New Venturas

Ventura Isle Marina
34 14.660 N, 119 15.780 W

This morning we walked into downtown Santa Barbara and had a coffee and croissant. It was good to get some exercise and to see some of the sights. Upon returning to the boat we put on water, took off trash and headed out. Before we left we met a fellow on a power boat from Victoria who is making his way north. He reported that a gale was forming near Morro Bay so he was not sure when he would be leaving. We are glad we are going south!

A wise admiral once said, "The marine layer can last for weeks." Well it is true. Soon after we left the harbor, with a lot less activity than our arrival, we hit the fog. Light winds, 2-4 knots, was the order of the day. Until, of course, we were nearing the harbor, in which case, it piped up to 14-15 knots. Go figure.

We tied to the harbor master's dock and call the various marinas and the Ventura Yacht Club looking for a berth. Finally we go ahold of the Ventura Isle Marina, and since we will be join the Baja Ha-Ha in San Diego in October, they gave us a discount. Instead of $70 for a 50 foot slip we are paying $30 a night. This is a much better price.

We are waiting for Dan Krenitsky, a good friend of ours to stop by and join us for dinner. Dan did the Baja Ha-Ha with us in 2001. We tried but he is unable to join us for the 10 year anniversary race.

Renewing friendships.

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Palm Trees and Blue Water

Santa Barbara
34 24.397 N, 119 41.402 W

This morning we left Cojo Anchorage. Two sailboats had joined us. One was SV Fannie B of Seattle. They were on E dock as Shilshole Bay Marina when we were there. We tried to call them on the VHF but no answer. We hope to see them down the way.

The winds were light, the opposite of Point Conception, only 4-6 knots all day so it was a long motor but the water is now blue instead of the dark gray. Periodically, groups of Dahl porpoises would swim over and join us, swimming around the bow. A few times you would see them jump out of the water. They really seem to be having fun.

The entry to Santa Barbara requires almost a 180 degree turn and a narrow entry. As we come around the turn, there is a beach on one side with people swimming, sailboats going in and out, most of them sailing including ones 36 to 40 feet long tacking across the slipway, kayakers, paddleboaters, water taxis, fishing boats, power boats, party boats, dingies and us on Windarra, trying to thread our way through this confusion and not run over anything or anyone. It was like the boating scene from the movie, "Caddyshack". Luckily we made it and now we are tied up. You can see the palm trees lining the street along the marina. We walked up to one of the restaurants for dinner.

Now we are ready to get some sleep with a little less rocking that the previous nights.

Tomorrow we are on to Ventura.

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Around Pt Conception

Cojo Anchorage
34 26.927 N, 120 26.435 W

Point Conception is often referred to as the 'Cape Horn of the Pacific'. We give this stretch of water a lot of respect.

We left Port San Luis at midnight, Friday night, with what we anticipated as easing winds. The winds were 13-15 knots from the NW. To make a long story short, the seas built to 6 foot swells with 2 foot chop on top and the winds built to 35-39 knots. Mr Toad's wild ride.

As the sun came up this morning, we had increased visibility and the winds slackened back to 20-23 knots. At 9:15 am we dropped anchor at Cojo Anchorage, just east of the point with calmer water and decreased winds. As I write this at 4:00 pm the winds are 14-18 knots here in the anchorage.

The plan is to get up early tomorrow morning and head for Santa Barbara.

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Port San Luis

Port San Luis
35 09.542 N, 120 44.897 W

This morning we took a tour of Morro Bay in the dingy. There used to be a second fuel dock farther in so we went to look. It appears that it is no longer in use. We went by the fuel dock near the entrance. It is a rather high pier and a bit difficult to tie up to but diesel was only $4.07 a gallon.

We returned to Windarra and went about hoisting the dingy onto the foredeck, deflating and securing it. We went to the Morro Bay Yacht Club dock to refill our water tanks. By the way, the mooring buoy cost $20 a night for boats 40-50 feet. Not a bad price, as it includes access to showers and a laundry.

We had planned to take on fuel but due to the current we decided to forego and motored out into the fog at 1:00 pm. We motor sailed with a reefed main and staysail. The winds were 12-15 knots initially but the seas were very sloppy and we rolled around a bit. As we continued the seas became more uniform but the winds continued to build to 25-29 knots so we added another reef to the main.

At 5:00 pm we were tied up to a mooring buoy in Port San Luis. This evening would not be a good time to go around Point Conception. Better to wait for better conditions. The mooring buoy is just in the entry to the harbor so it is a bit rolly. The breakwater enclosing part of the harbor is a haven for birds and sea lions that are barking away.

