Merry Christmas from the City of Peace

Well, it's been a whirlwind of activity for the past - have we really been here for two weeks already?  It's so easy for us to relax and feel at home in La Paz, but so far, we've been trying to take advantage of being tied to a dock. I'll try to give you a run down on what has happened and what we plan for the future.

Cabo was pretty fun.  It was our first time in that City and what a time it was.  Following a week of anchorages in small to nothing fishing villages,  we found ourselves immersed in sensory overload.  Lights, action, and loud music around the clock for three days and nights.  We spent too much, ate well, walked a lot, and slept little (thanks to the loud music).

When it was time to leave, we looked forward to an easy 50 mile day to Los Frailes anchorage.  But the weather and sea had another plan for us.  We were out of the Pacific swell, but strong North winds in the Sea for the past several days - and continuing against all predictions - made the Sea really ugly.  I've heard it described as sailing into a sea of refrigerators, the steep, short waves beat us up.  We thankfully pulled into Marina Cabo del San Jose after only 22 miles.

Following a restful night there, we again headed out for Los Frailes.  Again, with an excellent weather forecast.  Well, we beat ourselves up again for the 25 or so miles but did finally drop the hook in Los Frailes.  The anchorage already held several boats, and to our surprise, our friends on sv Sea Boa were among them.  They had left Mag Bay - 150 miles prior to Cabo San Lucas - two days before us with plans to sail directly to La Paz.  So they had been waiting in Frailes for more than a week for decent weather while we had been partying in Cabo.     That's the best description of the weather this fall that I can give you.



Helping a neighbor

Long story shorter, we did sail into La Paz on
Friday, December 3rd, 1430 nautical miles from San Francisco.  It was by help from a good friend and good fortune that we were allowed a slip in our favorite marina for a month.  At almost $500 US per month, we will only be here for one, but it has been action packed. 

We got the big outboard motor repaired - no, I couldn't get a clear idea of what was wrong - but it now runs beautifully for 600 pesos, about $44.  Built and rigged a mount for the small outboard.  Had new glasses made and remade.  Rebuilt the aft toilet.  Sewed several areas of the furling jib where the threads had rotted away.  Changed engine oil.  Replaced our anchor chain with new (that's 300 feet of 5/16" chain).  Emptied our storage bodega and sold all the excess at a swap meet.  And we're getting our little freezer turned into a refrigerator / freezer, and having a full boat cover made for IRIE.  Whew.  And that's just the stuff I remember.

Emptying out our storage was really interesting and fun.  You recall that before we left Sojourner in April of 2010 we removed all our personal items - and we should have taken a lot more - and put them into storage so we wouldn't have to come to Mexico when she sold.  It was great seeing all our things again and, of course, Maxine was thrilled to be let out and see daylight.  She's been really camera shy as you might imagine, but I'm sure we'll have a photo op soon. 



IRIE from the fourth floor

The mess and confusion of having two of many things aboard is mostly over now, and we're getting down to simply enjoying the City of La Paz.  And, for us at least, that's really easy to do.  For one thing, the weather.  While it's not what most people imagine, the temps are pretty darn near perfect for just living.  A little cool for vacationing perhaps, but upper 50's at night and 75 in the daytime with no rain works for us.  Then there are the people.  The Mexicans are totally friendly and helpful when we treat them with just a bit of respect.  And, it seems, we have friends most everywhere we go here.  Then, to complete the package, there's always something interesting going on. And, if that's not enough, we

Birds eye view

can always go sailing to some very cool cove and

anchor out for some quiet and privacy.

For now, we have 11 days left with dock power, and we intend to use it to operate a heat gun for removing old varnish for one thing.  Yes, it's time to begin some cosmetic improvements.  Then, we plan to move 1/4 mile or so to the harbor anchorage where we will spend the month of January.  We intend to sail North and across to the mainland at San Carlos and Guaymas, but right now it's rather cold in that direction, so we get to stay here a little longer. 

Then, we plan to use the month of February to work our way North in the Sea with day trips and island hops to Santa Rosalia.  From there, we'll cross the Sea to San Carlos on the mainland where we should have a week or so to explore that area and select a place to store IRIE for the Summer.  At that point, we'll be looking for a way home and hope to be back in Grants Pass by mid March for the countdown to GRANDBABY.

