Fish Pens, Sand Bars and Dinghy Docks

Barra de Navidad is a lovely setting for an anchorage. The town is quaint and authentic and we are surrounded by jungle to starboard and a beautiful golf course and island to port.

Getting in and out of the Lagoon is challenging, however, even with good waypoints. There are sand bars everywhere. You should always transit the entrance during high tide and ALWAYS follow your waypoints exactly. We didn’t realize the tide was going out as we were coming in and we ran aground twice. Fortunately we were able to back out of the mud without too much trouble and we had a “VHF Angel” guiding us in after the first grounding. (“Go to port.” More to port.” “WAY more to port…and don’t turn until you are next to the blue boat.”) Once we got into the area where all the boats were anchored our “VHF Angel” advised that we should put out 100’ of chain as the bottom is mud and when the wind gets strong boats will drag. We found a good spot to drop the hook but it took two tries and one grounding before it set. Once we were settled, Jim & Bonnie from “Murray Grey” came by in their dinghy to give us the rundown on the local facilities.

Day 2: First thing in the morning we were greeted by the French Baker (honest to goodness) who brings fresh pastries to each boat in the marina and anchorage. I have taken a serious fancy to his Almond Croissants! After breakfast, we decided to take the dinghy into town to do some exploring and hang out a bit socializing with the other cruisers at the Sands Hotel. They are happy to let us tie dinghies to their dinghy “dock” and we can use the pool for free and the internet for 20 pesos ($1.50 US) per day if we purchase beverages from their bar. This is not much of a problem for cruisers!

The Dinghy Dock is an interesting affair. First, as you dinghy into town, you must pretty much go where the pangas do as the huge number of sand bars is appalling. Once you get around the corner, go very close to the edge of the swimming area, very slowly past the sandbar that goes all the way across the water and hug the port side of the water where the pangas are parked. You will soon see the Dinghy “Dock” with many inflatables tied up and waiting patiently for their owners to return. As you can see from the photo, the dock is actually a broken down rock and cement wall! It is interesting getting close enough to get off and tie up without getting so close that you puncture the dinghy with a rock or sharp shell. Once you are tied up and off to swim, shop, hang out or whatever, your trusty dinghy will wait patiently for your return. When you are ready to return home, it can be interesting as well. Today the tide was way, way out and we ran aground backing out and after we were around the corner and in the “channel” we strayed a bit too close to the fish pen to port and hit a rock.

I am trying to decide if I like it here or not. When the wind comes up (which is every afternoon) my stress level pegs worrying about whether we are going to drag into someone else or vice versa. I love the personal service from the sweet French Baker. The scenery is beautiful, temperature perfect and the town is truly authentic Mexico. I wish I could relax more because this is the kind of place I came here for. But…it is definitely worth staying a few more days.

"Bobby" the Booby

One of the things we enjoy the most about this cruising thing is getting the opportunity to see all sorts of wildlife that the average person only sees in books and/or zoos. Since we spend a lot of time on the water, birds are a large percentage of that. Whenever we see a species that is new to us, out come the books and identification cards to find out what it is. In the Pacific Northwest the preponderance of birds were Sea Gulls of all sorts of varieties. Going down the coast, some of the feathered friends we encountered were Pelicans, Herons, Cranes, Egrets, Murres, and we even had a couple little Finch-like land birds come and rest on the boat for several hours off the Oregon coast. Now that we are in warmer territory, we see lots of Pelicans, Frigate Birds and Boobies. We have not been to Isla Isabella so haven't had the pleasure of seeing the Blue-Footed Boobies (yet) but Dietmar shared several photos they had taken during their visit.
Monday we headed out for a cruise up the coast to the lovely anchorage of Punta de Mita to hang out for a couple days. As we were getting ready to dinghy to the beach on Tuesday to look for shells, followed by a little lunch and swim, we glanced up to see a Brown Booby perched on the bowsprit of the boat. He did not seem the least bit concerned about the people moving around on the boat and was happy to comply with the request for a photo or two. We were excited to get an up close and personal look at this guy and when we left for the day he was still "standing watch". After several hours of exhausting activity we returned to the boat to find that "Bobby" was still in attendance. At first we were happy to see our new mascot but that delight soon turned to dismay. He had moved from the bowsprit to the top of one of the spreaders and in the process had managed to poop all over the boat! The solar panels were covered as was the aft deck, there were splotches on the bimini and everywhere on the deck. In addition, he had done a stellar job on the aft hatch which was open and in his enthusiasm he had even managed to get some spatters on my bed!
Needless to day, Bobby wore out his welcome quite quickly and when he returned this morning to say hello we promptly shooed him off. As we weighed anchor and turned back to La Cruz I believe I saw him heading for a large powerboat that appeared to be unoccupied.

Sandy's Big Adventure

Today was the day!! I went on a bus trip to another town all by myself! That would be sans interpreter!

The object of the exercise was to get from here to Nuevo Vallarta, get my Christmas presents shipped back to the States, check out the "American" grocery store and do a little shopping in the Paradise Village mall. This is the story of my adventure:

As I left the boat this morning and walked through La Cruz to catch the bus I was feeling fairly confident given the fact that Patty & I had gone to Nuevo on Saturday for the Vallarta YC Chili Cook Off. Thus, I was pretty sure I could negotiate the two buses I needed to take. One really great thing about the bus system in Mexico is that a bus comes along about every 10 minutes so you rarely have long to wait in the hot sun. They are not, however, air conditioned and the drivers rarely speak any English at all.

Note regarding Mexican men: They are MUCH more chivalrous than American men!!! They always allow the women to board the buses first and rarely do they not give up their seat for a woman if the seats are all taken.

So - the bus came along and I managed to tell the driver where I wanted to get off. This does NOT mean they will stop there if you don't indicate your desire to get off when appropriate - it just lets the driver figure out how much to charge you for the trip. In this case it was 10 pesos (slightly less than $1). I had a pretty good idea where my stop was so relaxed a bit and looked around. I noticed a very old couple (both with canes) sitting in the seat behind the driver and they had a mandolin with them. From past experience I expected that one of them would be singing (and then collecting tips) before long. By the time we had passed Bucerias there were enough pigeons on the bus and, sure enough, the woman began playing. She was not bad on the instrument but when she sang, holy chihuahua! It sounded like a cat with it's tail caught in a door! While the caterwauling went on, the old man shuffled up and down the aisle holding out his hat for tips. They were both clearly infirm and looked like it had been a while since their last meal so what-the-heck.

