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!