October 2 we motored (no wind) 20 miles from Catalina to Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club in the port of Los Angeles. We encountered a lovely facility with friendly, helpful members and a secure place to leave Destiny right in front of their club. Since our TV had died and one of our almost new toilets was not working, we rented a car and spent Wednesday taking care of those items. The next day we dropped our rental car at LAX and flew to Colorado Springs. We spent a very busy 5 days with the Dickman family and loved every minute of it. Even though we saw Brynn and Callie in early June, they both had grown and matured so much that it was hard to believe. They are non-stop activity and that does not even include their current ballet, tap dancing and ice skating lessons. Lots of fun for us be part of their lives if even for only a few days. John mentioned to Hillary that the tires on her car were not wearing evenly which combined with some other issues made to her take to the internet to find a new car. Before we departed there was a sporty red 5 speed Mazda in the driveway! After sad goodbyes at the airport we flew back to L.A. provisioned the boat, installed our new TV and headed back to Catalina. Even though it, “Never rains in southern California” it’s rained on us twice but it’s like a free wash down for the boat so we don’t care. Next week we’ll head to Avalon which is only 12 miles away for two days and then start moving to San Diego. We love retirement!
Double click on the photos to see larger size and captions...
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Monday, October 1, 2007
Catalina Island
We are nearing the end of our 17 day stay at beautiful Cherry Cove and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The weather has not been as warm as we had hoped and we even experienced a very unseasonable two days of rain, but overall it’s been lovely. We hiked, swam in the clear somewhat chilly water, read our books and made new friends along the way. Gilly has enjoyed paddling all around the cove in her little red kayak. We have watched the cove fill up with boats on the weekend and then empty out during the week making us more grateful than ever for retirement. We have been “off the grid” since leaving Santa Barbara on September 12 giving us the opportunity to further test our systems. By using our diesel generator and solar panels we have produced our own electrical power which in turn has enabled us to make water and keep the fridge and freezer running. We’ve had great meals and most all the comforts of home so no real hardship for us. Several days ago the generator pooped out, but between helpful advice from Liem who installed it last January and our own trouble shooting we were able to get it running smoothly again. Tomorrow (Oct 2) we depart for San Pedro where we’ll stash Destiny for a week while we visit Scott, Hillary and the grandkids in Colorado Springs. We then plan another visit to Catalina before making our way to San Diego with several stops along the way. We will leave San Diego for Mexico on October 29 in the company of about 160 other boats as part of a race/rally called the Baha Ha-Ha.
To see larger view of the slideshow and the captions, double click on the photo.
To see larger view of the slideshow and the captions, double click on the photo.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Our Punta Mita Condo - update
Our Punta Mita condo, "El Farito" (Spanish for "Little lighthouse"), is finally starting to look like a real building that could actually be occupied by someone other than the workers who are constructing it. Located on the beach about 45 minutes northwest of Puerta Vallarta on beautiful Banderas Bay the place is scheduled to be completed around he end of November. The interior is well on the way to completion with contstruction on the pool, hot tub and palapa soon to commence. We anticipate arriving at Punta Mita via the water route about the time it's done. Right now we don't have any place to stick the boat while we take possession and furnish it but something will work out. After all, we're not on any kind of schedule. Check out the most recent photos sent by the builder.
To view photos and captions, click on the photos.
To view photos and captions, click on the photos.
Monterey to Catalina Island
Since our first attempt to leave Monterey was less than successful we decided to try again at 10:00 PM, Friday, September 7 and to head for Morro Bay which is about 20 miles further than our original destination of San Simeon. This time we had no headwinds and unfortunately no wind at all so it was motor sail all the way. Although we’ve done a number of overnight trips on other people’s boats this was a first for us on our own. Everything went well on a beautiful star lit moonless night with the Milky Way shining brightly above. At one point our trusty Yanmar diesel engine began to sound like it was not happy with the fuel filter so we switched to another and all else was fine for the rest of the trip.