Just beyond Bucerias there is an overpass that the bus drives next to...VERY slowly because there are volkswagen sized potholes in the road. For the first time since I've been riding this bus they stopped to pick up some riders there. As I sat looking out the window while they were boarding something in the yard next to the road caught my eye. It appeared to be a very short legged, ugly dog moving across the ground. Then it started bobbing its head up & down like it was eating something and another one came around from behind a bush and started doing the same thing. Suddenly it dawned on me that these were NOT dogs but very large iguanas! They had large reddish fins the length of their backs and had to be at least 3 ft long! I have attempted to find a photo of them on the internet with no luck and, unfortunately, my camera was sitting quietly back at the boat. Isn't that always the way it is?

When the Nuevo Vallarta sign finally made its appearance I got off the bus and walked around the corner to await the next one. This bus doesn't run quite as often so there was a bit of a wait but not intolerable and the entertainment was worth it! There is a restaurant on the corner and there were two guys who were busy re-striping the parking lot...by hand! They would put a 2x4 down next to the line so it would be straight and then pick up the brush & paint can and paint that 5 ft or so before moving the board and beginning again. When the bus finally arrived and I paid my 5 pesos all I had to do was sit tight until the very end of the ride and there was the mall. The next couple hours were taken up with getting the shipping issue taken care of (can you say $80 US for one UPS box back to the States???), checking out the numerous upscale shops (I finally found just the right "white, gauzy dress" to buy) and going to the "American" grocery store to see what could be had that wasn't available at the Mega. Not much! I bought 2 bottles of white wine (thought about more, but since it is a matter of "you bought it, you carry it" I decided to be a bit more frugal) and a bag of Cheetos (chips here are NOT the same so thought I'd try one more type).
Note: In Mexico when you go into a grocery store or any large department store (like Wal Mart) you have to check your bags (except your purse) before you can shop. I'll bet it helps keep the shoplifting to a minimum.

When I was ready to leave I picked up the bus in front of the mall and had a little language barrier to overcome. The driver didn't speak English and I had to explain that I wanted to go to the highway where the bus to La Cruz is. Took a little doing but we finally got it figured out and we were off. Somehow I thought we would just go back the way we had come. Not so! Going this direction the bus makes many little side trips to drop off & pick up people who are staying at the numerous upscale condos & timeshares in that area. It was heartening, however, that they didn't speak Spanish any better than I did. By the time the bus arrived back at the highway we were several miles back from where I wanted to get off so I waited and waited and waited, hoping the driver wasn't going to throw me off in the middle of nowhere. Finally I saw the Nuevo Vallarta sign again and stood up (hanging on for dear life) to signal I wanted to get off. Then, I reasoned, since the buses appear to just pick up anyone who signals as they approach, all I needed to do was get to the other side of the highway to get the bus I wanted. Wrong!! As I discovered (when the first bus flew by leaving only a trail of dust and paper garbage), they actually do have regular stops. I pulled my newly purchased "Mexican Spanish Phrasebook" out of my tote bag and sidled up to a worker by the side of the road to ask where, precisely, the stop was for the La Cruz bus. He replied (in perfect English) that I needed to walk down past the overpass and around the corner. sigh...
Note: When in Mexico, you must get used to crossing back and forth between cars on the freeway. It is extremely scary but, nonetheless, quite acceptable (and, in most cases necessary if you want to get to the other side). The caveat is that you must understand that the cars that are turning left at intersections will be doing that from the far RIGHT lane!!!

What a relief to finally be on my familiar La Cruz bus and know exactly where I need to get off to get home. I spent the next 15 minutes or so practicing all the lewd phrases (very quietly of course) that I want to try out on Chris when he gets back from San Diego, and when we reached the stop for La Cruz de Huanacaxle I confidently climbed off the bus and walked through town, exchanging "hola's" with the locals and feeling quite smug that I had negotiated the trip and not become lost, run over or frantic.

Beach Vendors

Today Patty & I took a couple buses to check out the town of Sayulita. We'd been told by several people that it was much nicer than Punta de Mita and they recommended it highly. The town is much like others we've seen in Mexico but with more shops and restaurants and it seems a bit "Americanized" in comparison. Still, the streets are mostly bumpy rocks and there is dust everywhere. The beaches are all quite different and this one was no exception. One thing that seems to be a constant is the large number of vendors who spend their days walking up and down, up and down trying to sell you everything from temporary tattoos to jewelry to clothing. It is difficult at best to just relax with a book on the beach because of the constant barrage of locals hawking their goods. The majority seem to be women - often with a child or three in tow, but a surprising number are children themselves. The youngest I've seen so far was a tiny girl who appeared to be under 5 trying to sell toys under the tutelage of her mother. Apparently these folks are hired by shop keepers who pay them on commission. In Punta Mita there were several young women who would come by with jewelry or pareos or dresses and after they'd been told "no" by everyone on the beach they would change to a different colored apron or hat and come by again with something new...blankets or wooden carvings etc. It has to be an incredibly difficult way to make a living - if they do - and I can't imagine what effect the constant rejection must have on their self esteem. I love the beaches but the continual harrassment takes some of the fun out of just enjoying the sand, sun and ocean.

Foray to Punta de Mita

Yesterday Patty & I packed a few things in a tote bag and boarded a bus to go off to see what is happening in Punta de Mita...the other direction from our normal bus trips. Instead of traveling on the highway through dusty villages and busy towns we enjoyed a 20 minute trip through beautiful wooded hills with the turquoise bay at the bottom. This is a very upscale area and when we got off the bus the walk into town was reminiscent of Shelter Island with wide, palm tree lined sidewalks, Bougainvillea draped walls and large condos and hotels. "Town", however, is mostly a few restaurants and storefronts where you can purchase surfing lessons, a snorkeling or whale watching trip, or listen to a timeshare spiel in exchange for a free Margarita. We walked through town and then back along the beach until we came to a restaurant where there were chaise lounges you could use for free. After a lunch of tasty quesadillas we took a dip in the surf and then spent the afternoon on the lounges watching the beginning surfers and kids playing in the water, reading and having a cold beer delivered every so often. Doing this field research is hard work but we are happy to be of service to travelers who may be following in our wake!
A Canadian woman we met told us not to miss Sayulita (which is just up the road) so I definately see another road trip in our future!

