Sunday, June 29, 2008
250 MILES and NO WIND
The boys are at a bit of a standstill, roasting in hot weather as they attempt to inch their way towards Maui! "250 miles left to Maui and there's no wind, sea is like glass. Currently motoring through the heart of the tradewinds! Damn U Neptune. SO HOT" writes Rich!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
About One Week Away!
Our boys will be in Hawaii in about a week or so! Beth and Aleck Trawick (also known as Mom and Dad) will be joining us all in Maui as well! Can't wait!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
SIGN THE GUESTBOOK!
rich has asked me to add a guestbook to this blog, so if you scan your eyes slightly to the right you will see a little linkeroo that will take you to a guestbook! for those who aren't on gmail or don't have the capacity/desire to sign up in order to comment, feel free to comment away at the old guestbook! most recent satellite texts from rich read as follows: "THINGS GETNG BETR ON BOAT. SLEEPNG BETR N GETTING USED TO DOING SLOWLY N CAREFUL N DEALING W LURCHING. WERE BOTH BECOMING EASYGOING". (please note that proper grammar is difficult in the satellite texting world due to 160 CHARACTERS MAXIMUM issue.) and another recent one:
"MADE GLICO CURRY 4 DIN LST NITE. DLISH!"
"MADE GLICO CURRY 4 DIN LST NITE. DLISH!"
Friday, June 20, 2008
Middle Of Ocean...
i talked to rich on wednesday! 8 minutes worth of satellite phone, i could hear wind and waves in the background, wasn't the best connection but nice to talk to him. here's where they are now:
Thursday, June 12, 2008
NO Friday the 13th departure!!!!!
WE LEAVE TODAY!!!!! Thursday.
Seeing as it's bad luck to leave on a voyage on a Friday (sailor superstition) AND this Friday is the 13th, luck would have it that our weather fax radio showed up TODAY, so we can leave ASAP.
The SPOT works till approx 200 to 300 miles offshore, so there will be about 10 days where Lindsay will have to be updating our position via google earth through our sat phone text messages.
No bad weather to be expected off this part of California too, it's all North of us, passed San Fran. Suckers.
Wish us luck...not that we need it, we have Rich.
Lee Jefferson out
p.s. we have an american cell phone now, which should work for most of this afternoon and evening, as well as the whole time we are in Hawaii. Cell number is 1-808-214-0837. No long distance roaming for us, this is the USA, and their cell phone plans KILL ours.
Seeing as it's bad luck to leave on a voyage on a Friday (sailor superstition) AND this Friday is the 13th, luck would have it that our weather fax radio showed up TODAY, so we can leave ASAP.
The SPOT works till approx 200 to 300 miles offshore, so there will be about 10 days where Lindsay will have to be updating our position via google earth through our sat phone text messages.
No bad weather to be expected off this part of California too, it's all North of us, passed San Fran. Suckers.
Wish us luck...not that we need it, we have Rich.
Lee Jefferson out
p.s. we have an american cell phone now, which should work for most of this afternoon and evening, as well as the whole time we are in Hawaii. Cell number is 1-808-214-0837. No long distance roaming for us, this is the USA, and their cell phone plans KILL ours.
SNOOZ-FEST TECH TALK
Hi Everybody!
First of all I have to take the opportunity to say thanks to all the great people in Monterey. This has got to be the only touristy town I've been to where there is no resentment towards tourists by the locals. Everyone has been incredibly hospitable and accommodating. Specifically, the crew of Mr. Perfect owes a huge debt of gratitude to Craig, a fellow Vegatarian in Monterey, Master of the mighty Tern, a real beaut of a '72 Vega. For any other Vegatarians out there, he says he is going to try to fly up to Maple Bay for the rendevous. Buy him a beer, he deserves it! Also, if anyone is ever in the Monterey area and need ANYTHING boat related, definitely go to Quarterdeck marine. It is shocking how nice the staff is and the lengths to which they go to get you the part. Definitely a huge difference from the typical West Marine experience (or worse yet, the gong show at Steveston Marine in Vancouver--minus the real nice older guy who works the hardware section).
In case anyone is wondering, we sheared the tapered stainless steel pin that is part of the rudder head attachment (it looked like classic stainless corrosion, but obviously wasn't helped any by the incessant yarding we were doing during the San Fran gale) and had to get a replacement, which Quarterdeck sourced and brought in the next morning. If you own a Vega and have a bit of play in your tiller, check this pin! It seems to be a common source of failure as Craig's turned out to be in two pieces when he removed his to get a measurement off of.
Tech: I've had a number of people asking me about the technical aspects of the trip and boat, so I'll do a quick once over here. Given that Jeff's posting is such a comedic powerhouse and covers most of the experiential aspects of the trip (with the exception of mentioning his "nudist" morning the I woke up to during our first day in California), I'll spend a bit of time going over the particulars.
The Boat: Mr. Perfect (our boat) is a 1971 Albin Vega (number 813), which is a robust Swedish made offshore pocket cruiser that is proving itself well worthy of this trip. I chose the Vega partly because of it's excellent reputation in print (see John Vigor's "20 small boats to take you anywhere") and partly because the surveyor I hired to go over a Contessa 26 I was interested in suggested, after discovering boat pox (among other problems), "why don't you get a Vega, they're better built, stronger, faster and more spacious. My friend just got back from circumnavigating a Vega and loved it." After hearing this and reading the book "Bersek" about a total nut named Jarle who sailed his Vega from Norway around Cape Horn (solo) and then to Antarctica (!!!!) when he was 19 years old (which EVERYONE should read if they can find it), I was sold! So I started hunting for Vegas and found a real deal in Galveston TX and ended up towing the boat back up to Vancouver (Point Roberts to be exact) on a trailer behind a 2500 turbo diesel pick-up (it's a long story...). Mr. Perfect had had all the regular Vega deficiencies taken care of (beefed up compression post, mild steel paddles in rudder replaced with stainless, bulkheads glassed in, chainplate angle iron replaced with 316 stainless steel) along with all new standing and running rigging, spars and sails (full batten main, to which I added a third reef point and triple stitching, storm jib, 110 working jib, 150 genoa and a screwball tri-sail which is easily 2/3 the size of the main and the reason I added the 3rd reef). All this stuff was added new in 2004 when the previous owner sailed a bit too close to a navigational piling in Pensacola Florida, caught a shroud and ripped the rig right off! Thankfully he was decently insured and his insurance paid for good quality stuff (American Rolly Tasker sails, US Spars mast and boom, and full sta-lok terminals on the wires).