E

Man of War Cove to Cabo San Lucas



Man-Of-War Cove



Live Shrimp on board



We spent 4 days in Man-Of-War cove, which is a small cove located inside of Bahia Magdalena, after an overnight on the ocean from San Juanico.  We were out about 20 miles from land during the trip & witness the passage of the giant cruise ship, shooting stars & lots of wave action from 15 knot winds.  Man-of-War was pretty small but we had a couple of fish taco meals that were great & were able to restock with a few items from their two mercados.  For the people of this town travel is by panga only & they use generators for city lights at night. We were able to catch up with cruisers that we met in Turtle Bay & Emrick worked with another cruiser to fix our engine/water pump issue. 



Dead Shrimp on board



On our way out of Mag Bay we had some fisherman pull up & offer to sell us some fresh shrimp.  We said sure & handed over a large baggie after agreeing on a price.  I was ok with all of that until I dumped the bag of shrimp out in the sink basket & they began to jump around . . . . so I am staring at live shrimp & wondering who I can call to tell me what to do next.  I reminded myself that sailing is about the next new experience (ya, right) so off came the shrimp's heads (which you can see in the pan on the stove).  My killing expertise became fine tuned & I was able to behead the guys with a minimum of trauma  . . . .I hope.  

More Dolphins

Our next bit of fun was traveling with the dophins.  They stayed with us for about 10 minutes which was a record for us.  If you leaned out of the boat you could almost touch them.  They keep up with the pace of the boat while under & over each other for a little added variety in the swim.  We are always sorry to see them go.

Outside Cabo, luxury living

So coming into Cabo we didn't know what to expect.  The last time we sailed down we covered these miles at night & didn't see much.  Cabo begins on the outside of the bay with hotels & some magnificent homes perched on the rocks.  Emrick & I picked out a few we might feel comfortable in.  I wonder what type of guarantee comes from the builder(s) of these homes. ...  I would always be wondering  when the next earthquake would arrive. 



Cabo surrounding us . . .



on all  . . .



We do not have pics of the bay because both of us were probably thinking "holly ____".  We were looking at motor boats, fishing boats, pangas, cruise ships, jet skis, pirate ships, odd looking ships & where the heck is the fuel dock??????  Emrick found the fuel dock, flipped us around, did a "Captain Ron" & slid us right up to the dock.  "We'll take 100 liters of diesel please".  Nice.  What was even nicer was the slip they assigned us.  We have added some pics to the left (or at least I think they will be on the left when I post this) of the scenes around the boat.  In Cabo you are surounded by high class, fairly expensive food, hotels, gambling, jewelry, watches, bars, food, trinkets, food, bars, trinkets, food, bars, trinkets . . . you get the picture.  The stores extend out for about 2 blocks all around the marina & when you step beyond the 2 blocks, poof, you are in Mexico, a lot like LaPaz.  This is motor city folks, with some huge, I mean huge, fishing boats &  sailing vessels.  We took notice of a 175 foot sailboat & went back to take a good look yesterday.  There is no way to put that boat into a camera.  Amazing.  The fenders are as big as a twin bed.  There was a crew of 7 outside "buffing" as we walked by.  Not a bad life.

Anyway, we are leaving for Los Frailes (the Friars) tomorrow am, then on to Ensenada de Los Muertos (Cove of the Dead) the next day & then finally LaPaz.  See you on the blog, C





sides



Sunset after the storm













Dolphins

Ya hooo, running with the dolphins!

Famous rock formation

"La Isla" getting ready to dock

Highs and Lows

 
We arrived in Cabo San Lucas yesterday morning for a few days of R & R and boat work after yet another fitful night at sea.  This is spectacular!  C will tell you about it, I just had to say something about the harbor itself.  We have been in and out of the largest, most glamorous, and busiest harbors in California recently, but nothing compares to the complete chaos that awaited us here.  Simply amazing.  And we were able to fill IRIE"s diesel tank and back her into a great, view friendly slip before the first beer came out.

Written underway 11/17:

Relief.  Yes, that's the feeling for this day.  Blended

with a nice dose of exuberance.  It's 0700, we're

underway doing 6+ knots with the engine and jib on

our way to Abreojos.  Off our starboard quarter is sv Sea Boa with Allan and Sharon aboard.  All around us for at least a mile are dolphins.  Hundreds of them probably.  Some near and many far, but everywhere.  We'll probably see whales today too.  Can you feel it?

We were supposed to leave Ascucion 24 hours ago, but as I mentioned, there was a problem.  And it could have been a serious problem.  We might have been in the middle of nowhere, Mexico with no engine.  Yes, I know, this is a sailboat.  We'll leave that one for another time.  