December in Paradise

12/1/08...9:00 am...75 degrees and sunny...perfect again!
Chris is gone on a delivery so Patty & I have two weeks of "girl time". We spent the first afternoon doing nothing and went out to dinner that night. Saturday we took the bus to P.V. for some shopping and located a salon where we made hair appointments for today. Yesterday we were too tired from shopping on Saturday to leave so we just read books, laid in the sun, had a couple Margaritas, BBQ'd dinner and watched "Happy Feet". When the movie was over we were both exhausted so toddled off to bed with our books - at 9:00! This is getting to be a bad habit! What is it about the cruising life that tires you out so early? I was always a "night person" in my "previous" life and now all three of us are done in by 9:30 at night! Once the sun goes down, we've had dinner and watched a movie or played a game of Scrabble or Catch Phrase it's all over! Well, at least we have beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

La Cruzin'

As I write this I am sitting in Philo's Restaurant/Bar in La Cruz, drinkin' a cerveza and enjoying the evening. The temperature has cooled down to around 75 and will likely stay there through the night. How sweet it is!
Learning to be a "cruiser" is a steep curve but I'm working hard at it. Now that the long passages and cold nights at sea are over it is getting easier by the day.
Yesterday Patty & I took the bus to Puerto Vallarta to do some shopping. Riding a bus here is definitely an "E" ticket ride! The roads are either rock or cobblestone in the towns so IF the buses came from the factory with shocks they rapidly disintegrate. This, coupled with speed bumps that could dislocate even the stoutest backbone, makes for an interesting ride. OK. Now we have reached town so where do we get off (and even more pressing...HOW to let the driver know?)? We decided to just wait until we got to the end of the line and the driver told us to leave but then we saw an Office Max and decided to chance it. As luck would have it, we de-planed (so to speak) at the end of a wonderful shopping mall with great clothing and jewelry stores galore. We had spent several hours browsing and buying when we found ourselves at the Malacon (a wonderful walkway along the ocean) and craving a Margarita. It was, after all, lunchtime! Patty suggested a place she'd been to years ago and we sated ourselves with some great food and the obligatory Cadillac Margarita (sans Grand Marinier). After lunch, we discovered that the desire to shop had been replaced by the need for a siesta. Unfortunately, this entailed an hour long busride back to La Cruz and a 20 minute walk to the boat. By then we were really toast. It was still pretty warm so we forced ourselves to partake of a second Margarita in the Sky Bar at the top of the ramp...just to cool off after the hot bus ride and walk mind you. When we arrived, Chris was having a cold beer and working on his computer so he was blessed with our company.
Today Chris was the one enjoying the bus ride to P.V. as he had to locate some boat parts. While he was gone Patty and I went shell collecting on the beach, washed the boat and then settled in for a little reading followed by a siesta.
Yep...this cruising stuff is definately hard work!

La Cruz

Hola mis amigos! It has been a very long time between internet connections that were strong enough and long enough to post on this - hopefully this one will stay connected long enough! The 1st leg of the Ha Ha from San Diego to Turtle Bay was the longest and we had a great time. We started 19 minutes "late" (tho' it really isn't a RACE) but had great wind and started blowing by boats as soon as we passed the start line. First was a Halberg Rassy 46, then an Irwin 60...like they were standing still. Then we just started picking them off one at a time and by the time we reached Turtle Bay we were in the top 1/2 of the fleet of 180 boats! The anchorage was beautiful except for the bazillion dead sardines in the water & on the beach! Seems a fisherman had a tip that there was a bigger catch to be had so he dumped all the ones he'd already caught and took off for more. It was pretty "fishy" while we were there. Still...after the first 24 hrs the water was clear enough that Chris & I went in for a short swim. After a couple days to explore and the beach party leg 2 (shorter... only about 40 hours) began - to Bahia Santa Maria. Another gorgeous anchorage tho' by the time we arrived it was pitch black so we ended up anchored quite far from the beach and main pack. With a windlass that had decided to go on vacation "we" (think Chris) weren't much interested in pulling up 150' of chain by hand just to move closer in so stayed put and made use of the numerous pangas to get to and from the beach. Those guys are amazing. They can get you in & out of big surf without getting you wet (well...until you jump out of the boat). I must say, however, it is a bit disconcerting when they bring you back to your boat...at full throttle...after dark...with NO lights! No one was hurt in this exercise! The final leg to Cabo San Lucas was an easy passage and we arrived just at sunset on the 6th of Nov. This was my first time and I wasn't exceptionally impressed. Chris & I took the dinghy to "Lover's Beach" to see the Arch but it was high tide so we couldn't get a good look at it. Still, the water and beach are beautiful. The anchorage was quite rolly due to all the traffic but was still preferable to being at a dock in front of all the night clubs and bazillion tourists walking the streets 24/7. The party at Squid Roe was a hoot but we managed to haul our butts out before to midnight. Still not quite caught up on our sleep! We stuck around Cabo until the Ha Ha festivities were over and then upped anchor first thing the next morning and motored up the coast about 20 miles to San Jose del Cabo where we stayed in a beautiful new marina, got showers, did laundry and shopped until Sue left on the 11th. Next morning we were off again for here. We had wind for about the first hour and then nothing above about 6 knts so we motored almost the entire 2 day passage. We are again in a beautiful brand new marina...in La Cruz. It is darned expensive to be in these marinas (the "New" Mexico) but we need to get some boat jobs done (not the least is fixing the windlass!!!) that can't be done rolling on an anchor. Once those are finished we'll be anchoring out most of the time.
La Cruz is a beautiful place. The original town was, clearly, just an authentic small Mexican town but there are tons of big resorts etc going up all over. This marina (like the others we've seen in Mexico) is clearly 5 star but when they have it finished I'm sure it will be way out of our budget to stay here!
Chris has had some reasonable success with fishing. Caught a Blue Fin Tuna, a Bonito and a Dorado (Mahi Mahi!!). We still have fish in the freezer but have been going to town for eats while we are here.
Have had LOTS of dolphins come and play around the boat. They are especially fun at night...feels like they are coming by just to keep you company when you are on watch.
Well, it cooking down here inside the boat so I'm signing off and will take my book & my beer out and sit in the sun.

