tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54586860151363552762023-11-15T23:05:29.570-08:00MomentumTwo lovers, one year and a 36-foot boat.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14376570223605882071noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-25452898835007435052014-08-31T10:26:00.001-07:002014-08-31T10:26:37.381-07:00Pictures, pictures and more picturesFor those of you sick of the text-heavy blog posts, this one is for you. Posting pictures is hard when your only internet connections are a glorified fax machine and an intermittently successful 3G connection on your phone.<br />
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I have a few pictures left over from Hawaii that I haven't posted.<br />
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First, here is a beautiful panorama (cell phones are amazing!) of the cliffs next to the marina in Menele Bay, Lana'i. We hiked up here on our way home from a relaxing day on the beach. Of course, Adam could not resist anything made of rock and hundreds of feet tall. Due to some tropical storms in the southern ocean there was a large south swell that day; the waves were crashing up against the cliffs as we climbed up to the top, making it difficult for snorkelers in the typically placid bay below us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1lVOejHZsMMVclYOn-g-Jugh0VKQ1gNxRlCRV31hl0CuO9sqp0oBaVYg_bf0ZJ8azcsBwhxcOiIgcP-4jE4vT5Mp2jt5W3Qu0bq8ti8cxi6Eq67-J0nORjyLjs8IyXgNw74d99xJOYcj/s1600/IMG_20140612_150415_140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb1lVOejHZsMMVclYOn-g-Jugh0VKQ1gNxRlCRV31hl0CuO9sqp0oBaVYg_bf0ZJ8azcsBwhxcOiIgcP-4jE4vT5Mp2jt5W3Qu0bq8ti8cxi6Eq67-J0nORjyLjs8IyXgNw74d99xJOYcj/s1600/IMG_20140612_150415_140.jpg" height="108" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lana'i (I hope the panorama works on your screen!)</td></tr>
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Next, here is the view of Waikiki Beach from our first night at anchor. It was difficult to anchor there because the bottom is primarily dead coral with a light sand covering but we managed to find a spot and spent the evening swimming and playing dominoes as they slid across the cockpit floor.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVh2vb6kYAWTG2YgL4NVnK93VeOMkkkZGOa9T-wnOPkXZXeTC-W-amLNPwnDRuth_vcKBEx_exfmFXbrZiIxRhrKerbWN2sZR9xk5jdKgcNjBJebPh8LBr48KZ0Inf0RQWwVZUgymophSY/s1600/IMG_20140617_143008_502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVh2vb6kYAWTG2YgL4NVnK93VeOMkkkZGOa9T-wnOPkXZXeTC-W-amLNPwnDRuth_vcKBEx_exfmFXbrZiIxRhrKerbWN2sZR9xk5jdKgcNjBJebPh8LBr48KZ0Inf0RQWwVZUgymophSY/s1600/IMG_20140617_143008_502.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waikiki: Diamond Head on the right and hotels on the left.</td></tr>
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While we were in Honolulu we made many new friends. We also met up with some of my old friends from college who had just been stationed there with the Navy. We took Kevin, Rachel and their two boys out sailing with us along Waikiki. At one point a pirate ship pulled up along side, started blaring what sounded like the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song and then, much to the joy of everyone on board, shot at us with its water cannons. We kept sailing in circles to go back for more!<br />
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Rachel was also incredibly kind as we prepared the boat for departure. She drove us on many of our errands and we packed her SUV to the ceiling at Costco. I think she might have a picture of that feat, but I can't seem to find it on my computer. <br />
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We actually left Hawaii at the tail end of a dying tropical storm named Wali, so unfortunately most of our time on Kauai was spent inside the cabin avoiding the rain. The rain did make for spectacular waterfalls on the cliffs and mountains surrounding Hanalei Bay, but yet again, I must have forgotten to take pictures. As you might imagine, we were a little busy making room for our new crew member and double checking just about everything before we set out to sea.<br />
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One of the most spectacular things at sea is the changes in the sky throughout the day. From the amazing sunrises to the equally colorful sunsets and all of the strange cloud formations in between, I have quite a few pictures. Here is one from our first night at sea on this most recent crossing. Of course, the colors are never quite the same on my little point and shoot camera, but you will just have to take my word for it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnO0P2ciRJco1vnnwAQvPmJuO5M0rr4F0kEYe_pjMqt_5S_-eMrcPqdxuKpS4_CQCpGPKoRjcbIQG75Y3yy9FNrvLLSvst984KIFuND2akFZo7LfFRr9YovSJBMU5ux0VreE432PXME992/s1600/IMG_3916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnO0P2ciRJco1vnnwAQvPmJuO5M0rr4F0kEYe_pjMqt_5S_-eMrcPqdxuKpS4_CQCpGPKoRjcbIQG75Y3yy9FNrvLLSvst984KIFuND2akFZo7LfFRr9YovSJBMU5ux0VreE432PXME992/s1600/IMG_3916.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
If you have never seen a squall on the ocean, here is one headed right for us! It is difficult to get pictures and video during squalls or during the gale we experienced both because I do not have a waterproof camera and because sailing the boat takes priority. In our experience the weather on these crossings has been primarily calm interrupted by hours or days of stronger winds and rougher seas. Again, since I have no photos, you will just have to take my word for it.<br />
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There was only one serious injury on our second crossing: my burn. Here is a picture from about a week after the event. It still hurt but had at least scabbed over. Now, fully healed, I just have a a very white patch about the size of a band-aid.<br />
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We did a lot of fishing on both crossings, but having a third person definitely made the whole process easier. Here are a bunch of fishing pictures.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGU6TWyj40qbcS-hSMCO1HSdnoKhEE7-0JgK91mizZawVSIYjMWRHGartdaWouf4DiYuMCQHVzYIUkRhyphenhyphen1M6uUinO9BkiwvxlJdxdLKXLmTpvQprgMR22nFYz9n2yMzyl27420aX5vCDN/s1600/IMG_3920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGU6TWyj40qbcS-hSMCO1HSdnoKhEE7-0JgK91mizZawVSIYjMWRHGartdaWouf4DiYuMCQHVzYIUkRhyphenhyphen1M6uUinO9BkiwvxlJdxdLKXLmTpvQprgMR22nFYz9n2yMzyl27420aX5vCDN/s1600/IMG_3920.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrew with a Mahi-Mahi (aka Dorado)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reeling one in</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIqBWdiBcT8OtpTc1eIeNaf87FR2cC92MLVZKBVp8ae0XOMrYJul48c2uhltmoMDRWTzLNJvk40sV7M72W-jhC1bCAPbm5YuHOHMNyv9otXD-8DYHVIQIAM_-Dl9ZbbaO86Kt95zjKyUn/s1600/IMG_3945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIqBWdiBcT8OtpTc1eIeNaf87FR2cC92MLVZKBVp8ae0XOMrYJul48c2uhltmoMDRWTzLNJvk40sV7M72W-jhC1bCAPbm5YuHOHMNyv9otXD-8DYHVIQIAM_-Dl9ZbbaO86Kt95zjKyUn/s1600/IMG_3945.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tuna missing a brain</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fVncYiY2SFx6Q9XHvRDNlo9GDKJ8YFZITQCrORMfQkOjL6VbGc7cXWmFD9NIhXKzlk_UAuAeTS8tCjcoqkmsKCBnQJx_VQICOMdq6Kd-SycL3Vu5d6Y_wmkuC2qckT5uv5kmd_viPITv/s1600/IMG_3962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fVncYiY2SFx6Q9XHvRDNlo9GDKJ8YFZITQCrORMfQkOjL6VbGc7cXWmFD9NIhXKzlk_UAuAeTS8tCjcoqkmsKCBnQJx_VQICOMdq6Kd-SycL3Vu5d6Y_wmkuC2qckT5uv5kmd_viPITv/s1600/IMG_3962.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The always ready fisherman...</td></tr>
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As we got further north, the weather also got colder and colder. Here are some cold sailing pictures. Warning: you might want to go grab a coffee or a blanket before viewing these. They make me cold again just looking at them!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60VLKawKUpBHDVmChrNeZ4wi_PbgXa6Vz-yJXLI3eBtg8Z08j5Eqonof4m10Ru1JbUuIEyeOq4t8vd6gqoA1aFCtJ-jm2xxGOQF2t0775uCB8GT4MpGMGgzbRspZdU4KnWb2Ele7vq4gU/s1600/IMG_3928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60VLKawKUpBHDVmChrNeZ4wi_PbgXa6Vz-yJXLI3eBtg8Z08j5Eqonof4m10Ru1JbUuIEyeOq4t8vd6gqoA1aFCtJ-jm2xxGOQF2t0775uCB8GT4MpGMGgzbRspZdU4KnWb2Ele7vq4gU/s1600/IMG_3928.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's me in there, if you can't tell.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmR5QN-mKgP4Y9JBlccw4KzJSCyv7Utf9xm40JWy-rVVeBQITzyI2z8MZRtt6p9eCfunun237z_-T1kpvfjkPLx5fml_-FRFc0lgO55XMlAStZ46BoIywf-0EgUgbBUym-_vXu0wMqLhC/s1600/IMG_3937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmR5QN-mKgP4Y9JBlccw4KzJSCyv7Utf9xm40JWy-rVVeBQITzyI2z8MZRtt6p9eCfunun237z_-T1kpvfjkPLx5fml_-FRFc0lgO55XMlAStZ46BoIywf-0EgUgbBUym-_vXu0wMqLhC/s1600/IMG_3937.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam all bundled up in his bunk.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEc-RPhKMcl6xFFdrwKjCpA9sIPf4XViIsmrUTtnwSlY0gsRiFJ-Re9dePEEKWnTmEa-HW6Ae3yaNN_mAFburf0cRJpanvowgT46fNVbqc1neWmloj784KikKmpvmK6mReImpT3QCPst7/s1600/IMG_3972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEc-RPhKMcl6xFFdrwKjCpA9sIPf4XViIsmrUTtnwSlY0gsRiFJ-Re9dePEEKWnTmEa-HW6Ae3yaNN_mAFburf0cRJpanvowgT46fNVbqc1neWmloj784KikKmpvmK6mReImpT3QCPst7/s1600/IMG_3972.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cold and fog! Not very fun.</td></tr>
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The cold was actually my greatest fear about this whole northern crossing. I do not do well in the cold. There were a few cold days and many colder nights but most of all I remember a fun time with smooth sailing and sunshine so I will end with a few pictures of those happier times.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir5LM62HnRA1a5EFyqyuZLodbRJwZlGtgqKiE6YzAjBBZB-T2Vzf7qQdqQ1dRAqa_9UEdP5NFJj3UIwuZONCs5l4EfutZzXLkW1ITpTnCYV3iEy-_oX1E1mpxZD765O41vUGsMFBMsHk56/s1600/IMG_3942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir5LM62HnRA1a5EFyqyuZLodbRJwZlGtgqKiE6YzAjBBZB-T2Vzf7qQdqQ1dRAqa_9UEdP5NFJj3UIwuZONCs5l4EfutZzXLkW1ITpTnCYV3iEy-_oX1E1mpxZD765O41vUGsMFBMsHk56/s1600/IMG_3942.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pizza and beer after our first week out.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9y5QtyHVGrJv3y89YeaMqLVdAH2z3uOo9nZvti2nayQMRn-_odQ2YO1EcyGTvkquGCRnZn7JbBlivhjos2RYcju1-7h_s3yvCpiI99_Us3TBy9uDyRQXKY_4A5HpDxjh93I92fj61F7n/s1600/IMG_3949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9y5QtyHVGrJv3y89YeaMqLVdAH2z3uOo9nZvti2nayQMRn-_odQ2YO1EcyGTvkquGCRnZn7JbBlivhjos2RYcju1-7h_s3yvCpiI99_Us3TBy9uDyRQXKY_4A5HpDxjh93I92fj61F7n/s1600/IMG_3949.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We called them sail-jellies but apparently their real name is velella. These small creatures littered the surface of the ocean by the millions for almost the entire trip. Sometimes it looked as if the water had sequins!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtfAn2fVPWCqZ2ZVzjhKyx0hnHNrzZK-WTlrGD5FyR5puX8AaoA6yyoX6S93xW9wfshPm8B-yO-PBcLaFOPP2gqRn3OQJbylfAv3SuwCWMB970Gbx6IvQdaHs11UCawgnZoTQsKdZ6a4g/s1600/IMG_3956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDtfAn2fVPWCqZ2ZVzjhKyx0hnHNrzZK-WTlrGD5FyR5puX8AaoA6yyoX6S93xW9wfshPm8B-yO-PBcLaFOPP2gqRn3OQJbylfAv3SuwCWMB970Gbx6IvQdaHs11UCawgnZoTQsKdZ6a4g/s1600/IMG_3956.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fin of a Pacific Sunfish as it is startled by our boat. This was the last animal on my "must see" list of wildlife for the year. Adam and Andrew spotted it, woke me up, and then circled around so I could get a view and some very crummy pictures.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYSEllAEyZHVSzdtMbxlEehtOs48oNNy8-e6cInlm8ysz7KWv3Yoj__mrn8rX8LlrnAlq2Hhmr0ZwLxguOSWRTzxeMBteoLN7EjOIoOI14SjNXAJ_dN0GrDV0vvrxWsuPV17Z0nsCJ2Niq/s1600/IMG_3948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYSEllAEyZHVSzdtMbxlEehtOs48oNNy8-e6cInlm8ysz7KWv3Yoj__mrn8rX8LlrnAlq2Hhmr0ZwLxguOSWRTzxeMBteoLN7EjOIoOI14SjNXAJ_dN0GrDV0vvrxWsuPV17Z0nsCJ2Niq/s1600/IMG_3948.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adams favorite sail combination: wing-on-wing with the asymmetrical spinnaker and genoa!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzI2F97VsIbf7Hc9pcpfPMPaomYOhz5RPSfl12PoK_gjX7tHKrt_JiUJyg74ksVjleRuv7l3GvMwOm3j7Te-ozFSt1AOkbYx25k441LF4PxZu1lUohLRjn0I-jI_Fh2dg_w9BJtnN60R74/s1600/IMG_3977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzI2F97VsIbf7Hc9pcpfPMPaomYOhz5RPSfl12PoK_gjX7tHKrt_JiUJyg74ksVjleRuv7l3GvMwOm3j7Te-ozFSt1AOkbYx25k441LF4PxZu1lUohLRjn0I-jI_Fh2dg_w9BJtnN60R74/s1600/IMG_3977.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the dock in Port Angeles as we say goodbye to Andrew in the wee hours of the morning. He had to catch a bus and we had to catch the tide.</td></tr>
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<div>
Thanks again to everyone following and commenting on the blog this year. We have had more than 15,300 views since September! As I said before, stay tuned. I am still not quite sure what I am going to do with the blog, but first I am going to try and figure out how to post some of the videos we took on the crossings.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14376570223605882071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-39028509079636162962014-08-19T10:15:00.002-07:002014-08-19T10:15:33.203-07:00Sunshine in SeattleAdam and I are still in shock. <br />
<br />
First, we have never felt so loved in our lives! Thank you for all of the support, phone calls, care packages, dinner parties, slip decorations and miles traveled by some of our guests over the last week to welcome us back to Seattle in style. We are awed and humbled. <br />
<br />
Second, we still can't believe that Adam somehow convinced me to sail through a cold northern ocean to the Pacific Northwest just at the end of summer. His faith in me (and some warm clothing carried by my Mom when she visited us in Hawaii) gave me the courage to embark on this trip and I was literally dancing in the cockpit during the last 24 hours. There was rain pouring down, I was wearing five layers and felt like the Michelin Man every time I moved, but I was ecstatic because land was near and we were experiencing the coldest, wettest day of the trip. I had anticipated that the entire trip would be that way but instead we saw much more sunshine than we did between Mexico and Hawaii and although it was cold at night most of the days would have been extremely pleasant it we hadn't had to motor so much.<br />
<br />