The clear weather enabled us to see the famous Morro Rock from some distance away and we arrived at the harbor entrance at 3:00 PM under calm conditions. We took on fuel from a dock clearly designed for commercial vessels only with Gilly doing a great job of keeping Destiny from getting scratched up while John tried to wrestle with a filler hose big enough for the Queen Mary II. We then proceeded to the Morro Bay YC where we enjoyed showers and later a super fish and chips dinner at one of the nearby restaurants. A great night’s sleep for both of us that night.
Morro Bay to Santa Barbara
We departed Morro Bay on September 9 at 3:00PM hoping for the right amount of northwesterly breeze to help push us along but it was not meant to be, so it was another fantastically beautiful night of motoring under a brightly lit sky. Gilly saw a number of whales just before sunset including a full out of the water breach. During the night we both saw a number of dolphin shooting toward the boat leaving a big phosphorescent trail. Really looked like torpedoes coming right for us. We rounded the very famous Pt. Conception at midnight in only 4 knots of wind and then headed east for Santa Barbara arriving there at 8:00 AM and secured a slip in the marina . Four other boats scheduled to participate with us in the Baja Ha-Ha were already there so we quickly made friends with them.
John discovered a damaged belt on the engine and further found that our spares were a bit too large. He made a trip to Pep Boys to secure proper replacements. Since it was his birthday Gilly treated him to a great dinner at Chuck’s Steak House located right a the marina. The next day we provisioned the boat and generally enjoyed just being in Santa Barbara which has a lovely climate and overall atmosphere.
Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz Island
On September 12 we departed Santa Barbara at noon in calm conditions headed to Pelican Bay which is just over 20 miles away. Ever since John was a boy he’d heard nothing but great things about Santa Cruz Island so our expectations were quite high. We’d heard about “Windy Lane” which must be transited on the way to the island so we started out with a reefed main and were prepared to reef our new big jib if the wind started to howl. The wind did build to 31 knots so we were flying along at 8.3 knots with the jib reefed to about 80% and it did not abate until we were within a quarter mile of the island. We found that Pelican Bay was crowded with only a few boats and the anchoring looked difficult so we headed east to Prisoner’s Harbor just a short distance away. It was lovely when we arrived and easily anchored under a cliff to the west so we could enjoy a cocktail and pat ourselves on the back for surviving “Windy Lane”. Unfortunately during the night it became very rolly so we scratched Prisoner’s off our list of places we want to revisit.
Prisoners to Smugglers
On September 13 we departed Prisoners for Smugglers on the SE corner of the island hoping for an anchorage with much better conditions than we were leaving behind. The wind still had not laid down from the day before and since we knew our trip would be way off the wind, we sailed with just a reefed main and had a fast trip to our next destination. Smugglers proved to be a much better anchorage and quickly filled up with other boats including two of our new Ha-Ha friends. In the late afternoon the wind started to come up off the hills built to a steady 27 knots with gusts to 30. A great way to test our new oversized anchor and it came through like a champ. Fortunately by 10:00 PM the wind died down to about 15 knots so we scrapped our anchor watch rotation which could have gone on all night. We’ve had enough of Santa Cruz Island which we still think must a nice place but so far it has eluded us. We plan an early morning departure for Cherry Cove, Catalina Island which is only 62 miles away.
Santa Cruz Island to Catalina Island
We departed Smugglers for Cherry Cove as planned at 5:00 AM on September 15. Since we were anxious to leave it wasn’t difficult to get up and underway. The sun rose to clear skies with good visibility but no wind so our trusty Yanmar pushed us along at 7 knots but right into a ¾ knot current. For a long while it seemed like we were back dealing with the currents in S.F. Bay. About half way through our 10 hour trip the fog closed in to ¼ mile visibility. As we approached Catalina we never saw it except on the radar right where it was suppose to be. We arrived at Cherry Cove to find bright sunshine and perfectly clear emerald green water. A true delight to be back to the same location where John spent so much time during his youth. We plan to stay here relaxing until early October when we’ll fly back to Colorado Springs to see Scott, Hillary and the grandkids. In the meantime we’ll be using our solar panels and small generator to make power for our water-maker and other goodies on board, and enjoying the true delights of this island paradise that is so close to one of the world’s major population centers.
To view each photo and captions, double click on a photo.