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha ;-)

This will likely be my last post for a while. Tomorrow morning - 11 am - the Baja Ha Ha begins! I can hardly believe, after all this time, that this is really happening! Today was the skipper's meeting and then the Kick-off Party complete with Halloween costumes. It was a great time and we got 2nd in our division ("Unique"!). We were dressed up as navigational buoys and won a new tether for our efforts. I'll attach a photo of the group.
Yesterday George & Sue & Steve came over and supervised as we did a dry run (at the dock) with the brand new spinnaker and it was pretty "interesting". As it turned out, we discovered that neither of the halyards we thought would work for it would. Another trip to Downwind Marine and a couple hundred dollars later and George went up the mast to run an external halyard and now we're really ready to see if we can fly that chute without a major disaster. It is really quite beautiful (royal blue, turquoise and white) and we have high hopes that we can hoist it and fly it without incident.
We are all excited about the upcoming adventure. I'll post again when I get to a cyber cafe.

Sunny San Diego

We are now in beautiful (and I DO mean beautiful) San Diego. We spent two wonderful nights on Catalina Island and left at 4am Wednesday, under a full moon. We motored for 10 hours (no wind and glassy seas) and arrived in Mariner's Cove (Mission Bay) where we anchored for 2 nights. It's a lovely anchorage where you can stay for free for up to 3 days...very quiet and well protected and I loved the sand on the beach which is as soft as baby powder. While we were there, two of the boats we've consistently run into in different ports arrived as well. Dick & Carol ("Plumas" - you can see them behind us in the photo) invited us all, as well as a couple off another boat they'd met in Newport Beach, over for cocktails and it was great fun just hangin' out with the cruisers and swapping sea stories. We left the next morning (Fri) at 7am and arrived at the Police Dock by 11. We weren't sure we'd be able to get a slip as they only have 30 and they are in pretty high demand this time of year for a number of reasons but as we came in George & Sue ("Julia Max" from Portland) motioned us to take the vacant side of their double slip and came over to grab dock lines so here we are. I am sooo happy to be in one place for 10 whole days! We have shower facilities, the scenery is gorgeous and there are lots of Ha Ha boats here. While we are here I am getting an opportunity to see friends I haven't seen in a long time and that is very nice. Michael & Finn were flying home Sunday so we spent the day at Sea World on Saturday and it was lots of fun. We are working on more boat “projects” now. “We” (think Chris) are installing a new VHF radio and new inverter. Had a rigger replace the lower shrouds and install lazy jacks. I can hardly believe the service! He removed the shrouds on Monday, installed the new ones on Tuesday and did the lazy jacks today!!! And the price was amazingly low!! I’ve been making forays to West Marine and Downwind Marine and it is so exciting! These are REAL chandleries! The West Marine in San Diego is HUGE and it has tons of boat parts and a very small clothing section! The people at Downwind are just so much fun to talk to I like to go over there just for a good time. AND they have coffee & donuts for the customers in the morning. Everyone (vendors) just make themselves totally available for all the Ha Ha participants. The rigger told me he always sets aside at least a week during this time because there are always boats that need something done. How cool is that? Also, we had a wooden support for the table that split on the trip down and needed replacing. We delivered it to a marine carpenter yesterday and picked up the new one today along with many good wishes for a safe and fun trip. Everyone around here just bends over backwards to help you along on the adventure - and they all wish they were going as well. It's so hard to believe that after all these years of dreaming about going cruising in warm places that it is actually happening. Today Patty & I had a “girl day” for haircuts, manicures & pedicures and after we’d come home Chris & I were in the cockpit having a beer when a very nice guy came up and ooh’d and ahh’d over the boat and visited for probably 30 minutes. He loves Morgans and has been looking for one to go cruising on. I so remember the feeling – the dock walking – the envy – the drooling over boats and possibilities and other people’s adventures. And, especially, wondering if I would ever truly be able to go or if I’d always be one of those people who is an armchair sailor and at the end wishes they’d at least tried. It doesn't look like that is going to be the case but it is still a constant surprise to me that I am truly "doing it".

Last Leg Coming Up!

OK…OK! I’ve been lax in updating the blog! We've been busy having fun and the couple times I've tried to update the connections have been difficult at best.

When we left San Francisco we expected the passage to Monterey to take 24-25 hours. Imagine our shock when 16 hours later we were outside Santa Cruz! It was the middle of the night and foggy so we opted to spend several hours just going out to sea and back several times while we waited for sunrise. It turned out to be a good choice as the entrance into Monterey Bay's marina is very narrow as are the fairways between the docks. Was a piece of work getting into the slip during the daylight so would have been even more interesting in the dark.

We played tourist in Monterey and it is a great place to do that. We spent an entire day at the Aquarium, walked the Presidio numerous times and Patty & I did some damage in the shops at Cannery Row and Fisherman's Wharf. We really enjoyed all the wildlife and met more cruisers.

Currently we're in Marina Del Rey and it is my favorite so far. Nice wide slips with lots of room to get in and out; a lovely park in front of us and behind us we is the channel which is alive with all manner of boats coming & going. When we arrived Neil & Jackie from Emeryville were next to us and we've met several more boats of cruisers - some going on the Ha Ha and some not. Chris & I have taken to keeping a written list of boats/people we meet so that when we meet up down track we will remember them!

The trip from Monterey was especially nice as the weather was starting to warm up and the nights were clear. We are starting to see more sea life and one afternoon we had a very large pod of dolphins come and play. Besides streaking around under the bow and playing with our wake, we had about 6-8 ft seas at the time and as one wave came up off our starboard quarter we looked over to see five dolphins surfing down it. What a thrill! I actually got some halfway decent photos of them.

We leave tomorrow morning for Catalina Island and will meet up with Jerry & Cathy of "Glorious" for an overnight in Catalina Harbor before we continue on to San Diego.

Just so you know, cruising is way more fun than I expected. The first part down the Oregon/Northern California coast was cold, damp and not so much fun (at least off shore) but once we went around Point Conception the winds & seas calmed down and the temperature went up considerably. I must say, though, is the best part is all the wonderful people you meet and continue to run into over and over.

October and headed south again!

Michael & Finn arrived Tuesday night and are getting a little look at San Francisco. Yesterday Patty took them to walk across the Golden Gate bridge. I guess they had time to wander around Golden Gate Park as well. Chris & I did some last minute things to get the boat ready to go, spent the afternoon just laying about and reading and then walked over to Chevy's for dinner. It was a great day...until we got back from dinner. There seems to be some sort of problem with the AC power coming into the boat vs the inverter using battery power. Chris has been trying to figure it out since last night. No luck so far.
We had originally planned to take off very early this morning but since it will take 24-25 hrs to get to Monterey Bay we have amended that plan. That way we'll be able to go into the harbor during the daylight - always preferable as far as I am concerned!
Not much else happening right now. Just getting breakfast & showers taken care of and stuff stowed before we leave.
I would, however, like to encourage those of you who are following the blog (or any blogs for that matter) to leave the occasional comment! We really enjoy hearing from you and knowing that someone is "out there"! If you have had trouble leaving comments in the past, it is really quite easy but you DO need to be sure to enter that funny "word" at the bottom into the box provided. It apparently has something to do with eliminating spam.