Tomorrow we will check the gribs and see when we should leave.

Until then we will relax here.

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Visit to Hearst Castle, San Simeon

When I was young, my family would take summer trips driving to southern California to visit some of my father’s family. I remember one year when I was five or so, we had planned to stop and visit Hearst Castle. I was an inquisitive child, asking lots of questions about who lived there, etc. I think my parents were a little exasperated with the questions or preoccupied but they gave me a flippant answer, “God”. I sat quietly in the backseat, pondering this. God lives at this place where we were going to stop? We arrived at the visitor center but all of the tours for the day were booked, so my parents decided we would forego the visit until another time and continued to drive on. I was devastated, how could this be? My parents were denying me the opportunity to visit God. I cried and sobbed. My parents tried to explain that we could not visit today but that sometime in the future we would stop. When you are five, events are either immediate or forever. I was never going to visit God at his house. Being five, I was also easily distracted, and something else came up, I don’t remember what but I calmed down and forgot about the aborted visit to the Supreme Being.

So, visiting Hearst Castle became an item on my bucket list. On, Tuesday, 8/23/11, we rode the local bus to the Hearst Castle Visitor Center, picked up our tickets (they suggest you make reservations and you may purchase online) and rode a tour bus up to the castle. I know that God does not live here. William Randolph Hearst did have a lot of money and power, which made him feel god-like but not what I imagined when I was five.

We took the Grand Tour which goes through the large rooms on the first floor of the main house, including the reception or assembly room, dining hall, billiard room and the theatre. Other tours go through the bedrooms, the cottages and the kitchens. The place is beautiful, the best that money can buy and a lot of money was spent. From the tapestries and sterling silver Tiffany lamps to the statues and tile work, everything is first class. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and gave a very positive spin on Mr. Hearst. After our tour we walked around the grounds, including the Neptune pool with inlaid tile, surrounded by Greek columns and statues, as well as an indoor pool with tile pictures of mermaids at the bottom. The grounds and landscaping is well kept and maintained and you can almost imagine Charlie Chaplin, a frequent guest, coming around the corner. We saw a 45 minute movie about the building of Hearst Castle which briefly mentioned that Mr. Hearst was involved in the newspaper business.

Dining Hall in Casa Grande

The Neptune Pool

Rich on one of the many terraces

Now I may cross this off the list.

For more information, visit http://www.hearstcastle.org/.

Morro Bay - The Big Rock

Morro Bay
35 21.723 N, 120 51.190 W

We left Monterey Bay at noon, motorsailing south. Winds were light and variable, 2.3 to 7.0 knots most of the time, reaching 12 knots during the evening. We had a 2-3 ft swell with a cross swell of 1-2 ft under high overcast skies. Late in the afternoon on Sunday we saw a whale surface and then go down but did not see him/her again. We had some Dalh porpoises joins us for a while, as many as 5. Five sailboats passed us, all north bound and a few fishing boats.

This morning we saw the big rock marking the entrance to Morro Bay. It is quite distinctive. By 7:30 am we were in the harbor and tied to one of the mooring buoy of the Morro Bay Yacht Club. We settled the boat, took showers, had something to eat and then took a nap for a few hours. We did have time to rest during the passage, as we did 3 hours shifts, but it is just not the same as sleeping when the boat is tied up.

In the afternoon we untied the dingy from the foredeck, pumped it up, launched it and used our new outboard to get us over to the yacht club to sign in. Then off to explore the town. We found the chandlery, up on Market St, so Rich could buy some marine tinned wire. He is connecting the solar panel positive to the battery side of the isolator, to reduce the potential across the isolator. We believe this was the problem with the starter battery. We need the additional wire to do the same thing for the windlass battery and for connecting the wind generator. In the afternoon when we returned to the boat we started the engine without the problem we had before since Rich had made this change for the starter battery.

Tomorrow we plan to take the bus to Hearst Castle and take a tour.

Around Monterey

The engine started this morning with no problem so we are feeling better about this situation. We chatted with our boat neighbors and he had a suggestion that Rich incorporated this afternoon. We will verify operation in the morning before we leave.

So we took the opportunity to walk about Monterey a bit. This included going to Cannery Row and buying a pelican charm to signify Monterey on the 'boat necklace'. We also looked at some of the automobiles that will be up for auction this weekend.