Third...what next? We know what happens in March: the residency match. At that time we will find out where we will be for the next three or four years. However, between now and then we may be a little transient. We are living on the boat in Shilshole Marina in Ballard (part of Seattle) and will, most likely, be working at <a href="http://www.ballardkayak.com/" target="_blank">Ballard Kayak</a> hauling boats up the beach and possibly leading kayaking tours. Our wonderful friends John and Becca who visited us in Mexico for Christmas own this unique and expanding business located on Golden Gardens Beach, just feet from the Marina. We will also be doing odd jobs like boat work, babysitting, dog walking, etc. to rebuild our bank accounts. The kayaking season in Seattle ends in little over a month, right in time for residency interviews and then, very soon, the holiday season. After such a long trip we are both very excited to see our families and will definitely be visiting Madison and Raleigh at some point in November and December. After that I have to (get to?) go back to school. I have three rotations before graduation in May, when the next adventure begins! Moments may go on the market but we haven't made that decision yet.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Wrap up on the trip:<br />
<br />
We made the distance (Hanalei Bay to Neah Bay) in 24 days. We used about 60 gallons of diesel. The maximum winds we saw were 30kts, sustained. The highest waves were 15ft. The wind turbine churned out more power than we could use even when the freezer was running full blast full of fish. And, we sailed with only a headsail most of the time; in light winds we used the asymmetrical spinnaker and in heavier winds the genoa. The waves were at our beam almost the whole trip and the main just flopped around slowing us down.<br />
<br />
We caught more fish than we could keep. So many that we feel certain we could have lived on fish if we kept the poles in the whole time. Initially it was Mahi-Mahi and then as the water got colder primarily albacore tuna. Even me, a sushi lover, got sick of tuna.<br />
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Keep an eye on the blog.<br />
<br />
I am not sure what I am going to do with the blog. I have really enjoyed feeling in touch with people and being able to share our experiences with those at home and the friends we have made along the way. I plan to post some more pictures of our trip when I have enough internet to get them off of our phones and camera. After that...who knows. Maybe medical blogging is in my future.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14376570223605882071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-44978540048707617072014-08-14T07:53:00.001-07:002014-08-14T07:53:09.800-07:00Home Again, Home AgainWe have made it! After a long night of motoring we entered the Straight of San Juan de Fuca shortly after sunrise yesterday, Wednesday, August 13. True to Seattle form it was raining, and continued to rain most of the day despite our attempts to clean and dry out everything on the boat. We had hamburgers for dinner in Neah Bay, yum. Still a little damp, and after a short nights rest, we are headed further down the sound today to Port Angeles where we will be saying goodbye to Andrew. More to come on our passage as soon as we reach Seattle.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14376570223605882071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-20455478409670605772014-08-08T21:11:00.000-07:002014-08-08T21:11:04.159-07:00Home Stretch<br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Currently, I am sitting at the computer waiting for a weather fax to complete. As I mentioned in a previous post, NOAA sends out the weather fax documents via radio transmitters all along the coast. Right now we are receiving a signal from Honolulu which is gathered by the SSB antenna and then translated into an image by our little modem and the computer. The winds picked up last night, as we were expecting. It was also good that we had close to no wind for most of yesterday, because we were able to organize, clean and prepare the boat for the weather that will, hopefully push us the 4-6 days to Cape Flattery. On a long trip like this the inside of the cabin can get quite disorganized as people change clothing, switch shifts and live their daily lives all within the 300ish square feet of the boat. This is typically not a problem until the weather or swell picks up and then these discarded and unsecured items go flying across the cabin and invariably land on someone's face while they are trying to sleep.<br /><br />Things are going well and thanks to great sailing for the first week of the trip (we actually made over 150nm in one day!) we are still on schedule. This particular passage is known to test sailors as even in normal years (this is an El Nino year) it is marked by feast or famine where the wind is concerned. Looking through our position log -- where we regularly log our latitude, longitude, speed and basic weather conditions -- I can see many reports of wind around 20 kts and many where we are simply hove to or drifting because the water is glassy and their isn't a breeze in sight. Right now there is a low pressure system over the Aleutians, headed towards the Gulf of Alaska and predicted to bring yet more strong winds as air from the high below us rushes up to fill the vacuum of the low. As I write this we are 620nm from Cape Flattery and although, most likely, we won't be able to see it when we arrive due to fog, I cannot tell you how wonderful it will be to reach that way point.<br /><br />Also, thank you to everyone who has sent us messages about the hurricanes, we know they are there and are currently more than 1000nm away from them, in very cold water, and are above the latitude reached by the northernmost tropical storm in recorded history. Still, it feels great to know that so many people care about us and are watching our progress. For some reason (I am blaming sunspots) we are having a difficult time connecting to send emails. We do however continue to connect to the Pacific Seafarers Net every night and you can look at our position reports through them by changing the call sign on the tracking map from WDG8553 to KD9AFE</span>.Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042018631130159606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-25354679659786906902014-08-04T18:51:00.000-07:002014-08-04T18:51:28.586-07:00Traffic<br /><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ocean is a big place, a very, very big place. Although there are a lot of vessels out here at any given time, it is only slightly more likely for us to see one in our 15 mile radius of sight than it is to find the proverbial needle in a haystack. That said, occasionally miracles do happen. Or in our case not miracles but the intense fear of a tanker going 20 knots appearing on the horizon and headed right for our boat. A tanker or cargo ship traveling at that speed can be right on top of us in 20-30 minutes and although they are 300 meters long their skeleton crew may not see Moments (we imagine them drinking beer and eating hamburgers in their heated pilot house). This gets especially dicey the further north we travel because there is more rain and fog. Without our radar system, the limited visability in rain and fog would mean very little time to react if we were to see or hear a large ship headed our way.<br /><br />On our sail from Mexico, we saw three shipping vessels and two fishing boats. All but one of the container ships was within 200 miles of the coast. Then, one night out it the middle of the ocean, as we were changing shifts, we spotted a green light in the distance. Sometimes we can get fooled and think that stars rising on the horizon (especially Venus) are the lights of ships, but they are rarely green. This ship passed within 3 miles of us. An amazing feet when you consider the vastness of the Pacific Ocean. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This trip seemed to be similar, we passed by only one ship the first week out, but then, in the last 24 hours, we saw four container ships. We could even see two at one time! Most of these ships travel great circle routes, which are routes designed to travel the least amount of distance over the surface of the earth. Because the earth is a sphere, a rhumb line on a map (straight line between two points) is actually curved and one of these great circle routes is essentially straight. If you have ever flown on a long flight with one of those airplane trackers, you have seen this. On a flat map Greenland seems a little out of the way but on a flight traveling a great circle route from the US to Europe you see its icy landscape out the window for much of the trip. After so many large shipping vessels in a row we figured that we must be crossing a great circle route to some large port. The last ship in the train looked as if it would pass within two tenths of a mile from us so we hailed the captain to make sure he knew that we were there and were hoping not to get hit or swamped by his enormous wake.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This captain might win an award for jolliest mariner and asked (in good English with a thick Russian accent) where we were headed and how long it would take us to get there. There was a little pause and a chuckle when we told him our expected arrival time. When we said that they should maintain course and that we would shut off our engines and wait for wind, he became concerned and asked if everything was all right on board. We assured him that this was just the nature of sailing. We also learned from him where all of these ships were headed: the Panama Canal.<br /><br />We are now closer to Washington than we are to Hawaii and the weather is following suit. Now it is my turn to be on watch and freeze in the fog and rain...<br /><br />Less than 1000 nm to go!</span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042018631130159606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-60104904110062171982014-07-29T21:17:00.000-07:002014-07-29T21:17:06.021-07:00Its getting cold out here<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Things are still going well on the SV Moments. We are dried out, aired out and still making good progress. We were becalmed for the first time yesterday and had to motor for a while. Now the wind has picked back up and we are again headed north.<br /><br />One of the biggest challenges of this particular voyage is the weather. Although Adam and I are far from experts, we have learned quite a bit about marine weather systems and weather predicting this year. From Hawaii to Seattle we head through what sailors used to call the horse latitudes. This area of relatively light winds earned its name when sailing vessels in the past got stuck here, ran out of water, and had to throw the horses overboard because they had died or in an attempt to lighten the load and sail faster. Although we do have plenty of bacon and cold cuts aboard we decided to shy away from livestock so lightening our load is not possible unless our crew member decides he would like to go for an extended swim :) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unlike the sailors of yesteryear, we also have the advantage of a diesel engine which we have run for a total of 15 hours since leaving Kauai. To put this in perspective, we only motored about 20 hours total on our way from Mexico to Hawaii; today, we have almost reached that mark and are not even 1/3 of the way to Seattle. We have heard from a number of boats making this same trip and they have all motored more than expected. It seems like in this year of extreme weather (remember that cold winter you had? It is all, most likely, connected) and el nino conditions the northern Pacific weather systems are not behaving as they typically do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have mentioned this before, but sitting in the middle of the northern Pacific, right on the rhumb line between Hawaii and Seattle, is a cold mass of air called the Great Pacific High. The name is a little misleading because often there can be more than one high, but every year from June to September the High condenses, stabilizes, and moves south. This enables us to get up and around it on our trip to Seattle. Why do we have to go around it? Well, not only is it cold inside the High, but there is no wind. As a sailboat, no wind is a big problem. There is no way we can carry enough fuel to motor through the High, the main body of which is well over 600 miles in diameter. I say the main body because, surprise, surprise, this year there are multiple highs and they keep moving around! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Using our SSB radio we download weather information at least twice a day and try to make course decisions to the best of our ability. NOAA supplies all of this information for free and we use antiquated technology (basically a slow fax machine) to receive the charts via transmissions from Honolulu, Kodiak and Pt. Reyes. Much to our chagrin, in the last few days a new high has formed and is moving towards us from the west as we try to avoid the even larger high to the east. Over the next few hours/days we will be trying to thread the needle, praying that we can get north of the primary high and finally start to turn towards Seattle. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, if we get stuck I don't think we will starve as yesterday we caught so many mahi-mahi that we ended up throwing most of them back!</span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042018631130159606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-82338179097550012222014-07-25T06:43:00.000-07:002014-07-25T06:43:35.690-07:00Northward Bound<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although I am not typically a superstitious person, I hesitate to comment about our progress. Each time I did so on the way across the situation would change drastically within hours! Oh, well, here we go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are 430 nautical miles out of Kauai and just beginning our fourth day of sailing. Our progress is much faster than our speed of 120nm/day from Mexico, currently averaging 150nm/day on this leg. We are aiming for a way point at 40 degrees north, where we will finally turn east towards Seattle. Hopefully, the North Pacific High will stay out of our way and we wont have to motor like many of the other boats we have heard from making the same journey. We are carrying enough diesel to motor close to 100 hours, but motoring on a sailboat can be very miserable because the boat is much less stable and the engine is so loud!