With the crackling of a monotone marine radio voice gurgling "Winds 10 knots northwest from San Francisco...wave frequency at 13 seconds...” We make the final preparations for our 12 day journey. The general consensus from the sun spotted faces of veteran sailors around the yard. “It will be hairy” Word from Captain Rick Whiteing is that there are four capes spanning the coast that are always nasty this time of year. Our hired mechanic Carry sips his fifth coke of the AM and grimaces at the perfect weather we have received over the last three days. “You know she is gonna turn for the worse as soon as we set sail...that’s the way it always goes when you get a span of weather like this in late September.”
The main sail has finally been rolled into the boom and our lines are marked for optimal raising and lowering tensions. We have a test sail around Alcatraz and pending weather and engine/sail adjustments we should depart on Friday morning. No more afternoon beer or cocktail hour everything has become extremely serious. We are working a 4 on 8 off schedule with two men always on watch, a log has to be filled out every hour. This will stay constant for the duration of the sail as we crash through the waves 15 to 20 miles off the pacific coast, heading north.
This will most likely be the last log for many days. We are projecting to make a stop somewhere after five or six days at sea. Check back in 10 days to see.
Stephen
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Wagon Wheel
Well another weekend has come to a close and more of this “dream land” state has been traveled by the entourage. From wine country to surf city the diversity of this land continues to boggle our minds.
The word that best explains the nature of this leg of the trip is “spontaneity”. After the useless KKMI shipyard crew finishes a days work, we hit the road and drive wherever our SUV will take us. On Thursday we found our selves in carousing through the fertile hills of wine country. Rolling through Napa valley and Rutherford, making a stop at the Moet Chandon vineyard and Winery. Upon establishing a great relationship with our hostess and Stince volunteering to be the sober driver, we were bombarded with samples. Mingling with middle aged couples stinking like the unmistakable smell of American money and picking from a list of the finest bubbly in the country was amusing. Put us four in a situation like that and the details stop there. After purchasing a few fine bottles of pinot noir we hit the road to the Rutherford grill to have one of the better meals of our lives (not to mention no corking fee).
A busy Friday came early as we were awoken to the mast being lowered into the living room. Putting in a solid 9 hour day of cleaning battery conneticions and stringing sails, one of the workers suggested we spend our weekend in Monterey Bay. At around 5pm we made the decision to pack an overnight bag and head south. Some bad traffic, a meal, and a few hours later we were checking into the Ramada in Santa Cruz. To our delight Santa Cruz was just infused with 30 000 college students and the night life was vibrant. Vibrant enough that when morning came around we though it would be in our best interest that we check out the famous pier, ride a few coasters and keep heading South.
Next destination Monterey. The coast was absolutely spectacular, red and yellow vegetation commingled with wind sculpted dunes and ferocious waves . The odd pack of surfers bobbing in the water was quite amusing. We ate a great meal, watched some College Fatball at a classy sports bar and had a relaxing night. The next morning we woke up early in anticipation of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It was a world class place highlighted by a great white shark and sea and river otters playing around. After the aquarium we drove further south to Pebble Beach where we drove the famous 17 mile drive. It was hard to fathom the pace of life in a place with so much money, Pebble Beach, and Spy Glass Hill (US Open golf courses).
With a formidable drive ahead of us and lots to accomplish back at the boat we hit the road mid afternoon going North on the scenic HWY 1 to Oakland. It will be remembered as the most angelic drive of our lives. We stopped at several lookouts and beaches as well as the worlds largest hay bail maze.
Our hired hands Rick and Carey are now on the clock and we hope to get a test sail in tomorrow.
Godspeed,
Pat and Stephen
The word that best explains the nature of this leg of the trip is “spontaneity”. After the useless KKMI shipyard crew finishes a days work, we hit the road and drive wherever our SUV will take us. On Thursday we found our selves in carousing through the fertile hills of wine country. Rolling through Napa valley and Rutherford, making a stop at the Moet Chandon vineyard and Winery. Upon establishing a great relationship with our hostess and Stince volunteering to be the sober driver, we were bombarded with samples. Mingling with middle aged couples stinking like the unmistakable smell of American money and picking from a list of the finest bubbly in the country was amusing. Put us four in a situation like that and the details stop there. After purchasing a few fine bottles of pinot noir we hit the road to the Rutherford grill to have one of the better meals of our lives (not to mention no corking fee).
A busy Friday came early as we were awoken to the mast being lowered into the living room. Putting in a solid 9 hour day of cleaning battery conneticions and stringing sails, one of the workers suggested we spend our weekend in Monterey Bay. At around 5pm we made the decision to pack an overnight bag and head south. Some bad traffic, a meal, and a few hours later we were checking into the Ramada in Santa Cruz. To our delight Santa Cruz was just infused with 30 000 college students and the night life was vibrant. Vibrant enough that when morning came around we though it would be in our best interest that we check out the famous pier, ride a few coasters and keep heading South.