The boat itself doesn't look like much, with a strange gray paint job that was shoddily done and a home-job interior that was obviously not done by a master carpenter, but everything works (almost) and it is STRONG. It will likely remain an ugly duckling for some time as my focus is more on strength and safety than cosmetics. In terms of safety, the boat carries a new Cat 2 GPS integrated EPIRB (McMurdo) mounted on the main bulkhead, a 6 man Plastimo Offshore liferaft that has recently been fully serviced, an extensively stocked grab bag with food, fishing gear, spacebankets, flares, VHF, handheld water desalinator, water, multi-tool, etc..., a well stocked (albeit, not extensive) first aid kit, our handy little SPOT which doubles as an emergency beacon, and a rented satellite phone for keeping in touch with friends and family and calling the coast guard if we ever need to. Aside from this safety gear, virtually the only other stuff that the boat has is a depth sounder, Garmin 182c GPS chart plotter, garmin handheld, si-tex weatherfax ssb receiver, simrad tiller pilot and our trusty Navik self steering vane. Oh yeah, and we're "off the grid" thanks to two 75 watt Shell solar panels bolted to the coach roof (power has never been a problem).
Mods to the boat, besides the stuff listed above, include the removal of the inboard engine and replacement with an outboard, the removal of the fixed head and replacement with a porta-potti (which has yet to be used--we use a bucket in the cockpit when at sea, but the advantage is that there are 2 less thru-hulls in the boat), removal of the 2 burner stove and replacement with a one burner Force 10 fully gimballed sea-swing stove. All in all the accommodations are pretty spartan but they work, providing us a place to sleep and eat in comfort.
Handling: We've now got almost 1000 miles under our belts since leaving Point Roberts and are getting to know the boat's character pretty well. Overall the boat is really fun to sail, being responsive and fast (for an old full keeler). Up wind it won't win any races with it's pointing abilities (it's not awful either), but it likes to lock in when you get the sails balanced and will track a straight line for miles. Off the wind is where this boat shines. We've found that at about 100 t0 120 degrees apparent, with the main reefed or spilled a bit and the head sail properly trimmed, we can easily maintain 6 to 7 kts of boat speed if there is enough wind. Add to this some surfing down the bigger waves and you can get 11 or 12 kts on the GPS. Our max speed to date, and hopefully for the trip, that is logged on our GPS is 17.5 kts. This was the unintentional result of getting caught just at the right point on a large cresting wave and getting carried down the face a little too fast! After this we put out our warps consisting of two 150' anchor lines attached by a 10' lenth of 1/2" chain, and 2 other long loops made up of extra sheets, docking line etc. Trailing the warps really worked well in that it held the boat back enough to allow the waves that would have carried it to pass by. In 40kt winds, we ran only the storm jib and trailed warps. Out boat speed was checked to the 3.5 to 4.5kt range and we only surfed to about 7kts down waves. This is a set up I would recommend and go to again in similar situations. In terms of steering in these conditions we found that the Navik does not do a good enough job in that it is not quick enough to counteract the "spin out" forces that waves put on the boat and we ended twisting around a lot and rolling back and forth as the Navik kept countersteering. Hand steering was the way to go, and we were able actively pick our way through the waves, choosing whether we wanted to avoid certain waves all together, to turning the boat to take the cresting waves dead on our stern, or try and "sap" them of their power with our wake (Pardy style). In all other conditions, except the really light air and rolling swell, the Navik did an outstanding job of steering and really became our best friend. When you use a bucket in the cockpit for going to the bathroom, you really appreciate not having to have your buddy hold the tiller while you use the facilities a couple of feet away!
In terms of handling the first frontal system we went through off the Oregon coast, the winds were from the south, so my concern was not loosing our mileage. Initially we started off beating to windward with 2nd reef main and storm jib, but as the wind increased so did our speed and the boat started jumping off the backs of the waves and pounding hard. We opted to drop the jib and try "forereaching" our way through it with reefed main alone, pinching the wind to keep boat speed down to the 2-3kt range. This did not work all that effectively as it required hand steering and was a bit much for Jeff at that point in our trip (I thought I destroyed his nerves for good). We tacked through the wind a couple of times unexpectedly and caught a few waves that didn't feel so good! I still think this is a good method to keep in mind, especially when trying to keep or gain mileage in moderate conditions, but is likely a better go to during daylight hours, when the crew is well rested and up to the task of careful hand steering. Next time I suspect we will try heaving to (although it is hard to get the Vega to stop it's forward motion) or heaving to with the sea anchor and a briddle line as the Pardy's suggest, or just turn and run across the seas at a slight downwind angle (feathering our stern into the waves as needed when combers rear up). I'll post our results here if we try any of these tactics.
Now, I have probably bored all the non-sailors to tears with this tech talk, so I'll wrap up. We're currently still in Monterey waiting for our faulty si-tex radio receiver to get sent back from the manufacturer (the hours we spent trying to get that thing to work, just to find out it was busted when we got it!!!! Never buy anything from Landfall Navigation!). It is supposed to arrive tomorrow morning in the UPS shipment, which is a day later than we would have liked, but hey, there are worse places to be stuck than Monterey. My only concern now that we will be putting to sea on a Friday!! (a no no according to old sailor superstition). Then again it is also back luck to bring bananas, women and flowers on board, along with a whole host of other crazy thing. I did place a coin under the main mast when it was stepped and poured some wine on the bow when the boat was launched, so hopefully that has put some karmic money in the bank! Off to the marine store for some odds and ends and then maybe the free maritime museum? aquarium? who knows...
Rich
First of all I have to take the opportunity to say thanks to all the great people in Monterey. This has got to be the only touristy town I've been to where there is no resentment towards tourists by the locals. Everyone has been incredibly hospitable and accommodating. Specifically, the crew of Mr. Perfect owes a huge debt of gratitude to Craig, a fellow Vegatarian in Monterey, Master of the mighty Tern, a real beaut of a '72 Vega. For any other Vegatarians out there, he says he is going to try to fly up to Maple Bay for the rendevous. Buy him a beer, he deserves it! Also, if anyone is ever in the Monterey area and need ANYTHING boat related, definitely go to Quarterdeck marine. It is shocking how nice the staff is and the lengths to which they go to get you the part. Definitely a huge difference from the typical West Marine experience (or worse yet, the gong show at Steveston Marine in Vancouver--minus the real nice older guy who works the hardware section).
In case anyone is wondering, we sheared the tapered stainless steel pin that is part of the rudder head attachment (it looked like classic stainless corrosion, but obviously wasn't helped any by the incessant yarding we were doing during the San Fran gale) and had to get a replacement, which Quarterdeck sourced and brought in the next morning. If you own a Vega and have a bit of play in your tiller, check this pin! It seems to be a common source of failure as Craig's turned out to be in two pieces when he removed his to get a measurement off of.
Tech: I've had a number of people asking me about the technical aspects of the trip and boat, so I'll do a quick once over here. Given that Jeff's posting is such a comedic powerhouse and covers most of the experiential aspects of the trip (with the exception of mentioning his "nudist" morning the I woke up to during our first day in California), I'll spend a bit of time going over the particulars.