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the first two days of the trip I think that everything on board got wet. Luckily, since leaving Santa Barbara last fall, most of our electronics are stored in ziploc bags and before leaving Hawaii we wrapped up all of our books in garbage bags anticipating a wet sail. We were drenched for a few reasons. First of all we were beating north (sailing close to the direction the wind and waves come from) and there was a lot of salt water coming over the bow and spraying whomever was on deck. Also, for a large portion of those first two days it was raining, a parting gift from tropical storm Wali. We also saw some lightening, but none close enough that we could hear the thunder. Lastly, this one our own fault, in an attempt to cool down the cabin we left a port light open and got hit with a wave just right to get, what seemed like, the maximum amount of water that could possibly fit through such a tiny opening. Things have dried out somewhat in the last 24 hours but there is still this damp, clammy feeling about everything. Surprisingly, the weather here is much warmer than it was on our way to Hawaii, so we haven't yet suffered being wet and cold at the same time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In addition to sailing up wind getting us very wet, it has also resulted in more bruises than I have ever had at one time. Andrew, our crew member, actually bounced out of his bunk and onto the cabin floor, clearing the lee cloth rigged to keep him from doing just that! Luckily, he was not injured. I on the other hand received the most serious injury so far when I was cooking. I had reached over the stove to grab a plate from the cabinet and suddenly the boat moved. The gimbaled stove, excellent for keeping food in the pot while it is cooking, tilted in such a way that the top of the hot pressure cooker caught the underside of my forearm while I was desperately trying to figure out how to stay upright. The burn, about 3''x1'', blistered immediately and is definitely the worst one I have ever had. Luckily, we have a very extensive first aid kit and plenty of antibiotics on board if it comes to that. Hopefully, when we make our turn towards Seattle in a few days things will calm down again and just living will not be such a challenge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Miles traveled: 430</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fish count: 2 (Mahi Mahi)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Days until the big right turn: Hopefully less than 5</span>!Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042018631130159606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-31086163477680721002014-07-20T12:49:00.000-07:002014-07-20T12:49:24.861-07:00Rain, Rain Go AwayThe last week has been a big one! In case you haven't heard from Facebook, we have decided to return to Seattle with Moments. I know that, at least for me, this seems like an odd decision. We will be trading sunshine, warm water and palm trees for rain and cold. I know that the rain is not all Seattle has to offer, but for me it has always been the major deterrent. Still, we decided to return because it makes the most since for us during the coming year. Adam was offered a job here but has elected to pursue opportunities at home, partially because his remaining in Honolulu to work would mean yet another long period of long distance for us. So, we embark on this voyage hoping to have a few months together in Seattle before I have to start traipsing around the country for residency interviews and return to North Carolina to graduate! We are no longer in Honolulu and will be leaving for Seattle from Hanalei Bay on Kauai where we are currently anchored. Having stayed in Honolulu for three weeks we were definitely sad to leave our friends and all of the wonderful things that city had to offer. We are already talking about the "next time" we come to Hawaii!<br />
<br />
Another big thing that happened is that our crew member arrived! For this northern passage we decided that having an extra set of hands on board would be helpful. The boat is definitely a little more crowded but even after the 24-hour sail to Kauai we are already glad that Andrew is with us. Yesterday he reeled in the first Mahi Mahi of the trip and we had an excellent fish dinner after dropping anchor in Hanalei. Andrew has just finished grad school at the University of Wisconsin and is an instructor for the Hoofer's Sailing Club, where Adam and I met. Speaking of Adam and I meeting, that is another big thing that happened this week: on Friday we celebrated 5 years together! We actually didn't celebrate much because we were running around trying to get out of the marina in Honolulu before they charged us an extra day. Isn't it every girl's dream to leave for a month-long voyage with minimal sleep and bathing opportunities on her anniversary? Well, it was definitely a way to mark the day!<br />
<br />
We wouldn't have been able to provision this boat without the help of my friend Rachel from college. She and her husband Kevin (who I met on my first day at UNC) were just transferred here with the Navy and we spent a wonderful afternoon sailing at Waikiki with them and their two boys. Rachel was kind enough to drive us to the gas station, auto parts store, hardware store, and Costco so that we could really load up. Adam and I then made an epic produce buying trip to Chinatown, the best place to buy fresh produce in Honolulu. We brought it all home in our backpacks and a wheeled cart on the bus during rush hour, an adventure in itself. Then, the morning we were about to pull away from the dock, we checked the weather for the last time and all we saw was bad news. Tropical depression Wali, which has been lingering out in the Pacific, finally decided to make a slow move for Hawaii. I madly scoured the internet and radio for whatever information I could find on its projected course and then finally called NOAA where, when I explained our situation, I was both surprised and pleased to be put right through to a forecaster who could answer all of my questions about Wali and discuss the weather possibilities for our trip. We decided to leave Honolulu after all and as I write this we are currently being pounded by rain from the dissipating outer arms of the storm. Luckily we will not see any of the stronger winds that such a storm could have brought with it. We plan to spend the next 24-hours in Hanalei to rest and complete some final projects while we wait out the rain.<br />
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For this trip we plan to continue checking in with the Pacific Seafarers Net and make our regular position reports. We expect the trip to take about three weeks as this is a much shorter distance than from Mexico to Hilo. However, due to the North Pacific High, an area with no wind in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean, we may have to head to about 40 degrees north before turning west at all. It all depends on the position of the system which this year seems to have a nasty tendency to more around more than it typically does.<br />
<br />
Check back with the blog. We will try to send a few updates like we did on our last crossing. So long landlubbers!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03300835194389930212noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-61504240369907424802014-06-29T17:35:00.004-07:002014-06-29T17:35:57.908-07:00Where are we again?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhwaigJT_Hw74Lt9RWHqbHzNGekp9sEJlt9vA5QqVxOK0KsbAEAX812R0rY80bZfo8b-OzuUJ4T3JtXycc6F13GK5JPvdqNwnkbcKrcLHgHV2qbyLzf9zRoQtb8H1yLujZs6Aoe8kXsLG/s1600/IMG_20140617_143008_502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPhwaigJT_Hw74Lt9RWHqbHzNGekp9sEJlt9vA5QqVxOK0KsbAEAX812R0rY80bZfo8b-OzuUJ4T3JtXycc6F13GK5JPvdqNwnkbcKrcLHgHV2qbyLzf9zRoQtb8H1yLujZs6Aoe8kXsLG/s1600/IMG_20140617_143008_502.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The east side of Waikiki from where we were initially anchored</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Honolulu is like taking a vacation in a big Asian city and only
having to travel half the distance. Of
course, the prices are much higher than in many Asian countries, but much lower
than they would be in Japan or Korea.
In addition, the streets are cleaner and there are far fewer
motorbikes. We have been thoroughly enjoying
all of the different food options from Vietnamese spring rolls to Cantonese
noodle houses. The amount of tourism from
developed Asia is astounding. There are
so many Japanese and Korean tourists that they have their own bus systems, and
in our experience these foreign language busses seem to come by the stops much
more often than the city bus system we have been using to get around! The wealth present in Honolulu is apparent everywhere
with a Rodeo Drive like outdoor shopping district stretching block after block
just off Waikiki Beach and one of the largest malls I have ever seen within
spitting distance of the marina. Comically, many of the stores (like the two
Chanel stores within one half of a mile of each other) sport winter fashions
that would not be practical at any time of the year in Hawaii. I am guessing that their target customers are
not the locals but instead the Japanese tourists who come here for “bargain”
prices on the luxury goods heavily taxed all over Asia. Luckily for us, food
prices are a little more reasonable than they were on Maui and we have been
able to have many meals for under $20.
We just got back from a yummy lunch/dinner at a Japanese ramen counter
and had to waddle our way home. Last
week we were very excited to find avocado smoothies (don’t knock it until you’ve
tried one) and markets in Chinatown where we can stock up on all of the goodies
we miss from our time overseas.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjRvdxtBvzi5Wgr5L_1nF9v1xBFpLLu9hAnWlnYbE5JJZUHWzu0gzF7cacSCwuBbKo5KqOZOUOTgMi_09evK93HLz6m8poCghs0HeN3hTKaiscPYaCShNk5ozxrn3kLOquX3jDc8eiRpQr/s1600/IMG_3893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjRvdxtBvzi5Wgr5L_1nF9v1xBFpLLu9hAnWlnYbE5JJZUHWzu0gzF7cacSCwuBbKo5KqOZOUOTgMi_09evK93HLz6m8poCghs0HeN3hTKaiscPYaCShNk5ozxrn3kLOquX3jDc8eiRpQr/s1600/IMG_3893.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our favorite spots on the back side of Lana'i</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atop Diamond Head overlooking Waikiki</td></tr>
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We are still in Honolulu after having sailed here about two
weeks ago from Molokai. In addition to
eating our way through the city and our funds we have gone hiking on Diamond
Head, spent many hours watching surfers on the beach and plan to get up early
tomorrow to go out to Pearl Harbor. Last night we spent a few hours on a local
race boat, through which we met a nice group of young people, most of whom are
PhD students at the University. For now
we are in a bit of a holding pattern, waiting for the next phase of our
adventure to play out. Although we loved
our first crossing, neither of us is too excited about returning to Seattle by
boat if we can’t find some crew. The
passage is both colder and has the potential for trickier weather. We would love to stay in Hawaii for a while
and we are currently applying to jobs, but no news yet. Either way, boat or plane, I will be heading
back to the mainland in September to start the residency application process
but for now I have a little bit of adventure left in me.<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14376570223605882071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-47133412509024761282014-06-07T15:29:00.003-07:002014-06-07T15:55:13.910-07:00Vacation from our "vacation"I have been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be on a vacation. I could go back to high school Latin and let the nerd in me peak out its head but in favor of our shortened, 21st century, attention spans I will just fill you in on what we have been up to for the last few weeks. Since our arrival in Hawaii and our frolics with the dolphins on the leeward side of the Big Island, the last week of May Adam and I made our way to Maui just in time for his parents to arrive from Wisconsin. This began two weeks of family fun, with some of my family arriving four days later. There were two very notable events that occurred. First, we got to sleep in a real bed! We love Moments, and I have to admit that all of our various bunks are surprisingly comfortable, but after almost nine months of sleeping in the pie-wedge-shaped V-berth I was ready to stretch my legs, horizontally. I have luckily (for Adam) given up the habit of kicking in my sleep for which I was famous as a child, but it is impossible to avoid bumping knees every once in a while sleeping in the bow of a boat. Secondly, although Adam and I have been dating for close to five years, this was the first time that any of our family members had met each other. You might think that this could be nerve racking but in general the two weeks we spent with our family were a wonderful time of exploring this beautiful island, lounging on the beach, and spending quality time with our family members whom we miss very much despite our tendencies to head off around the world. Adam and I also got to enjoy that nice, juicy steak we had been dreaming about since about 2000 miles from Hawaii!<br />
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Of course, our trip to Maui was not uneventful. Due to the (still paper based, imagine!) system of renting dock space and moorage here in Hawaii we had to stop at a DLNR office on the Big Island before making it to Maui over Memorial Day weekend. It is a good thing that we left Hilo with some days to spare because we ended up staying in Kailua-Kona and Honokohau Harbor to make some repairs before jumping across the channel to Maui. We spent one night anchored off of Oneloa and then headed into Maalea Harbor to tie up while our parents are here. Adam and I knew that Maui was windy. It is a famous spot for kite boarders and wind surfers, but despite this we truly had no idea. In the harbor, wind whips through at 20-30 kts on a regular basis! The leeward side of the Big Island is somewhat projected from the trade winds due to the high mountains. Maui is essentially shaped like a dumbbell running east to west and, it turns out, that wind funnels right through that central valley making Maalea harbor one of the windiest in the world. This is good for our batteries as the wind turbine is running full blast, but tough on our hearts because our boat, as well as all of the larger boats surrounding it, move quite a bit in the wind. We have out every dock line we own, another that was already in the slip tied to a tire to help with the movement and surge, plus our secondary bow anchor out the back to keep the boat from slamming into the dock or the other boat! We ended up buying another fender because the four we have plus the tires and carpet on the dock were not enough! Oh and did I mention that there is a reef in the middle of the harbor and that the majority of boats are Tahiti tied instead of side tied to a dock? All of this and there is still a 10+ year waiting list for locals to get a slip. I guess that small craft advisories nearly every day make for pretty good sailing, if you are into that kind of thing.<br />
