Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Second Go-Round
We had an incredible 4th of July week in North Carolina with the Miles Fam East. After only a few days of being home, we wanted to get back on the boat and head to Catalina Island again. Now that I had my list of items to outfit the boat better, it would be more comfortable living. I packed only half of what I packed the first time, and we were all anxious & set to go.
On Friday the 10th, the doc said I had bronchitis, so we decided to get one definitely good nights' sleep at home, and leave early on Saturday the 11th. That was the first of many setbacks, and maybe we should've taken it as a sign.
Once at the dock, we discovered that the new GPS and radar had been installed. Fantastic! We took awhile getting the dinghy back up on the lower cockpit (davits, davits!) and set sail. Er...motor. It was a gorgeous day, and I slathered Trader Joes' SPF 30 all over the girls and myself. Quinn had a mild facial sunburn from the crossing last time and it broke my heart. I wasn't going to let that happen again.
It was a very windy day, and we were going against it. Just as we were heading out of the breakwater, the snaps on the bimini canvas started releasing where it attaches to the radar arch. Was it because of the work installing the radar? We stopped mid-way and tried to climb around the dinghy to get them re-attached. Underway again.
Whoa, stop! Now we're losing an oar, because it snapped out of its holder. Idle again, fix it, get underway again.
It really is a beautiful day, but now Larry is feeling a little bit of my ailment- head is full, headache, congestion and some coughing. Should we go back? No, press on.
And then the canvas starts coming off completely. Stop again.
We look at each other. Maybe this is just not the time to go? Nah...we're going ahead. It's probably the most beautiful day on the water that we had seen, and the kids are happy & asleep!
We decided to tie down the bimini completely and run under the sun. I had hats, coats & blankets covering every centimeter of skin on the girls. I had a much better hold on the girls- Quinn decided to fall asleep facing out, sitting in my lap, which gave my right arm a huge rest. Shea had her legs up on the couch and was leaning against me. There really isn't a better feeling than that. My girls were snoozing, and cuddling up. The sun was out, and the breeze was perfectly comfortable. To boot, we were moving at a much faster clip and we would get there even faster. Not that I minded. I was in heaven.
A Saturday arrival in the summer is being a bit hopeful at the first-come-first-serve moorings. It took a long time for the Harbormaster to get back to us to assign us a spot. We saw a sailboat heading out - Lionheart- about 35 feet. Excellent! We were almost able to grab his spot when they told us they'd rather us head to 4th of July Cove. No problem...it's beautiful there and we could still take the dinghy to shore. We had promised Shea a lot of time in the sand and a stint at Tucker Playground.
The wind was crazy strong. The current was travelling fast. We crept up on our mooring and BOOM. There goes the port engine. Larry runs back: "Did you turn it off!?" Unfortunately no, I didn't. Nor did Shea, who loves to fiddle with keys of all sorts. With the current, the hauser was floating near the surface and got tangled up in kelp (so we couldn't see it floating there.) We fouled the prop. Really? Took a better look: Nope. We fouled both props.
Argh. This is just after we completely overhauled them, including replacing the interior shaft of one of the screws. Please no. At least the head works great. Isn't that the most important thing (besides no hole in the hull?) It *should* work great, since we had just replaced all freshwater pumps & motors prior to our maiden voyage a couple of weeks ago.
Good news: We're technically being held in place, which is nice when you have zero motor power (and no sail.) And we also dropped anchor for added security. Bad news: The windlass is not working, so Larry hand-over-hand dropped (and raised) the anchor. Also, my dive gear is not on the boat so we had to hire a diver to release the lines. Good thing he came because the tension on the lines was so strong, I wouldn't have been able to do a thing. Half an hour's work is $83. Hmm...The $28 mooring is not looking so cheap anymore. The guys arrive, they're great,- -we're their 10th boat of the day- and they strangely refuse a Stella Artois. What? I determined they weren't human.
We took a little boat ride into the Isthmus. Shea screamed "I LOVE MY BOAT!" We had plenty of sand toys, plenty of swim diaps, and couldn't wait to get our toes in. Q spent most of her beach time crawling up the rental shop ramp over & over again. It was wearing her out, which made me very happy. Shea had sand e v e r y w h e r e. Forget wipes. I took her to the showers and held her up high until she was declared fit for clothes again.
We met a nice couple from Manhattan Beach- Jim & Julie Mays. They had a cute little tank of a son named Palmer. Turns out Palmer was born only three days earlier than Q...in the same hospital! They gave us a great tip to help Q get used to her life vest: really crank up the crotch strap tight so that it brings the vest away from the chin. Guess what- ever since then, Q does not mind her jacket at all. I wish I got their contact info so I could personally thank them. It makes life on the boat much for pleasant for everyone. Hopefully we'll see them at the Isthmus again and we can buy them a Buffalo Milk.