The Boat: Mr. Perfect (our boat) is a 1971 Albin Vega (number 813), which is a robust Swedish made offshore pocket cruiser that is proving itself well worthy of this trip. I chose the Vega partly because of it's excellent reputation in print (see John Vigor's "20 small boats to take you anywhere") and partly because the surveyor I hired to go over a Contessa 26 I was interested in suggested, after discovering boat pox (among other problems), "why don't you get a Vega, they're better built, stronger, faster and more spacious. My friend just got back from circumnavigating a Vega and loved it." After hearing this and reading the book "Bersek" about a total nut named Jarle who sailed his Vega from Norway around Cape Horn (solo) and then to Antarctica (!!!!) when he was 19 years old (which EVERYONE should read if they can find it), I was sold! So I started hunting for Vegas and found a real deal in Galveston TX and ended up towing the boat back up to Vancouver (Point Roberts to be exact) on a trailer behind a 2500 turbo diesel pick-up (it's a long story...). Mr. Perfect had had all the regular Vega deficiencies taken care of (beefed up compression post, mild steel paddles in rudder replaced with stainless, bulkheads glassed in, chainplate angle iron replaced with 316 stainless steel) along with all new standing and running rigging, spars and sails (full batten main, to which I added a third reef point and triple stitching, storm jib, 110 working jib, 150 genoa and a screwball tri-sail which is easily 2/3 the size of the main and the reason I added the 3rd reef). All this stuff was added new in 2004 when the previous owner sailed a bit too close to a navigational piling in Pensacola Florida, caught a shroud and ripped the rig right off! Thankfully he was decently insured and his insurance paid for good quality stuff (American Rolly Tasker sails, US Spars mast and boom, and full sta-lok terminals on the wires).
The boat itself doesn't look like much, with a strange gray paint job that was shoddily done and a home-job interior that was obviously not done by a master carpenter, but everything works (almost) and it is STRONG. It will likely remain an ugly duckling for some time as my focus is more on strength and safety than cosmetics. In terms of safety, the boat carries a new Cat 2 GPS integrated EPIRB (McMurdo) mounted on the main bulkhead, a 6 man Plastimo Offshore liferaft that has recently been fully serviced, an extensively stocked grab bag with food, fishing gear, spacebankets, flares, VHF, handheld water desalinator, water, multi-tool, etc..., a well stocked (albeit, not extensive) first aid kit, our handy little SPOT which doubles as an emergency beacon, and a rented satellite phone for keeping in touch with friends and family and calling the coast guard if we ever need to. Aside from this safety gear, virtually the only other stuff that the boat has is a depth sounder, Garmin 182c GPS chart plotter, garmin handheld, si-tex weatherfax ssb receiver, simrad tiller pilot and our trusty Navik self steering vane. Oh yeah, and we're "off the grid" thanks to two 75 watt Shell solar panels bolted to the coach roof (power has never been a problem).
Mods to the boat, besides the stuff listed above, include the removal of the inboard engine and replacement with an outboard, the removal of the fixed head and replacement with a porta-potti (which has yet to be used--we use a bucket in the cockpit when at sea, but the advantage is that there are 2 less thru-hulls in the boat), removal of the 2 burner stove and replacement with a one burner Force 10 fully gimballed sea-swing stove. All in all the accommodations are pretty spartan but they work, providing us a place to sleep and eat in comfort.
Handling: We've now got almost 1000 miles under our belts since leaving Point Roberts and are getting to know the boat's character pretty well. Overall the boat is really fun to sail, being responsive and fast (for an old full keeler). Up wind it won't win any races with it's pointing abilities (it's not awful either), but it likes to lock in when you get the sails balanced and will track a straight line for miles. Off the wind is where this boat shines. We've found that at about 100 t0 120 degrees apparent, with the main reefed or spilled a bit and the head sail properly trimmed, we can easily maintain 6 to 7 kts of boat speed if there is enough wind. Add to this some surfing down the bigger waves and you can get 11 or 12 kts on the GPS. Our max speed to date, and hopefully for the trip, that is logged on our GPS is 17.5 kts. This was the unintentional result of getting caught just at the right point on a large cresting wave and getting carried down the face a little too fast! After this we put out our warps consisting of two 150' anchor lines attached by a 10' lenth of 1/2" chain, and 2 other long loops made up of extra sheets, docking line etc. Trailing the warps really worked well in that it held the boat back enough to allow the waves that would have carried it to pass by. In 40kt winds, we ran only the storm jib and trailed warps. Out boat speed was checked to the 3.5 to 4.5kt range and we only surfed to about 7kts down waves. This is a set up I would recommend and go to again in similar situations. In terms of steering in these conditions we found that the Navik does not do a good enough job in that it is not quick enough to counteract the "spin out" forces that waves put on the boat and we ended twisting around a lot and rolling back and forth as the Navik kept countersteering. Hand steering was the way to go, and we were able actively pick our way through the waves, choosing whether we wanted to avoid certain waves all together, to turning the boat to take the cresting waves dead on our stern, or try and "sap" them of their power with our wake (Pardy style). In all other conditions, except the really light air and rolling swell, the Navik did an outstanding job of steering and really became our best friend. When you use a bucket in the cockpit for going to the bathroom, you really appreciate not having to have your buddy hold the tiller while you use the facilities a couple of feet away!
In terms of handling the first frontal system we went through off the Oregon coast, the winds were from the south, so my concern was not loosing our mileage. Initially we started off beating to windward with 2nd reef main and storm jib, but as the wind increased so did our speed and the boat started jumping off the backs of the waves and pounding hard. We opted to drop the jib and try "forereaching" our way through it with reefed main alone, pinching the wind to keep boat speed down to the 2-3kt range. This did not work all that effectively as it required hand steering and was a bit much for Jeff at that point in our trip (I thought I destroyed his nerves for good). We tacked through the wind a couple of times unexpectedly and caught a few waves that didn't feel so good! I still think this is a good method to keep in mind, especially when trying to keep or gain mileage in moderate conditions, but is likely a better go to during daylight hours, when the crew is well rested and up to the task of careful hand steering. Next time I suspect we will try heaving to (although it is hard to get the Vega to stop it's forward motion) or heaving to with the sea anchor and a briddle line as the Pardy's suggest, or just turn and run across the seas at a slight downwind angle (feathering our stern into the waves as needed when combers rear up). I'll post our results here if we try any of these tactics.
Now, I have probably bored all the non-sailors to tears with this tech talk, so I'll wrap up. We're currently still in Monterey waiting for our faulty si-tex radio receiver to get sent back from the manufacturer (the hours we spent trying to get that thing to work, just to find out it was busted when we got it!!!! Never buy anything from Landfall Navigation!). It is supposed to arrive tomorrow morning in the UPS shipment, which is a day later than we would have liked, but hey, there are worse places to be stuck than Monterey. My only concern now that we will be putting to sea on a Friday!! (a no no according to old sailor superstition). Then again it is also back luck to bring bananas, women and flowers on board, along with a whole host of other crazy thing. I did place a coin under the main mast when it was stepped and poured some wine on the bow when the boat was launched, so hopefully that has put some karmic money in the bank! Off to the marine store for some odds and ends and then maybe the free maritime museum? aquarium? who knows...