Stellar Seal and pup on the dock

Elaine and seagull looking out at Monterey Bay

Rich and one of the cars up for auction

Tomorrow we plan to head for Morro Bay. This will be an overnight trip of 135 miles, so there may not be a post until we arrive.

Sea lion on the dock

Chores at Monterey

Today was chore day. I did laundry, washed the boat, put on water and did some updates to the blog (more on this later). This morning the heater system for the hot water (main part of the boat heater) decided to stop working so Rich replaced the fuel filter and put on the replacement heater head and it is back working. He also spent some time troubleshooting and diagraming the electrical system especially the grounding for the batteries and the alternator looking for the reason why we have been having problems with the starter battery and starting the engine. He believes he has things wired correctly and that there is an issue with the ACR or how it is implemented. Anyway we will turn off the charger tonight and see if we are able to start the engine in the morning.

I made changes to the Contact Us page on the blog. It has new information on how to contact us, locating us via AIS and Yotreps as well as some other cruiser websites. Please take a look if you get a chance.

Tomorrow we hope to wander Monterey a bit, perhaps see some of the cars that are on auction.

At Monterey with the sea lions

Monterey Bay
36 36.244 N, 121 53.440 W

Yesterday we left early in the morning, around 6:30 am to head south to Monterey. There was a little hiccup starting the engine (we now suspect a grounding issue) but overcame it and continued on. It was foggy most of the way with visibility of 1-2 miles. Initially the seas were reasonably flat but later in the day they built to 1-3 ft swells with 1-2 ft chop on top most from the WNW with the wind which helped. We saw very little traffic, mainly fishing boats when we were within 10 miles of Monterey. At one point I wondered if the AIS was still working as I saw no vessel traffic. Since my Iphone was getting connection, I checked the marine traffic website, http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/, and entered Windarra, and it found us. It's that amazing.

We are at the Monterey Marina tucked into a slip. Windarra is 47 foot with a 14.6 foot beam. Our slip is 50 foot with a 15.5 foot beam, so we are wedged in with a fender or two on each side. Jumping onto the dock as we came in was a little problematic. There are a LOT of sea lions here in Monterey. They are on buoys, on docks, on boats, on the beach, etc. To keep them off of the finger piers folks have built plywood barriers. They seem to work well to keep off the sea lions but they also make it difficult for someone like me, who does not jump or leap well to get off the boat and onto the dock to tie a line before we careen into the dock. Luckily the boat resident sharing our finger pier was on the dock and she provided assistance.

Later in the evening Rich and I walked down the dock to go out to dinner. We saw one of the 'resident' sea lions on a finger pier several slips down. He was a very large fellow. We were both glad that he was asleep as we would not have wanted to challenge him without a cattle prod.

Today we have some chores to do. Over head we hear the sound of Lear jets landing at the nearby airport. Apparently there is a famous collector automobile auction here this weekend.

No worries,

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Half Moon Bay

37 29.845 N, 122 29.348 W

This morning well left the fog shrouded San Francisco bay. We crossed under the bridge and across the traffic lanes and head west and then south. We sailed a beam reach in winds 5-13 knots under the marine layer as we ghosted along the coast. Our only company was a few fishing boats. We are hearing a few new noises on the boat. Rich an I spent some time trying to find the origin, We think that some of the noise if from the hydraulic pumps when the autopilot is steering to the wind. The other noise was a creaking sound and I still have not figured out where it comes from.

We are anchored in Half Moon Bay, about 30 miles south of San Francisco. Gia, a boat we met in Clipper Cove and again in Sausalito is here as well. It is quiet now with only a fog horn at the harbor entrance.

Tomorrow morning we will get up early and continue south to Monterey Bay.

It is good to be back on the water again.

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One last stop before leaving

Horseshoe Bay
37 49.975 N, 122 28.500 W

After the tide came in and provided enough depth for us to safely leave we went to Horseshoe Bay, near the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge. It is also the site of one of the Coast Guard emplacements and the Presidio Yacht Club. It is a small bay but we were able to anchor and not impede the comings/goings of the Coast Guard including towing in a 15 foot runabout that lost power beneath the bridge in the shipping lanes (ie traffic central).

Rich and I moved the dingy from the davits to the foredeck, deflated it and secured it on deck for passage. We still had time to read and relax as we listed to Vessel Traffic Control.

Tomorrow morning we plan to get up early before the ebb and head out under the bridge bound for Half Moon Bay. We can hear the fog horns on the bridge but we hope it will be clear in the morning.

Anchors away.