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For now, it is back to boat work for us. We once again had our lovely visitors cart gear back and forth. Christmas three times in one year is not bad. Although the general impression of cruisers involves a healthy tan, colorful drinks with umbrellas and lots of time lounging on beaches, that ideal is far from our day to day life. I now understand what my history teachers meant when they said that the invention of dishwashers, washing machines and refrigerators made it possible for women to have more free time or enter the work force. Our days are mainly filled with repairs and chores, not exactly the vacation most non-cruisers imagine yet still a separation and change from our normal life. Despite our chores, life is more simple, we get more sleep and we have much more quality time together, fulfilling our main goal for this year. It is hard for me to even remember what it was like when we were dating long-distance. For now we have no idea what the future holds. Similar to our plan to head "south" in Mexico we are heading "west" here in Hawaii. This phase of the adventure will end in September when I have to be back on the mainland to deal with residency applications and interviews. Until then we are exploring all of our options: applying for jobs both here and at home, putting the boat on the market, looking for crew to sail back but most of all taking our time and enjoying Hawaii.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14376570223605882071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-5851833878663058552014-05-21T11:10:00.000-07:002014-05-21T11:10:11.535-07:00Close Encounters<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG65subDmsqGeHP4btO8P3Oyz2k0ULqK0KPL4awdmKcjY2GCjLn87aGQW3bNDT4RPHGPqdK3Dt9QdsxX9sOb2h3yZCfn7OdzrB2ydnsJAEB0gPq75LESkxtH1IjYgPATqvNdZVdMNoBLQA/s1600/IMG_3796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG65subDmsqGeHP4btO8P3Oyz2k0ULqK0KPL4awdmKcjY2GCjLn87aGQW3bNDT4RPHGPqdK3Dt9QdsxX9sOb2h3yZCfn7OdzrB2ydnsJAEB0gPq75LESkxtH1IjYgPATqvNdZVdMNoBLQA/s1600/IMG_3796.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A boobie catching a ride on our sail.</td></tr>
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I got some exercise yesterday morning; I grabbed my mask and fins and jumped over the side of the boat to hang out with some spinner dolphins swimming circles around the coral reefs in our bay. I cannot even begin to describe the amazing feeling of being in the wild with these wonderful, intelligent creatures. Some were even curious enough to come very close and turn their head to make eye contact before dashing away. There were about 45 dolphins in total including at least two babies no longer than one and a half to two feet. I know better than to get too close when babies are involved but I barely had to chase the pod as they drifted in and out of my view. It was just me and the dolphins for about and hour before Adam joined us. Despite being very cold (I am completely spoiled having grown up in the South) this was definitely a highlight of the whole year. We are currently anchored in Honomalino Bay, a secluded location in the shadow of Mauna Loa bordered on the south by an old lava flow and the north by palm trees and a black sand beach. The visibility in the cove is about 50 feet so we can easily see the ripples in the sand on the bottom from the deck of the boat and watching the dolphins below and above the water is a definite treat. If you have never seen spinner dolphins and what they can do, Google "Hawiian Spinner Dolphins" and be amazed! The coral here is much more impressive than anything we saw in Mexico, even if we hadn't<br />
made friends with Flipper. We were also able to dive our anchor last night and make sure it was set well, which always leads to a comfortable night's rest.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhOBXAppvz4KgPBmp-SCHXkI_T0DWcXGkuY94xNvJIg_iTCc1FYjJvXr80TAbzqDxCQijXsr7a-NIqhF5v-Ip6NQDrFODzffzcPstRVBiwaXeTx_MwABwOyZ4OH2oPFhwSf1_kYeoAbJ3/s1600/IMG_3852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhOBXAppvz4KgPBmp-SCHXkI_T0DWcXGkuY94xNvJIg_iTCc1FYjJvXr80TAbzqDxCQijXsr7a-NIqhF5v-Ip6NQDrFODzffzcPstRVBiwaXeTx_MwABwOyZ4OH2oPFhwSf1_kYeoAbJ3/s1600/IMG_3852.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam heading off the trail into the roots of a Banyan. Do things ever change?</td></tr>
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We had hoped to ease back into sailing after our long voyage but that was not the case. From Hilo, any destination secure enough to call an anchorage is at least at 24-hour sail. We actually started our voyage on Sunday but as we were exiting the bay the Coast Guard radioed that there was a 36-foot sailing vessel disabled outside of the Hilo breakwater. That could describe Moments, but we were having a fine time sailing and were not disabled in the least! In the distance, however, was another sailing boat with their sails barely raised and when we approached them we learned that they to had crossed from Mexico but that their engine had quit working almost 1000 miles from Hilo. Typically that is not a problem in trade wind sailing. We didn't run our engine until that last day of our voyage as we were headed into Hilo. It is much easier to anchor using an engine than under sail, but this story provides another reason to learn how to do both! Being the friendly mariners that we are we offered a tow back into the harbor and after a few tries we managed to attach them to our stern and tow them through six foot swell into Reed's Bay, one of the anchorages in Hilo. It took four or five tries to get them anchored in the right place but in the end Adam and I were able to anchor ourselves and take a nap! We decided that one false start was good for the day and instead of heading out of the harbor immediately rose early the next morning to travel clockwise around the island. It was a great sail and despite some currents doing their best to hold us in Hilo we made it to Honomalino with plenty of light to anchor. I never knew that the big island was so, well, big! Right now we are about to weigh anchor and head further north with the hope of crossing to Maui Friday or Saturday to meet the first wave of visitors in Sugar Beach for two weeks of family fun.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQdCWEsEKsoIRs26nPrYPpduoBA4c60IgOlUHIIKFsqSxWF9lw0JpetomjQbIOWFPn8XBWY5g9u4DmR6-hP2uYJzUhPSh1cCjRnifzSAcuDC_RQJF9389zn967NCiXqhzI5EHHmaZ3AKNS/s1600/IMG_3850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQdCWEsEKsoIRs26nPrYPpduoBA4c60IgOlUHIIKFsqSxWF9lw0JpetomjQbIOWFPn8XBWY5g9u4DmR6-hP2uYJzUhPSh1cCjRnifzSAcuDC_RQJF9389zn967NCiXqhzI5EHHmaZ3AKNS/s1600/IMG_3850.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel clicking her heels to be on land, even if it is in the caldera of a volcano.</td></tr>
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For those interested regarding our repairs: The gooseneck is holding up and supported with an insane amount of webbing but the reefing hooks have completely broken off. That is where the majority of the damage was anyways so no big surprise and it looks like the weather may not even provide enough wind for a slow sail across the channel so we may get lucky here. We have not hand a problem using the cunningham to reef and have ordered a replacement gooseneck to arrive in Maui while we are there. Our outboard went on the fritz two days before we left Mexico but the anchorages so far in Hawaii have been so calm that we are easily rowing the dingy anywhere we need to go. The propane system, which has continually given us problems for the entire year is once again broken but we think we have it figured out this time. We can cook but for safety reasons keep the tanks closed when we are not using them. Replacement parts are on their way with our parents.<br />
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OK, now I need to start cooking this challah french toast in my effort to burn through all of the remaining Mexican eggs! Thank you for all of the wonderful messages of congratulations and support we have received in the last week. It has been really touching. We were honestly not aware that so many people are reading our blog and have followed our journey. Aloha!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejFyFbOz8jEOie_pZ_e8rWARBjjhpbl0ewSdfc5ALQsnNM3BOlMIViARNmlyFoxeWKAk7sLBxhhm4BJDjbCQgkKlkTk-0f4helZyBL_1_8nEfAXAJGxFgQcEWUeZwusKMlanWsIgYJwRl/s1600/IMG_3783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjejFyFbOz8jEOie_pZ_e8rWARBjjhpbl0ewSdfc5ALQsnNM3BOlMIViARNmlyFoxeWKAk7sLBxhhm4BJDjbCQgkKlkTk-0f4helZyBL_1_8nEfAXAJGxFgQcEWUeZwusKMlanWsIgYJwRl/s1600/IMG_3783.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many beautiful sunsets</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14376570223605882071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-61316538432678992182014-05-13T02:06:00.001-07:002014-05-13T02:06:19.781-07:00In RecoveryThe most remarkable thing is that the boat is no longer moving. I cannot even begin to explain how strange that is. My legs are both sore from use and yet atrophied from only walking a maximum of 36' feet for a month, I am covered in bruises affectionately called "boat bites" from zigging when I should have zagged and I can't believe I am writing this blog post before taking a shower since I have only showered once a week since we left Mexico. We left the fuel dock in Ixtapa on Sunday, April 13th at 20:20 UTC and we put our anchor down Sunday, May 11 at 21:47 UTC making the trip about 28 days, so our estimate of one month was pretty close. In general the crossing was excellent. We had relatively good weather, moderate winds, only occasional large swell and most importantly the boat and its sailors are still in one piece. We entered Hilo harbor on a drizzly Sunday morning just as the sun was melting back the morning rain clouds. Even though I have always been a fan of environmental regulations, having left<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi232-x7dMKqzXX2bMCvi1nH9VglSmWv9EM6FtMPBexqTnWTXAUKgxPkBnRjXBn6AXsKWmFZCbeXEajz1Yf52e_GziZlfI1n1ozg4nUmstyLTM2EwiFx-Ess8olv3VsrHTMuBKcG6TQ3d5a/s1600/IMG_3663.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi232-x7dMKqzXX2bMCvi1nH9VglSmWv9EM6FtMPBexqTnWTXAUKgxPkBnRjXBn6AXsKWmFZCbeXEajz1Yf52e_GziZlfI1n1ozg4nUmstyLTM2EwiFx-Ess8olv3VsrHTMuBKcG6TQ3d5a/s1600/IMG_3663.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our V-berth shortly before departure!</td></tr>
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Zihuatanejo only days after government agents posted "playa contaminado" signs along the beach and then pulling into a busy Hawaiian harbor that was still clean enough that you could see the bottom 35-40 feet below the boat, I have a renewed conviction about their importance. After anchoring in Radio Bay we did a deep clean of the boat and spent the first night celebrating with a good dinner, a bottle of wine and listening to the luau going only feet from our boat. Unfortunately, we were confined to Moments until Customs and the Harbor Master could clear us officially into the country today but the beautiful sounds of the Hawaiian language and ukuleles were a more than pleasant welcome.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JTc6b245OCy44WQpJUNH-0MJGxQAMCgHBjr25pHXoTv1KOiUvQ_yTSToZ9hHHYXm3Cfj-q9qHUyb583SnGsE630VcqOvwoJ3kHy60yUg-uoGO-0xk1EDbKVF2nWEUXWZON8s2hj69_cK/s1600/IMG_3748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JTc6b245OCy44WQpJUNH-0MJGxQAMCgHBjr25pHXoTv1KOiUvQ_yTSToZ9hHHYXm3Cfj-q9qHUyb583SnGsE630VcqOvwoJ3kHy60yUg-uoGO-0xk1EDbKVF2nWEUXWZON8s2hj69_cK/s1600/IMG_3748.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh food from the sea</td></tr>
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There were many exciting times on our adventure across the ocean, a few of which I covered in my other posts but here are some of the highlights!<br />
<br />
Provisions: We were carrying 110 gallons of diesel, 110 gallons of water and 50 gallons of gasoline. We still have more than 50% of all of these quantities. Still, I wouldn't do it any other way. Even though we ran our refrigerator most of the way across, we didn't have to run the generator or engine nearly as much as we thought we would because we made plenty of wind power. We did make some solar power but the sky was cloudy except for a handful of days, the wind power is really what saved us. When it comes to food we were very well provisioned and didn't even have to break into our canned/boxed supplies. I still have about 35 onions and a few pounds of potatoes!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little serenade before sunset</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Casualties: Our biggest problem was chafe on the Monitor lines. We had to move the blocks running the lines thought the cockpit, rotate the lines, wrap them in tape, and many other measures to limit, distribute or control chafe and made it here just in time. All of the sheets will probably have to be replaced before we head anywhere long distance. We also chafed through one of the belts for our wheel pilot, the electronic autopilot, but we had a spare so that was no big deal. The most important item to break was the gooseneck, the large hinge that connects the boom to the mast. It did not completely break and we were able to support the cracks that developed by rigging up a webbing harness. Our best guess is that it bent and cracked when I (rather violently) accidentally jibed the boat during one of the brief periods of heavy swell and wind that we experienced. Luckily we had already reefed the sails (decreased their size) so the damage was nothing we couldn't deal with.<br />
<br />
Fish count: 7 dorado (mahi-mahi) and one tuna<br />
<br />
Notes on wildlife: We were surprised that there were birds with us the whole way across. Neither of us thought that we would see birds way out in the middle of the ocean, but there they were every day. We also didn't see any whales, turtles or dolphins once we cleared the Mexican coast and have yet to see any in Hawaii. Lastly, flying fish can fly an impressive distance!<br />
<br />
The best part of for me is that we were literally sailing into the sunset every evening and believe me, there were each different and spectacular!<br />
<br />
Would we do it again? Yes! Yes, we are sick of sailing, we have been dreaming of steak and Taco Bell since about day 15, and we are planning to spend the next two hours in the shower, but we wouldn't give up the experience for anything.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14376570223605882071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-53969811030675960642014-05-11T13:20:00.000-07:002014-05-11T13:20:15.335-07:00News!LAND HOOOOOOO! That is all.Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042018631130159606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-30323867237919247832014-05-06T20:54:00.000-07:002014-05-06T20:54:19.388-07:00Big Ocean, Small Boat<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I cannot believe that another week has
passed. We are making steady progress with great sailing conditions.