Rich
Monterey photos:
Arrived in Monterey Saturday afternoon. Sunday was a right off. Monday got up to some rental bike exploration. The bikes were LAME, but not too pricey, and got our semi-atrophied legs some exercise.
Rich spilling his burrito on a sun bather at "lover's point." We took no photos together.
His view of the kelp forests. Amazing diving, apparently, "down in Monterey".
Nice photo op, but we were at pains as to how to emasculate the pink flowers. Rich went for the "dude look" with the shades. You may have to enlarge to truly appreciate.
Jeff goes for the flex. Take that pink flowers, arrrrrrrrr!
This is what happens when a "liberal" buys an RV, they have to prove that they aren't republicans. My favorite was on the front, "Stop US Aid to Israel". I'd pay someone 10,000 bucks to drive that baby through Arkansas.
A surfer's truck. You're smokin' too much dope man, Bush has been in office for 8 YEARS!!!
17 mile drive. This is on the way to the worst place on earth...how can this be?
Pebble beach golf club...
I knew i had seen the odd douchebag around Monterey, but couldn't place my finger on where on earth they were coming from. You know, everyone has been so cool, so California:
"Gee Chip, the grass is looking marvelously green against the desert sand today, those pesticides and dyes are really doing the trick" "Yes Mildred, and this red vest sweater you got me really says "My wife bought me this". The Boys in the cigar lounge are going to LOVE it!"
Golf, destroying Monterey's water table, one sprinkler at a time. It's not as though we see "conserve water" signs all over town...oh, but wait, we do.
Hamilton (no shirt, but should have one on) meets Vancouver (North shore log ride) a la Pebble Beach. Not pretty, but had to share.
A very aptly named "Bird Rock".
Around the golf course, it's much like Horseshoe Bay, where the "contractor" population far exceeds the actual residents. All those bloody home reno shows i guess. Trade this space?
There are many Sea Lions just off the breakwater in Monterey Harbor. They bark incessantly. They also don't have to travel very far to get food. This gives them time to pursue other interests...
Like sailing...
Sleeping....
Drinking....
Having mucho children...
Or just chilling in a hammock.
Rich spilling his burrito on a sun bather at "lover's point." We took no photos together.
His view of the kelp forests. Amazing diving, apparently, "down in Monterey".
Nice photo op, but we were at pains as to how to emasculate the pink flowers. Rich went for the "dude look" with the shades. You may have to enlarge to truly appreciate.
Jeff goes for the flex. Take that pink flowers, arrrrrrrrr!
This is what happens when a "liberal" buys an RV, they have to prove that they aren't republicans. My favorite was on the front, "Stop US Aid to Israel". I'd pay someone 10,000 bucks to drive that baby through Arkansas.
A surfer's truck. You're smokin' too much dope man, Bush has been in office for 8 YEARS!!!
17 mile drive. This is on the way to the worst place on earth...how can this be?
Pebble beach golf club...
I knew i had seen the odd douchebag around Monterey, but couldn't place my finger on where on earth they were coming from. You know, everyone has been so cool, so California:"Gee Chip, the grass is looking marvelously green against the desert sand today, those pesticides and dyes are really doing the trick" "Yes Mildred, and this red vest sweater you got me really says "My wife bought me this". The Boys in the cigar lounge are going to LOVE it!"
Golf, destroying Monterey's water table, one sprinkler at a time. It's not as though we see "conserve water" signs all over town...oh, but wait, we do.
Hamilton (no shirt, but should have one on) meets Vancouver (North shore log ride) a la Pebble Beach. Not pretty, but had to share.
A very aptly named "Bird Rock".
Around the golf course, it's much like Horseshoe Bay, where the "contractor" population far exceeds the actual residents. All those bloody home reno shows i guess. Trade this space?
There are many Sea Lions just off the breakwater in Monterey Harbor. They bark incessantly. They also don't have to travel very far to get food. This gives them time to pursue other interests...
Like sailing...
Sleeping....
Drinking....
Having mucho children...
Or just chilling in a hammock.Monday, June 9, 2008
Inside the mind of a sleep deprived Weave...
We left last Wed, May 29th, and arrived June 7th.
Thoughts. We'll be in Monterey for some time due to bad weather, so this is long, so sorry if you wanted sound bites, there's only long drawn out stuff here.
I should say first, in particular for those concerned family and friends, that the Albin Vega is a remarkably seaworthy boat, and at no time did the boat fail us. It was built well, was in decent shape (for 35 yr old boat), and performed exceptionally. I marveled at how such a small boat could kick so much ass in rough conditions. In short, noting' to worry bout' man.
Note: There was a posting on the Albin Vega Association Website re "creaking wood", particularly in the kitchen, when heeling. I experienced this wood creaking for 10 days and can assure you that a) it's normal, or (b) we both need to re-glue our wood paneling. I would also be interested in other "Vegatarians" experience.
First couple days: Spent going back into Canada at Pender Island so we could cross BACK into the States to get a "cruising permit" for Hawaii. If you aren't US citizens you HAVE to arrive in Hawaii from a foreign port to obtain a cruising permit for the islands.
So, went to Pender, checked in, then went to Roche Harbor (San Juans) and checked back into US Customs, who of course didn't think that was suspicious at all, but searched our boat anyway. "So how much weed are you importing, gentlemen?" Our only real contraband included 1) 8 Tylenol 3's (that codene is corrupting Americas youth!), BUT, the 80 cans of Okanagan Spring Beer, 3 bottles of wine and 3 bottles of rum were considered essential, and therefore not dutified. The officer was great, actually, but said we were crazy.
Also got to see some classic yuppie coastal cruisers, my favorite being the faux french "chapeau" wearing West Van girl with her dorky boyfriend on his dad's 50 footer. I wrapped my sweater around my neck and pulled my socks as high as they would go, but she remained unimpressed. Maybe size DOES matter? (Boat size, perverts)
Next stop was Port Angeles and following day a work day, then left around 3pm and motored through the night to Neah Bay and started sailing. Marine store operator and gas attendant both said we were crazy.
Interview with the dolphin: My first night offshore was more than a little freaky. You cannot see 10 feet in front of you and have to go by the GPS. Lots of container traffic. Winds picked up off the Cape , we sailed for much of the day, then they died just in time for my first solo night watch. I was freaked out, lying on my back trying to catch any wind we could, forecast was variable to 5 knots (Hawaii here we come!!). It was freezing, no sound, and swell was rocking the boat every 30 seconds...very annoying. I became delusional, starting to think about possibility of a Moby Dick experience, then thoughts veering to the potential for maybe a mentally handicapped whale wanting to rub up against the prop of our motor, flipping the boat, and sending me into the freezing water, etc., with my imagination finally resting on Interview with the Vampire and the Lost boys ie. Vampires flying out of the air and plucking me from the cockpit, and promptly dumping me in the freezing water. Yup, you guessed it, i didn't want to go in the water.