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Windarra has power again

Richardson Bay, Sausalito
37 51.791 N, 122 28.791 W

This morning we walked to Arc Battery and purchased a new Lifeline starter battery and an Odyssey battery for the windlass, plus a Pulsetech battery pulser. We walked back to the boat after a brief stop at the grocery store, Mollie Stones'.

Rich removed the existing starter and windlass batteries. Al, of Arc Battery delivered the new batteries and took away the old ones, for a modest fee. Rich installed the new batteries and put the pulser on the windlass battery as we already have a pulser for the house batteries. Once they were installed he started up the engine with no problem. We disconnected the power and tried it a few more times, each with success. It was time to leave the dock.

We are now anchored in Richardson Bay, just off of Sausalito across from the Taj Mahal which I mentioned earlier. I will post a picture when I get a chance. This evening we have a gorgeous view of San Francisco and the Bay Bridge.

It is a little shallow here so we might touch bottom at low tide at 7:00 am in the morning.

Our plan is to head for Horseshoe Bay, closer to the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge. We will soon be bidding farewell to San Francisco.

Less worries

Won't hold a charge

Schoonermaker Point Marina

Yesterday, Rich equalized the batteries. All of the batteries looked good except the windlass battery. They were holding a charge last night. This morning we decided to leave the dock and exercise the new alternator then we would anchor out and tomorrow get a replacement battery.

Well, that was the plan. This morning after we checked out of the marina, we tried to start the engine. No joy. The engine would not start, similar to when we were in Petaluma. Rich confirmed that the starter battery, while it had a charge on Saturday evening, had drained during the night and was no longer holding a charge. We tried a jumper to the adjacent battery, still no joy. Finally we turned on the charger, as we were still on short power and the engine started. We decided to continue on the plan to exercise the alternator but to return to the dock afterward.

Now we need to replace two batteries, the starter and the windlass. These were not in the plan and not on the budget. Sigh. So tomorrow morning will be busy procuring new batteries, installing and then heading out to the anchorage.

Boats, you gotta love'em.

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Sausalito for lunch

Schoonermaker Point Marina

This morning Rich was doing some setup with the Outback system so I washed some of the salt off the boat.

We walked into 'downtown Sausalito' for lunch. Rich bought some new batteries for our water tester. We strolled along watching some of the tourists and trying to stay out of the way of the 'Blazing Saddles'. No, these are not horses but instead, tourists on bicycles. Take some folks who are obviously new and don't know where they are to begin with, then put them on a bicycle. You get the picture. As we walked along, we saw some gorgeous, well maintained classic sailboats. We also saw an unique houseboat, built to look like the Taj Mahal at the end of one dock. Very impressive.

When we returned, Rich worked on 'equalizing' the batteries. (I have no idea what this means but he does). I did some computer work and loaded some high resolution satellite photos of California onto the charter/plotter.

Right now, Rich is trying to decide which of the over 400 DVDs we have, that he would like to watch tonight. And the choice is.................... Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

Signing off to watch....

Chores and exercise in Sausalito

Sausalito, Aug 12, 2011
Schoonermaker Point Marina

This morning Rich removed the alternator and installed the new replacement we had bought before leaving Emery Cove. We are not seeing the performance of the batteries that we expect and we felt that replacing the alternator and having the old one rebuilt would be a good move.

Many folks ask how we get exercise on the boat. Well, today was a prime example. We loaded the 18 pound alternator into a backpack and walked the mile or so to Fed Ex to have it sent to Ballard Electric for refurbishment. Next stop was another few blocks to the UPS Store to have our Affidavit of Lost Title notarize. Since the Honda was stolen we need to provide the title to the insurance company so we can get reimbursed for the loss. Next stop, another few blocks, to the post office to mail the affidavit plus a few other items. On to West Marine, just a short block away for a look-see and some new bungee cords. A few more blocks away was a boat yard where we stopped to see if they had any starter motor relays but no such luck. On to the grocery store. We made a mistake here and used a shopping cart instead of a basket. Now we filled both backpacks and two shopping bags will groceries, like a pound of rice. Now as beasts of burden we walked back the mile or so to the boat to put away the groceries. Usually the walk back seems shorter but in this case it seems to get longer and longer.

This is one way to get exercise on a boat, having errands to run and no car.

Now it is time to take a rest.

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Sausalito

Sausalito, Aug. 11, 2011
37 51.826 N, 122 29.244 W

This morning we left Clipper Cove and headed over to Sausalito. The vakas had already left by the time we got up. They are headed for Monterey. We are now at the Schoonermaker Point Marina. Rich has some work to do replacing the alternator tomorrow and we wanted to be at a marina to do this. We took the opportunity to do some laundry at the laundromat up the street next to the 7-11.

