Out for a sail at Newport Harbor

On Sunday, we took Peter, Lenora, Kate and Jenny Wannier out for a sail. We now are at a mooring buoy with the Newport Harbor Yacht Club and were able to tie up to their guest dock making it easier for everyone to get aboard. We gave the typical short tour of Windarra (it does not take long so there are no long tours), had some coffee and bagels to give everyone a chance to settle in. We motored around the harbor for a tour before heading out and raising the sails. The seas were calm and the winds were light. We put of the main and just the yankee. We saw a large group of dolphins pass by. Kate did great, helping with lines, learning about the bowline knot, walking on deck. Around 3:00 pm we returned to the mooring for light meal. Two at a time Rich ferried our guests to the dock. We had a nice relaxing time.

 Peter, Rae's father

 Jenny, Rae's twin and Lenora, Rae's stepmom

Kate, Rae's half sister

Now we just need to find a way to get Greg Wannier, Rae's other brother out for a sail.

Today, Monday, Rich and I walked along the harbor shore and caught the car ferry over to Balboa Island. The ferry only takes about 3 cars at a time. It is very different from the ferries in Puget Sound. We walked the island and then took a bus up to Trader Joe's and a stop at Minney's Yacht Surplus. It is very similar to Second Wave in Seattle but I would be hard pressed to say which one was bigger. We took a bus back to the yacht club.

Tonight we plan to take the dingy and go to one of the restaurants along the harbor. It should be another adventure.

p.s. We have seen many sea lions camped on aft decks and even on / in some boats here in the harbor. Many boat owners put plastic lawn chairs, kayaks, plastic snow fences and other items on their aft decks to discourage these marauders. 

Rake?

Do you like the rake of this mast? There is a garden rake on the top of many masts we have seen in California. I assume it is to discourage birds.

Newport Beach

Newport Beach
33 36.541 N, 117 54.400 W

This morning we raised the anchor at 10:45 am and said goodbye to Hen Rock Cove after 4 days at anchor. It was nice and relaxing. Very few boats were there and it was quiet except for the giggles and shouts of kids in kayaks during the day, especially when the sea lions came by to check them out. We did some reading and a few chores. It looks like Rich has fixed out engine start problems. As we were going over to Catalina, we noticed that the oil pressure gauge for the engine was not working correctly, and more erratically when we increased engine RPM. On Tuesday, Rich found that there was a loose connection on the oil pressure sensor and a loose terminal strip in the binnacle there the engine start connections were attached. He corrected both issues and the engine has been starting immediately, hot or cold. Hooray!

After anchor up we motored by Avalon, just to see what it was like. The harbor was not jammed packed with boats but all day we saw boats going over. We assume it will be crowded this weekend. After we passed we headed over to Newport Beach. At first we we having a great sail but then the winds petered out and it was a motorsail the rest of the way.

Now we are anchored near Lido Island. There a just a few other boats in the anchorage. While it was still light we saw small sailing dingies making there way around a course that went right by Windarra. There were also paddleboarders, crew shells, small electric boats and some larger sailboats going up and down the channel. This evening the party boats are plying their way, as many as 5. Could any one of them be for Flosten Paradise?

Tomorrow we will look for slip space for a few nights and do some exploring.

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Hen Rock Cove, Catalina Island

Hen Rock Cove, Catalina Island
33 23.784 N, 118 22.006 W
We left Marina del Rey at 10:45 am after a quick run to the store for ice, then showers and topping off the water tanks. In the fog we crossed to Catalina Island. We had planning to stay at Goat Harbor again but with the winds from the WNW we chose Hen Rock Cove instead. We are anchored outside of the mooring field as of 5:30pm . A three masted schooner named American Pride, with a home port of Long Beach, CA, just anchored near us. It looks like a group of sea scouts on board,

 http://www.americanpride.org/

I'm not sure I want to ride way up front on this boat.

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Day sailing at Marina del Rey

Many of our friends want to know what it is like sailing on Windarra. This past weekend we took some friends for some day sails.