This time it's about the highs and lows, the friendships created, and ultimately winning out against circumstances.  It turns out that the expensive motor mount/pump mount bracket that was made for us in Alameda was well fabricated, but poorly mounted.  Thanks to the guidance of our new Canadian machinist friend Allan, and some Mexicans who had no idea the value of the bolts they found for me, I was able to get us back underway with a plan to permanently resolve the problem when we reach Mag Bay.

Much as we all do our best to avoid the problems - the lows, the downs - I wonder how we can fully appreciate and enjoy the highs without them.  Maybe that's why C and I put ourselves in these fragile situations.   

E

Onward and Upward

OK, so where were we?  Ah yes.  Ensenada.  Claudia and I really like Ensenada.  Even though in some respects it is Americanized, it is still clearly Mexico.  Big Bro is not anxious to fine you for not wearing a seatbelt, and you'd better watch your step when walking in town.  You could end up to your knee in a pothole.  With good food, friendly people, lots of Tavernas, and almost free tequila, what's not to like?  Well, this year, it was the weather.  Cold.  IRIE is proving to be a wonderful magic carpet for us, but she lacks any kind of heater, and we were waking up to low 50's with daytime highs in the 60's.  Not my idea of OK.

On Monday last, (I write this underway on Monday next, the 14th) Passage Weather was predicting 4-5 days of decent weather, so off we went.  Headed for Bahia Tortuga, the next protected anchorage and great little village to party and provision in, about 280 miles down the coast.

As we're travelling downhill, that is wind and/or seas behind, helping us along, IRIE averages about 5.5 knots or 6 mph.  Really scootin huh?  That's mostly motoring and using sails when we can.  So, on a god 24 hour day we cover about 125 miles.  One of us is always on watch when we're underway, and we really don't like doing the 24 hour thing more than one day in a row, so here's how it worked out.

We left Ensenada at 1030 on Monday.  Sunny with a light breeze, seas (seas = swell and wind waves) at around 8 feet, leftovers from the storm that had just passed.  At this sea height, when siting in the cockpit looking aft, about every 14 seconds, the horizon is replaced by the top of the next approaching swell.  You're at the bottom, looking at this rolling blue monster in the attack position.  The next thing you know, you're on top of it looking down and out at the horizon again.  It's only scary to think about it.  The actual experience is more zenlike.  You become entranced watching, and maybe wondering how, the boat does this so effortlessly.

That's the good part.  The other part is the motion that seems everpresent in following seas.  On this day, as on most of this trip, the seas are not reaching us from directly behind.  When looking directly aft, the seas are approaching from about 10 O clock. So, rather than a simple rise and fall, we get to roll side to side at the same time - call it wallowing.  It's not consistent, but it does follow a pattern.  You get about 20 to 40 seconds of nearly straight up and down - time to pour a cup of coffee or take a sip, or write a few words, or pee into the toilet, or chart your position, or "please let me get to sleep now!" - then the rolling side to side starts.  And you know exactly when it's beginning as you almost unconsciously brace yourself.  The rolling may be just a little bit, or it may be 20 - 30 degrees to each side, which is especially fun at night.  Then it eases off, and you get your portion of rest again.  Please understand that I'm not trying to say anything here.  It just seemed to be a good time to try and explain what this trip is like.  While the motion is rarely fun, we do get used to it, especially knowing that once into the Sea of Cortez, there's not much swell anymore.

Just now as I'm feeling a bit tired of the motion, we were visited by a handful of dolphins who thought IRIE was Big Momma or something.  When they're around, you can't help but be fixated by them - nothing else is happening.

All right, back to last week.  On Tuesday morning we reached the anchorage where we planned to spend the day and night.  But the sun was up.  It was a new day, and things were suddenly looking much better.  Plus, we had heard some pretty negative things about this place from other cruisers.  So, we decided to continue on to another anchorage at San Carlos, maybe six or seven hours ahead.

On our arrival at San Carlos it was showtime.  We've set our boat up to be completely independent.  That is, to take care of us just as well at anchor as tied up and plugged in at a dock.  She makes all the power we need from wind and solar, she makes lots of sweet fresh water from the sea, and she carries excellent ground (read anchoring) tackle.  But we had never anchored her before.  And there won't be a dock to tie up to even if we wanted to until maybe Cabo San Lucas, about 650 miles in our future.

