sold our Aqua Cat and within a short time, that itch to own another boat was soon upon me.   This time I found a neat little boat with a fixed keel and it was trailerable.   Our poor van did suffer a few clutches as I traveled and launched the boat.   Some memorable trips were going to Catalina Island with my daughter, my sister, her daughter (Deana) and another girlfriend of my daughters.    We spent three or four days in Avalon harbor and everyone had a blast.   Can you imagine, five of us living on a twenty four foot boat?   Another time, I launched from Oxnard, CA with a person that I didn't even know (he was a friend of a friend who wanted to go) we headed to Santa Cruz Island with another sailboat.   The other boat was owned by a fellow teacher and his wife.   For those who don't know, it gets very windy as you cross to Santa Cruz Island.   Within about two miles of the island, the winds were hitting in the high 20's and we had lost sight of our friends boat.   We just kept on and within a short time, we were snuggled into a beautiful little cove that was very protected.   We radioed and radioed for our friends and could not get an answer.   After several more hours, we reported them missing to the Coast Guard.   Later, we found that they had actually turned around when they were within a few miles of Santa Cruz Island and sailed all of the way back to Oxnard.   They never got to Santa Cruz.   One last memory was when I was teaching middle school  and I would choose students to go to Catalina or San Diego on the boat.   On one trip I had chosen two students and with my family aboard, we sailed to San Diego.   The kids were great and they kept regular watches during the night as we sailed.   Upon finding a berth in San Diego, we all walked over to Sea World and had an amazing day there.   These are the things that memories are made from.

Haul Out & Bottom Paint

3/21/2013

I slept on the boat last night so that I didn't have to join the working bunch on the 22 & 405 freeways.

I am impressed at the Long Beach Marina and how clean the boat owners restrooms & showers are.  After a quick shower and some breakfast, I readied the boat and motored over the Cabrillo Boat Yard for my boat's first bottom painting.  (Do you think it needs it?)   I am having them plug up the two holes that have been used for the head as I will be installing a brand new composting head.   It seems that you seldom have to empty it (maybe once every three to six months) and the only smell you get from it is that of soil.   I have read everything I can about this and everyone thinks it is great.   I am taking away two holes on the port side of my boat and adding one (sea water intake) on the starboard side so that I can have salt water pumped on demand into one of my two sinks.  Washing dishes and things like that will be done with salt water and then I will just rinse them quickly with fresh water.   This should conserve fresh water.   I am also changing the colors of my boat from blue to green.   I just like green.

   I am also changing the name of the boat from Aeroskobing (a small town in Denmark???) to Spirit of Adventure.   Believe it or not, I was at Disneyland.  We were going through the Lincoln exhibit and their were small statues of things that make Americans great.   One was a sailor at a wheel during a storm.   Under that statue was the name, "Spirit of Adventure".   Anyway, I'll bet you would agree that it is better than the name my boat currently has.

Memories 2

 Aqua Cat- 12 ft long

                                                              Note- Mary, second from left

After the Marine Corp, I decided to not return to Colorado and to stay here in California.   By that time, I had met the girl of my dreams and got engaged after three weeks and married after only knowing her for three months.   Mary was a school teacher and she and her friends encouraged me to do the same.   As a high school drop out, the idea of me being able to graduate from college came slowly.   I graduated without honors, but I did graduate.   Our son and later, our daughter were born and soon we we owned a small catamaran and joined a sailing club.  What fun we all had with the kids learning to sail right along side of us.