The clear weather enabled us to see the famous Morro Rock from some distance away and we arrived at the harbor entrance at 3:00 PM under calm conditions. We took on fuel from a dock clearly designed for commercial vessels only with Gilly doing a great job of keeping Destiny from getting scratched up while John tried to wrestle with a filler hose big enough for the Queen Mary II. We then proceeded to the Morro Bay YC where we enjoyed showers and later a super fish and chips dinner at one of the nearby restaurants. A great night’s sleep for both of us that night.
Morro Bay to Santa Barbara
We departed Morro Bay on September 9 at 3:00PM hoping for the right amount of northwesterly breeze to help push us along but it was not meant to be, so it was another fantastically beautiful night of motoring under a brightly lit sky. Gilly saw a number of whales just before sunset including a full out of the water breach. During the night we both saw a number of dolphin shooting toward the boat leaving a big phosphorescent trail. Really looked like torpedoes coming right for us. We rounded the very famous Pt. Conception at midnight in only 4 knots of wind and then headed east for Santa Barbara arriving there at 8:00 AM and secured a slip in the marina . Four other boats scheduled to participate with us in the Baja Ha-Ha were already there so we quickly made friends with them.
John discovered a damaged belt on the engine and further found that our spares were a bit too large. He made a trip to Pep Boys to secure proper replacements. Since it was his birthday Gilly treated him to a great dinner at Chuck’s Steak House located right a the marina. The next day we provisioned the boat and generally enjoyed just being in Santa Barbara which has a lovely climate and overall atmosphere.
Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz Island
On September 12 we departed Santa Barbara at noon in calm conditions headed to Pelican Bay which is just over 20 miles away. Ever since John was a boy he’d heard nothing but great things about Santa Cruz Island so our expectations were quite high. We’d heard about “Windy Lane” which must be transited on the way to the island so we started out with a reefed main and were prepared to reef our new big jib if the wind started to howl. The wind did build to 31 knots so we were flying along at 8.3 knots with the jib reefed to about 80% and it did not abate until we were within a quarter mile of the island. We found that Pelican Bay was crowded with only a few boats and the anchoring looked difficult so we headed east to Prisoner’s Harbor just a short distance away. It was lovely when we arrived and easily anchored under a cliff to the west so we could enjoy a cocktail and pat ourselves on the back for surviving “Windy Lane”. Unfortunately during the night it became very rolly so we scratched Prisoner’s off our list of places we want to revisit.
Prisoners to Smugglers
On September 13 we departed Prisoners for Smugglers on the SE corner of the island hoping for an anchorage with much better conditions than we were leaving behind. The wind still had not laid down from the day before and since we knew our trip would be way off the wind, we sailed with just a reefed main and had a fast trip to our next destination. Smugglers proved to be a much better anchorage and quickly filled up with other boats including two of our new Ha-Ha friends. In the late afternoon the wind started to come up off the hills built to a steady 27 knots with gusts to 30. A great way to test our new oversized anchor and it came through like a champ. Fortunately by 10:00 PM the wind died down to about 15 knots so we scrapped our anchor watch rotation which could have gone on all night. We’ve had enough of Santa Cruz Island which we still think must a nice place but so far it has eluded us. We plan an early morning departure for Cherry Cove, Catalina Island which is only 62 miles away.
Santa Cruz Island to Catalina Island
We departed Smugglers for Cherry Cove as planned at 5:00 AM on September 15. Since we were anxious to leave it wasn’t difficult to get up and underway. The sun rose to clear skies with good visibility but no wind so our trusty Yanmar pushed us along at 7 knots but right into a ¾ knot current. For a long while it seemed like we were back dealing with the currents in S.F. Bay. About half way through our 10 hour trip the fog closed in to ¼ mile visibility. As we approached Catalina we never saw it except on the radar right where it was suppose to be. We arrived at Cherry Cove to find bright sunshine and perfectly clear emerald green water. A true delight to be back to the same location where John spent so much time during his youth. We plan to stay here relaxing until early October when we’ll fly back to Colorado Springs to see Scott, Hillary and the grandkids. In the meantime we’ll be using our solar panels and small generator to make power for our water-maker and other goodies on board, and enjoying the true delights of this island paradise that is so close to one of the world’s major population centers.