We pulled into the tiny little cove, nosed into the wind, and performed the perfect "Dario drop".  (someday maybe I'll try to explain that one)  We were hooked up off a little fishing village of maybe a dozen homes and a few RV's with about an hour of sun left.  It was salsa & chips & beer in the cockpit.  Happy day!

We had some learning to do about using the electric windlass, and what are all those new noises?  At about 0200 we awoke to howling wind and more loud noises as chain worked in the bow roller, the rudder moved back and forth, and the dinghy swung in the davits.  But "I don't think we're dragging" was heard over and over.  The wind topped out at about 25 knots, and then, just as suddenly as it had started, it was over at 0330.  Too much adrenalin to allow sleep, but we had passed our first anchoring exam.

Wednesday morning we packed it up around 1000 and headed for Turtle Bay under sunny skies and a light following breeze.  I don't remember much about the day or the night, but Thursday daybreak about 20 miles from our target we found ourselves emerging from the channel created by Cedros Island and the major Point Eugenio - this is the point of the Baja that looks like a left facing fishook on a map - into 30+ knots of wind.  Had the storm front predicted for Saturday come early? Or was this just a wind creating geographical prominence that I should have seen coming? Duh.  Four hours later, the wind had calmed and we pulled into the friendly anchorage and village known as Turtle Bay.

Turtle Bay is a good time dirt street Mexican village.  There were about a dozen other boats already there and more following in behind us to wait out the storm promised for Saturday.  Thursday afternoon was strictly for R & R aboard and a good night sleep.  Slept in some on Friday AM too, but then it was time for our first steps on dry land since Monday.

The price for a water taxi had gone way up, so we decided it was time to check out our new dinghy.  As you know, the motor only runs with the choke on, but we thought we'd take a chance with it anyway.  It was just fine for the 3/4 mile trip to the town pier.

Once in town, we found all three mercados and bought from each one some of the best looking produce they had.  Another dinghy ride back to IRIE to unload, and back to town for party time.  There were familiar faces from Ensenada and some new folks too, but mostly they were just talking about their trip just completed.  Uninterested, I noticed a young man next door - maybe 40 feet or so away from the bar patio we were at - lighting up a homemade grill.  I brought a couple of beers over and said hola.  He spoke about as much English as I speak Spanish, but we were having a fine Friday afternoon together anyway.  Then, along came chef Kalel.  We had met him earlier as he was interpreting for another couple doing their shopping.  His story goes that he was stuck in Turtle Bay, providing any services he could for tips until he could save enough for bus fare back to Cabo where he owns property.  I didn't buy his story, but he was fun to be around and the beer was cheap enough that I could keep everyone happy.  Soon the young man, Israel, brought out a plastic bag holding about a dozen 10 -12 inch fish, cabrillo I was told.  They were too small to fillet, so they had been gutted and otherwise left whole.  Israel had been trying, completely unsuccessfully, to dissolve or blend a couple of boulion cubes in beer for seasoning I suspect.  Thank goodness chef Kalel came along just in time to make everything irie.  Pay attention now girls.  Here's a new recipe for fish tacos.

Kalel took each fish, cut a few slices into the flesh on each side, then smeared the whole thing with common yellow mustard.  He wrapped each in foil and onto the grill it went.  After about 15 minutes, tortillas were warming on the grill too.  Getting the fish into the tortilla without a lot of bones must be an acquired skill that Claudia and I failed at, but the fish with only the yellow mustard was a taste treat that we'll try again.  Maybe with a fillet next time.

The rest of our time in Turtle Bay was a further and more serious testing of our anchoring skills.  Let's just say that we won.  Today has been fantastic.  Sunny with a fair sailing breeze, only slightly rolly so we're not confined to the cockpit, motorsailing the 50 miles to Ascuncion where we'll anchor for the night.  We're on our way to Bahia Magdalena, another 200 or so miles ahead.  It's getting warmer.  Life is good.

E

Flash update:::::   Checking over the engine room last night, I noticed a loose belt.  It turned out to be caused by the shearing off of the four bolts that hold one corner of our diesel to it's mounting bed.  This is pretty bad as we can't use the engine this way.  I hope we can find a mechanic in this little village. Onward and Upward.

Ensenada, Mx

In many of California marinas, they are so rapt with their "clean marina" status that they put these very bright dye pills in our toilets so we couldn't soil the environment during our stay.  The idea is, when you flush, this bright pink or irridescent green surrounds your boat so everybody knows that you were bad.  I suppose there's a rather large fine that goes with it too. 