The first dolphin that came up and took some air right beside my head made me jump and nearly scared me off the other side of the boat. I thought it might be Tom Cruise and L Ron Hubbard swooping for a little conversion to Scientology, and of course dumping me overboard if i resisted. "I believe it, humans descended from Aliens" i screamed. The dolphins ridiculed me, making their clicking noises as if to say "you descended from Apes stupid! Tom's insane, didn't you see him on Oprah. Now don't even get us started on Intelligent design!" Smart ass f&^%ing dolphin. "Now start enjoying our presence. Humans love this shit. Marvel at how bizarrely intelligent we ARE! Did you know our brains are as big as yours? I'll bet your dog knows nothing of evolution." The sarcastic buggers harassed me for over 30 minutes, splashed me a few times, and then booked it. They were right, though, I needed to toughen up, and the potential newspaper headlines of "man drowns after being scared off his boat by dolphin" didn't sit with me very well. And Tom IS insane.
My First Gale: Being a child of the 80's, "my first sony" is a slogan that elicits a warm fuzzy response of a child with their first stereo, of which my sister was one. I broke her stereo. Irrelevant, i don't know, i broke her Teddy Ruxpin too. What i do know is it might be bad karma, and seeing as Gales are generally unpleasant ensured i will not remember "my first gale" with similar affection. Oh yes, I've been on a sail boat 1, 2..6 times before this trip, never offshore, and never in waves higher than my knees. Sailing experience was 2 days in desolation sound in a much larger boat, and 4 days off Point Roberts in Mr Perfect, learning how to raise a jib, the main, tie bowline knots...the basics.
Upon entering Oregon we were greeted by another awesome and inconsistent forecast. The wind was forcast to be 20 to 30 knots, with frequent gusts up to 35. "Iron Mike", as the robot forecast voice is allegedly known, was starting to get on my nerves. Winds were so far either under 10 and variable, or now a f&*^ing gale. Thanks Mike.
Given my nighttime watch issues so far, the gale was at least nice enough to pick up BEFORE dark, but then really got moving just as Rich went to bed. From 11pm to 3am i held onto the tiller for dear life, rain whipping like hail pellets, 12 ft waves crashing into the cockpit and, oh yeah, the wind was out of the SW (we needed to go South) so i had to beat into the wind as best I could. The waves would every once and a while crash so hard, beam on, that they would force a jibe and i would have to gather enough momentum to turn BACK up wind to get back on the right tack. Awesome. The wind died down just as Rich was coming on watch to he could head straight into the waves and ensure all i heard, while trying to sleep, was what i perceived to be the bow splitting in two as we headed straight upwind. I had heard that Oregon was notoriously rough, and had now decided that I would just hate Oregon without reservation for the rest of my life. I wanted nothing more than to just get California where, undoubtedly, the sun would be shining and the weather much improved. I felt like i was in the Oklahoma dustbowl holding one of those leaflets re farm work in California. To Nor Cal!!
California: Man i was right, Cali does rock. We crossed about 1 in the morning, and the first two days of sailing were what i thought sailing was supposed to be. Fun. Beutifull view of the coast, and less sarcastic dolphins swam with the boat for quite a long time, in the morning, and then said "have fun down South, stupid." What were they telling me? Man they're smart.
As irony would have its way, upon reaching the coast off "Eureka" California, Iron Mike had some more bad news. For the next 200 miles it was forecast 20 to 25, gusting to 30, then 30 to 35, frequently gusting 40-45 the next. The wind WAS coming from the NW however, but the winds had already been blowing that hard further north for a couple of days, so the swell was going to be a LOT bigger. First thought...man I loved Oregon.
Next 48 hrs were...uncomfortable. As the wind picked up, the waves got back to the familiar 12ft, but were easier to handle because it was all downwind. Then they grew, 20ft, 22-25 in the end.
Note: I love the mountains, the hard, rocky kind that i can rip down on my bike in summer, skis in winter. However, the water variety are decidedly less accommodating, and rarely are they any fun. You can surf them sometimes, which is cool, but the big ones would rather see you surf sideways, which is...unnn cool.
There's nothing quit like a mountain, that you loathe and despise, coming at you every 30 seconds or so, for 28hrs, the odd one making the sun feel irrelevant to your warmth because it soaked you with frigid water. All you could do was reef the rudder one side to the other just as you would crest over a wave, trying to brake on top of it so as not to surf down. Looking for openings became a new sport for me, and after 1 hr of it i thought to myself "hey, i am getting pretty good, i could do this all night, it's at least been 4 hrs, right?" Bloody hell, that was a long day/night.
We bobbed up and down like a cork in a bathtub, watching the odd container ship (we were close to San Fran, so shipping was busy) go in and out of site because of the waves. At night i had our spotlight on the sails often, as you had to concentrate so hard on steering in the waves you would forget to look for ships. Neither of us slept, deciding to stick it out together. Rich had to do stuff all the time anyway, like streaming four 50ft ropes and a 40ft chain off the back to slow us down. Changing the jib and reefing the main in such conditions was a lot of fun too, but luckily we did it all before the monsters arrived.
San Fran area it got even worse. We could not go ashore anywhere either because all the ports had tiny entrance ways (the San Fran "bar" would have been suicidal), and you don't want to be near a rocky coast in those winds, so we had to keeping heading South. The next forecast area called for winds in the 40-45 range, and bigger swell. I wished Iron Mike were a human, so i could find him and kick his ass.
Monterey Bay: Entering was by sailing across monstrous swell on Saturday morning. The wind had died to 25-30, but the swell was absolutely HUGE, as if time stood still. Completely surreal. We would sail across a wave for at least 10 seconds before it fully passed us.
Monterey Bay was calmer, relative to the madness further out, but we saw no sailboats out for fun till we got within a mile of shore. We were welcomed on the dock by a gent from Monterey who, also owning a Vega, had been following us on the "spot" and knew all about the weather we had been in. He even offered us use of his car. What a WELCOME! That's been our experience so far with all locals (there are mostly tourists, however, but have met many locals), people are overtly friendly. Nice change from bad weather.
Today we are going to the aquarium. I am going to solve this shark and yellow question once and for all!
The weather is also not supposed to improve for some time, so we will probably get to know the area better than we had originally intended. The gales continue and will be offshore till at least Friday, forcast so far anyway, and not by Mike the prick.
Thoughts on the intrepid captain: My life was in his hands, plain and simple. Rich performed like i thought he would, and it's why i decided to trust him so completely with this trip. His sail change decisions, course, precision steering, "on the go" repairs (including our new best friend, the Navik wind vane), and just general demeanor evoked as much confidence and security in me as i was capable of feeling. When that failed, the rum came to the rescue.
Rich is a brilliant and fearless sailor, hands down. I was brave too, once i knew the boat wasn't going to sink all the time, but only because of Rich, his confidence and assured decision making. I am in awe of his abilities.
Popular Weaver quotes:
"Hey Rich, how do you work the E-Pirb again?"
"Hey Rich, could you pass me the rum?
