To be continued.
Please check back soon, I have 55 days worth of handwritten notes to sort out and type into Word. Pictures will follow soon.
Kept the jib poled out last night and got some speed and distance but the tiller was very finicky and left no time for rest on either watch. After a quick breakfast of oatmeal we decided to put up the main and run wing on wing and this brought our average speed up to 4.6 knots. We ran the water maker again for an hour and 10 minutes.
12:00
Noon Sighting
31:44
160:59
Our dinner last night was canned Beef soup with crackers. I added some walnuts and dill for extra flavor. We ate supper sitting in the cockpit watching the sun go down. Sweet!
Chuck is re-rigging the downhaul as the line is starting to fray. Using our new inverter to charge the camera batteries for the first time so well have to see how long it takes and how much juice it will use. Clouds are big and fluffy today and are the most we’ve seen the whole trip. Barometer is holding steady so we’re not expecting any major changes in weather. I wish my butt would stop hurting, this is getting really old.
Bree has my watch schedule down and is awake to greet me when I come in and it doesn’t take her long to settle into my lap as soon as I lie down. Its been so dark the last couple of nights. Have to get your clothes organized at hand and in the order you put them on. Can’t be looking for lost items when someone is just waiting for you to relieve them from watch.
Finally got Chuck into the “inside” and “outside” clothes routine. I have one set of on deck clothes and one set set of cockpit clothes and another set for inside and sleeping clothes. Makes all the diference for sleeping comfortably. Also ensures no salty clothes ever get into bed. The whole key to staying comfortable is to keep the inside of the boat dry. Saltwater never dries out and once its wet it is always wet or feels wet until it is laundered.
I think pancakes for lunch today..because I can!
4:20pm
Tiller lashed and we are running 340-350 at 6 knots. Sweet! Adjustments have to be made every minute or so but its not continual hand steering which is a major break. Way to hard to keep on the same point on a compass heading for hours at a time.
Decided against pancakes. I had laid down to rest and ended up nodding off for over an hour. By the time Chuck woke me up with “Honey, I’m starving” it was 3:00. Lunch took an hour to make from start to finish.
Pour Aartichoke juice into pan along with maple syrup and parmesan. Heat for one minute on low. In sauce pan add cooked pasta and mix. Place pasta into bowls and top with artichoke hearts and baby corn. Sprinkle with pine nuts.
Almost sunset, I love this time of day best. Hot water is already in the pot for tonight. Just finished supper of cheese quesadilla with sweet hot chile sauce followed by coffee and 2 squares each of a Rutter chocolate almond bar.
We both are wishing we had a working tiller pilot. That would make things go much easier. But I ltlhink the experience we’ve gained by not having it running during this leg have been invaluable. We now know what the best conditions for the tiller pilot and whe its best to just lash the tiller. We’ll visit West Marine when we get in , exchange the unit and be smarter for it’s dying.
7:15pm
Sun going down later now. Got the tiller lashed and running well enough. Currently running 3.2 – 4.8 knots. Compass bearing 340. Temp. is 75 degrees inside the cabin. Not as cloudless night as previous two and don’t expect “mist of doom” to descend this evening which is good, wet sheets suck!
We had oatmeal with raisins and walnuts around 9am for breakfast.
Hove to all night and now just waiting for the winds to pick up. Chuck has had to sleep with the sound of flogging sails again since 4am. Had a great evening though, after we hove to I made some hot chocolate and we buttoned up against the “Mist of Doom” as we are now calling it and shared a small bag of Famous Amos cookies. We’re currently crawling along in extremely light and variable winds making barely 1 knot but at least it’s in the right direction. We finished the last of the fresh bread with our supper last night. I made grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches. We have 1 ½ packages of tortillas left, I wish I had gotten a few more packages.
Chuck decided to put up the whisker pole around noon. We had been making 1 knot and have now doubled our speed. The wind had better start cooperating soon or we will end up taking 45 days. No deadline at all would be better. I’m really enjoying the time alone with Chuck, about as sweet as life gets, absolute privacy and nothing but time. Now, if we just had a bit of wind and my butt would stop hurting. After we poled out the jib Chuck was ready for lunch. It had a breakfast feel to it so I decided to make corn beef hash and eggs.