This shot was taken as we flushed while leaving their clean and green marina. 

Not too sure what Chuck sees in those things, but he sure liked looking through them.

He turned out to be pretty good with a camera too.  This dolphin shot is among the best we've gotten.  See more under the surface too.  How many do you count?

As Claudia already mentioned, we've been having nothing but trouble with our internet connection.  That means that I could be cut off at any time, so, I'll post what we have so far and leave it at that.

Probably going to leave very late tomorrow (Monday) night for the 250 mile leg to Turtle Bay - the next secure anchorage.  Overall, we have nearly 700 miles to go before we would be able to tie IRIE up to a dock again.  (That would be Cabo San Lucas)  We set her up to live at anchor as many of you know.  Still, not having done that trick yet, we're a bit apprehensive when we see the kind of storms that keep parading by.

Even though it's warmer here than at home, it's not the way we remember it.  With temps in the low 50's at night and lately around 70 when the sun is up, we've been wishing we had kept the portable heater aboard.  Anyway, that's just one more reason to get off our butts and head South.

E

Sitting in Ensenada

Hey everyone.  Yes, we are still in Ensanada trying to find a weather pattern that will allow us to get out of here into a safe haven before the next weather mess rolls through.  Two days ago we had 30 knot winds roll through our marina.  Seems like one storm after another is coming through!  Anyway, we have been messing around with the internet system in Mexico to only partial success.  We purchased our new thumbdrive and spent two days trying to get on line with no success.  After walking to the big Telcel store we found out that Mexico's internet was "down".  This morning we have been able to get on line in short spurts hence this fast  entry. 
For those of you getting "Spot" alerts, here is a way to follow along with the trip:
Google "Spot Adventure"
Click on "Find Adventures" on the new page.  Then type in "EPohling" in the search box.
A basic map will  come up.  At the bottom of the map is a choice to look at full screen image.  When you click on that icon there will be a list of the coordinating points which, when you click on one, will give you the date/time we were there.  You will probably need to use the in/out and left/right buttons on the map to get a closer pic of where we are.  The Satellite button in the upper right is pretty cool but is not in real time.  Keep in mind that the alerts are scheduled to remain active for only 7 days.  If someone out there is tired of receiving the Spot alerts just send us an email & we will remove you from the list. 
We will try to keep you posted on our plans as soon as we have made a decision.  :) C

Down the coast

This is so cool.  It's Thursday about noon, we're motoring down the coast on a short leg today from Oxnard to Marina del Rey.  Since we're able to stay close in to the coast, we have internet through our cell phone.  You may recall from the last time we sailed to Mexico that internet availability is surprisingly difficult to come by, even in the US, and even in harbor, and especially in Mexico once we leave Ensenada.  So this is a real treat to be online even while underway.

 I'm afraid the pictures went onto the blog in reverse of the usual order, but I'll bet you can figure that out.

F  From the log of IRIE Wednesday 10 26 2011

As we leave Santa Barbara, there's a bit of emptiness being felt along with the promise of new destinations today and in the future.  This day began sunny, as was not predicted, and IRIE is happy to be unleashed again.  She purrs along at about 5 kts with the engine using a bit less than a gallon an hour - a very nice surprise. 

We had hoped to sail the short leg planned for today, but with the breeze blowing directly from our destination, well, that's why we have an engine. 

(Blogspot is giving me a very hard time with layout today, and I simply don't have time to keep trying to redo the redo, so I'll just type and we'll see how it turns out OK?)

It's a beautiful morning.  About 65 degrees with clear blue skies and friendly blue water as we weave a path between oil rigs and watch the mountainous Southern California coast slip by.  No dolphins yet, but the Met Life blimp is floating in the sky nearby and we know the dolphins will be along for playtime soon.

As perfect as this scene is, it's the lack of our crewmate and friend Mitch Manina that has us feeling a little down.  You simply have to spend some time at sea with Mitch to appreciate this feeling that I'm having such a hard time putting on paper.  He was our good humor man.  Forever upbeat and looking forward with a mind that remembers all the good experiences and turns them into great stories.  And an experienced hand whose input was always respected.  He was a pleasure to have aboard, and will surely be missed.