Energy is low but morale is high and we are very excited to make
landfall hopefully sometime this weekend or early next week. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My biggest
complaint right now is that I just finished my last book! All I have
to read now are boat part manuals and reference books, not exactly the
kind of reading you want when you are trying to stay awake on a night
shift. I brought six novels with me and thought that would be
sufficient for four weeks but it turns out that I should have brought
twice as many. I would try to spend some time at night navigating by
the stars or at least trying to find the constellations I know but we
have had almost 100% cloud cover, day and night, for most of the trip.
Today happens to be sunny but I would put money down on clouds rolling
in sometime around sunset and staying put until well after sunrise
tomorrow. This is great for our efforts to prevent sunburn but it also
makes us a little energy starved when our solar panels don't get a full
dose. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We are feeling very comfortable with our provisions. We still
have more than 50% of the diesel, gasoline and water that we brought
with us and although I spend some time every day throwing out rotten
produce there are a few apples, oranges, tomatoes, cabbages and
cucumbers left in addition to all of the potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets
and jicama that wouldn't go bad even if our trip were twice as long! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This week we have been very fortunate because our persistence on the
fishing front has paid off. After coming down the Baja this fall we
really didn't have much luck fishing until just recently. Part of that
is probably timing: we were sailing most of the time in the middle of
the day, and part of it is probably laziness: we were using the same
lures over and over and by the time we removed them they were barely
sharp and definitely rusty. We did catch a tuna early in the trip but
it was mealy and we ended up throwing most of it back. However, in the
last few days our luck has changed. We have caught so many dorado (aka
mahi-mahi or dolphin fish) that we have released a number of them. Adam
even rigged up one of the flying fish that unfortunately landed on our
deck to see if he could catch a monster, but no luck so far. Yesterday I
reeled in one dorado that would probably keep us fed for four days if
we ate fish for every meal! Unfortunately, I don't know if we will be
able to eat it all before it spoils because we have had to turn our
refrigerator off because it was using too much power, but right now the
sun is shining, we are almost there, fresh ceviche is on ice for lunch
and it is past time for my nap!<br /><br />480 nautical miles to go!<br />2546 nautical miles covered</span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042018631130159606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-29876791835640821152014-04-28T19:53:00.001-07:002014-04-28T19:53:55.253-07:00Are we on a boat or a roller coaster?<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Despite our toasts to
Poseidon both when we left Ixtapa and when we could no longer see land I
think I pissed him off with that last blog post. Poseidon, I am sorry,
you are all powerful. The sea can be fierce and we have unfortunately
seen a little bit of that over the last few days. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Although, what we
have seen is nowhere near true storm conditions, for the last 72 hours we
have been getting winds approaching or above 20kts and seas of 8-10+
feet. The worst part is that the swell period is extremely short. The
measurement "period" is akin to the wavelength if you have ever taken a
physics course -- it is the distance from the top of one wave to the top
of the next. When the period is short by the time you come down off of
one wave there is very little time, if any, for you and the boat to
recover before you begin your ascent again. I do not want to worry
everyone, Moments has done very well and we are safe. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The major
problem has been that the waves, combined with the higher force winds
have been too much for the Monitor windvane and we have had to hand
steer. Hand steering, especially through waves like that, is
exhausting. The first day we got into a routine of one hour shifts
which was about as long as I could manage to keep the boat pointed in
the right direction. Luckily, the previous day I had made a huge pot of
vegetable soup and baked some bread so we at least didn't have to spend
our precious sleeping time cooking meals. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We have experienced similar
conditions before coming down the Baja peninsula, but for those shorter
trips of 2-3 days there was a light at the end of the tunnel; we just
exhausted ourselves hand steering and then slept soundly at anchor.
This time, after one whole day of one hour hand steering shifts we knew
that there was no way we were going to be able to sustain that pattern
through the night and the next day, after which it looked like the
weather was going to change. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lets just say that I now know how Popeye
got such big biceps, and trust me it wasn't the spinach. So, what did
we do? We hove to. Heaving to is a magical sailing technique that
allows you to essentially park the boat at a "comfortable" angle to the
wind and the waves. Once you achieve the correct angle and lock down
the wheel all you need to do is keep a watch to make sure you don't get
run down by a tanker. Yes, you do drift a little but we actually
drifted directly towards Hawaii, making progress when we weren't even
intending to move! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Adam and I both got a good night's rest and we were
back to sailing this morning under much more favorable conditions. We
have actually passed the half way mark today so it is all down hill from
here. Or should I say down wind? (Corny, I know, maybe the sleep has
gone to my head.)<br /><br />1500 miles to go!</span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042018631130159606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-16137201110490058062014-04-25T11:26:00.001-07:002014-04-25T11:26:28.709-07:00Life on S/V Moments<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">All is well on the SV Moments! Sure, we are both already feeling a
little stir crazy but we have good weather and it looks like this
pattern might hold for a while. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Before we left I had a lot of questions
about what exactly it was we would be doing for our month at sea.
Frankly, it's pretty boring. We like it boring, we want it to be
boring; boring means everything is as it should be and we have good
sailing conditions. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Life on the boat is pretty much like life
everywhere else, you just have to understand that everything moves. We
also don't have a real shower, but that is another story. The first few
days of this trip, and our other longer sails, were exhausting. While
at anchor, we had gotten used to going to bed and rising with the sun,
which typically gives us 9-12 hours of sleep a night! This has been a
serious treat for me as medical school typically afforded me only 5-7
hours, maximum. We cannot truly anchor the boat at night in the middle
of the ocean. The depth where we are right now is more than 3000ft.
Also, there are other boats to worry about. As as it takes about 14
miles to stop a large cargo ship or tanker and fishing vessels generally
have such bright lights that they cannot see us until we are very
close, too close, we are always on the lookout. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We take three hour
watch shifts all day and all night. The good thing is that we are
generally so exhausted by the end of our shift that sleeping is not a
problem. We also have plenty of snacks, warm beverages and reading
material to make the shifts more enjoyable. Also, did I mention the
spectacular scenery? Sharks, turtles, HUGE tuna (yes, we can see them
through the water), rays, dolphins, whales, birds etc and at night the
bioluminecence makes our boat look like one of the floating cars in a
Jetson's cartoon, floating among the wonderfully starry sky. I cannot
count the number of falling stars I have seen since this trip began. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Luckily, one of the things you typically do not have to do while on
watch is physically steer the boat. There is no power steering here and
to keep the boat pointed through the waves is a significant workout.
Occasionally, it is necessary to hand steer for a while and even with
the Monitor windvane (a mechanical autopilot of sorts) doing most of the
work you always have to be alert and make small corrections to the
course and most importantly adjust the sails. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now that we are ticking
off our 10th day at sea (4/23) we have both become more accustomed to the sleep
schedule, our meals actually occur at regular time intervals and we
have fallen into a routine regarding necessary chores on the boat. We
eat pretty much how we would eat anywhere else which includes baking
bread once or twice a week. We get weather information and even some
emails from our family through our SSB radio once a day, which is how I
send out these updates. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So there you have it, extraordinary yet at the
same time boring, just the way we like it.</span> </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3c3evNSAvWgOACAJciNg0CtKypnub8bH_qhOlk6I_F0oWdfJrnJMj3Kg3Hq_facacEqaqdpYQFVX0t7Zz4hCY0ognAIlaYUWSVghRV94uYmiKz9g4kbHRCN1j4FXJ9gFul_BsPw4pu-s/s1600/IMG_6149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3c3evNSAvWgOACAJciNg0CtKypnub8bH_qhOlk6I_F0oWdfJrnJMj3Kg3Hq_facacEqaqdpYQFVX0t7Zz4hCY0ognAIlaYUWSVghRV94uYmiKz9g4kbHRCN1j4FXJ9gFul_BsPw4pu-s/s1600/IMG_6149.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042018631130159606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-2074207732903406742014-04-19T08:30:00.000-07:002014-04-19T08:46:00.983-07:00Ocean Safari<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Finally, we are moving! Although the weather
information that we have downloaded says that there was not supposed to
be much wind last night and today, we are finally on a course and speed
that puts us ahead of schedule. Unfortunately, we are still making up
time from our fight against the wind and then a few periods where we
were completely becalmed, bobbing on an absolutely flat, clear sea. We
are currently about 2700 miles from our destination.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dolphins are our
constant companions day and night racing the boat, flipping and spinning
up into the air. I know they are out there but it always makes me jump
a little when I am sitting in the cockpit at night and suddenly hear
the sound of their blow holes only feet away. It was especially
shocking when I heard a much louder gush of spray and air and realized
that a whale had surfaced just feet from our boat. We generally try to
avoid getting too close to whales as they are about as big as we are and
can cause serious damage to the boat (not to mention the poor whale!).
Adam was in radio contact with a boat while coming down the Oregon
coast that became disabled after they, most likely, hit a sleeping
whale. However, this whale was most definitely not asleep and most of
the time it seems like they approach us because they are curious. Adam
always says we should try to talk to them and then begins to make all
sorts of horrible sounds which he maintains is "whale speak." This
whale checked us out and then, most likely realizing that we were not
another whale, went quickly on his merry way. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Although Adam has not yet
had any response from the whales he was able to communicate with some
of the local wildlife last night. Similar to the famous blue-footed
boobie of the Galapagos, Mexico has a very healthy population of
yellow-footed boobies which we have enjoyed watching as they fly around
us and dive from 40-50ft to catch fish. We also spend some time cursing
them when they decide to poop all over our decks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">There are still a
number of birds way out here and they often like to hitch a ride on our
boat. Last night one perched itself directly on the top of our mast and
stayed there most of the night. This was not a problem until around
midnight when I noticed the lights of a fishing boat that seemed to be
getting closer very rapidly. The boobie was sitting right in front of
our tri-color light -- the green, red and white light that lets other
boats know we are here and which direction we are going. I was worried
that with the bird there the fishing vessel could not see our lights!
Adam was just coming on shift so I asked him to flash the tricolor and
anchor light to try and scare the bird away. This, unfortunately, did
not work. He then tried to give his loudest velociraptor scream up the
mast through the hole in the cabin, again to no avail. As an aside, if
you have not heard Adam's velociraptor scream you should ask him next
time you see him, seriously, it is straight out of Jurassic Park. Next,
we got out the foghorn and finally received some response from the bird
but not the one we were hoping for. We squawked at it and it squawked
back at us, but didn't budge. By this time the fishing vessel was close
but we were clearly not on a collision course so we let the bird be.
He was still there when I came back on watch three hours later. I have
to say that bird must have one solid stomach to sit on that mast all
night long, it made me dizzy just trying to watch him!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">You may assume
that our boat is the only thing for miles around that the birds can land
on without getting their feet wet, but this is not the case.