Like Joey from the show "Blossom", i busted out more than a few "Wo", "Wo".
"Hey Rich, is that sound normal?" "How thick is the fiberglass?" "Tell me how well made Vega is, again"
"What's the worst thing you think can happen, right now?"
"F&^% you Mike"
Thoughts. We'll be in Monterey for some time due to bad weather, so this is long, so sorry if you wanted sound bites, there's only long drawn out stuff here.
I should say first, in particular for those concerned family and friends, that the Albin Vega is a remarkably seaworthy boat, and at no time did the boat fail us. It was built well, was in decent shape (for 35 yr old boat), and performed exceptionally. I marveled at how such a small boat could kick so much ass in rough conditions. In short, noting' to worry bout' man.
Note: There was a posting on the Albin Vega Association Website re "creaking wood", particularly in the kitchen, when heeling. I experienced this wood creaking for 10 days and can assure you that a) it's normal, or (b) we both need to re-glue our wood paneling. I would also be interested in other "Vegatarians" experience.
First couple days: Spent going back into Canada at Pender Island so we could cross BACK into the States to get a "cruising permit" for Hawaii. If you aren't US citizens you HAVE to arrive in Hawaii from a foreign port to obtain a cruising permit for the islands.
So, went to Pender, checked in, then went to Roche Harbor (San Juans) and checked back into US Customs, who of course didn't think that was suspicious at all, but searched our boat anyway. "So how much weed are you importing, gentlemen?" Our only real contraband included 1) 8 Tylenol 3's (that codene is corrupting Americas youth!), BUT, the 80 cans of Okanagan Spring Beer, 3 bottles of wine and 3 bottles of rum were considered essential, and therefore not dutified. The officer was great, actually, but said we were crazy.
Also got to see some classic yuppie coastal cruisers, my favorite being the faux french "chapeau" wearing West Van girl with her dorky boyfriend on his dad's 50 footer. I wrapped my sweater around my neck and pulled my socks as high as they would go, but she remained unimpressed. Maybe size DOES matter? (Boat size, perverts)
Next stop was Port Angeles and following day a work day, then left around 3pm and motored through the night to Neah Bay and started sailing. Marine store operator and gas attendant both said we were crazy.
Interview with the dolphin: My first night offshore was more than a little freaky. You cannot see 10 feet in front of you and have to go by the GPS. Lots of container traffic. Winds picked up off the Cape , we sailed for much of the day, then they died just in time for my first solo night watch. I was freaked out, lying on my back trying to catch any wind we could, forecast was variable to 5 knots (Hawaii here we come!!). It was freezing, no sound, and swell was rocking the boat every 30 seconds...very annoying. I became delusional, starting to think about possibility of a Moby Dick experience, then thoughts veering to the potential for maybe a mentally handicapped whale wanting to rub up against the prop of our motor, flipping the boat, and sending me into the freezing water, etc., with my imagination finally resting on Interview with the Vampire and the Lost boys ie. Vampires flying out of the air and plucking me from the cockpit, and promptly dumping me in the freezing water. Yup, you guessed it, i didn't want to go in the water.
The first dolphin that came up and took some air right beside my head made me jump and nearly scared me off the other side of the boat. I thought it might be Tom Cruise and L Ron Hubbard swooping for a little conversion to Scientology, and of course dumping me overboard if i resisted. "I believe it, humans descended from Aliens" i screamed. The dolphins ridiculed me, making their clicking noises as if to say "you descended from Apes stupid! Tom's insane, didn't you see him on Oprah. Now don't even get us started on Intelligent design!" Smart ass f&^%ing dolphin. "Now start enjoying our presence. Humans love this shit. Marvel at how bizarrely intelligent we ARE! Did you know our brains are as big as yours? I'll bet your dog knows nothing of evolution." The sarcastic buggers harassed me for over 30 minutes, splashed me a few times, and then booked it. They were right, though, I needed to toughen up, and the potential newspaper headlines of "man drowns after being scared off his boat by dolphin" didn't sit with me very well. And Tom IS insane.
My First Gale: Being a child of the 80's, "my first sony" is a slogan that elicits a warm fuzzy response of a child with their first stereo, of which my sister was one. I broke her stereo. Irrelevant, i don't know, i broke her Teddy Ruxpin too. What i do know is it might be bad karma, and seeing as Gales are generally unpleasant ensured i will not remember "my first gale" with similar affection. Oh yes, I've been on a sail boat 1, 2..6 times before this trip, never offshore, and never in waves higher than my knees. Sailing experience was 2 days in desolation sound in a much larger boat, and 4 days off Point Roberts in Mr Perfect, learning how to raise a jib, the main, tie bowline knots...the basics.
Upon entering Oregon we were greeted by another awesome and inconsistent forecast. The wind was forcast to be 20 to 30 knots, with frequent gusts up to 35. "Iron Mike", as the robot forecast voice is allegedly known, was starting to get on my nerves. Winds were so far either under 10 and variable, or now a f&*^ing gale. Thanks Mike.
Given my nighttime watch issues so far, the gale was at least nice enough to pick up BEFORE dark, but then really got moving just as Rich went to bed. From 11pm to 3am i held onto the tiller for dear life, rain whipping like hail pellets, 12 ft waves crashing into the cockpit and, oh yeah, the wind was out of the SW (we needed to go South) so i had to beat into the wind as best I could. The waves would every once and a while crash so hard, beam on, that they would force a jibe and i would have to gather enough momentum to turn BACK up wind to get back on the right tack. Awesome. The wind died down just as Rich was coming on watch to he could head straight into the waves and ensure all i heard, while trying to sleep, was what i perceived to be the bow splitting in two as we headed straight upwind. I had heard that Oregon was notoriously rough, and had now decided that I would just hate Oregon without reservation for the rest of my life. I wanted nothing more than to just get California where, undoubtedly, the sun would be shining and the weather much improved. I felt like i was in the Oklahoma dustbowl holding one of those leaflets re farm work in California. To Nor Cal!!
California: Man i was right, Cali does rock. We crossed about 1 in the morning, and the first two days of sailing were what i thought sailing was supposed to be. Fun. Beutifull view of the coast, and less sarcastic dolphins swam with the boat for quite a long time, in the morning, and then said "have fun down South, stupid." What were they telling me? Man they're smart.
As irony would have its way, upon reaching the coast off "Eureka" California, Iron Mike had some more bad news. For the next 200 miles it was forecast 20 to 25, gusting to 30, then 30 to 35, frequently gusting 40-45 the next. The wind WAS coming from the NW however, but the winds had already been blowing that hard further north for a couple of days, so the swell was going to be a LOT bigger. First thought...man I loved Oregon.
Next 48 hrs were...uncomfortable. As the wind picked up, the waves got back to the familiar 12ft, but were easier to handle because it was all downwind. Then they grew, 20ft, 22-25 in the end.
Note: I love the mountains, the hard, rocky kind that i can rip down on my bike in summer, skis in winter. However, the water variety are decidedly less accommodating, and rarely are they any fun. You can surf them sometimes, which is cool, but the big ones would rather see you surf sideways, which is...unnn cool.