Right now we're passing through a scene from Star Wars or Terminator.  A field of oil platforms, seven of them within a couple miles of us.  Claudia is working the camera, so hopefully we'll have a shot or two to post.  The autopilot is doing a marvelous job, so IRIE is happily sailing herself.  Chuck is in his favorite place, at the helm looking at the scene passing by while being the eyes for our little floating home.  There are no real dangers out here today, but he keeps us from the crab pots and floating weed beds that might like to get up close and personal with our prop.

Lest I be remiss for not saying it soon enough, we all agree that Chuck Reckner has proven to be a major asset and an absolute joy to have with us.  Always willing, eager even, with a sharp mind, an easy acceptance, and a wonderful sense of humor.  It's really fun to watch him and kind of participate as he learns the challenges and the joys of this lifestyle.  Chuck, you are welcome aboard anytime you like.

Speaking of challenges, I suppose I should say a few words about our trip down the coast to this point.  First, a quick update of the past two hours.  Pelicans and other birds galore, a small turtle, a stainless steel mixing bowl floating by, dolphins and a whale, a delicious tuna sandwich on a toasted roll, and, perhaps best of all, sailing now.  Quiet.  Just gliding along toward Channel Island Harbor.

OK.  IRIE left San Francisco last Saturday - today is Wed - amid a mix of expectations but high hopes with four of us aboard.  Claudia and Emrick, Chuck Reckner, and Mitch Manina.  We had waited almost two weeks from our planned departure to have the near perfect weather forecast that lays before us.  It was sunny and mild, and after motoring through the frenzy of the Bay area on a Saturday, past the City and Alcatraz Island, out under the famous Golden Gate bridge and over the bar to a perfect breeze for a broad reach down the coast.  It was the stuff dreams are made of.  With one reef in the main and most of the jib unfurled we were doing six knots in the right direction.  When the wind died a couple hours later, we pulled in the sails and fired the diesel.  Another two hours later, the wind became fair again, so back up went the sails.  Soon it was dusk and the wind was freshening, so we chose to put the sails to bed and motor through the night.

That was the last we would see of our sails for this long leg of the trip, but it was an important taste.  While IRIE motors exceptionally well, we now know that she sails even better. 

The night was cold but uneventful.  With four of us aboard and three hour watches, we each got to see the stars above and the effervessence below, and, while there was plenty of time off for rest, the motion didn't allow for a lot of sleeping.  This was the Pacific Coast after all.

Early Sunday afternoon in the vicinity of Morro Bay - the foggiest place on the coast - the fog appeared right on cue.  Light at first, it became pretty dense as dusk came along.  This was not part of the plan, but having seen virtually no other traffic, and running 12 -15 miles offshore, we decided to continue on.  The seas were 4 - 6 feet, and since we were moving in the same direction, there was really no problem except that we were blind.  IRIE has radar, but let's just say that it's less than adequate.  So, it would be an uncomfortable night.  Cold and wet, but we were prepared for that.

At 0400 when I climbed into the cockpit to begin my watch, Chuck actually had a grin on his face.  As he showed me, we could just begin to see distant lights on shore and the air had stopped dripping.  Joy to the world, as we were approaching the infamous Point Conception.

We rounded Points Arguello and Conception with high spirits mid morning under clearing skies and nearly flat calm seas.  This was part of the plan.  Now, the only problem was that the first real harbor, Santa Barbara, was still some forty miles ahead.  We had been nursing our fuel supply for two days now and a quick check of the tank said that we still had plenty.  So, we coaxed a few hundred more RPM out of the engine which upped our speed from 4.5 - 5 kts to 6.5 - 7 kts.  That move probably doubled our fuel consumption, but it was all smiles when the GPS now predicted our arrival in daylight at around 1800 hours.

End of ship's log narrative.

So now you're pretty much up to date on our voyage so far.  Our plan is to dock at Marina del Rey - a mere 4 miles ahead - for a couple days to do some resting, houskeeping, and provisioning.  Then Saturday, we'll run the 14 hour leg to Oceanside, and Sunday we'll begin an overnight trip that should find us in Ensenada, Mexico on Monday.  Woo Hoo.

E

Off we go........

People keep asking:  Are we in Mexico yet?  Are we still in California?  How was the trip?  How is the new boat?  etc. etc.

I guess it's part our fault for not writing more.  We have plenty of excuses though.  You want to hear them?
I didn't think so.