Chuck slept better last night. I had a hard time waking him for his watch he has been so exhausted. Its been fairly relaxing the last few days so hopefully he is fully rested. I think the slower trip has been better for me. I’ve gotten way more hours at the tiller and had an easy learning curve. I think once we reach Seattle the sailing will become, not harder, but more complex. We will be a good team by the time we arrive. We ran the water maker for an hour and 15 minutes today.
4:10am
Yuk, strange weather, looks like we’ve gotten into some kind of front. I had the 10:00 watch and the skies were clear but by 11:00 both the wind and waves had completely died. Ocean is glassy calm and a misty cloud has moved in which completely covers all light from the stars and most of the moon. The jib was banging around so badly I knew Chuck couldn’t be getting any sleep so I called him on deck and we pulled it down. Much quieter but now we are just bobbing around waiting for wind. I figure Chuck will just barely get to sleep and the wind will pick up again. Put on my wool socks for the first time tonight, not so much because my feet were cold but they were feeling damp and I slept much better for it.
We had a visitor early last night. I saw a small bird literally tumble onto the deck with no grace at all. He was gone when I went forward to take down the jib. I hope he flew away but it had looked so exhausted when he landed I’m pretty sure he fell into the water.
Bree came out into the cockpit tonight. I was tidying the jib sheet and caught movement out of the corner of my eye. She stayed out for a minute sniffing the lines and taking a quick peek over the side then hopped back inside. Hopefully in another week I can use her for a lap warmer while on watch.
6:30am
The winds picked up again around 5:30 shortly after I took over the watch. I got Chuck up again so we could reset the jib. Tiller is lashed once more and it looks to be another beautiful day. A welcome sight after the eerie night we had last night
12:00
Noon sighting
30:40
161:43
Heading between 30 to zero degrees at an average speed of 4 knots. Skies are clear with no change to the barometer. Cabin temperature is 72 degrees. Waves are 2-3 feet and we have mild sea conditions. 650 miles to first waypoint..
Chuck was in excellent spirits this morning even with his lack of sleep last night. I gave him an extra hour to sleep in this morning and then crashed for an hour myself. Oatmeal definitely wouldn’t cut it this morning so I made Chili and Eggs for breakfast.
Chili and Egg Bowl
Scramble eggs along with tomato and onion. Line bowls with tortilla and fill with scrambled eggs.Heat chili and pour over eggs. Sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese.
Bree is back to normal and starting to lounge around lying on her back. I gave her a good brushing this morning and decided it will have to be a part of our regular routine. Cleaning up the cat litter is bad enough.
Chuck has figured out how to fix the plug for the solar panels using the cigarette lighter plug that came with the panels. Funny, we almost threw it away before we left. He has made another wire harness with what spare wire we had available in our electrical box which was just long enough to do the job. Thanks to our electrician friend Strider who gave us bag of assorted connectors for a going away present Chuck had what he needed to do the job. After Chuck finishes his repair we’ll put up the main and see if we can make up some lost time from last night. We’ll run the water maker again for an hour. Our water consumption has settled into a pattern and running the maker every other day seems to work fine. Most of the water is seems to go into the thermos every night so we have hot water for tea or cocoa during the night.
4:00pm
Num, just finished a lunch of green apple, dried apricots, cheese and tortilla. House batteries ran down to 12.5 after running the water maker for an hour and 45 minutes. We just tested the batteries again and they show back up to 14.5 so Chuck’s repair worked.
My Captain ROCKS!!
8:45pm
Hove to at 30:56 and 161:34. Another night identical to last. The night is clear with not a cloud in the sky and a deep blue in all directions. As soon as the sun went below the horizon the mist moved in and instantly there was not a breath of wind. The mist completely soaks everything and the towel hanging over the door is dripping wet. We lit the lanterns in the cabin to try and keep the moisture down but it’s not helping much, just making it warm and wet.