We ran into the couple from Gia, the junk rigged boat we saw in Clipper Cove when we first left Emery Cove. They are planning on heading south as well and have spent some time in Costa Rica and Ecuador, where we plan to go in the future. Hopefully we can learn more about the are from them.

So tomorrow is boat chores and we are reviewing the gribs in preparation for leaving the bay and heading south.

By the way I have added some photos and a video to some of my previous posts. Take a look if you get a chance.

No worries.

Clipper Cove again

Clipper Cove, Aug. 9, 2011
37 48.928 N, 122 21.930 W

This morning we went over to Emery Cove to top off our fuel tanks, empty the holding tank and wash down the boat to get some of the salt off.
While we were there we saw our friend, Bill, of MV Carillion. We were in the slip next to Bill at Emery Cove. It was good to catch up.

Today we also did a few chores plus some time to read and relax.

No worries

Back at Clipper Cove

Clipper Cove, Aug 8, 2011
37 48.957 N, 122 21.925 W

This morning we got up early to make our appointment with Dan, the D Street Bridge tender and a long ride back down the Petaluma River. The scenery is beautiful and the ride pleasant. The wind picked up after we got back into the San Francisco bay proper and of course on the nose. We originally planned to stop at Emery Cove to top off our fuel but at the wind had piped up to 23+ knots we decided to head directly to Clipper Cove and delay these tasks until tomorrow morning.

Sorry that some of the blog entries are out of order. I will repair once we have internet access again, tbd.

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Checking out the town

Sunday, August 07, 2011 Petaluma

This morning we got up early so help Greg and Melissa leave. We decided to stay another day and explore more of Petaluma. Rich went to start Windarra but there was only a click and no starting of the engine. Hmmm, this is not good. We untied Windarra and with their help we pulled her forward and tied directly to the dock so that Pura Vida could depart. We waved goodbye as the passed through the open bridge then Rich went down to troubleshoot.

After checking wire connections, verifying that the starter battery was charged and providing power, wiggling the starter relay, the engine started. Rich replaced the relay with our spare and now the engine started reliably again. Not sure what is wrong with the relay but we will get another spare just in case.

It was time to explore but first some lunch was in order. We stopped at the Petaluma Yacht Club but the door was locked. We met the commodore in the parking lot and she said that the yacht club was only open on Fridays and Saturdays. Off to the Applebox for lunch. I needed some beads for our boat necklace. Google revealed 2 bead stores in walking distance, so walk we did only to find that both were not open but we did get to see some of the town including a rare seed store.

Tomorrow we will return to San Francisco Bay

Petaluma Music Festival

Saturday, August 6, 2011 - Petaluma

This morning after breakfast, the four of us, Matey stayed to guard the boats, walked to the fairgrounds to attend the Petaluma Music Festival, http://www.petalumamusicfestival.org/. It is a one day affair to raised funds for the music programs at the Petaluma public schools. There were 3 outdoor stages with plenty of booths selling all sorts of food and drink. We enjoyed Sambada, a Brazilian/African band. A group a performers did mock combat, ala handstands and cartwheel type moves.

There was also a band from New Orleans that was quite good. Next to the stage an artist painted on canvas sometimes to the rhythm of the music, including a portrait of Frank Zappa, a guitar and a rooster head. To enjoy the music we spread out a blanket and sat on our new cockpit chairs - just a seat and a back, in the warm sun. We were covered in plenty of sunscreen but we did get a might toasty. Other bands included Cornmeal, The Devil Makes Three, The Mother Hips, Big Sam's Funky Nation, Stompy Jones, Smokehouse Gamblers Red Meat, Hillside Fire and Skylark.

Melissa and Greg of Pura Vida and Rich enjoying the music

Late in the afternoon we left Greg and Melissa at the festival and went back to Windarra for dinner and to cool down.

What a fun experience!

Up the river to Petaluma

Friday, August 5, 2011 - Petaluma, 38 14.132 N, 122 38.253 W
In the morning we left for some sailing around the bay as we waited to rendezvous with Greg and Melissa Davids on SV Pura Vida. Their boat is a Hylas 47, a sistership, so to speak of Windarra, a Stevens 47. It was built in the same boatyard in Taiwan but it is a little newer. We followed SV Pura Vida as they have been up the Petaluma River before. The trip up the river included 2 railroad bridges, always open, a freeway bridge 70 feet above waterline, (our mast is 65 feet tall not including the VHF antenna), passing vineyards and wineries, small shanties along the river, and finally the D street bridge which we waited to open before the turning basin where we tied alongside Pura Vida on the long dock.