There's nothing quit like a mountain, that you loathe and despise, coming at you every 30 seconds or so, for 28hrs, the odd one making the sun feel irrelevant to your warmth because it soaked you with frigid water. All you could do was reef the rudder one side to the other just as you would crest over a wave, trying to brake on top of it so as not to surf down. Looking for openings became a new sport for me, and after 1 hr of it i thought to myself "hey, i am getting pretty good, i could do this all night, it's at least been 4 hrs, right?" Bloody hell, that was a long day/night.
We bobbed up and down like a cork in a bathtub, watching the odd container ship (we were close to San Fran, so shipping was busy) go in and out of site because of the waves. At night i had our spotlight on the sails often, as you had to concentrate so hard on steering in the waves you would forget to look for ships. Neither of us slept, deciding to stick it out together. Rich had to do stuff all the time anyway, like streaming four 50ft ropes and a 40ft chain off the back to slow us down. Changing the jib and reefing the main in such conditions was a lot of fun too, but luckily we did it all before the monsters arrived.
San Fran area it got even worse. We could not go ashore anywhere either because all the ports had tiny entrance ways (the San Fran "bar" would have been suicidal), and you don't want to be near a rocky coast in those winds, so we had to keeping heading South. The next forecast area called for winds in the 40-45 range, and bigger swell. I wished Iron Mike were a human, so i could find him and kick his ass.
Monterey Bay: Entering was by sailing across monstrous swell on Saturday morning. The wind had died to 25-30, but the swell was absolutely HUGE, as if time stood still. Completely surreal. We would sail across a wave for at least 10 seconds before it fully passed us.
Monterey Bay was calmer, relative to the madness further out, but we saw no sailboats out for fun till we got within a mile of shore. We were welcomed on the dock by a gent from Monterey who, also owning a Vega, had been following us on the "spot" and knew all about the weather we had been in. He even offered us use of his car. What a WELCOME! That's been our experience so far with all locals (there are mostly tourists, however, but have met many locals), people are overtly friendly. Nice change from bad weather.
Today we are going to the aquarium. I am going to solve this shark and yellow question once and for all!
The weather is also not supposed to improve for some time, so we will probably get to know the area better than we had originally intended. The gales continue and will be offshore till at least Friday, forcast so far anyway, and not by Mike the prick.
Thoughts on the intrepid captain: My life was in his hands, plain and simple. Rich performed like i thought he would, and it's why i decided to trust him so completely with this trip. His sail change decisions, course, precision steering, "on the go" repairs (including our new best friend, the Navik wind vane), and just general demeanor evoked as much confidence and security in me as i was capable of feeling. When that failed, the rum came to the rescue.
Rich is a brilliant and fearless sailor, hands down. I was brave too, once i knew the boat wasn't going to sink all the time, but only because of Rich, his confidence and assured decision making. I am in awe of his abilities.
Popular Weaver quotes:
"Hey Rich, how do you work the E-Pirb again?"
"Hey Rich, could you pass me the rum?
Like Joey from the show "Blossom", i busted out more than a few "Wo", "Wo".
"Hey Rich, is that sound normal?" "How thick is the fiberglass?" "Tell me how well made Vega is, again"
"What's the worst thing you think can happen, right now?"
"F&^% you Mike"
Sunday, June 8, 2008
PHOTOS!!!
Rich and Jeff here. We finally made it to Monterey in tact and are happy to be on dry, solid land again (for a while). We're putting some photos up here quickly today and will follow up with more detailed personal accounts once we write them. Now, off to the bar!
Jeff: Man, the fumes from those moldy "used" survival suits is making me sleepy.
Rich: If you ever have to put one on, you're not gonna be complaining! (but admittedly they do stink. Bad). FYI, this is about the cleanest the inside of the boat ever got...
Jeff: Container ships, our number one enemy on this voyage, or so i thought.
Rich: Turning the posh Port Angeles transient dock into our work site. Repairing broken hatch board and mounting the very important storm boards over the big cabin windows (to prevent crashing waves from stoving them in).
Jeff: Now that the "storm boards" are on I have nothing to worry about. right.
Jeff: Port Angeles is the home of Westport boats, you know, the 50 meter, 40 million dollar boats that you dream of finding in your stocking every Xmas. I bet they don't need storm boards.
Rich: Apparently an Arabian princess from UAE was given one as her 21st birthday present. Tiger Woods has one too. I know where my penny jar money is going.
Jeff: This bumper could double as a "Sea Bob". We could tow it behind the boat and ride it for fun, or at least until we get eaten by a white pointer, like in Jaws 4.
Rich: Guess which one is going across the Pacific...
Jeff: You know, I never noticed how small our boat looked relative to other sailboats.
Jeff: Our first Gale off, off Oregon coast. Rich looks worried...that isn't good.
Rich: It was a cold front that passed through with southerly winds (impeding our progress). That look is contemplation on how to keep our mileage while fighting with the weather. Apparently going to bed and leaving Jeff to deal with it wasn't the most seaman-like decision in retrospect...
Jeff: "Hey Rich, is the boat supposed to rock this much?" I think I read somewhere that sharks like yellow.
Rich: "The boat's fine" (it's important to have unwavering confidence in your vessel to preserve your sanity). And yes, studies have shown that sharks are most attracted to the colour yellow.
Jeff: "Rich, are those going to get bigger?"
Rich: "Yes"
Jeff: The next morning. I had the night shift in that Gale and watched the Navik (our wind vane) rock side to side all night, but was too petrified to move and lock it off.
Rich: Some minor repair needed, but faced with losing "the Nav Man" it's importance definitely grew in our minds. I now tend to it daily, oiling the bushings, tightening the bolts, etc.
Rich: Drying out after our first gale and eating fruit cups, which now don't have the little cherries. What happened? Did the price of cherries spike?
Jeff: I wonder if my weather suit will smell any better after it dries out.
Jeff: "What do you mean the price of oil had its single largest price jump EVER?!!! SELL, SELL!!!"
Rich: Context: sat phone use 60 miles offshore.
Jeff: Funny how the only two times i ever saw a worried look on Rich's face i managed to catch it on camera.
Jeff: Expecting more heavy weather tonight. I cannot wait, but am really just crying inside.
Rich: This photo of "Mister Tomato" taken before the crying on the outside actually started.
Jeff: A more accurate reflection of my true feelings about the forecast.
Rich: note to self: include Valium in first aid kit for next expedition...
Jeff: Fun times.
Rich: At least I thought so.
Jeff: Rich's quote here was "I just love watching the waves, they're so fascinating". I felt less inclined to study the waves, but rather felt like hiding down below.
Rich: "wimp"
Rich: "The waves were this tall"
Jeff: That was a big one. The photos really don't do justice to the shear immensity of the swell, but we have video footage that will make your heart stop.