Sight seeing

Yesterday was a day to be tourists and we had a great time. Most of the day was spent wandering Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39 and Ghirardelli Square. I was amazed that, while the sea lions have taken over probably 20 floating docks at Pier 39 they seem to stay off the few docks where the boats are. One boat at the Guest Dock was "Lilly" who was in Newport when we were. We toured the tall ship, Balclutha, a 256' steel hulled square rigger built in 1889 to carry cargo around Cape Horn among other places. Later on we drove to Sausalito to join Chris' cousin and wife (Steve & Judy) for dinner and anchored there in Richardson Bay was Tom Perkins' state of the art sailing yacht, Maltese Falcon. This ship, which was also built as a square rigger albeit with push-button controls, is 289' long and has 3 masts with a bridge clearance of 191'. The contrast between the two is, of course, stunning. I understand that when the Falcon arrived in San Francisco Saturday at low tide they only cleared the Golden Gate by 20'!! Today we are back to doing some projects tho' the list has dwindled considerably. I am still hoping to get the opportunity to take Chris & Patty to see the Wave Organ before we leave here Thursday morning.

Questions

It is amusing the questions we get given the makeup of the crew on Faith. Chris, in particular, receives raised eyebrows and sometimes specific inquiries from men wanting to know “How does that work?” with two women (emphasis as you would expect). I believe he just smiles and shrugs…preferring to leave them guessing. When Patty gets questions she makes it clear that SHE was signed up for the trip long before Chris came into the equation. As yet, no one has come forward to ask me, but perhaps that is due to the fact that Chris & Patty are both quick to tell others that I am the “captain” and that may slow the blatant inquiries. What is it about three people traveling together that causes others to speculate about their personal interactions? Is it just curiosity or is there just a touch of envy involved here?

So…for those of you who are wondering…we get along great. We are all going for the adventure and, while we have differences of opinion from time to time we are all adults so are able to negotiate when needed. Everyone does their share of the work and we make sure we all have our own personal space when needed. We share watch standing, boat maintenance, galley duties and laundry pretty equally.

Although…the Scrabble games are brutal and Uno is to be avoided at all cost!

San Francisco

San Francisco. The City by the Bay. Where I left my heart. It is all those things and more. We had a wonderful trip here from Bodega Bay and, miracle of miracles, we arrived exactly when we thought we would! There were quite a few sailboats outside the Golden Gate...looked a bit like a race but maybe they were just our Welcoming Committee. We only had 3 ships to deal with coming down the shipping channel (one of which was truly gigantic) so that was a relief. We are happily docked in a marina called Emery Cove in Emeryville (at the north end of the Bay Bridge) and it is lovely here. The "neighborhood" is mostly high end condos and offices and just a short walk down a beautiful path by the water is shopping and all the services one needs or wants. Everyone here is very friendly (we've already been invited to a dock party at 4:00 today) and there are quite a few "Baja Ha Ha" boats here. George & Sue, from Tomahawk, are the next dock over from us. Today we're just hanging out, enjoying the perfect weather (sunny & 75...and predicted to continue for the entire week). Tomorrow I suppose we'll be back at the projects, but for now it is nice to be able to just relax, meet new people and not have to think about leaving again!

Warmer in Bodega Bay

Bodega Bay! Where "The Birds" was filmed. This was the one place I really wanted to see on my first trip to San Francisco but we weren't able to enter as we were in a big storm.
The trip down from Eureka was wonderful. NO wind at all (which was quite fine since we had to motor anyway due to the ripped mainsail) and the ocean was like a big mirror the whole way. What a relief! I was very stressed about having to round Cape Mendocino but it was a piece of cake. The passage from Eugene was 30 hours and we arrived yesterday before sundown. We are in a nice, big single slip so I am going to work on getting the hull washed & waxed tomorrow. After we arrived we kept hearing water gurgling and the bilge pump running and it turned out the set screws in the dripless shaft seal had come out (and disappeared)! Chris managed to get the water leak stopped and we've ordered new parts from West Marine in Sausalito - they promise delivery at 11am tomorrow. Since it takes 8 hrs to get from here to San Francisco and we want to arrive in the daylight and with the right tide we won't be leaving until the next day.
We had lots of really cool experiences on the passage this time.
During my 3:30-5:30 am watch, a tiny green & yellow Finch flew into the cockpit and ended up resting under the dodger for a few hours before taking off again. The poor little guy was totally exhausted.
Also, during that watch we had some dolphins come play but it was dark so all I saw was the occasional back & dorsal fin when they came up to breathe.
Chris says he saw a 15' shark swim next to the boat for a bit during his night watch. I'm glad it was him & not me! I think I would have about jumped out of my skin!
Shortly after I took over at 9:30 am a good sized pod of dolphins came and played around the boat for a good 15 minutes. Patty & Chris came up to see them and we were all really excited. Then, not more than 15 minutes after they left, Patty & Chris had gone below and I saw something up ahead. Turned out to be two Humpback whales! I hollered at Chris & Patty to come back up and look as the whales were passing right in front of the boat. And I do mean RIGHT in front of the boat! The first one went across & went down and then we thought we were surely going to hit the second one but he not only barely made it, but as he was diving down, he lifted that huge tail. We we convinced he was going to hit the port bow but he didn't. I am STILL kicking myself for not getting a photo!! It was just so exciting to see them that I didn't even pick up the camera!
It is warmer and drier here (tho' by no means balmy) and we are all happy not to have to wear 6 layers of clothing day & night. I'll attach a photo of me on watch (if I look tired & cold that's because I was) and a photo of the view from 5 miles off shore. Now that we are past Cape Mendocino and below Latitude 39 things will only get better from here!

Eureka!