To view each photo and captions, double click on a photo.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Our Departure
After several hectic weeks of making our final preparations to leave and saying very difficult "Good byes" to friends who are so special to us, we cast off our dock lines at 0800 on September 1 and headed for Half Moon Bay. Since we were part of 18 Encinal Yacht Club boats going to the same location for the Labor Day holiday it meant further extending our "Good Byes". We think most people were happy to see us finally get out of town. The weather in HMB was uncharacteristically nice with sunshine being the order of the day instead of the normal gray gloom.
After two great evenings of good food and libation we were ready to set off for Santa Cruz which is normally about a 6-7 hour passage. The first three hours were dull motor sailing but then things got much livelier with winds from behind at 30 knots and gusting higher. Even loaded down with our extensive cruising gear, Destiny has never gone so fast through the water with both of us hanging on to our romping home. We arrived safely at Santa Cruz to find Jeff, Adrienne and Ina waving at us from the jetty. Since Mike Pernitzke also sailed down from HMB on Nova it was once again party time. We departed Santa Cruz on Wednesday, September 5 for Monterey. The wind filled in nicely at 13-14 knots from the port quarter making for a very pleasant sail. We celebrated the Wednesday night races at the Monterey Peninsula YC with Mike and Ina and Paul and Ann, from Annalise, with plans to leave at 0400 Thursday morning for San Simeon which is about 90 miles away. We had what we thought were our final good byes and Mike cast us off on schedule. As soon as we were out of the harbor the engine began to overheat and John soon found enough cabbage like seaweed in the raw water intake to make a nice salad. With the engine again running smoothly we encountered building wind and sea conditions right in our face, so after two hours we decided it was wise to head back to Monterey. We later found that three other boats including a very large and sturdy power boat enroute from Alaska to L.A. also made the same decision.
Weather permitting we plan to leave at midnight Friday for San Simeon. In the meantime there are worse places to be stuck than Monterey.
We want to give a special thanks to our friends who have given us lovely cards and been so gracious with numerous offers of places to stay when we are back visiting. It's difficult to express how much all of this means to us. We are just beginning huge change in life style and right now we're taking it one day at a time to see what develops.
To view each photo and captions, double click on the photos.
After two great evenings of good food and libation we were ready to set off for Santa Cruz which is normally about a 6-7 hour passage. The first three hours were dull motor sailing but then things got much livelier with winds from behind at 30 knots and gusting higher. Even loaded down with our extensive cruising gear, Destiny has never gone so fast through the water with both of us hanging on to our romping home. We arrived safely at Santa Cruz to find Jeff, Adrienne and Ina waving at us from the jetty. Since Mike Pernitzke also sailed down from HMB on Nova it was once again party time. We departed Santa Cruz on Wednesday, September 5 for Monterey. The wind filled in nicely at 13-14 knots from the port quarter making for a very pleasant sail. We celebrated the Wednesday night races at the Monterey Peninsula YC with Mike and Ina and Paul and Ann, from Annalise, with plans to leave at 0400 Thursday morning for San Simeon which is about 90 miles away. We had what we thought were our final good byes and Mike cast us off on schedule. As soon as we were out of the harbor the engine began to overheat and John soon found enough cabbage like seaweed in the raw water intake to make a nice salad. With the engine again running smoothly we encountered building wind and sea conditions right in our face, so after two hours we decided it was wise to head back to Monterey. We later found that three other boats including a very large and sturdy power boat enroute from Alaska to L.A. also made the same decision.
Weather permitting we plan to leave at midnight Friday for San Simeon. In the meantime there are worse places to be stuck than Monterey.
We want to give a special thanks to our friends who have given us lovely cards and been so gracious with numerous offers of places to stay when we are back visiting. It's difficult to express how much all of this means to us. We are just beginning huge change in life style and right now we're taking it one day at a time to see what develops.