Yesterday, the day of boobie shenanigans, we also saw four of these
birds fighting over who got to hitch a ride on the back of a sleeping
sea turtle. They were making such a racket that the turtle eventually
swam away but we enjoyed the show as each one tried to swoop in and
knock the others off to gain a little respite in the middle of the big
blue sea.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Stay tuned for more from the S/V Moments. Trade winds here we come!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Posted for Rachel and Adam by Lori Hughes</span></span></span> Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042018631130159606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-76598129232029286922014-04-15T11:02:00.000-07:002014-04-19T08:50:13.873-07:00And They're Off...<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">4/15/13 - 10:39 local, 15:39Z</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">We have
left Mexico! The sign-out procedures were (as anticipated) a bit of a
circus but both immigration and the port captain were very helpful to
make sure we were able to leave with all of the necessary paperwork. We
left at 3:20PM on Sunday and are now just beginning day #3 on the sea.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Although winds were predicted to be from the northwest we found out
very quickly that they were actually coming from right where we wanted
to be going! Sailboats cannot sail directly up wind. Instead you have
to tack back and forth in a zig-zag pattern so that the wind hits your
sails at an angle and (just as in an airplane) uses lift and the
momentum of the wind to propel you forward. When tacking to get
somewhere up wind you not only move slower because the wind blows you
back a bit but you also have to cover twice or more ground than you
would if you were headed straight from point a to point b. So this is
where we are. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Luckily the wind was reasonably strong and the swell was
low so we covered 60+ nautical miles towards Hawaii in the first 24
hours and by now have covered close to 180nm. This is definitely
progress but we are a little bummed because our boat can easily sail
125+ nm per day. At least the trade winds wont be right in our faces
but we have to get there first! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Other than the wind, so far everything
has gone smoothly and we have enjoyed the company of hundreds of
dolphins and 20 or so sea turtles. Some little suicide squid jumped up
onto our deck last night and Adam just put them on our lures as (used to
be) alive bait. I am always amazed by the stars when we get away from
land but over the last few nights we have seen a number of meteors which
has been a real treat!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">We are currently checking in with the
<span style="background-color: cyan;">Pacific Seafarers Net (www.pacseanet.com</span>) and continue to put our
position reports in <span style="background-color: cyan;">YOTREPS</span>. You can go to <span style="background-color: cyan;">www.shiptrak.org </span>to see a
video of our progress. Unfortunately some of the reports are under our
ship station call sign:<span style="background-color: cyan;"> WDG8553 </span>(all up until now) and others are under
Adam's ham call sign:<span style="background-color: cyan;"> KD9AFE</span> (because that is how the Pacific Seafarers
Net logs them). I tried sweet talking them into combining the two but
no can do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">That is it for now and I hope this message makes it over the radio waves to you all!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA75flXccxGHFEFx7O4QIZENmtgAAvD_wkE_OStaC9zsZNsuqUwPKAFa8c3cmPy1e04oHCfCY9WgCp4MR2GnErR-UimRlEtw8Nz9_dTMHUVOe-ugS49T_eUKeRevqC2QZoioAtMYpM4cQ/s1600/IMG_6166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA75flXccxGHFEFx7O4QIZENmtgAAvD_wkE_OStaC9zsZNsuqUwPKAFa8c3cmPy1e04oHCfCY9WgCp4MR2GnErR-UimRlEtw8Nz9_dTMHUVOe-ugS49T_eUKeRevqC2QZoioAtMYpM4cQ/s1600/IMG_6166.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While at Z<span class="st">ihuatanejo, MX. Our boat is the one by Adam's head!</span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZM_YCZEcBlUyMio_X-UVPL4WqJsnv0WlwvDMfW1LpieMHX-BBjOaJ-gqrIIlp1yVT-Zvm5WPOLSHSuyF5YW0Zz7loijPydPR4vRNLN2eNMxNz0b9EYI-YSXrpqXQZ99fCJ_tGum0hLs/s1600/IMG_6139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZM_YCZEcBlUyMio_X-UVPL4WqJsnv0WlwvDMfW1LpieMHX-BBjOaJ-gqrIIlp1yVT-Zvm5WPOLSHSuyF5YW0Zz7loijPydPR4vRNLN2eNMxNz0b9EYI-YSXrpqXQZ99fCJ_tGum0hLs/s1600/IMG_6139.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Anchored in </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Z<span class="st">ihuatanejo (no more!)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Posted for Rachel and Adam by Lori Hughes</span></span></span>Lorihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13042018631130159606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-10243626773177843442014-04-01T21:03:00.000-07:002014-04-01T21:03:35.419-07:00The LeapMy New Year's resolutions are shot. I guess that is pretty typical but I had hoped that since I was on "vacation" I would finally have both the time and the will to make them happen. Alas, that was not so, as you can see for yourself by the recent frequency, or lack there of, of my blog posts. I have received a few emails concerned for our safety and hoping that Moments was not resting on the bottom of the ocean. Not to worry, Moments is still afloat and looking better than ever. Adam and I are a little worse for wear because although we are on "vacation" we have been putting in long days checking projects off the list.<br />
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When discussing this trip with some of you I may have mentioned our original plan: to cross the Pacific to the Marquesas Islands. About the time we got to Mexico it became clear that that plan would cause us to rush, pretty much all year. There are two main problems with rushing. First, on a sailboat rushing is dangerous. You cannot rush the weather and you only want to make a crossing when the weather looks great not when you hope it will be fine because you really have to get somewhere. Second, there are many reasons that we left on this adventure but rushing was not one of them! We grew to love Mexico, so we took it slow. Our Spanish is better, we made many quality friendships and we were able to stop at some out of the way places rather than make big leaps down the coast. This was a better plan for us so we moseyed down the coast very undecided about the future, content with the present, and always ready to answer "south" when asked where we were headed. However, by the time we left Manzanillo it was becoming clear that we needed to make some tough decisions. Were we going to keep heading south down the Central American coast and cross through the Canal into the Caribbean or did we want to make a right turn somewhere and head out far enough so we could get back to the Pacific coast of the US?<br />
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Right turn it is. Although neither of us has been to Central America and the draw was strong, this was another plan that would result in rushing. To be out of the Caribbean and Gulf by June, when the hurricane season starts, was just counting on too many "ifs" to go our way. Not to mention, it is currently lighting season in Panama where there are a crazy number of strikes each year (check out this: http://geology.com/articles/lightning-map.shtml and this: http://wwlln.net/new/map/ for some cool things about lighting) Tall, warm, metal mast + flat, cool ocean = not a good idea. Some boats do have lighting protection systems so that all of their electronics are not fried when they are struck, but not Moments. We probably need to get a little better with the sextant before risking the loss of our navigation electronics!<br />
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For those of you not familiar with sailing and global weather patterns. The wind along the western cost of North America generally comes out of the north and then moves to the northeast as you get further from shore. The swell (waves, before they hit land and become waves) also comes out of the north as it is (primarily) the result of the friction of the wind on the water. Sailing up wind with pounding waves at your bow is not our idea of a fun or safe time.<br />
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So, with those options not looking so excellent and the Marquesas a far off (but probably unrealistic in a year) dream, we have decided to head for Hawaii! The Hawaiian Islands are the most remote islands on the planet and to get there we will be traveling more than 3000 miles. Think LA to NY in a sailboat. For the last month we have been working hard making all of the necessary preparations for this long passage, which will most likely take us about 1 month. Thank you to everyone for your support! More to come before we depart.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14376570223605882071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-4311031780977658802014-03-01T05:51:00.002-08:002014-03-01T05:51:52.141-08:00Sail RepairWe have reached the point in our trip that we need to do some major sail repair. Since we are enjoying Zihuatanejo so much and there are some minor resources here (fabric store, small fishing shops with some boating items and other cruisers) now seemed as good a time as any. So here we go with the second sewing blog post in a row. I apologize and promise more variety in the future, really.<br />
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Secondary only to the hull which keeps the water at bay, our sails are the most important item on the boat and they take a beating. Some might think that sailing in heavy winds is what causes sails to wear out. Although heavy winds can cause dramatic blow-outs as well as general wear and tear, in our experience it has been sailing in a lot of light wind that has taken a greater toll. On a sailboat the sails help to stabilize the boat especially in rolling seas. This only works correctly when the wind is strong enough to keep the sails full. Here in Mexico we have had a lot of "sailing" days where this is not the case and instead of smoothly sailing towards our destination we wind up bobbing about at the whim of the waves. The sails flop back and forth as we madly try to keep the boom on one side of the boat and figure out how to move faster than the current can pull us. As they flop, the sails have any number of things that they can bang on and they do this over and over and over again. Chafe and rust, enemies number one and two on the fiberglass sailing vessel. Sails can have problems with corrosion at all of their metal fastenings, but this we addressed before we left Seattle by replacing many of the old grommets. However, the vibration as the wind rushes over the sail, the degrading UV rays from the sun and all of this flopping around has brought about the need for a sail repair session.<br />
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As I mentioned in my last post we do not have a sewing machine. Instead we have four hands, two sail-maker's palms (even a lefty one for me!), some very large needles, various types of cloth, a roll of thick, waxed polyester thread and a couple of brewskies to keep us going. Most of our knowledge about sail repair comes from our friend Marty at Ballard Sails. Before we left Seattle she gave us a number of valuable lessons in sail repair that have served us well on our trip. We cannot thank her enough! On board we also have two books with information about sail repair. One is a general repair book about all of the systems on the boat and has about five pages on the most common types of repairs sailors have to make. Everything we have had to do has been in that book so they definitely picked the right topics, however, their is a serious paucity of information and most of the advice assumes that you have an industrial sewing machine handy. The other book we have is like a cook book that tells you have to slaughter the cow rather than just season the stew. No matter how pretty they might be I am not interested in making Chinese junk (a type of boat) sails from natural canvas, by hand. Also, there is no way that the index in that book was written by anyone who ever had to repair sails. So, like many of our boat projects, when it comes to sail repair we often feel like we are making it up as we go.<br />
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We wanted every sail on the boat examined and ready to sail with. This includes the spare sails. We carry one asymmetrical spinnaker, two (very old) main sails, a trisail, a 130% genoa, a 100% jib and a storm jib. Here is some more information if you are not familiar with the names of these sails:<br />
<b>Spinnaker</b> - These are the colorful sails that you often see on the fronts of sailboats. Ours is kind of rainbow colored: red, orange, yellow and purple stripes.<br />
<b>Main</b> - Just as the name implies, this is the primary sail on the boat that goes up the mast and along the boom<br />
<b>Genoa</b> - A large sail that runs from the front of the boat back towards the mast. This is really just a large jib.<br />
<b>Jib</b> - The typical kind of foresail on a boat, running from the bow back towards the mast.<br />
<b>Storm jib/trisail</b> - These are our storm sails. They are much smaller than our normal sails, and we can put them up in heavy winds to help us more easily control the boat.<br />
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If you are keeping count that makes seven sails. Right now we are three down, four to go! However, it is definitely the genoa and main that need the most work. We use those two sails and the spinnaker most often, especially since most of our trip so far has been traveling down wind. Today my hands feel like a pincushion. I think every finger has been stuck at least once. I spent most of the last four days sitting under our harbor awning in my bathing suit pushing the needle back and forth using a sailmaker's palm and a pair of pliers. I don't think I have to say how much I would appreciate a sewing machine right now. However, it does feel like quite an accomplishment when I look at the finished product. Our genoa now has a new, functional, leach line and a repaired, leather-wrapped clew, two things that will improve our ability to sail well and safely. How I acquired the leather is a story for another day. Adam keeps telling me that if the whole doctor thing doesn't work out I can always fall back on sail-making but I don't think my fingers would like that very much.<br />
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Sorry no pictures right now because of our low reserve of data. However, if you are interested in seeing Zihuatanejo in real life we would love some visitors! We will probably be here for at least the next two weeks. This week Zihuatanejo is having a wonderful International Guitar Festival and we can hear the music from the boat! Check it out here: <a href="http://www.zihuafest.info/">www.zihuafest.info</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14376570223605882071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-39151790473898918522014-02-19T17:19:00.000-08:002014-02-20T07:36:55.804-08:00It's Getting Hot In HereWe are definitely in the tropics now! Since leaving California on what must have been the coldest, rainiest day in the history of San Diego summers, the weather has steadily gotten warmer. I still have the odd feeling that Christmas and my birthday were a hoax because we spent our time lounging in our bathing suits and zipping around the bay fishing for 20+ lb sport fish from our dinghy. However then I look at the calendar and realize that I am indeed one year older and our trip is almost half way completed!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the hundreds of dolphins we saw on our way into Ixtapa</td></tr>