Well, we're in Eureka...finally made it to California! We left Newport around 8am Thursday morning and arrived here almost midnight last night (Friday). There was little wind so we motored the whole way and the seas had settled down and were running between 3 & 8 ft most of the time. Thursday evening we decided to put the main up to try to get a little smoother ride and it did help for a while. Unfortunately, in the middle of the night (isn't it ALWAYS in the middle of the night?) the outhaul let go and went all the way forward in the boom. Then the foot of the sail was flapping like crazy and had to be taken down. Patty & Chris went up the the mast to pull it down & tie it up while I tried to keep the boat headed into the wind. The sail is now rolled up & lashed to the aft deck and will be going to a sail loft for repair once we get to San Francisco. Patty & Chris worked all afternoon & finally got the lines fished out of the boom and the tangled halyard straightened out. We're heading for Bodega Bay tomorrow morning and the next day we'll be heading for San Francisco. We're off to a little soiree' on Island Grace (some folks with a big powerboat we met in Newport who are also on their way to Mexico).

Time for another update.

We’re still sitting in Newport and in the process of deciding whether to leave tomorrow or Thursday. Several boats left today and the reports back have been that there’s no wind but big, squirrelly waves coming from more than one direction so it feels like they are in a washing machine. Farther out than the standard 5-7 miles that most of the coastal cruisers travel the winds pick up considerably and in some places are 30+ knots (gale force). We check the weather reports continually in hopes that they will report changes in the works. So far no luck. In the meantime, we do little projects, play games or watch movies in the evening and continue to wait. We are all getting impatient.

Legend of the Pink Hat

When we arrived in Astoria we were too late to visit with my good friends Jo & Steve but as I checked in with the Harbormaster, there, on his desk was a brown paper sack with "Sandy Smith of the Faith" written on it. "That's for me!" I exclaimed, and the Harbormaster picked up the sack, hid it behind his back and made me re-affirm my name and the name of my vessel before he would give it to me. Tucked inside and surrounded by red tissue was a pink ball cap. "Sandy Smith's Sail Around the World Hat" & "In A Boat named Faith" is written on the brim and "Bon Voyage" on the button on top. On the back of the bag was the "Legend of the Pink Hat." It goes like this:
"Sandy - I have a pink baseball cap that has been in every ocean I've been in. Here is YOUR pink hat and a pen. You go girl and keep writing the names of oceans on your hat. Bon Voyage! Jo"
I began today by writing: "Columbia River Bar 9-1-08". It isn't, technically, an ocean (though it IS the entrance to the Pacific)but still it is a big step into the dream of dreams...sailing off into the sunset. The Columbia is considered one of the worst bars in the world and as it called "The Graveyard of the Pacific" it is a "big deal" in terms of accomplishments. This was not the first time I'd crossed it but it was the first time at night.
But that is not what this entry is about. It is about a wonderful gift that I received from a wonderful friend. It is about the anticipation of filling spaces with the names of faraway places visited, goals achieved, adventures lived. It is about living a dream I have had for so many years and having a unique way to memorialize and re-live the good, the bad and the fabulous.
Thank you, Jo!

Two Sisters

"Two Sisters" arrived yesterday afternoon. She's a weatherbeaten, wooden tuna boat about 35' long with a bit of a tugboat look to her. Very old fashioned to look at, she has clearly seen better days but she seems stout and, though slow to maneuver in wind, steady of soul. The young couple on board clearly know her well and their calm manner of handling her make it clear they have a close, working relationship with each other as well as the boat. As they pulled up to the dock Patty & I took a line to help them tie up in the wind and though they thanked us it was clear the hand was unnecessary.
I asked about the conditions off shore and they stated it was pretty lumpy with 10 ft swells and 5 foot wind waves but the tuna were biting well and they would not have come in had the ice not run out.
A Miniature Dachshund in the wheelhouse was standing on the shelf above the wheel with her head out the open window and wagging her tail, completely at home in her constantly shifting environment.
It's a bit of an incongruous picture, the weathered fishing boat with her tiny cabin snugged up tight behind the shiny, new 46' Nordhavn pleasure yacht and surrounded by large, expensive sailboats, all of us, power and sail, waiting for the weather to break so we can continue our southbound trek to winter in Mexico.
Like a common house wren among a flock of exotic birds.

Newport

We finally got out of Astoria! Ya Shure stopped in Saturday evening for a few hours before heading off to Newport. We'd been hearing for days from NOAA as well as fellow sailors that conditions were horrid off shore so waited & waited. Sunday I called Trent (on Ya Shure) to ask how the trip was. He said it was great, conditions were perfect and they were just, then, getting into Newport. That did it! We all went into high gear to get outta "Dodge", took a quck nap and were up at 1:15am and away from the dock by 2:15 Monday. We were an hour later than planned but it turned out not to be an issue. Most of the bar was glassy & calm but the last 1/2 hr we started bashing into some good sized (6-8 ft or so) swells. The crew were whoopee-ing and enjoying the ride but I was a bit white knuckled for a bit. There was no moon so it was pretty dark and the channel markers are spaced pretty wide apart so I had some trouble seeing them from time to time, but we still had the track on the GPS from when we brought Faith down from Olympia and that was a big help. Also had great help from everyone on board and by 4:30 we were in the ocean.


The trip to Newport was pretty benign and mostly consisted of napping and standing watch. After a solid week of hearing about the big wind & huge, confused seas, we had long, low swells and not enough wind to sail so motored the whole way. We arrived here around 5pm Monday and the entrance was fine even tho' we were on the ebb. When we came into the harbor, however, we drove right past the "Guest Dock" before we realized it. The next thing weknew, we were in narrow, close quarters with a lot of wind and current and needed to turn completely around (shades of Kalama - yikes!). Chris & Michael talked me through a "torque turn" (using the prop walk with forward & reverse and a LOT of throttle to turn the boat around). It was pretty interesting and worked great! When we got back to the guest dock I had intended to take the first open slip but missed it because of the wind so we went into the 2nd one just like that was the original plan! Dan & Kathy (from Lungta, a 76' ferro cement boat down from Portland) came out to take lines. When we got the boat tied up & introductions done, they said, "Oh, you're Sandy. We've been waiting for you." So...you can see...nothing has changed...my reputation STILL precedes me! Actually, Trent & Norm from Ya Shure had told them we were coming (both boats are on the headwalk in front of us). Yesterday morning Dan brought over a plate of fresh, still warm, brownies. Yummy! We visited with him & Kathy and got a tour of Lungta. What a boat! It has a gourmet galley as big as the kitchens in most houses, huge freezer, forward head w/separate shower, aft head w/BATHTUB, laundry room (washer & tryer!) and a pilothouse with all the cool electronics that make you drool.