11:00 am
The sun is out and it is another beautiful day
We had a bit of a shocker this afternoon. Chuck noticed some large rust stains on the aft deck which weren’t there when we left. The deck plug for the solar panels has completely rusted away in 11 days causing the wiring for the panels to short. Chuck pulled the plug out and the wires were melted and had a distinctive burnt smell. Great! However, Chuck is determined to repair the wiring rather than use the engine to charge the panels especially this early in the trip.
We ran the engine for an hour so we could run the water maker and Chuck took an inventory of the items we had on board to make repairs. I took advantage of the smoother ride while we were motoring to pull out the alcohol and refill the stove. The pans for the stove were mostly full when we left but not completely so we’ve gotten 11 days of regular cooking for approximately 1 pint of alcohol per burner. Not bad.
Bree was, of course, very unhappy when we started the engine. She is still buried in the bottom of the hanging locker. Hope she didn’t pee on anything.
12:00
Noon sighting
29:57
162:19
Average speed 4 knots Consistent N.E winds of 10-15 and clear skies.
Running on a heading of 30 degrees at an average of 4 knots, we’re rolling around a bit but not bad. 705 miles to our first waypoint.
2:00pm
Ahhh, sunshine! We got to dry out our foul weather gear which we’ve not really need for the last few nights. Hoping this dry weather holds as there is nothing like a lot of rain to ruin your day
I’m very lucky to be able to sleep anytime, anywhere, with any amount of noise and in any position. Chuck didn’t sleep well again last night and is down below sleeping now. He got queasy again while diagnosing the problem with the solar panels.
5:30pm
Freighter spotted heading 270 degrees. Not quite close enough to make out the name but looked like Morning Star.
6:30pm
We had an early supper of tuna melt sandwiches then went on deck for our nightly deck check. Chuck made some adjustments to the jib and we were able to point more North. I heated some hot water so we could freshen up then we settled down with a cup of hot cocoa and cookies. The tiller, which had been lashed all day, took this opportunity to start acting temperamental so Chuck had to gear up again and go out to reset the tiller which generally takes 20-30 minutes. He had just gotten it reset and the winds died
Chuck says it seems the winds stop to watch the sun go down.
8:00pm
Winds have picked up again
10:40pm
Winds have completely died away.
4:30am
Chuck is sick again. He didn’t get any sleep before his last watch and that was just enough to push him over again. We’ve been running an average of 5 knots all day and so far this evening the winds are still holding. Our heading of 0-30 degrees puts us on a direct heading toward our first waypoint and “The Turn”. It is another beautiful night but one spent huddled in the companionway. Enough waves are coming over the bow you need to keep your head down. The moon is still full but there are many clouds this evening so we’re not getting much benefit from the light. Tiller is lashed and only needs a gentle push or pull once in a while. We passed thru a fishing fleet and have seen three fishing boats tonight. We used the VHF to contact the long liner Maluhea based out of Hawaii to find out if they had fishing gear in the water.Originally we had planed on passing in front of them but it turned out they had their gear off the bow, good thing we called! We passed close enough by her stern to wave at the people on her deck. Aloha Maluhea. The other two vessels were distant enough that we didn’t need to contact them.
6:30am
Another great sunrise. We’re still on a heading of 0-30 degrees. Swells are 3-5 feet coming on the front quarter. Generally Lealea is riding well with only an occasional lurch or roll.
Bree sat on my lap this morning on the top step of the companionway and watched the sun come up. She is now curled up in her new favorite spot on the spare mainsail up forward.
8:00am
I’ve just finished a solitary breakfast of cold leftover beans. Still on watch as Chuck is again lying prone on the floor. Man this is getting old but at least he is letting me talk to him, things are looking up.
Captain Chuck’s quote of the day
“Beans not good”
Put the video camera in its waterproof case today. Spray is constantly in the air now and everything is starting to get that damp feeling, tolerable only if it continues to be nice during the day so we can dry things out. So far it’s been a beautiful morning. The temperature in the cabin is 75 degrees. There is a brisk slap in the air and the barometer is rising.
I heard Chuck groan from below and poked my head in. “Doing O.K.?
“I’m ruining your trip”, Chuck says.