We're in what has been beautiful, sunny, Alameda for just one more day.  Claudia and I hitched a ride down here with Dennis Perry and Nina Rose on the 6th of October.  After spending most of my Summer preparing IRIE for a voyage, we were finally ready to have guests aboard.  There were a few tasks left to do though, so we put them to work before play time, and had a great time through it all.  The weekend turned out to be the 30th annual "Fleet Week" on San Francisco Bay.  There were seven Navy ships in the bay including an aircraft carrier.  And we watched an air show with the Blue Angels and the Canadian precision fliers that lasted almost three hours.  WOW!!  It was magical.  We were sailing the bay on a beautiful afternoon with these awsome jets doing what only they can do.  What a special day that was.  Just us and about a thousand other boats.                                       

This is a shot of Commodore Perry taking a turn at the helm.  (Sorry Dennis, I'll do better with the lighting next time)

Since that weekend, we've been finishing the jobs on our lists and looking for just a few days where the Pacific wouldn't be trying too hard to eat us up on our trip South

 
Here's Claudia with the final touches of the wax on, wax off.

And yours truly at the top installing the new wind sensor.

OK, this is a bit out of context, but we just had our second earthquake today.  The first, at about 2:30, I felt on shore.  It was a 4.0, and felt like kind of a quick jolt.  I'd been talking with Hajime Jesse.  We looked at each other, checked the perimeter, and just knew in a few seconds what had happened.  It had been many years since I felt the earth move around, but it must be like riding a bicycle.  Claudia, on the other hand, was aboard, and told me that the whole boat shook.  She thought that someone had run into us!  I wondered how that could happen.  The second quake a few minutes ago found me aboard this time, and it did shake the whole boat - felt like the boat and the water and everything around just dropped a couple of inches and landed.  I still wonder how that could happen.  Strange stuff.   I belive I feel safer aboard.

So tomorrow we'll be joined by good friends and crew Mitch Manina and Chuck Reckner, both of whom have been in these pages before.  Together, the four of us will head out past the City of San Francisco and under the Golden Gate on Saturday morning for about a 260 mile trip down the Pacific coast.  This should be two to three days and nights at sea.  We're about to find out what kind of sailor IRIE is.  Also, we will not be lollygagging, as there is a growing high pressure in the Pacific right now which will be sending big swells and waves to chase us along.  We plan to outrun them and have a good time doing it.

E

Boatyard Blues



Well, I can't say that I've been in a boatyard entirely since the last time I wrote, but I am getting used to peeing in a bucket at night and climbing a tall ladder to get home.  As luck would have it though, IRIE had a major malfunction recently, so here we are.  Actually, I don't think that luck had any part of it.......



Coast Guard Island with San Francisco as background

Back in July, Jim Carmer of s/v Hajime showed me the way around Alameda Island into the estuary between Alameda and Oakland where we landed at the dock of Svendsen's Marine Metal Shop.  We were there because IRIE needed someone to build her a rather serious metal bracket that would mount on her engine to support the pump for her new watermaker.  The machine shop manager Chris, seemed to take a special interest in us and not only produced the perfect mount, he led me to the best of whatever I needed while we were there.  What a joy when you're in an unfamiliar place and you meet someone who knows how to find all the good stuff.  Which reminds me, if any of you are planning a trip to see us here in Alameda, you should try to be here on a Thursday.




Another view from the Machine Shop dock


OK, so back to the story about the boatyard.  Thursday morning, the 28th, the pump was mounted, and Jim was here for the ride back to our marina.  (I would get home for the weekend as planned)  It was sunny already at 10:00 AM, and we were looking forward to getting at least the jib sail flying today.  Oh Boy!  The diesel was running smooth and strong.  The lines had been cast off, and the way was clear, but IRIE would not move.  Reverse, no movement.  Forward, we're still here!?!?  Back and forth, over and over.  What's up?  Oh, it's a low low tide today.  Are we stuck in the mud?  Jim leaped onto the dock and gave us a push.  And all 30,000 pounds floated ahead.  Not stuck in the mud.  Hmmm.

So I watched the gearbox shift as Jim worked the control.  Even saw the coupling spin in the correct direction each time.  Still, we were going nowhere.  It was time to talk with Chris.  The boat was acting as though it had no prop.  Who was the diver to call? 

One of the sweet ones

We called Fred, and Jim and I went to lunch to wait for the verdict.  It didn't take long before my phone rang.  "Your prop seems fine, but I can move it and the shaft in and out about an inch"  Whoa!