We had dinner at the snack shack on the Reef patio, and the kids headed to bed early. We never made it to Tucker Playground- SHHHhhhh don't tell Shea. Next time!
We were so glad we didn't turn around- the trip was turning out to be a very good one. Until we realized we couldn't sit at the table in the lower cockpit because of the howling wind. We persevered, and both of us huddled into the corner with a blanket and gave each other shelter. I poured a little Charisma into Larry's glass and the wind took it from the starboard side, clear across to the boat and hit the cockpit fridge. Now THAT is strong wind, and a complete waste of Charisma. Next on the must-get list: New camper canvas. Pronto.
Our mooring had us separate from everyone, and our view was of a gorgeous cliff with little caves and a teeny beach at the base. Kayakers would rest there for a perfect view of Ship Rock and Bird Rock. We felt nearly isolated at that mooring- Echo 10- and you didn't see other boats until you peeked around the radar arch. At night the stars were out like crazy and it made the peek around the arch feel like I was looking out at a European coastal town, full of ships, good food, lights & sounds. We turned on the fish lights (newly installed a month ago) and it was a great view of bright blue shining up through the kelp.
We slept so soundly that night, and had planned for a 10am departure. It was simply gorgeous in the morning, and the wind had died down. What a great morning. Larry uses the head and when he flushes I hear a terrible WHIR WHIRR WHIRRRRR, sort of like you get when you run the garbage disposal with a spoon in it. Uh-oh. Some coins fell out of his pocket and jammed the motor. TIME TO GO HOME!! I made Anna Coffee, and Larry went to shore for omelets. We soon pulled anchor and headed back.
We had an incredible crossing back, probably the best one I have ever had in my 10 years of going to the island. It was vibrant blue, warm, slightly breezy, super-flat, and we made it back in record time. We saw some mola sunning, and a sea lion just hanging out in the middle of the channel, belly up. Probably getting some sun on him to kill the algae. Coming back in, The Long Beach Sea Festival was in full swing and the bay was full of competitors and spectators. It was a busy beautiful day on the water.
Later, Dave & Barbara came down and Barbara actually went out on the bay with us. Cooper came too.
Now we can't wait to go again. After the head is fixed.
On Friday the 10th, the doc said I had bronchitis, so we decided to get one definitely good nights' sleep at home, and leave early on Saturday the 11th. That was the first of many setbacks, and maybe we should've taken it as a sign.
Once at the dock, we discovered that the new GPS and radar had been installed. Fantastic! We took awhile getting the dinghy back up on the lower cockpit (davits, davits!) and set sail. Er...motor. It was a gorgeous day, and I slathered Trader Joes' SPF 30 all over the girls and myself. Quinn had a mild facial sunburn from the crossing last time and it broke my heart. I wasn't going to let that happen again.
It was a very windy day, and we were going against it. Just as we were heading out of the breakwater, the snaps on the bimini canvas started releasing where it attaches to the radar arch. Was it because of the work installing the radar? We stopped mid-way and tried to climb around the dinghy to get them re-attached. Underway again.
Whoa, stop! Now we're losing an oar, because it snapped out of its holder. Idle again, fix it, get underway again.
It really is a beautiful day, but now Larry is feeling a little bit of my ailment- head is full, headache, congestion and some coughing. Should we go back? No, press on.
And then the canvas starts coming off completely. Stop again.
We look at each other. Maybe this is just not the time to go? Nah...we're going ahead. It's probably the most beautiful day on the water that we had seen, and the kids are happy & asleep!
We decided to tie down the bimini completely and run under the sun. I had hats, coats & blankets covering every centimeter of skin on the girls. I had a much better hold on the girls- Quinn decided to fall asleep facing out, sitting in my lap, which gave my right arm a huge rest. Shea had her legs up on the couch and was leaning against me. There really isn't a better feeling than that. My girls were snoozing, and cuddling up. The sun was out, and the breeze was perfectly comfortable. To boot, we were moving at a much faster clip and we would get there even faster. Not that I minded. I was in heaven.
A Saturday arrival in the summer is being a bit hopeful at the first-come-first-serve moorings. It took a long time for the Harbormaster to get back to us to assign us a spot. We saw a sailboat heading out - Lionheart- about 35 feet. Excellent! We were almost able to grab his spot when they told us they'd rather us head to 4th of July Cove. No problem...it's beautiful there and we could still take the dinghy to shore. We had promised Shea a lot of time in the sand and a stint at Tucker Playground.