On Saturday, Amanda Mazzoni and Mike Ryder joined us. Amanda had some boat handling experience from her days fishing with her dad on the New Jersey coast. We had both of them grinding winches and handling lines. They had joined us for dinner on Windarra last week but going sailing is a different experience.

 Today, we took Timothy Wannier and his girlfriend, Kelly Roberts, for a day sail. Timothy is Rae’s oldest brother. He had some previous sailing experience and both of them were gung ho to learn some more, again grinding winches and handling lines. We had heard on the VHF that there were blue whale sightings in the bay so we kept looking but no luck. Timothy had spent some time in Australia so we had a chance to compare notes on the land down under.

It was fun for us to take folks out for day sails. We are not worried about trying to get somewhere and we are able to enjoy the sailing more, especially when we are taking others out for a new experience.

We also met another couple who are planning to do the Baja Ha-Ha, Russ and Doreen on August Moon from Vancouver B.C. We might see them at Catalina as well.

I also met another couple today who were looking at Windarra from the shore. They called out and asked what type of boat she is. I walked over and replied, “a Stevens 47”. The gentleman told his wife, “I told you so”. After some conversation I learned that they were from Mississippi and that they had a Stevens 47 as well but that it was damaged by Katrina, a total loss, the side caved in and the mast torn off. Recently someone from California had bought it and trucked the boat west and was in the process of restoring it. I am afraid that I did not catch their names. Hopefully their boat will sail again.

Tomorrow we plan to head back to Catalina Island and enjoy some other anchorages. We may not be in touch as cell phone was spotty on the island. Next weekend we plan to go to Newport Beach.

Anchoring out at Catalina

Goat Harbor, Catalina Island

33 25.041 N, 118 23.755 W

Marina del Rey
33 58.841 N, 118 26.798

Saturday we left the mooring ball and traveled along the coast of Catalina Island, looking for a place to anchor. We went as far as Hen Rock Cove but decided to turn around and drop the hook at Goat Harbor. It is not really a harbor and we did not see any goats but it was protected from southerlies and secure. There was a campsite on shore and at one end a few dive boats would stop for a few hours during the day.

One family with 4 boys and a large dog on a 20 foot Trophy boat stopped, unloaded all of their gear, started to make camp when two couples arrived in a dingy and 2 jetskis. Apparently the family was at the wrong campground (you need to reserve) and the two couples had the site. So the family loaded their gear back on the boat and went around the corner. I assume to another campground.

Sunday we had the place to ourselves more or less as we were the only boat that anchored overnight. The watermaker is working well. There still seems to be an issue with the engine starting / electrical. It's a mystery.

Today, Monday we lifted the anchor at 8:30 am and made our way back across to Marina del Rey. We had a great sail, the full main, yankee and staysail, doing 5.9 knots SOG in 9.5 knots of wind, close hauled. It was great.

Now we are back at the marina for a few days.

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The mooring ball

Isthmus Cove, Catalina Island

33 26.661 N, 118 29.874 W

In a past entry, I wrote about the anchor dance, when boat try to anchor in a harbor. Yesterday and today, we witnessed the mooring ball, a new dance for us.

The moorings at Catalina Island are a little different. Instead of just attaching a bow line to a mooring ball as we have done at other harbors, you grab a pennant which leads to a line with a loop you put on your bow cleat, then follow to the other end of the line which has another loop that you attach to your stern cleat. This hold the boat in one position with no swing and enables the placement of many more moorings. Isthmus Cove alone has 257 moorings.

We were able to grab the pennant and secure the bow loop easily enough but the stern line and maneuvering Windarra, a known harbor pig, was a little more difficult but with a lot of pulling on my part and Rich's we were secured. For others, it was not so easy. This morning a motor vessel was all set to go fishing, rods aplenty in the holders, waving in the breeze, the bow loop released, the stern loop released but no departure. Urgently a call came over the VHF, asking for a diver to assist, the line between the loops was caught on the prop. After an hour, the diver came out and freed the boat and away went the fishermen. Later in the day a powerboat tried to thread its way between two other powerboats already on moorings and became entangled. Harbor patrol came swiftly to disentangle. Another boat left their mooring but took the pennant (a float with a long stick) with them.