I love him so much, he isn’t ruining my trip, I’m having a blast but I’m sorry he isn’t having the fantastic time I am. This trip was, after all, HIS dream many years before I ever came along. The bummer was I had spent most of my watch dreaming up something great for breakfast and ended up with cold beans. “You aren’t ruining my trip; I’m having a great time. I just wish you could come out and play”.
Captain Chuck’s Description of Seasickness.
(Not always felt in order)
Chuck usually gets sick when we go out and I usually bring enough ginger ale and ginger cookies to get him through it but I never planned on his getting sick for 10 days and didn’t bring enough food that, as Chuck says,”are good both ways”. Scrambled eggs, mac ‘n cheese, ginger ale and soda crackers.
Well at least we aren’t at work!
11:00am
Ran the water maker for an hour and a half today same as yesterday.
12:00
Noon Position
28:57
163:08
Average speed 4 knots heading due North. 793 miles to first waypoint.
2:30pm
Course change to 010, winds are light. Spotted a tanker headed 325 degrees but was easily 12-15 miles away. Bound for Hawaii?
9:00pm
We had a nice casual afternoon. Chuck got the tiller lashed again around 2:30 and we both went below. Lealea has been steering herself all day and so far through the night. I’m sitting in the companionway writing and Chuck is crashed on the couch. A mellow night with light winds and the tiller is steady so we decided to cancel formal night watch and get some rest. I made freeze dried Beef Stroganoff with noodles which we shared out of the pot and a little red wine. Hot cocoa and Hawaiian cream cookies for dessert. We snuggled under the blankets on the couch and took turns every 10-15 minutes getting up to check outside for traffic. Yep, this is a hard life.
Lealea is rolling along, literally.
Last night we thought maybe it would be smoother with the jib down so I went forward and dropped it but the roll was noticeably worse so back up it went. We went below, put on the anchor light and I made a 1 pot supper of Chicken Corn Chowder and added an extra can of corn. We sat together on the bunk and ate out of the same pot sharing the spoon and a tortilla. The boat was very cozy while we were bundled under a blanket with the lamps lit. After supper we snuggled on the couch for a while with the cat snoozing comfortably in our laps then we both fell asleep.
We’ll have breakfast and hot tea (hot cocoa for me) before we get started. By getting started I mean going forward and hauling down the #1 jib and putting up the working jib. Hopefully we can make some distance in the right direction today.
11:00am
Both of us benefited from a good rest last night but unfortunately Chuck is still having frequent bouts with nausea. It has turned out to be a beautiful day and I’m currently on watch snacking on my favorite dried fruit and nut mix. Chuck’s clothes are laid out in the cockpit attempting to dry. He got hit with a full body soaker a little while ago. The tiller is lashed and we are sailing comfortably at 5 knots our heading between 300-330. Waves are subdued compared to yesterday and Lealea is moving smoothly. My fluffy cumulus clouds are back and a welcome sight. Does it get any better?
We are still wearing our capilene shirts and shorts during the day. It was pretty chilly last night but I’m not sure if that was simply because of the crappy weather or a permanent change. Our routine has pretty much come together and by choice we keep the same watch every day. After my 4-7am I come below and make breakfast after which I tidy the galley, stow our night clothes, put away the bedding, clean the cabin and run the water maker. Usually I have about 20 minutes to relax before I’m on watch again. Since I didn’t finish all my chores yesterday Chuck is running the water maker this morning.
Chuck and I are getting much more efficient sail handling as a team. We set 3 jibs yesterday and another this morning. Getting the routine down so both of us know the order of things and who is responsible without a bunch of hollering back and forth is NICE. I love my Henri Lloyd jacket I bought at West Marine just before we left. It got soaked going forward this morning and was completely dry before I got back into the cockpit.
Bree takes turns sleeping with Chuck and I during the night. Cozy! She is acting about 85% normal but still not eating her normal amount of food and has noticeably lost weight. I spent some extra time with her this morning generally giving her some extra lovin and trimming her nails. 10 years old and just now she is becoming a spoiled lap cat.
12:00
Noon Position
27:18
162:58
906 miles to our first waypoint which is where Chuck approximates our turn East will be.