The wind was crazy strong. The current was travelling fast. We crept up on our mooring and BOOM. There goes the port engine. Larry runs back: "Did you turn it off!?" Unfortunately no, I didn't. Nor did Shea, who loves to fiddle with keys of all sorts. With the current, the hauser was floating near the surface and got tangled up in kelp (so we couldn't see it floating there.) We fouled the prop. Really? Took a better look: Nope. We fouled both props.
Argh. This is just after we completely overhauled them, including replacing the interior shaft of one of the screws. Please no. At least the head works great. Isn't that the most important thing (besides no hole in the hull?) It *should* work great, since we had just replaced all freshwater pumps & motors prior to our maiden voyage a couple of weeks ago.
Good news: We're technically being held in place, which is nice when you have zero motor power (and no sail.) And we also dropped anchor for added security. Bad news: The windlass is not working, so Larry hand-over-hand dropped (and raised) the anchor. Also, my dive gear is not on the boat so we had to hire a diver to release the lines. Good thing he came because the tension on the lines was so strong, I wouldn't have been able to do a thing. Half an hour's work is $83. Hmm...The $28 mooring is not looking so cheap anymore. The guys arrive, they're great,- -we're their 10th boat of the day- and they strangely refuse a Stella Artois. What? I determined they weren't human.
We took a little boat ride into the Isthmus. Shea screamed "I LOVE MY BOAT!" We had plenty of sand toys, plenty of swim diaps, and couldn't wait to get our toes in. Q spent most of her beach time crawling up the rental shop ramp over & over again. It was wearing her out, which made me very happy. Shea had sand e v e r y w h e r e. Forget wipes. I took her to the showers and held her up high until she was declared fit for clothes again.
We met a nice couple from Manhattan Beach- Jim & Julie Mays. They had a cute little tank of a son named Palmer. Turns out Palmer was born only three days earlier than Q...in the same hospital! They gave us a great tip to help Q get used to her life vest: really crank up the crotch strap tight so that it brings the vest away from the chin. Guess what- ever since then, Q does not mind her jacket at all. I wish I got their contact info so I could personally thank them. It makes life on the boat much for pleasant for everyone. Hopefully we'll see them at the Isthmus again and we can buy them a Buffalo Milk.
We had dinner at the snack shack on the Reef patio, and the kids headed to bed early. We never made it to Tucker Playground- SHHHhhhh don't tell Shea. Next time!
We were so glad we didn't turn around- the trip was turning out to be a very good one. Until we realized we couldn't sit at the table in the lower cockpit because of the howling wind. We persevered, and both of us huddled into the corner with a blanket and gave each other shelter. I poured a little Charisma into Larry's glass and the wind took it from the starboard side, clear across to the boat and hit the cockpit fridge. Now THAT is strong wind, and a complete waste of Charisma. Next on the must-get list: New camper canvas. Pronto.
Our mooring had us separate from everyone, and our view was of a gorgeous cliff with little caves and a teeny beach at the base. Kayakers would rest there for a perfect view of Ship Rock and Bird Rock. We felt nearly isolated at that mooring- Echo 10- and you didn't see other boats until you peeked around the radar arch. At night the stars were out like crazy and it made the peek around the arch feel like I was looking out at a European coastal town, full of ships, good food, lights & sounds. We turned on the fish lights (newly installed a month ago) and it was a great view of bright blue shining up through the kelp.
We slept so soundly that night, and had planned for a 10am departure. It was simply gorgeous in the morning, and the wind had died down. What a great morning. Larry uses the head and when he flushes I hear a terrible WHIR WHIRR WHIRRRRR, sort of like you get when you run the garbage disposal with a spoon in it. Uh-oh. Some coins fell out of his pocket and jammed the motor. TIME TO GO HOME!! I made Anna Coffee, and Larry went to shore for omelets. We soon pulled anchor and headed back.
We had an incredible crossing back, probably the best one I have ever had in my 10 years of going to the island. It was vibrant blue, warm, slightly breezy, super-flat, and we made it back in record time. We saw some mola sunning, and a sea lion just hanging out in the middle of the channel, belly up. Probably getting some sun on him to kill the algae. Coming back in, The Long Beach Sea Festival was in full swing and the bay was full of competitors and spectators. It was a busy beautiful day on the water.
Later, Dave & Barbara came down and Barbara actually went out on the bay with us. Cooper came too.
Now we can't wait to go again. After the head is fixed.
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