The mooring ball it like the anchor dance as a square dance is like the foxtrot. Both have certain steps that everyone must make but the former is much more precise.

Today Rich started up our new watermaker for the first time. After getting the air bubbles out of the system we were able to make water and top off our starboard tank. Hooray!

Tomorrow we will look for another anchorage.

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Isthmus Cove, Catalina Island

Isthmus Cove, Catalina Island
33 26.648 N, 118 29.506 W

Last night after we arrived at Marina del Rey, Rich's cousin's daughter, Amanda Mazzoni and her boyfriend Mike Ryder came down to Windarra and joined us for dinner. Amanda is attending Southwestern Law School here in Los Angeles. We last saw them at Jesse's wedding in June. It was the first time that they had been to the boat. We had a great visit.

This morning we paid for our moorage and walked to Ralph's to do a little provisioning. On the way out of the harbor we stopped to top off our aft fuel tank. Yesterday, I mentioned that one of the sailboats in the harbor had a mizzen mast that was larger than Windarra's main mast of 65 feet. The sailboat is called Zenji and it is owned by Larry Ellison. Apparently boat problems occur on very expensive boats as well. They are having problems with the hydraulics that raise and lower the sails, a serious problem for a sailboat. I am glad we do not have that problem.

The first half of our trip to Catalina Island was simply motoring in very light airs. We did see two whales which we think were grey whales. After we crossed the shipping channel the wind piped up to 13-16 knots and we sailed close to the wind at hull speed. We even saw some porpoises jumping out of the water as they raced in front of us hunting fish. We took this as a good sign. As we neared the island, the wind climbed to 17-19 knots.

We are anchored in Isthmus Cove in Two Harbors, Catalina Island. Tomorrow we hope to pick up a mooring as the winds are predicted to be strong tomorrow night.

It is great to be at anchor.

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Amanda and Mike

Amanda Mazzoni and Mike Ryder visit Windarra at Marina del Rey

At Marina Del Rey

Marina Del Rey

33 58.881 N, 118 26.752 W

Yesterday we had a visit from Louise, Michael and Ruth. Louise is Rae's mother, Michael is Louise's husband and Ruth is Louise's mother. They came down to Windarra. First we went on a motor around the harbor to make sure everyone felt comfortable and then we went out the breakwater and did some sailing. It was great fun. Ruth was not sure at first but she was a trooper and had fun. Louise and Michael helped with some of the sheets as well. Afterwards we came back to the slip and Rich fixed dinner and there was plenty of conversation.

 Ruth

 Michael and Elaine

Rich

This morning we checked out of the marina bound for Marina Del Rey. The weather was warm and the winds light and variable, seas 1-3 foot swell, 1 foot chop and we watched the scenery go by. Marina Del Rey is a large complex, with several marinas, yacht clubs and slip space for 6000 boats. Many of the smaller slips are empty. We are getting a reduced rate since we are one of the Baja Ha-Ha'ers, but this is definitely not the cheap seats!. We passed one sailboat on the way in that has a mizzen mast taller than Windarra's mast!

Tomorrow we plan to head for Catalina Island

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Adventuring in Ventura

On Tuesday we met a couple from Canada, near Lake Huron. They recently bought a boat in San Diego and are checking out the systems cruising in Southern California. Reg and Phoebe will also be in the Baja Ha-Ha on Three Sheets.

It was also wash day. Rich washing the boat and I did the laundry. It is good to get some of the salt off the boat but I do see more stainless that needs to be cleaned. A never ending project. 

Tuesday evening we had dinner with Dan Krenitsky and his wife, Christy, at a small restaurant here in Ventura. It was a great dinner in a small house that had been converted into an intimate dining establishment. We had fun catching up.

Wednesday we decided to walk to the nearest full grocery store. It looks close on the map but it was really 1.8 miles one way. We met Reg and Phoebe at the Starbucks next to the grocery store and we all decided that after doing our shopping we would split a taxi ride back. Not a bad deal.

We will stay here through the weekend, waiting for our mail from Seattle, doing a few chores and exploring.