6:30pm
A perfect day of sailing. We are currently running at 6 knots on the working jib alone and running perfectly with the waves with only the occasional roll or jump. Again, the sky is full of cumulus clouds as far as the eye can see and still we have not spotted any other ships. I saw a dolphin for a moment but he was obviously on a mission and didn’t hesitate as he passed by. P.B sandwiches for early dinner along with leftover soup from last night. Chuck is still not eating much.
7:45pm
Ship spotted bearing 330 about 5-6 miles away, turned on the tri-lights
Thought Chuck might be hungry so I heated a can of beans. He had a few bites then needed to lie down again. O.K. maybe the beans weren’t such a good idea.
11:00 am
Last night ended “normal” enough but this morning started out completely different. Currently heading North at 5 knots and this will not be a lazy day. If this is the way the sailing will be the rest of the way it will be fine with me. We’ve had a whole week of easy sailing and lazy days which gave Chuck a good chance to recuperate. We’ve done more sail handling in the last week than in our last couple years of sailing together. Cocky, no, but definitely more comfortable. I think Chuck is over the worst of his seasickness and we can finally put in some good distance and have some fun.
Bree ate from her bowl on the top step this morning even with the increase in lean angle and speed, did her morning duty then found a cozy spot up forward among the sailbags. Yep, back to normal.
Noon Position
27:19
162:15
Course 330 degrees average speed 4.6 knots.
2:30pm
We’ve been beating into the wind all afternoon on the jib alone. We changed from the Genoa to the working jib just after breakfast. Working on deck beating in 5-6 knots…ya baby!!! Had the Genoa down and working jib up in under 40 minutes. The first week was cruising, now THIS is sailing!
Still haven’t seen anything at all except the occasional bird. Found a baby flying fish on deck this morning. I tried giving it to Bree. She was very interested in it but wouldn’t go so far as to take a bite. A cat who won’t take advantage of a morsel of fresh fish, where did we go wrong?
4:45pm
Hove to, it’s just not worth the effort. We’re hanging out waiting for the either the winds or waves to change direction. One or the other has to before we go any further.
We are here
27:25
162:15
7:00pm
27:22:320
162:41:246
UGH!
I think my honey is back, he hasn’t been queasy all day.
Tiller remained lashed all last night until around 8am this morning. Another beautiful night. Chuck took first evening watch which means I got the 4-7pm again. We both seem to like our watch and are falling into a regular pattern. This way gives me time to put away the evening dishes, get coffee made for the evening, make the bed then fall into it. Chuck is able to sleep in now that he is no longer sleeping on the floor. I can go in and get anything I need without disturbing him.
Had oatmeal with walnuts and raisins for breakfast and by the time we finished the wind had completely died. We decided it was a good time to pull some line out of the locker and make reefs for our main. Before we left Chuck had taken the main in to have some extra reef points added just in case we needed to take a deep reef. So far we haven’t needed to but who knows and we didn’t have any lines made up for the job. This was also a good time to break out boat soap and give the boat a good scrubbing as we only had time to give the boat a quick hose off before we left. Afterwards we decided it was time for a bath ourselves. There was still not a breath of wind after we got cleaned up so we dug out a larger awning and rigged it for shade. It’s was so big it was hard to find any good tie points and would not be good at all with any amount of wind. We must have looked like a Winnebago at sea! At least we were shady and cool.
12:00
Noon Position
27:05
162:41
3:00pm
Winds have just picked up a bit and making maybe 2 knots. Very light winds but tiller is lashed and sailing comfortable so we decided to both go below and rest our buns on nice soft cushions for a while.
4:00pm
Winds have died completely again and jib is backed. Nap time!
Bree is nearly at that “old hat” stage and now walks around the cabin instead of skulking. She has come out into the cockpit for a look around and a quick peek over the side during both Chuck’s watch and mine for the last two nights. She tends to meow a lot when I’m in the cockpit and Chuck is trying to get some sleep. As soon as I come below she climbs into my lap or into bed with me and snuggles.
7:30pm
We tacked at 5:30 and are on a new heading of 20 degrees reaching with the Genoa.
We had Chicken Burritos for lunch using the last of the cooked chicken followed later by a snack of granny smith apple with Vermont cheddar cheese, dried apricots and walnuts.