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We are currently anchored in Zihuatanejo (zee-wa-ta-NAY-ho) and I think it is shaping up to be our favorite spot so far. Not only are we in a beautiful protected bay but this is a town that has definitely maintained its local culture despite an increase in tourism. Here, there are no mega resorts, those are reserved for Ixtapa down the road. Instead there are many local guesthouses and some boutique hotels that seem to be frequented primarily by vacationing Mexicans. There is a local market where you can buy everything from a whole cow to a bottle of soy sauce and a morning seafood market right on the beach where we land our dinghy. Prices are not cheap but finally reasonable and on Sunday night we joined what must have been the whole town for their weekly gathering at the basketball court. That night the entertainment was Zumba and other forms of exercise to get the townspeople moving. This was probably appropriate as I believe Mexico has now passed the US as the fattest nation in the world! I am certain it is also the most picturesque basketball court I have ever seen with a view of the sun setting over the bay and mountains as a backdrop for the dancers.<br />
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Back to the weather...Although we passed the Tropic of Taurus (formerly the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropic_of_Cancer" target="_blank">Tropic of Cancer</a>) on our way down the Baja, the nights have still been pleasantly cool and we often need our fleece jackets when we are night sailing. Around San Blas we broke out the "harbor awning" a large tarp that we spread over the boom and tie out to the sides of the boat to keep the UV rays off the deck. It is amazing how much this little bit of shade cools down the cabin. We do not have air conditioning but have been more than comfortable most the time. However, here in Zihuatanejo, it is hot. Hatches open, awning out, and I am still practically dripping sweat into our food when I try to cook anything inside the galley. So, yesterday I got crafty.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_pd9AfzOcMOAae3u7ekrmIHQqPswcDDm6rgz_qEaBV99BC1C2bcDYwDEyRHSc1MRim7JGyYq0lGwteRq_n42MDMiYnzQav7DBaB1TNXJIupbcMUkw63qYFQrL0sKqFZapvehSWXXbGVZ/s1600/IMG_3618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_pd9AfzOcMOAae3u7ekrmIHQqPswcDDm6rgz_qEaBV99BC1C2bcDYwDEyRHSc1MRim7JGyYq0lGwteRq_n42MDMiYnzQav7DBaB1TNXJIupbcMUkw63qYFQrL0sKqFZapvehSWXXbGVZ/s1600/IMG_3618.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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A large sewing machine was not in the budget for this trip and frankly I don't know where we would have put one. Luckily, until now we have been fortunate enough to find other sailors with Sailrite machines when we needed to do sail repairs. We do however have a hobby machine, a gift from my Dad and Jane, that has been very useful for some small projects. Yesterday I was determined to increase the ventilation on Moments. Failure was not an option.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our new wind scoop in action. For the front corners I made some homemade grommets by sewing a washer between two layers of fabric and stitching around it like a button hole</td></tr>
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I could write a whole blog post about the wonder that is a Mexican fabric store but this time I did not even need to visit one. Adam had a ripped camping hammock (thanks to Kraemer, I believe) that he has kept from college due to some premonition that the thin green fabric would at some time become useful. Yesterday I made half of it into a beautiful new wind-scoop for our middle hatch and we are currently experiencing gale force winds in the cabin. Well, it may not actually be that effective, but Adam put it through the test with a handheld anemometer (wind speed gauge) and he would like everyone to know that, "the wind-scoop transfers the free stream wind velocity with 100% efficiency, thus defying the Betz Limit of power transfer." For those of us without a degree in engineering, this means that we catch most of the wind coming towards the scoop and redirect it into the cabin. We are pretty happy with the outcome and our cabin is once again a place of comfort and moderate temperatures.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14376570223605882071noreply@blogger.com0Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico17.644315 -101.5530729999999817.5837865 -101.63375399999998 17.7048435 -101.47239199999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-68115732847967835912014-02-10T17:46:00.000-08:002014-02-10T17:46:14.162-08:00Aground!Yes! You heard us right. Moments has run aground in Barra de Navidad, Jalisco, Mexico. Now you're probably thinking, shipwreck, two dead, the dreaded end to the blog. However, read on...<br />
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So, it's not that bad. We've seen worse (today running into town). Yes, we just had our bottom painted. But the truth is, our first grounding of Moments was quite anticlimactic. We're ok, the boat's ok, and we've learned...the boats seen worse. One of the wonderful items we found aboard Moments was the previous owners log book, which splendidly details the travels of Moments former crew. You see, the boat was originally in Texas, and spent a considerable amount of time cruising the Gulf Coast (and later the Pacific Northwest) which is known for shallow waters. In these travels, Moments was frequently aground on the sandy shoals of the area, probably groundings similar to our recent experience, but I'm sure, as with any boat being used, some worse.<br />
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We knew the entrance from Melaque to La Laguna at Barra de Navidad would be a tricky one. We had heard only to enter at the highest tide, as the dredged entrance only ranges from 1-2 fathoms (1 fathom = 6 feet, so 6 to 12 feet). Enter the sometimes annoying truth about tides...the high tides in the area were at ~6:30am and ~9:30pm, both (admittedly) during our usual high time of slumber and of course in the dark. Well, darkness adds a whole another element to entering unknown shallow territories, so we decided we we bite the bullet, wake up before the dawn, and be at the entrance just at sun up. We'd be entering just past the highest tide, but hey, close enough, right?!<br />
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Well, in true cruising schedule form, we hit the snooze button a few times, slowly (and awkwardly, thanks v-berth) rose from bed, scarfed a lovely oatmeal (aka provisioning-needed gruel) breakfast and, oh crap...we gotta go! Sun's up. So, we decided to go for the record.<br />
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See, we have a little competition going, as it sound like Moments previous owners did as well. How fast can we get the anchor up and get moving? I think I recall times of eight minutes coming up in the old log, but we haven't finished reading all of it yet, so maybe there is a new record coming. Well, I'm not sure when the clock starts (exit companionway?) or stops (hook to roller?) so let's just say it took us 20 minutes to raise anchor (I think it was probably faster than that, but we actually haven't timed it yet - Rachel will read this later and may be encouraged by her readers to start timing anchor's a-weigh). Side note - previous owners did not have an electric windlass as the boat now has, so...anyone have ideas on how to handicap that? Minutes per anchor scope length? I don't know...<br />
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Okay, so we got the hook up a little late, but we saw a beautiful sunrise over the entrance to the lagoon we were aiming for...things were looking up. Of course, we had studied a chart carefully to plan our entrance (quick look and "we should be all right..."). As usual, a couple breakwaters, some unmarked rocks to avoid, swell, shoaling, NBD (no big d...). So we got past that first part - we were in. Smooth sailing from here. Town/palapa (beach front restaurant aka more expensive tacos given the view)/panga (the coolest super-planing barebones fishing boat ever) parking land to the left ritzy high class marina fertilized grass land to the right, lagoon dead ahead. The wise men told us, stick to the right, near the shellfish/fish pens to avoid the sand/mud bar, yeah, aim right for the island, hang a left, and boom...ancla (anchor in Spanish - remember, it's masculine! So use the "el") land. So, we followed the wise man's advice - stick close to the pens...stick close to the pens.<br />
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Depthsounder (little meter that tells us water depth) say: 8 feet...7 feet...6 feet...5 feet (mass confusion because Moments keel is 5'6" under the water...more calibration required)...4 feet...3 feet...<br />
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Knotmeter (little meter that tells us boat speed) say (should have made a table or graph...): 4 knots...4 knots...4 knots...3 knots (mass confusion, why slowing down?)...0 knots<br />
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Engine tachometer (little meter that tells us engine revolutions per minute) /transmission say: 1500 rpm/forward...1500 rpm/forward... 1500 rpm/forward...(oh crap, we're not moving forward anymore, what do we do)... 2000rpm/forward (nope, didn't work, more stuck)...1000rpm(idle-ish, thinking...)/forward...1000rpm/neutral (still thinking/sinking into mud)...1000rpm/reverse...1500rpm/reverse...2000rpm/reverse...full throttle/reverse...etc...<br />
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So, if you followed all that. We were heading into the lagoon, clearly went the wrong way and motored ourselves into a sand/mud bar until we stopped dead, but luckily, after some guesswork and likely not-by-the-book maneuvering, we able to escape our first grounded via propeller power. Phew. Why phew? Well, later today we saw the top of our friend's boat's keel as they waited the 12 hours aground for the tide to come back up and lift them of the sandy shoal. During those 12 hours, we were drinking beers and talking about it. Hopefully we're just as lucky next time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielT9QrvfEXGDfKQ89Jr7AB4iPCqr5914Odelj8ibsm7epyM6ey99dw1PEHWtxYqBfY-zrvFMUtACkQewrOMScC6axeZQ2JyDMAxehMLikOOFZwLTpVoUJaYVsJET_ddxPxjiGyiYTGpAk/s1600/prop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielT9QrvfEXGDfKQ89Jr7AB4iPCqr5914Odelj8ibsm7epyM6ey99dw1PEHWtxYqBfY-zrvFMUtACkQewrOMScC6axeZQ2JyDMAxehMLikOOFZwLTpVoUJaYVsJET_ddxPxjiGyiYTGpAk/s1600/prop.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The propeller that got us out - thanks <a href="http://www.max-prop.com/">Max-Prop</a>. Here, testing home remedy antifoulings that cost less than <a href="http://www.propspeed.com/">PropSpeed</a>. Baby diaper ointment (Zinc Oxide), Lanacote (lanoline sheep's wool goop), and bare polished bronze. Stay tuned for results...I should really write a post about the haul out in general.</td></tr>
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In case we do run aground again, anyone have some tips and tricks for us on what we should/could do? I'm gonna have to read up a bit more on this one, because the charts are getting worse and worse as we head south and there are less and less people around, so we'll have to be pretty independent.<br />
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We're glad we made it to Barra, as we heard it's a cool town. Went exploring today and looks like we could spend a while here, but after a couple days we'll keep heading south. We love Mexico, but it's time to go!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03300835194389930212noreply@blogger.com0Barra de Navidad, JAL, Mexico19.2081099 -104.6826949-6.3139246 -145.9912889 44.7301444 -63.3741009tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-80486743289204076002014-02-09T08:16:00.001-08:002014-02-09T08:16:31.325-08:00Mangrove MorningUp with the sun to ready for the mission of the day - a trip into the mangrove jungle by dinghy here in Bahia Tenacatita. After a few yawns, the daily coffee (tea for Rachel), and a quick bit of Mexico's finest supermercado breakfast cereal during the (relatively hilarious) VHF (very high frequency radio) local cruiser's net featuring rare hosts - a Mexican cruising couple - we loaded the dink (dinghy slang) and buzzed off.<br />
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The mangrove jungle tour is one of the highlighted features of this anchorage on the inside of Tenacatita Bay. How do we find these places?! Well, some people are familiar with the Lonely Planet series of guidebooks for travelers. There is a similar guidebook series for sailboat cruisers called Charlie's Charts, which we've been using all the way since Seattle. It feeds us tidbits of local highlights in addition to hints on entering the various bays along the coastline. Though sometimes out of date - actually frequently here in Mexico - it is a good addition to the hear-say we get from other cruisers along the way. We were not sure what to expect here in Tenacatita, as there has been rumors of closed anchorages and beaches laden with armed guards protecting failed resort developments. Well, we managed to anchor, and have not been approached by any brandishing forces, so it's all good so far!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUDRSKHJ93Xg8PU-ckKXoC3OQItPWf4hIqI9sDFtfSwk1fxUEhir8R10I13C4JxvGCT-5FbOLTHVjk9aojh-vpHJh_Z6ON_gN1rgjIQur4Sinkp2nYsZ1-YmHskcj5-nqDRUaoy7JBtP6/s1600/IMG_3576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUDRSKHJ93Xg8PU-ckKXoC3OQItPWf4hIqI9sDFtfSwk1fxUEhir8R10I13C4JxvGCT-5FbOLTHVjk9aojh-vpHJh_Z6ON_gN1rgjIQur4Sinkp2nYsZ1-YmHskcj5-nqDRUaoy7JBtP6/s1600/IMG_3576.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
While we have these hints and advice, there is usually a good bit of hunting to find exact locations and outcomes. As we buzzed off in our tender for some point on shore, we casted our trusty fishing rod into the rocky shoreline in hopes of a lucky catch. We haven't been so lucky lately, after a good stretch coming down the Baja Peninsula catching fish. Sigh...another slow morning as we approached. Bagging the fish pole for a while, we beached the dink on a tiny, calm beach with only the sight of a young Mexican couple in a Panga flirting among their new shellfish collection and an older cruising gringo clearly performing the daily ritual of escorting his two Portuguese Water Dogs to shore to take care of their business. We had a nice chat about our "plans" and his experience crossing through the Panama Canal and sailing into the Caribbean. As usual, this more than friendly cruiser directed us to our jungle tour destination, a ways down the beach.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPyJsgySY2hpNxdkpWrIAqELVGy1MZFl12wFKY20xTPd5DQqK_a0ZbaMXtvtE2zwxn8U-10DqRXdWhG65CXrgoiOdNb3GfHYoC5nJhEfH9_YJgwhYdXVURcOGh2tcAdqBK6OPEfaWvUmND/s1600/IMG_3574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPyJsgySY2hpNxdkpWrIAqELVGy1MZFl12wFKY20xTPd5DQqK_a0ZbaMXtvtE2zwxn8U-10DqRXdWhG65CXrgoiOdNb3GfHYoC5nJhEfH9_YJgwhYdXVURcOGh2tcAdqBK6OPEfaWvUmND/s1600/IMG_3574.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
