Monday, September 29, 2008

Video Madness!

Finally, our video is up! Here is our video, in three parts. Hope you enjoy it. We'd love to hear your comments.





Wednesday, September 3, 2008

VIDEO

Hi everyone. I have edited together some of our video footage from the trip and will have it posted here shortly. I just need to learn to whole youtube embedding thing first. Keep an eye out.

Rich

Monday, August 25, 2008

Return trip photo annual

The wheels are turnin' in our brains, but only enough to choose worthy photos. We will update with chatter about the trip home soon. Not much to say.

Observations will most likely consist of wild discoveries like, for instance, ohhhhh perhaps why one shouldn't read "Life of Pi" while on board a lifeboat sized sailboat with one other person. Luckily Rich wasn't Indian, i am not French, and both of us read "Call of the Wild" on the way home, so Tigers and/or Hyenas no longer frighten us in the slightest anyway, while Buck on the other hand...

We did have a Zebra (little bird) land unceremoniously on our boat; so that no one else asks us (i've had more questions about that bird than anything else), it was "Call of the WILD-ED". That means you place the animal, gingerly, on the side of the boat and thereby give it a choice. Either jump in the ocean or to stay on board with us. The idiot jumped.


This was our last view of Hawaii, Hanalei Bay on N Kauai coast. How in the hell are we supposed to leave when this is our last anchorage? You don't, and delay delay delay.



The first week out was rough. 15-25 knot winds out of the ENE, NE, or NNE, and we had to go due North for the first 8 days. I did not enjoy those days.




While sailing upwind the lurching, while more violent, is also more predictable. See mom, brushing my teeth with NO HANDS. Inevitably you crash.

Bow birth was a no go zone. All the upwind sailing meant that our minor leaks in the front became major irritants. Everything was soaked the whole trip home.






Some cool shots.


The north Pacific Albatrosse is one of the most incredible birds in flight. They absolutely scream along the waves, just inches from the water, swooping in and out of the swell and wind waves. Very impressive.


We named him "bird". Poor thing crash landed and was stuck with us for 3 days. However we finally decided it was cruel to subject it to the cramped quarters of Mr Perfect and set it free.


The GPS, on average, would stop working every 3 days or so. We found that if you stare at it and push buttons for an extended period it may start to work. Or it may not. Luckily we did have a back up.




Captain, looking serious. 24 days at sea doesn't make you crazy, does it?
Prune hands develop over time.
This was my view every time it was time to switch watches. How do you wake a man up that is sleeping that heavily? Don't worry, my conscience is clear.




In 38 degrees latitude (this dorky free Sailing mag from San Fran) some woman posted a photo of herself, naked, strumming a Ukulele in their boat. So if you think i'm weird, think again!
Lucky Rich. He had to see me in my underwear pretty much every day that was sunny. I finally did a wash. Most of our stuff was wet all the time as well, so once we were sailing downwind again we were able to dry out our stuff for the time being.




First view of land, juxtaposed with first realization Rich and I had that the motor won't run, we have no wind, we are almost home and now we have to sit here and wait for wind. We aren't happy, and neither slept for 30hrs at this point.



Picture of our sunrise while in the shipping lane. Also a lovely "reflective" photo of our route of drifting around the lane.


This was our view for the entrance to the Juan De Fuca. No motoring required for the entire trip home. Entrance to Juan De Fuca, wind dies, motor won't start, stuck in shipping lane for 12 hrs, then the current kept dragging us backwards out to sea again.




After we fixed the engine we were, understandably, very happy. The sunset was an added bonus.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Home Sweet Home

Hi everyone! Rich here. Just a quick note right now to say that we arrived at our slip in the Point Roberts Marina at 9:30 Sunday morning to the applause of friends and family and a couple of bottles of champagne to help with the land legs. Thanks to everyone who came out to see us in. Down to the last mile there was still some uncertainty that we would actually get in as a thunder storm passed directly overhead when we were 3 miles out. Watching the lightning bolt down within a few miles of our ungrounded boat all that was running through my head was "at least we're covered by our insurance policy here!" Even inside the marina we almost got broad sided by a big power boat! (their fault, as it always is in the eyes of sailors). Anyway, we obviously have lots of stories to tell about the speedy return crossing (like the whale and the bird and the engine) and photos to post and will be sharing those with you in the near future. Right now Jeff and I are heading over to Vancouver Island to crash the Albin Vega rendezvous!

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Home!

the guys made it back to Point Roberts, their starting point, this morning at 930am! stay tuned for posts by the sailors themselves... yay!

Friday, August 15, 2008

Close, Yet Far

two texts from rich:

to mom trawick:
"“outboard not running lite wind and adverse current. Waiting 4 tide change 2 sail into Neah Bay 2 repair. ETA?”

to me, lyndsay:

"NO IDEA ETA. STUCK IN SAME PLACE 4 HRS. MAY NEED TOW IN TO NEAH BAY ONCE WE GET THERE. RIGHT NOW ADRIFT IN SHIPPING LANE. STRESSFUL!"


close yet far!!!

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

A Little Bird

A text from Rich: "LS I forgot to tell u i found small bird on cockpit floor early this AM. still alive but hurt or tired.its hiding out in small cave between gas can and icebox cover."

and another one later: "Bird is still here. I've checked him over nothing broken but think he has head injury all we can do is give him a place to try to recover"

A small bird finding Mr.Perfect in the middle of the ocean--- pretty amazing isn't it???