Chuck has the7-10pm watch but it is such a beautiful night I sent him below for a quick snooze. Red sky at night, Sailor’s delight. Breeze is soft and consistent and I’m wearing shorts with a fleece jacket. Perfect!
Chuck still feeling queasy. I’ve decided the 4-7 watch is my favorite since I get to watch the moon go down and then the sun come up. Wiped down the cockpit and got Chuck up at 7am so I could go below and get breakfast started. We had oatmeal with blueberries and the last banana. After breakfast I tidied up the galley and cleaned the cabin then ran the water maker for an hour to top off the day tank.
We had a good run last night with an average speed of 4.5 knots and we were able to maintain a compass heading of between 330-340 for most of the night. Barometer has held the same since we left and temp is 82 degrees.
I’m still rigging the sunshade every morning by 9am to keep out of the sun. We’re wearing shorts during the day and foul weather gear at night. It’s been cool but not uncomfortable and we are still both going barefoot.
Made canned chicken with instant noodles last night for supper, nothing to complicated with the movement of the boat.
12:00
Noon Position
26:12
162:21
3:30pm
Chuck decided to take down the jib and put up the larger Genoa. Motion of the boat is much smoother now than with the working jib. We’re holding the same course with a 2 knot advantage.
I finished off the leftover salsa dip from yesterdays lunch along with more pita chips. A great snack! Had ½ an apple before we did the sail handling and a P.B. sandwich after. Chuck is still ill and only ate ½ his sandwich.
We lost our white bucket this morning. The knot came undone and poof it was gone. We used the opportunity to practice a man overboard drill, notice the bucket is still gone. Great practice we both needed and I’m sure if it happened again we would have gotten it. We actually got turned around and passed right by within about 5 feet but it was partially submerged and by the time I spotted it, it was too late. Note to self, make sure the boat hook is handy next time (DUH!).
Chuck still sick and frankly I am really sick of him being sick. Both of us are shorter in temper than usual. I just want my husband back. Tiller pilot (not Scotty anymore) cut out just after dark last night. There goes our cushy trip as one of us must now be at the tiller at all times. No more meals where both of us can go below and enjoy. Well, it was sweet while it lasted. To bad Chuck didn’t have a chance to enjoy it. West Marine shopping trip now expanded to returning the water jug and Tiller Pilot and buying new cushions. Sigh, new cushions….oh, my buns are so sore! Bree has also not had a good morning. No tiller pilot means the ride is not as smooth and she has started feeling ill again.
Made 3 burritos last night for supper and had one for a breakfast after Chuck finished his 7 am watch. I was starving and knew Chuck would want to just go below and sleep. We finished the last papaya later in the morning but that was all I could get Chuck to eat.
12:00
Noon Position
25:03
161:55
Average speed of 5 knots. Weather is gorgeous with fluffy white cumulus as far as the eye can see.Swells 5-7 feet
Ate P.B and honey on a tortilla for lunch, unable to cook in these swells.
Currently have the tiller lashed, not as efficient as the tiller pilot but it works, however the ride is not as smooth. Brought the main down last night around 5pm and are sailing on the jib only. Buns are still extremely sore.
Ran the water maker for 45 minutes yesterday and will run again tomorrow. We still have one 6 gal and three 5 gal water jugs plus what we have in the water tank.
Last night was beautiful and just cool enough to be enjoyable. Nearly a full moon which set completely by 4:15am and the first light of the morning started promptly at 5.
I wiped down the cockpit with a wet rag just after sunrise. How Bree got so much cat hair in the cockpit without stepping a paw outside I will never know. Our stern dock lines were still attached to the cleats so I removed them and got them stowed. Bree came out of her hole and ate from her bowl which I had moved back to its regular place on the top step. She sat looking straight up at the sky for quite a while then hopped tentatively into the cockpit for about 20 seconds then jumped back inside again. She is looking normal and is back to her “regular” sleep pattern during the day.
Made French toast for breakfast and Chuck ate all but the last two bites. I figure we may as well enjoy a good breakfast while the weather holds and the fresh supplies last.