To view each photo and captions, double click on the photos.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Our Honeymoon
The newlyweds took a week off to recover from the wedding festivities before heading off to Alaska on June 10 aboard the beautiful Dawn Princess. John was not that excited about going to Alaska (said it was too cold), but Gilly had been talking about going there for what seems like forever. It turned out to be a fantastic 10 day experience with great food and service aboard the ship and beautiful scenery. Our favorite part of any cruise is being at sea, and fortunately it's a long way from San Francisco to Alaska so we had almost 3 days on aboard before reaching Sitka. Although we brought along plenty of alcohol and mixers, we realized that we forgot bloody mary mix so we needed to find a store in Sitka to satisfy our morning cravings. I guess they don't do bloody mary's there because the only thing we could find was small cans of spicy V-8 juice which worked out just fine. Problem solved
Our next stop was Juneau where the fun really began as we did a "Zip Line" adventure. We'd never heard of zip line until our friends Bill and Carol Blackburn told us how much fun they'd had doing this on a recent trip to Kauai. A zip line basically consists of cables strung between trees and you go "Zipping" along from tree to tree after being fitted with a body harness that's attached to rollers running on the cables. A simple concept that we're told started in the Costa Rican jungle where supplies were moved by zip lines over small valleys. Then someone got the bright idea that riding on the cable would be more fun than moving supplies. We did a total of nine zips with the longest almost 900 feet and at times we were 180 feet off the ground. We're told that you can reach speeds up to 35 mph. We had two guides and 6 other people in our group and all of them had a blast. The tour also included a jet boat ride to the zip line venue as well as going across two suspension bridges and repelling to the ground from the last tree. We then enjoyed our only dinner off the ship at a local watering hole in Juneau and spent the whole meal reliving our earlier experience.
Our next stop was Skagway where we wondered from bar to bar. Gilly could not stay out of the many jewelry stores that populate all of these small towns catering to tourists. She ended up with very nice whale's tale earrings and pendant which fortunately satisfied her need for further shopping. Skagway is a nice clean little town and we very much enjoyed our brief stay.
At 5:00 am the morning after leaving Skagway, we entered the Tracy Arm Fjord, it was an amazing experience to see the skill involved in maneuvering a huge ship through a relatively narrow fjord filled with some rather large icebergs.
Because the ship is required to visit a foreign port before returning to San Francisco, our last very brief stop was in Victoria, BC. We had a lovely walk into town bought some post cards for the grandkids and headed back to the ship. Victoria has grown considerably since our last visit but still retains a charm that we both enjoy. Our Canadian friends Doug and Teresa are building a home on one of the Gulf Islands which is not far from Victoria so we hope to spend more time there when we're away from Mexico.
Our trip down the coast was delightful with a bit of sunshine, the wind behind us and the ship doing a steady 20 knots. We didn't want to get off but alas it was time to return to the real world and continue the preparations for our own voyage south to warmer digs.
Our next stop was Juneau where the fun really began as we did a "Zip Line" adventure. We'd never heard of zip line until our friends Bill and Carol Blackburn told us how much fun they'd had doing this on a recent trip to Kauai. A zip line basically consists of cables strung between trees and you go "Zipping" along from tree to tree after being fitted with a body harness that's attached to rollers running on the cables. A simple concept that we're told started in the Costa Rican jungle where supplies were moved by zip lines over small valleys. Then someone got the bright idea that riding on the cable would be more fun than moving supplies. We did a total of nine zips with the longest almost 900 feet and at times we were 180 feet off the ground. We're told that you can reach speeds up to 35 mph. We had two guides and 6 other people in our group and all of them had a blast. The tour also included a jet boat ride to the zip line venue as well as going across two suspension bridges and repelling to the ground from the last tree. We then enjoyed our only dinner off the ship at a local watering hole in Juneau and spent the whole meal reliving our earlier experience.
Our next stop was Skagway where we wondered from bar to bar. Gilly could not stay out of the many jewelry stores that populate all of these small towns catering to tourists. She ended up with very nice whale's tale earrings and pendant which fortunately satisfied her need for further shopping. Skagway is a nice clean little town and we very much enjoyed our brief stay.
At 5:00 am the morning after leaving Skagway, we entered the Tracy Arm Fjord, it was an amazing experience to see the skill involved in maneuvering a huge ship through a relatively narrow fjord filled with some rather large icebergs.