Also on the headwalk are Dave & Debbie with Wave Sweeper (a Hunter 49). They came from Neah Bay and are on their way to Mexico as well. Yesterday Naida (Passport 40) came in. Judging by the flag, they're from Canada but haven't had much opportunity to visit with them. This morning Tumbleweed arrived from Neah Bay and they are also headed south and going to be in the Ha Ha.


The facility here is very nice and only $19/night including power. We were thinking of leaving last night but everyone here is watching a big storm coming up from California. In addition there have been a couple repairs we've needed to do and we have to make another provisioning run. We'll spend today doing that and then, hopefully, head out tomorrow.


No one's been seasick, The boat handles great. The auto pilot is working faithfully. We haven't been rained on. We've seen sunfish, sea lions, birds and whales. Life is good!

New Departure Date...Monday

The weather is finally improving and it looks like Monday is going to be the best we've seen offshore since we arrived here so the plan is to leave in the wee hours that morning. NOAA is prediciting a north wind of 10-15 knts, wind waves of 2 ft and NW swell at 6 ft so sounds good. In the meantime, we'll spend the next 2 days making sure everything is put away, tied down and secured so nothing will fly around inside the cabin. We'll also be plotting the course, inputting waypoints, etc. Since we are getting a later start than we'd originally planned we have decided that we're going to just go straight through to San Francisco...unless we change our minds somewhere down the coast.
While we've been waiting several Portland boats we knew have come and gone and we've had a few nice visits from friends. Rod & Debo came by the night before last and we all went to dinner at a very fun restaurant that served great food in huge proportions. Sue stopped by last night for a beer on her way to her campsite in Hammond. Yesterday Patty made another bach of chocolate chip cookies since we'd managed to eat all of the previous ones and tomorrow I'm planning to make a big pot of goulash (aka chili) to pack in single serving sized proportions that can just be heated up quickly.
Yesterday we went to the Maritime Museum and watched a movie about the treacherous Columbia River Bar. Perhaps not the best choice when that is exactly where we are going!
Michael made French Toast for breakfast so better go eat! Stay tuned...

Still Waiting

We're still in Astoria waiting for a break in the weather off shore and Monday looks like it will be the day. I was beginning to think I was just wussing out but everyone else agreed that the conditions were not sounding great. Then, last night, some friends came in on their way home from Port Angeles and when they related their trip to us this morning we were happy to have our concerns confirmed. Bill & Bob are both very experienced sailors and they said it was the worst trip down the coast they'd ever had. So we keep waiting for things to settle a bit. We keep running into friends from Portland. We keep chipping away at the projects that needed to get done. And we have gotten hooked on "Catch Phrase"!
Mary had to go home so missed her trip over the bar. She'll have to get her ocean time in Mexico...oh darn. Rod & Deborah are coming up from Seaside this evening to go to dinner with us so it will be nice to see them one more time.
All in all, nothing terribly exciting at the moment but we are definately learning patience!

Astoria

We left Cathlamet under beautiful blue sky around 1pm today and had a short 3-1/2 hr trip to Astoria where we are currently tied up on the end tie of "B" row. It is overcast right now with prediction of rain for tonight & tomorrow and we're just vegging out while we wait for Michael & Mary to arrive. After checking NOAA weather on the internet and listening to the weather robot on the VHF it appears we are going to learn to love Astoria for a while. sigh... Looks like a series of icky storms coming through so "maybe" early next week we'll see something promising. As we wait, we'll fill the time finishing projects that were not completed in Portland, sightseeing, and just "hanging about" the boat. For those who were worried...we aren't leaving until the weather looks good. For the others...we aren't leaving until the weather looks good!

We're on our way!!

We're FINALLY on our way! We had several delays due to "technical difficulties", the last of which was the new backstay was made 2+ feet too short so that had to be re-made. I spent Friday driving to Seattle to pick up the new insulators so the rigger could get the new one made. We picked that up Saturday morning and got it installed that afternoon. The rig was tuned on Sunday with Butch's help and today was the actual "departure day". I was wide awake at 4am with a panic attack and when Patty arrived at 7 she related the same experience! By the time we got everything cleaned out of the cockpit, stowed, tied up, secured, it was after 10. The only farewell party there when we pulled out was Jack - with a sad look on his face. We went to Hayden Bay to pump out and then filled up with diesel, filled the jerry cans and gas jerry cans and by about 11:30 we were going under the I-5 bridge. Wow! We made great time and by 8:30 pm we were parked in Cathlamet. It was a good trip down the River tho' we had a good amount of wind and big rollers when the tide was changing...oh...and there was a really fun squall that went through right before we turned toward Cathlamet. When we came in, Ken (from Rosebud) was on the dock to help us tie up so that was fun and we are looking forward to sharing breakfast with him & Linda tomorrow. We'll sleep late before going on down to Astoria to await the arrival of Mary & Michael. We're on our way!!!

New Toys

The last few days have been great...and very productive as we got quite a few of the new "toys" installed. Thursday we finally purchased the new (bigger) anchor and it fits perfectly and doesn't hang up like the other one did. Friday Chris got the ham radio installed and Patty changed out the old, dorky lights for pretty new brass ones. Not only do they look 100% better but they produce enough light that we'll actually be able to read! While they were doing that I was running for parts pretty much all day. Saturday Chris, Patty & I got the solar panels mounted and they look quite beautiful if I do say so myself. Makes "Faith" look like a "real" cruising boat. They still need to be wired but that is on the schedule for this week. Yesterday Chris & Michael installed 4 brand new batteries in the engine room. They aren't wired yet but once they are, we'll have two more banks to run the house so will have enough juice for all sorts of toys. A bit of history on the battery situation. Chris had installed a new bilge pump a couple months ago that malfunctioned and it appeared it had fried the current house batteries. When researching to find new ones that would actually fit in the same space we came up with 4 Rolls batteries that were smaller, lighter and would actually give us an extra bank and more power so ordered them. In the meantime we re-filled the fluid in the current batteries and attempted to charge them. Surprisingly, they charged right up and have continued to hold the charge nicely so, rather than replace them, we decided to just add the 4 new ones. "The boys" pondered on the options regarding placement, etc and from what they tell me it all went together perfectly. It's a beautiful thing. We're on our way!