Back to the boat for another look, and sure enough, the prop shaft had worked it's way loose from the engine coupling that drives it.  It seems that this might have happened because the engine and the prop shaft weren't properly aligned back when the new engine was installed in 2005. 

Now, in the last 600+ hours of motoring this boat, where else could this have reared it's ugly head?  Use your imagination here.  It's pitch black dark, the wind is howling and you're miles from anywhere.  Or, you're very carefully navigating a tricky passage through reefs with big coral heads that want to eat your boat.  Or, you're maneuvering close quarters through a long channel into a marina with $$$$ boats all around.  Everyone knows that these things happen to you at the absolute worst, most inconvenient, scariest, and inopportune times, so, chances are you didn't pick boatyard.  Yet, here we were, tied to the boatyard dock.

I happen to like boatyards.  Yes, they're noisy and smelly and dusty;  full of a myriad of cancer causing agents of mass destruction.  Still, you can't reasonably make a repair such as we need anywhere else.  And good boatyards like this one are full of boats.  Some so sweet to look at, and others in various stages of repair (or disrepair).  Lots of eye candy for a boat lover.  And the people are really special.  The owners that you find here are the ones who actually use their boats.  And the workers are mostly happy and friendly and have a wealth of useful knowledge.  On the other hand, there's a part of boatyards that I truly despise.  Put briefly, they're the only places I know of where you get to pay $107 per hour for Mexican labor.

Truly, I have nothing against Mexicans as you know.  In fact, whoever works on your boat, the rate is the same.  But I still have never seen a single one who showed up for work in their Superman outfit.

So, while all of us are here for a reason, and we're happy to have this place to come to, we are also struggling to get out of here as quickly as possible.  In our case, a new prop shaft is being fashioned as I write this (Aug 10).  Hopefully, we get put back together and lined up yet this week.  Then Monday she gets a new coat of bottom paint so we can splash on Tuesday.  Keep your fingers crossed OK?  I really need to get out of here.      E

Making Progress

There's hardly anything I can think of that's more exciting than watching someone's dream come true. Especially one that has been in the dream stage for a very long time.

We were able to witness such an event a couple of weeks ago on a beautiful sunny Saturday when our neighbor Bob had a windmill raising in his backyard. Not sure that's the proper term for what took place, but he had the whole family in on the action - from Father in law to Son of a Son along with a host of neighbors and well wishers. The beer was cold and the BBQ smokin.

Understand, this is on a rather small, crowded city lot! I'm still not sure how they got the crane in there. Laying on the ground, the windmill took the whole space between his house and our fence.

Anyway, it was an absolute blast! Lucky for Bob and his
grandson the neighbor is a sailor who happened to have a
bosun's chair on hand - you should have seen what they
were going to raise him up with.

This is the new view from our back yard.

Got to love it!

Back in Alameda, Claudia and I and Chuck and Mitch are making progress on our own dream. This shot is for those who have been yelling for pictures. As this is what IRIE looks like when we're aboard lately, maybe you can understand why there have been so few pictures.

If you recall, C and I had only a few hours aboard before decomissioning for transport. As a result, the recomissioning is NOT a simple matter of putting things back together.



We need to learn what goes where? How does it work? Why doesn't it work?!?! How to fix it in some cases, and how to upgrade it to function better or safer in other cases.

In this shot, Claudia isn't so sure that she likes my plan for improving access to the water tanks. It actually worked out quite well, but took up almost five hours that most people will never see results for.

A week earlier, our friend Mitch and I spent nearly a day and a half getting the pressure water system to work at all! It turned out that a simple filter housing had a hairline crack that was letting air into the system. An easy fix, but a hard find. It's this sort of thing over and over and over.

You may not understand this easily, but I have not been complaining. This is boat work, and for me, it's like going fishing for most guys. Not fun necessarily, but the sort of thing I'd rather be doing. It's all a learning process, and an important one at that. Before C and I can take this boat offshore, we HAVE to know that all systems are working. And we need to know how they work which, in many cases, enables us to know how to repair them.

So now it's time to show you some of the progress. This shot is looking aft on the starboard side from the Nav station. Electrical panel and engine room doors to the right, locker and workbench to the left, this passageway leads to the aft play er, stateroom.





This is the aft cabin which gives you an idea of what things can look like after I turn them over to Claudia for her treatment.

Forgot to mention it before, but if you click on any pictures in this blog, you get a zoom view. Then just click "back" to return.

Getting dressed now with her sails on and the dodger and new dinghy.

Our dream is coming together.

E