Because the ship is required to visit a foreign port before returning to San Francisco, our last very brief stop was in Victoria, BC. We had a lovely walk into town bought some post cards for the grandkids and headed back to the ship. Victoria has grown considerably since our last visit but still retains a charm that we both enjoy. Our Canadian friends Doug and Teresa are building a home on one of the Gulf Islands which is not far from Victoria so we hope to spend more time there when we're away from Mexico.
Our trip down the coast was delightful with a bit of sunshine, the wind behind us and the ship doing a steady 20 knots. We didn't want to get off but alas it was time to return to the real world and continue the preparations for our own voyage south to warmer digs.
Our June 2 Wedding
There were many people who thought it would never happen, but all of them were proven wrong when we got married on an overcast day in June. The outdoor ceremony and indoor reception all took place at Encinal Yacht Club where we've enjoyed so many good times with our boating friends. It was the perfect venue to say our vows and then celebrate the joy both of us felt on this very special day. The actual wedding party itself might have been the world's smallest considering the number of people attending, but John's son, Nick, and Gilly's long time very good friend, JoAnne, were the perfect people for us. Having John's daughter, Hillary, do a very special reading made sure there were few dry eyes on that overcast day.
We were a bit overwhelmed by the number of people attending and the distance some of them travelled to reach Alameda. Without them it would not have been the same very festive event that it turned out to be despite the gloomy weather. Actually our photographer said the weather made for great picture taking so even that was in our favor. Many people have told us they shed tears of joy during the ceremony so it's good to know that we were not the only ones with laughter bringing on tears.
Gilly's lady friends were so very helpful in decorating the dinner tables and building the beautiful arbor under which we were married as well as decorating Destiny for the occasion. Without their help EYC would not have been the same perfect wedding venue. Several of our boating friends brought their boats to the club complete with decorative signal flags. The club staff and new chef provided outstanding service and a great meal for all to enjoy. The band was so outstanding that most everyone was up dancing away as soon as the bride and groom were finally finished with the traditional first dance.
We are truly blessed to have so many good friends and it was wonderful for us to be able to share our wedding day with most all of them. Hillary put it in the right perspective two months before the wedding when she said to John, "Dad, this is a once in a life time experience when you and Gilly can bring together family and friends from all walks of your lives to celebrate with you. When people get to be your age (that hurt a little) they rarely, if ever, get the chance to do this. You and Gilly will cherish this day forever." Not that we ever really doubted it, but it turns out that she was absolutely right. We had a fantastic time and there's nothing better than having been able to share it with those people that mean the most to us.
Our photographer posted all our wedding photos on her website - there are a lot of pictures in 14 separate galleries. You can look at them on: www.hansenimages.net/weddings/330004
We were a bit overwhelmed by the number of people attending and the distance some of them travelled to reach Alameda. Without them it would not have been the same very festive event that it turned out to be despite the gloomy weather. Actually our photographer said the weather made for great picture taking so even that was in our favor. Many people have told us they shed tears of joy during the ceremony so it's good to know that we were not the only ones with laughter bringing on tears.
Gilly's lady friends were so very helpful in decorating the dinner tables and building the beautiful arbor under which we were married as well as decorating Destiny for the occasion. Without their help EYC would not have been the same perfect wedding venue. Several of our boating friends brought their boats to the club complete with decorative signal flags. The club staff and new chef provided outstanding service and a great meal for all to enjoy. The band was so outstanding that most everyone was up dancing away as soon as the bride and groom were finally finished with the traditional first dance.
We are truly blessed to have so many good friends and it was wonderful for us to be able to share our wedding day with most all of them. Hillary put it in the right perspective two months before the wedding when she said to John, "Dad, this is a once in a life time experience when you and Gilly can bring together family and friends from all walks of your lives to celebrate with you. When people get to be your age (that hurt a little) they rarely, if ever, get the chance to do this. You and Gilly will cherish this day forever." Not that we ever really doubted it, but it turns out that she was absolutely right. We had a fantastic time and there's nothing better than having been able to share it with those people that mean the most to us.
Our photographer posted all our wedding photos on her website - there are a lot of pictures in 14 separate galleries. You can look at them on: www.hansenimages.net/weddings/330004
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