Hidden behind a rocky patch of shore, the beach gave shallow way into an estuarial stream at first lined with fisherman tossing hand made nets, then panga (small fishing boat) parking for the local fisherman and tour guides, and finally, a very peaceful mangrove waterway at times barely wide enough for our dinghy then suddenly opening up to larger lagoons. Steering slowly at first and then accelerating after gaining a bit more confidence, we launched into the mangrove jungle with high aspirations of wildlife sightings and maybe a couple fish for lunch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkP06tyjH5y5dyP9rxNV6Aot3Sa4r3pwbUEW2Jpgt0KMI2feDpbWgD6gATQJ3phbhkKwoQFtmaOdhvtCYoWpyXwwBUq4oXg7ZWFPGrtcT_fTzxq1dhcNPrIvyITrzUJayZW8KhUo2DQxEP/s1600/IMG_3581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkP06tyjH5y5dyP9rxNV6Aot3Sa4r3pwbUEW2Jpgt0KMI2feDpbWgD6gATQJ3phbhkKwoQFtmaOdhvtCYoWpyXwwBUq4oXg7ZWFPGrtcT_fTzxq1dhcNPrIvyITrzUJayZW8KhUo2DQxEP/s1600/IMG_3581.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
Herons, egrets, blood red mangrove crabs, and healthy schools of bait fish surrounded us as we worked our way further in. We had woken early in attempt to glimpse the rising wildlife and beat any crowd (relative term down here), which paid off it seemed. Adam steering and Rachel handling the fishing rod, we trolled a small spoon behind our craft just for the heck of it. Without much hope for any luck, we laid the pole in the bottom of the dinghy, and not five minutes later, we both jumped in fright as the pole crashed backward into Adam and the outboard engine. Rachel grabbed the pole and exclaimed, "Fish On!", and we threw the engine into neutral to fight the beast. A beast it was not, compared to some of our salmon, tuna, and dorado battles, but Rachel hauled in our first snapper of the trip, a welcome surprise as it would make a delicious treat for the day's lunch. Not ten minutes later, we had hooked into our second snapper, even bigger this time, and our lunch was secure. Not a bad start to the day!<br />
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The mangrove jungle seemed to wind on forever, but curious to see what lied beyond (we had heard of a small fishing village, some palapa restaurants, and a guarded entrance to the failed beach resort a ways back) we kept motoring against the falling tide and increasingly shallow waterway. It wasn't long until we came upon another dinghy like ours, surprisingly piloted by a young cruising couple from, you guessed it, Seattle! Lots of folks from Seattle and the Pacific Northwest down here, but a bit more rare finding those folks closer to Rachel and my age. We had a nice chat about plans and went our separate ways, but actually running into each other with chuckles several more times in the mangrove maze, until finally our boat reached the end of the road where the stream turned to beach and the fenced, exclusive resort. Without a ticket, we reversed and after a bit more unlucky trolling of the fishing lure, Rachel spotted a small (five foot long) crocodile, making the wildlife portion of the trip complete. It was the first we'd seen in the wild down here, and likely ever for me - though many alligators in Florida on family trips.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2UhA1Uxq1nWQKwg2a_nQ_b_GbhtjIjeQYJ3IFLEpH4joKLQ0rblO8q2RbdfYRgQDV_6_4BtaNHrdikhXvpHEU0GyfYYFzq_ujDS8eSxb-XlJxXe-f11EQ2xg3Ebm3ZNS0ZTwPhGi-L8wk/s1600/IMG_3588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2UhA1Uxq1nWQKwg2a_nQ_b_GbhtjIjeQYJ3IFLEpH4joKLQ0rblO8q2RbdfYRgQDV_6_4BtaNHrdikhXvpHEU0GyfYYFzq_ujDS8eSxb-XlJxXe-f11EQ2xg3Ebm3ZNS0ZTwPhGi-L8wk/s1600/IMG_3588.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummy!</td></tr>
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Having learned the way, we buzzed out of the mangroves back to Bahia Tenacatita, our two snapper in tow, gunning to get them on the grill before they spoiled. Actually, they ended up in the frying pan in a delicious fish taco concoction by sailing vessel Moments premier chef, the lovely Ms. Rachel Harper. Beer, tacos, and some smooth music by Santana on the jukebox (Moments newest upgrade) made for an excellent afternoon on the boat in the sun. Lounging and planning (delaying) our escape to Barra Navidad, our next destination further south. We're gradually picking the pace back up after a great month in Banderas Bay. However, the clock is ticking on our travels and we're both getting excited to get into Central America!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03300835194389930212noreply@blogger.com0Bahia Tenacatita, Mexico19.298378862909949 -104.8309544164062619.178470362909948 -104.99231591640626 19.41828736290995 -104.66959291640626tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-11922645144027931012014-01-28T09:20:00.000-08:002014-01-28T09:30:42.123-08:00Merry Christmas Moments<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Don’t worry, we are still
alive. We have just been so busy that I
have not had a chance to sit down and think about writing. Currently we are docked at Paradise Village
Marina, almost exactly where we were a month ago when our guests came for
Christmas. Our stop in Banderas Bay was originally
supposed to be for four days and here we are past the one month mark. Some
cruisers call this area the black hole and now we understand why. Still, if you have to be stuck somewhere a
beautiful Mexican bay teaming with whales, surrounded by lush tropical
mountains is not a bad option.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, why are we still here? First, after the rush down the Baja coast, it
was a desire to relax and then by the time we were ready to move again the wind
was coming out of the south. So, since
we have no strong desire to battle our way through headwinds we started working
on some more major boat projects. Puerto
Vallarta is, according to many of the cruisers we have met, really the last stop
on the way south to get quality boat parts and services. When we bought Moments nine months ago we
knew that we would need to get new bottom paint; there were some repairs to the
hull that were looking bad and the paint was running thin. When the paint is thin it becomes a big job
keeping the barnacles at bay because it is the toxic metals in the paint that
scares those suckers off. We had been
anchored for a while in La Cruz and when Adam finally dove the bottom with a
paint scraper I don’t think you could actually see through the reef that had
formed on our hull. We have scraped the
bottom a few times but it is a big job when you don’t have scuba equipment and
the boat is rolling in the waves at anchor.
We finally decided that it was time to haul out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After about two weeks of haggling
on prices and searching what seemed like the entire country for the right kind
of paint, last Thursday we hauled out at Opequimar Boat Yard in Puerto
Vallarta. We were a little nervous going
into it, especially since most of the business down here is for power boats which
are often lifted differently, painted differently, etc. In addition, as you know, our budget it
TIGHT. However, I have to say that the
whole process was flawless. We were
lifted at 9AM on Thursday, Arturo (our wonderful painter) and his crew got
right to work sanding the hull, they painted the next day and we were back in
the water at noon on Saturday. They even
repaired all of the blisters (correctly I might add) and greased the prop for
what we considered to be a deal of a price.
Arturo is the third generation from his family to work on boats and he
is getting ready to retire and hand the business over to his sons. They work long days, every day, all year
long; no time for weekends or holidays.
In addition, Arturo handles most of the sailboats in the yard so we
could, very slightly, relax and feel like our home was in good hands. In the end we actually paid less than we
thought we were going to pay and we didn’t get any surprises. Moments is just as strong and safe and we
thought she was.<o:p></o:p></div>
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While Arturo and his crew were
working on the outside, Adam and I were hard at work on the inside of the
boat. We replaced some of the seacocks,
which let water in and out of the boat, and most importantly replaced the
steering cables which had been improperly installed before and were showing
some wear. We also go to live on the
boat at Opequimar, a rare thing for boat yards, so we could do some of the work
at night when the sun was down, shower regularly and save the money on a hotel
room. Now we are back in Paradise
Village, the only marina in the bay with potable water, to fill up our tanks
and, finally, provision to head south.
If only the weather will hold…<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14376570223605882071noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458686015136355276.post-25499217329888277602014-01-11T12:18:00.001-08:002014-01-11T12:22:02.893-08:00Vacation?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7IK5yX750wWQVxV87vb-v1Y0AR-oO15cH3gaCF4CFE2bi28GM7FhK-U6OvlUsUR9baczQJ1MoCw2dsij9Hu8beMGLW4O9-O18MaH2RW29RD5Mk00PigO3knzxCsPyD2ZBqW4hJHZhew8/s1600/IMG_3446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7IK5yX750wWQVxV87vb-v1Y0AR-oO15cH3gaCF4CFE2bi28GM7FhK-U6OvlUsUR9baczQJ1MoCw2dsij9Hu8beMGLW4O9-O18MaH2RW29RD5Mk00PigO3knzxCsPyD2ZBqW4hJHZhew8/s1600/IMG_3446.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring the ruins of a Spanish cathedral in San Blas</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5tbj_U051pl8fy-Lut9VUwohcSMKw5xC7T2ShfPOBE_vyGEoZjEub9febaZlDHMXba2R0bTGo6AW6_OOUkQmCF5iydL7c8_44z7EVJMyERxX1-ohO1yUkq12v3Dm7qSTqbBMfRdsvr_b/s1600/IMG_3310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>Cruising (aka doing boat repairs in exotic locations) is full of ups and downs. We have some really nice days in the sun: exploring local places, eating local food, swimming off the boat and catching big fish. However, much of our schedule revolves around the massive amount of work it takes to keep this home of ours afloat. Puerto Vallarta is, supposedly, the last big place as you go south to get items for a sail boat at any kind of reasonable price. Now that we have been traveling aboard Moments for five months we know more about what we need and what we don't need. We are also in the midst of doing maintenance projects that we would have had to do even if we were still parked in Seattle. I have mentioned before that our life includes many lists, and the boat work list has been long. However, I am happy to report that in the last few weeks it has shrunk considerably. I think Adam is so tired of doing boat work that he actually does a little dance and grabs a beer every time he gets to cross something off the list. Currently I am singing his praises because yesterday he put his wonderful electrical engineering brain to work and re-wired part of our electrical system (staying up to 4AM) to fix a problem we had with our batteries and he still got up in the morning to make be birthday pancakes!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5tbj_U051pl8fy-Lut9VUwohcSMKw5xC7T2ShfPOBE_vyGEoZjEub9febaZlDHMXba2R0bTGo6AW6_OOUkQmCF5iydL7c8_44z7EVJMyERxX1-ohO1yUkq12v3Dm7qSTqbBMfRdsvr_b/s1600/IMG_3310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5tbj_U051pl8fy-Lut9VUwohcSMKw5xC7T2ShfPOBE_vyGEoZjEub9febaZlDHMXba2R0bTGo6AW6_OOUkQmCF5iydL7c8_44z7EVJMyERxX1-ohO1yUkq12v3Dm7qSTqbBMfRdsvr_b/s1600/IMG_3310.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The remains of our old windlass after its first motor overhaul</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam going a little crazy with the teak work.</td></tr>
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Each boat has its problems and in general we have been very happy with Moments. We feel fortunate that we have not found anything so problematic that it has really limited our plans for this year. Sure, the paint is flaking off in places and our windlass died after only a few uses, but the boat is solid, she handles well and for her age is in remarkably good condition. So you may be asking yourself, if things are so rosy then what is all this work you are doing? Well in the last week we have totally overhauled the refrigerator ripping out the old (moldy and wet...ewww) insulation, stripping all the caulk, replacing the old insulation with something that hopefully...um...insulates and re-caulking the entire box. We also brushed off the compressor with a toothbrush and troubleshooted the wiring, which appears to be original. While the caulk was drying and we were madly trying to consume all of our food before it spoiled we also replaced the jib halyard, refinished all of the exterior teak, scrubbed and painted the engine mounts, re-bedded a leaking window, wired and installed a switch in the galley for the propane, troubleshot multiple electronic devices, climbed the mast to replace light bulbs and check out the rigging and last but not least totally restructured our head and finally, permanently installed our composting head. In addition, many of these projects required shopping missions and I have come to learn that any "run to the store", no matter how small, takes at least a day in Mexico<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84HP05ku1jjU64cTSTI6ARG82wMOC3yIZs4U7HV7UzEgFbecOA2nER0jLo0_pQ0eg_BBOYPZGTOfMzOh4QChOpMRWIhyCkIjmTwFpFPPoxnZ_vPswoog8wi_p3eoiAq09xEfvApn5l2YZ/s1600/Adam+and+John.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84HP05ku1jjU64cTSTI6ARG82wMOC3yIZs4U7HV7UzEgFbecOA2nER0jLo0_pQ0eg_BBOYPZGTOfMzOh4QChOpMRWIhyCkIjmTwFpFPPoxnZ_vPswoog8wi_p3eoiAq09xEfvApn5l2YZ/s1600/Adam+and+John.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John and Adam brainstorming about boat work</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm__RpbZ_p0U6GUeL2HmLf7D-BTafJ9XZyd8agqPEzddRxC1PNI0nJhjLzfGedq1_wObg8EtdBul45JRRoOQWOZwsORY_RuVMMprF73xaIg1VO1haZ6sLTrOHW98PPwxUZSxumO9A6u3Ng/s1600/IMG_3311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm__RpbZ_p0U6GUeL2HmLf7D-BTafJ9XZyd8agqPEzddRxC1PNI0nJhjLzfGedq1_wObg8EtdBul45JRRoOQWOZwsORY_RuVMMprF73xaIg1VO1haZ6sLTrOHW98PPwxUZSxumO9A6u3Ng/s1600/IMG_3311.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam with the repaired windlass</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5tbj_U051pl8fy-Lut9VUwohcSMKw5xC7T2ShfPOBE_vyGEoZjEub9febaZlDHMXba2R0bTGo6AW6_OOUkQmCF5iydL7c8_44z7EVJMyERxX1-ohO1yUkq12v3Dm7qSTqbBMfRdsvr_b/s1600/IMG_3310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>Now you may say...wow...these people sound like they are quite handy. The truth is we are both doing a lot of things we have never done before and have no clue how to handle. I am not clueless with a screwdriver and Adam definitely has an edge with the electrical systems but we have a whole library here on the boat and are fortunate to have 3G service where we are anchored. Yeah for Google. In spite of the fact that we are working hard and often don't believe that we are actually on vacation we are excited about what we are learning and it is quite a triumph when things start working the way they should or you want them to. I figure that these skills will come in handy even after we make it back to dry land, and maybe, possibly if there is another boat in our future.<br />
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Lastly, both Adam and I really want to thank our friends and family for all of the Christmas gifts we received. We would not have been able to do many of these projects without your support. Thank you! Much love from Mexico.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14376570223605882071noreply@blogger.com0Puerto Vallarta, JAL, Mexico20.615845 -105.23025620.4969695 -105.3916175 20.7347205 -105.0688945