Windarra

Pura Vida

Going up the river

After enjoying some sundowners (rum and coke was the drink de jour) we walked into downtown and had a great dinner at Sugo's, an Italian restaurant, then to bed. It was a long day.

KKMI

Thursday, August 4, 2011 - KKMI
After a rolly night at Paradise Cove we decided to move. But first we went over to Point Richmond and stopped at KKMI to pick up some wire so we could connect the alternator to the shunt of the flexnet (monitor for the Outback system). We tied up and went to the chandlery and then started our chores.
The first order of business was to get our new outboard motor operational. The Yamaha 4HP, 4-stroke we had bought in 2001 was on its last legs so we took it to a consignment store in Alameda and ordered new Mercury 8HP, 4-stroke from Cabela's. It weighs more but with the new motor lift we installed on the aft deck it is manageable. We launched the dingy, put the motor on, put in some oil, connected the auxiliary fuel tank and voila, our new 'car' is operational.
The next task Rich took on was the alternator connection. I assisted by doing other projects like washing the salt off the boat and helping run wire around the engine compartment and into the navigation station. Now we can monitor the input of the wind generator, solar panels and alternator. We were also able to get the last fittings needed to connect the watermaker to the input thruhull. We will not turn it on until we get farther south.

A bit too shallow

Paradise Cove
N 37 53.861, W 122 27.451

This morning we left Clipper Cove. After we pulled up anchor, I was steering and following the course that we had taken entering the cove. Unfortunately the tide was a little lower and we ran aground in the soft mud. A little maneuvering and a slightly different course, closer to the pier and we were able to exit the cove. This place reminds me a little of Australia but that is a different story.

We are now at Paradise Cove, north of Angel Island. The anchorage is a bit rolly but it is settling down now that the winds have decreased.

More exploring of San Francisco bay.

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Six Vaka from Fakarava

Clipper Cove
37 48.922 N, 122 21.911 W

Yesterday afternoon a kayaker from the junk rigged sailboat, Gia, paddled by and told us about some Polynesian boats that would be arriving from Hawaii and would be stopping in Clipper Cove today. So we decided to stay and find out.

We learned more from the website, http://www.pacificvoyagers.org/. Six vaka or traditional ocean going sailboats of the Polynesians had left from New Zealand, Fakarava to be exact and sailed to Hawaii to attend a conference on the oceans. From there they sailed to San Francisco, a journey of about 30 days. Vaka are a type of catamaran, 70 feet long and 18 feet wide. It has two sails mounted fore and aft with a long oar for a tiller. They are very impressive and we got a chance to watch them enter the cove and beach on the shore. Some members of the local Polynesian, specifically Maori culture, performed a Haka or traditional chant to welcome them. You might have seen an example of a Haka in the movie, 'Invictus', where the New Zealand All-Blacks rugby team does the Haka before a game against South African Springboks. It is very impressive.

The voyage is intended to draw attention to the oceans and to help revive the Polynesian culture and teaching. It is amazing the traveling the Polynesians did across the Pacific ocean without sextants, GPS, radar, radios, etc.

The vaka were quite a sight. We waved and clapped to welcome them and to cheer their arrival. You never know who will be arriving in an anchorage.

Tena koutou i tenei ahiahi (good evening in Maori)

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Windarra has left the dock

Clipper Cove
37 48.922 N, 122 21.911 W

Yesterday morning we cast off our dock lines and left Emery Cove Yacht Harbor. We motored over to Clipper Cove on Treasure Island to check out the anchorage. We decided it would be a good place to spend the night but before setting the anchor we turned around and went for a sail in the bay. As the winds were 15-18 knots as opposed to the predicted 5-10 knots we were able to put up the main, and fly the yankee and staysails. The boat performed well even though we were a little rusty. It is great to be out on the water again. After a few hours of sailing we headed back to Clipper Cove to anchor. I got out my book and Rich enjoyed a nap. When the clouds lift we can see the Golden Gate Bridge.

We listened to the VHF traffic on channel 16. Vessel assist had a busy day. The most embarrassing call was from USA 76, an 85 foot America's Cup boat, that got their 14 foot keel stuck in the mud in the Richmond Channel and needed help getting unstuck. No, they did not have a Vessel Assist membership but I think they do now.

Optis and the new Bay Bridge