Rich: I estimate 8-12' for the first frontal gale and building up to 20' by the end of the full gale off California. Pretty impressive, especially when they crest and send a 4 foot tall mass of white water hurdling down on the boat and sweeping the cockpit (Jeff was inside crying inside...)
Jeff: My Orange suit was still soaking wet AND stunk as it was also "Used", so back into my shark bait uniform. Woo hoo.
Jeff: "Uhhhhh Rich, how do we work the EPIRB again?" Man o man, my nerves are shot....
Rich: "Don't worry, we're fine, the worst that could happen is that we get pooped and the cockpit gets filled with water. Just don't look behind you!"
Jeff: ...but this helps a little.
Jeff: Monterey...my sentiments exactly.
Jeff: Walking is the new challenge. I walked right into a school group on my way to the harbormaster/customs. Drunken sailor?
Rich: I never get seasick, but I did feel a bit queasy being back on land again.
Jeff: Yup, Monterey has it all, "Keytars" and oh so much more. This guy was awesome and finally drowned out the sea lions that are all barking on the shore behind him.
Rich: After a smoking electric blues number where he alternated between playing keyboard solos on the regular keyboard and guitar solos on the keytar, he busted a nice quiet latin number where he played the "accoustic" keytar. This guy definitely loves life.
Jeff: Life in Monterey harbor has a sliiiiiightly more relaxing feel.
Rich: We should be sailing!
Jeff: Man, the fumes from those moldy "used" survival suits is making me sleepy.Rich: If you ever have to put one on, you're not gonna be complaining! (but admittedly they do stink. Bad). FYI, this is about the cleanest the inside of the boat ever got...
Jeff: Container ships, our number one enemy on this voyage, or so i thought.
Rich: Turning the posh Port Angeles transient dock into our work site. Repairing broken hatch board and mounting the very important storm boards over the big cabin windows (to prevent crashing waves from stoving them in).Jeff: Now that the "storm boards" are on I have nothing to worry about. right.
Jeff: Port Angeles is the home of Westport boats, you know, the 50 meter, 40 million dollar boats that you dream of finding in your stocking every Xmas. I bet they don't need storm boards.Rich: Apparently an Arabian princess from UAE was given one as her 21st birthday present. Tiger Woods has one too. I know where my penny jar money is going.
Jeff: This bumper could double as a "Sea Bob". We could tow it behind the boat and ride it for fun, or at least until we get eaten by a white pointer, like in Jaws 4.
Rich: Guess which one is going across the Pacific...Jeff: You know, I never noticed how small our boat looked relative to other sailboats.
Jeff: Our first Gale off, off Oregon coast. Rich looks worried...that isn't good.Rich: It was a cold front that passed through with southerly winds (impeding our progress). That look is contemplation on how to keep our mileage while fighting with the weather. Apparently going to bed and leaving Jeff to deal with it wasn't the most seaman-like decision in retrospect...
Jeff: "Hey Rich, is the boat supposed to rock this much?" I think I read somewhere that sharks like yellow.Rich: "The boat's fine" (it's important to have unwavering confidence in your vessel to preserve your sanity). And yes, studies have shown that sharks are most attracted to the colour yellow.
Jeff: "Rich, are those going to get bigger?"Rich: "Yes"
Jeff: The next morning. I had the night shift in that Gale and watched the Navik (our wind vane) rock side to side all night, but was too petrified to move and lock it off.Rich: Some minor repair needed, but faced with losing "the Nav Man" it's importance definitely grew in our minds. I now tend to it daily, oiling the bushings, tightening the bolts, etc.
Rich: Drying out after our first gale and eating fruit cups, which now don't have the little cherries. What happened? Did the price of cherries spike?Jeff: I wonder if my weather suit will smell any better after it dries out.
Jeff: "What do you mean the price of oil had its single largest price jump EVER?!!! SELL, SELL!!!"Rich: Context: sat phone use 60 miles offshore.
Jeff: Funny how the only two times i ever saw a worried look on Rich's face i managed to catch it on camera.
Jeff: Expecting more heavy weather tonight. I cannot wait, but am really just crying inside.Rich: This photo of "Mister Tomato" taken before the crying on the outside actually started.
Jeff: A more accurate reflection of my true feelings about the forecast.Rich: note to self: include Valium in first aid kit for next expedition...
Jeff: Fun times.Rich: At least I thought so.
Jeff: Rich's quote here was "I just love watching the waves, they're so fascinating". I felt less inclined to study the waves, but rather felt like hiding down below.Rich: "wimp"
Rich: "The waves were this tall"Jeff: That was a big one. The photos really don't do justice to the shear immensity of the swell, but we have video footage that will make your heart stop.
Rich: I estimate 8-12' for the first frontal gale and building up to 20' by the end of the full gale off California. Pretty impressive, especially when they crest and send a 4 foot tall mass of white water hurdling down on the boat and sweeping the cockpit (Jeff was inside crying inside...)
Jeff: My Orange suit was still soaking wet AND stunk as it was also "Used", so back into my shark bait uniform. Woo hoo.
Jeff: "Uhhhhh Rich, how do we work the EPIRB again?" Man o man, my nerves are shot....Rich: "Don't worry, we're fine, the worst that could happen is that we get pooped and the cockpit gets filled with water. Just don't look behind you!"
Jeff: ...but this helps a little.
Jeff: Monterey...my sentiments exactly.
Jeff: Walking is the new challenge. I walked right into a school group on my way to the harbormaster/customs. Drunken sailor?Rich: I never get seasick, but I did feel a bit queasy being back on land again.
Jeff: Yup, Monterey has it all, "Keytars" and oh so much more. This guy was awesome and finally drowned out the sea lions that are all barking on the shore behind him.Rich: After a smoking electric blues number where he alternated between playing keyboard solos on the regular keyboard and guitar solos on the keytar, he busted a nice quiet latin number where he played the "accoustic" keytar. This guy definitely loves life.
Jeff: Life in Monterey harbor has a sliiiiiightly more relaxing feel.Rich: We should be sailing!
Saturday, June 7, 2008
June 7-- On Land! Made It To Monterey!
Just got a phone call from Rich! It was great to be able to talk freely. They are now on land safely in Monterey... ! They filmed each other attempting to walk with their sea legs... They didn't sleep last night so they were on their way to find food, beer and then to crash out... In the next couple of days they'll be updating the blog themselves as the Monterey library has free wireless. Attached are pics of Jeff and Rich at Rich's sailor-themed 30th birthday party...!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
June 5-- in California!
Our boys crossed into California yesterday! A new SPOT capture shows their voyage over the last few days which is great to see. I can only imagine the waves. I feel nauseous thinking about it, though not as bad as my mom who got seasick from sitting in the cockpit docked at Point Roberts marina!
Have been receiving a message or two a day from Rich; apparently they had their first bout of bad weather two days ago but Mr.Perfect did "very well." Additional reports of homesickness and a beautiful California sunset logged via text message. The trip has officially surpassed the one week mark! 
Albin Vega specs picture I found on the internet.
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