Chris' Guitar

What a great time we had last night! Last week I had asked Michael if he could locate a guitar for Chris to have on the boat since he'd had to leave his behind. I wanted to give it to him as a belated birthday gift. As it turned out, Michael had one he was willing to donate in exchange for being part of the crew on Faith from San Francisco to San Diego. We were already planning to include he & Finn on that leg so this was a very generous gift! He & Finn were to arrive around 6-ish with the guitar and Mary called at 4:30 wanting to come down to the boat for dinner so a party was in the works. When the gift arrived, Chris was very surprised and even shed a few tears of joy. Earlier in the day, Jimmy had stopped by and mentioned that he'd like to get together with Chris sometime to play guitars so I gave him a call and he rushed right down. Sue was staying on her boat and came over to join us and now the party was in full swing. The 3 guys played guitars (and spoons...who'da guessed?) and sang, we all laughed, talked, drank beer & wine, threw some meat on the BBQ and the party rolled on. These are the spontaneous fun times with friends I am really going to miss. But...I am sure there'll be no shortage of gatherings while we are cruising!

A motley crew?

Finally got the whole crew (minus one) for the Ha Ha together to take a crew photo. Lorraine, since she lives in L.A. will be joining us at the last minute in San Diego. Photo # 1 from left to right: Hank, Patty, Chris, yours truly & Sue. Lorraine's pic is the other one. At any rate, we had a nice BBQ, drank some wine, had some laughs and got excited about the trip. This should be a very fun trip as everyone going has a somewhat irreverent sense of humor! The one thing we forgot was to come up with Halloween costumes for the big party so that is yet to be done. Yesterday Chris finished the forward head (whoo hoo!) so today we can start on the hoses on the aft head. One shroud has been replaced and #2 is being made. Since those are what hold up the mast we can only remove one at a time. That means our wonderful friend, Mike, has to go up the mast numerous times to get it all accomplished. Just received a phone call that the hardware for installing the solar panels is ready to be picked up so will be off to get that shortly. Chris is also planning to start working on the battery bank today. Click...click...click...things are falling into place like the tumblers in a combination lock. Good news since we only have 21 more days available to get everything done. YIKES! We are able to find an occasional moment for some entertainment so that is all good. Sunday I was able to accompany Sue when she took her new Catalina 22 out for the maiden sail. GREAT fun! She is really going to enjoy this first boat and I can't think of anyone who needs a boat of their own more!

Crunch time begins

Work, work, work! One job at a time getting checked off the list. Plenty of checks being written. The solar panels arrived on Monday which entailed a trip to the chandlery to order needed parts and pieces to install them. New furling unit was delivered yesterday. That will go on after the port/starboard shrouds have been replaced. The cockpit is full of parts and the salon is a regular disaster area. Poor Chris is becoming much more intimate with the boat's sewage treatment areas than he would like. With less than 4 weeks left the lists of jobs to be done and things to be purchased seem endless but Chris assures me we will be ready. Here's hoping he is right!!

Momentary pause in the action.

Sunday afternoon and we are taking a little break. Chris arrived Wednesday night and we've been working pretty steadily ever since. Have gotten a lot done but still much, much more to do. The teak trim is finished and looks beautiful. All that sanding and sanding was so hard on my back but it was worth it. Butch has picked up the pace on getting the new furling unit ordered so once the new upper port shroud arrives we'll install that and take down the forestay and furling unit and 2 of the inner shrouds. The time is blowing by and before Chris got here I was feeling pretty worried that we weren't going to get finished but the stress level is much reduced now. Today we took Amanda & Anthony (my daughter & grandson) to brunch as they were in town. This afternoon we are going through all the tools to see what we have and what we need and get them organized so we both know where everything is. Later, the "Ha Ha" group and a few extras are coming over for a BBQ and to get our group photo taken...also, to figure out what we're going to do about Halloween costumes. Sent off the Crew Waivers yesterday. With a departure date now agreed upon the hammer is down and we don't have much time to "play" so every little momentary pause is appreciated.

Winch Class

Moving right along. Saturday I was invited to join Pat for a lesson on dismantling, cleaning and re-installing winches. We were both pretty intimidated about the project at the beginning but Fred is an excellent teacher and just took us through it one small step at a time. We did the first winch (actually Pat did most of the work on that one) before lunch and after lunch "the boys" went below to work on fiberglassing, etc while we did the 2nd winch by ourselves. It was so great to accomplish that and we were pretty puffed up by the time we got done. Yesterday I bought the things I need to start working on the winches on m boat. Sunday Mike, Fred, Jack, Pat & I removed one of my shrouds and that will be shipped off to the rigger today to get a new one made. Then I was back to work on sanding the brightwork (teak rails, etc). Chris will be here Wednesday or Thursday and then the work schedule will go way up. Only FIVE more weeks until departure day and still so much left to do!

Racing and mentoring

I dropped into the old office to say hello yesterday and Todd told me I hadn't written in my blog in a while. OK...I did that yesterday, but will try harder to do it more often.
Yesterday was a day for laundry and errands so pretty ordinary...until 6:00. The first race of the OWSA (Oregon Women's Sailing Assn) series and I was a mentor on the ISC (Island Sailing Club) Catalina 25. OWSA and ISC have partnered to give a scholarship each year to 4 lucky OWSA members. They must take and pass a Basic Keelboat class through ISC and then they can use the ISC boats for that year. The expectation is that they'll expose other OWSA members to sailing and participate in OWSA events. Since Sue, Helen, Robin & Wendy don't have much racing experience I was asked to mentor. The wind was blowing 20 mph so it was fast racing and every time we had to tack or jibe the excitement level (fear factor?) went up for "the girls". We were last in fleet but had a great time and the women did well and learned a lot. I have been racing on the J-30 for many years, but still remember when I had little boats and was just starting out with them in races. Many was the day when I'd stand on the dock looking at the whitecaps and beg "the boys" (my crew) to stay at the dock...they wouldn't let me. They were right. Those gnarly, scary nights when I'd almost throw up at the start and rounding marks in a tight knot of other boats was terror like I'd never known before, were when I learned the most. Once I realized I wasn't going to die and the boat wouldn't disintegrate it started to become fun...very fun...loads of fun. It was all a great proving ground for the upcoming adventure. I learned to trust my boat and honed my abilities so I now feel confident that I can accomplish my dream.
Mentoring is another somewhat uncomfortable place to be. I still doubt my experience (even though I have 17 years of it) and ability to teach (the women disagree), but it is most definately a duty I have. My mentors were a huge reason I have been able to make my dream come true and it is time to give back.