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.