Next destination Monterey. The coast was absolutely spectacular, red and yellow vegetation commingled with wind sculpted dunes and ferocious waves . The odd pack of surfers bobbing in the water was quite amusing. We ate a great meal, watched some College Fatball at a classy sports bar and had a relaxing night. The next morning we woke up early in anticipation of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It was a world class place highlighted by a great white shark and sea and river otters playing around. After the aquarium we drove further south to Pebble Beach where we drove the famous 17 mile drive. It was hard to fathom the pace of life in a place with so much money, Pebble Beach, and Spy Glass Hill (US Open golf courses).
With a formidable drive ahead of us and lots to accomplish back at the boat we hit the road mid afternoon going North on the scenic HWY 1 to Oakland. It will be remembered as the most angelic drive of our lives. We stopped at several lookouts and beaches as well as the worlds largest hay bail maze.
Our hired hands Rick and Carey are now on the clock and we hope to get a test sail in tomorrow.
Godspeed,
Pat and Stephen
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Thursday Sept 20th
Patiently waiting at the KKMI boatyard for the hired help to step the mast, Pat, Josh, Rod and I spend our days at leisure cooking big breakfasts/dinners, doing no exercise and having the occasional cocktail.
My perception of the “Pacific Wanderer” has completely changed since the cold dark Monday night when we arrived to a boat with no power or plumbing. My sleeping quarters, the “Chart Room” has transformed into a very peaceful place for me. When I get up from my room, go through the kitchen and enter the living room it is beginning to feel more like an apartment than a sail boat. It is a great feeling, one that not many will experience. All the modern amenities are present here on the Wanderer, just in a compact rudimentary form. Hopefully this relaxed feeling will stay with us as we expose ourselves to the power of the ocean. Colossal waves and the hum of a huge diesel engine may change the water on the beans.
My perception of the “Pacific Wanderer” has completely changed since the cold dark Monday night when we arrived to a boat with no power or plumbing. My sleeping quarters, the “Chart Room” has transformed into a very peaceful place for me. When I get up from my room, go through the kitchen and enter the living room it is beginning to feel more like an apartment than a sail boat. It is a great feeling, one that not many will experience. All the modern amenities are present here on the Wanderer, just in a compact rudimentary form. Hopefully this relaxed feeling will stay with us as we expose ourselves to the power of the ocean. Colossal waves and the hum of a huge diesel engine may change the water on the beans.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Wow.
Here I am back in Oakland after one of the craziest weeks of my life.
Despite overpopulation in parts, California is truly a beautiful place. Over the last week we have went from North-South and then East into Nevada travelling over 1000 miles through tropical coastlines, fomritable mountian ranges, and desert. What a trip it is to be on the pacific coast making stops in Sanfranscico, Hollywood, and then over to Sin City where anything goes...
Rodney joined us on Friday night in Las Vegas where we had a 1500 sq. ft suite at the Luxor. That was hard to swallow.
Right now we are kicking back and laughing about all that craziness that has transpired over the last 8 days.
We have hired a captian who is going to help us charter to boat back to Vancouver, now it is a waiting game until the repairs are done on the boat. In the meantime there is a signifigant amount of planning and work that has to be done to the boat...mostly preparing meals for 6 men on a 12 day adventure. We have been warned that this trip can get quite hairy but that is something that we have already accepted. The weather out here is fantastic, we still havn't had any rain. As of right now our plans after the boat is successfully powered to Vancouver are still up in the air.
I miss you all, wish us luck!
Stephen
Despite overpopulation in parts, California is truly a beautiful place. Over the last week we have went from North-South and then East into Nevada travelling over 1000 miles through tropical coastlines, fomritable mountian ranges, and desert. What a trip it is to be on the pacific coast making stops in Sanfranscico, Hollywood, and then over to Sin City where anything goes...
Rodney joined us on Friday night in Las Vegas where we had a 1500 sq. ft suite at the Luxor. That was hard to swallow.
Right now we are kicking back and laughing about all that craziness that has transpired over the last 8 days.
We have hired a captian who is going to help us charter to boat back to Vancouver, now it is a waiting game until the repairs are done on the boat. In the meantime there is a signifigant amount of planning and work that has to be done to the boat...mostly preparing meals for 6 men on a 12 day adventure. We have been warned that this trip can get quite hairy but that is something that we have already accepted. The weather out here is fantastic, we still havn't had any rain. As of right now our plans after the boat is successfully powered to Vancouver are still up in the air.
I miss you all, wish us luck!
Stephen
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