Noon Position
24:13
160:13
Winds light and variable
2:30pm
Had a snack of dried nut and fruit mix bought from Costco then made some salsa to go with pita chips for lunch.
3:00pm
We’ve been lazing along at 1-2 knots for most of the day. Wind has just now picked up and Scotty is on duty again.
7:00pm
Winds have been light and variable all day but picked up again around 5pm as it has for the last three evenings. We were prepared tonight and had just finished reefing the main. If the winds hold to this timetable we will have a regular routine soon. We are currently sailing 270 with winds from the South. Moon is already up for the evening but still 2-3 days away from being full. Puffy cumulus clouds in all directions as far as you can see.
Made Chicken burritos for dinner. Pre-cooked chicken we brought is still cold.
Chicken Burrito
Sautee chicken with chili sauce then add yogurt and let simmer. Warm tortillas; add hydrated beans, chicken, onions and tomato.
Chuck is still not feeling quite right. I think the long hours every day during the last few weeks of prep before our trip are adding to the seasickness. I’ll try and give him a few extra hours of sleep tonight. The most annoying and unexpected problem we are dealing with are sore butts. The red throw cushions are nowhere near comfortable enough for the long hours we’ve been sitting in the cockpit. Chuck actually has bruises on his buns. A shopping trip at West Marine or a camping store is in order when we get in. I’ve been using a small fender in the cockpit as a foot rest/brace as the balls of my feet are sore as well from bracing against the hard surface hours on end. Dug our Goat Roper hats out of the storage locker tonight, yep, the weather is definitely getting cooler. Tonight’s waves are choppy and swells are increasing but I expect in another few hours it will be glassy calm with light variable winds. We’ve s till have seen no marine life.
We ran into a squall this afternoon. Chuck was wearing his new long sleeve Columbia shirt I bought him for Christmas. The rain was hard enough that I was able to take a shower but his shirt did not soak through and his capilene shirt underneath was completely dry.
Sewed Chuck’s safety harness today and will do mine tomorrow. The pocket that holds the CO2 cartridge does not have enough Velcro to hold the weight of the cartridge and both of our harnesses keep popping open. I also added a stop to the end of our crotch straps so the end isn’t able to slip through the buckle under weight.
There was enough of a lull in the wind this afternoon we actually toyed with the idea of breaking out the computer and watching a movie but decided it was more trouble than it was worth. We stowed the anchor on the floor in front of the door to the head and would have to move it over 3 inches before we can dig out the movi
Reefed the main again around 5pm, only took about 20 minutes.
10:30 am
Another beautiful morning! Currently on watch sitting in the cockpit sipping on one of our last cold ginger ales, Chuck is resting below. He thinks he is done throwing up but still feels uncomfortable sitting up for more than five minutes at a time. He had the 4-7am watch, I woke up at 6:30 and watched him for a while humped over in the cockpit. We had both opted to spend our watches wearing foul weather gear. I heard a pathetic “meow” come from Bree’s latest hidey hole. I called to her a few times but she wouldn’t answer back. Chuck poked his head around hearing I was up, “Morning Honey”. Well, he acts like he is feeling better.es.
I relieved Chuck at 7 and he went below to start the long process of getting his foul weather gear off battling with the bouts of nausea between each layer peeled off. I gave him a full hour of rest but couldn’t wait any longer for breakfast. I was famished and desperately wanted a cup of coffee. “Hey Hon, how hungry are you, Oatmeal hungry or French toast hungry”? He thought about it a moment and came back with French toast hungry. This is going to be a good day! Made two and a half pots of coffee, Chuck and I split a cup and the rest went into the thermos for later.
11:15am
Wind is light and variable. We put the main up after breakfast and galley duty was done. Decided we may as well take the reefs out of the main if we wanted to pick up some speed. Only took 20 minutes this time, at least I remembered the wrench this time while I was putting on my harness
While making lunch I made another discovery. I needed another set of pot holders for the stove, without the second set I couldn’t use both burners at the same time, funny this had never come up before. One of the collapsible 5g water jugs has developed a leak. Luckily I caught it early and it didn’t make too much of a mess. We’ll use that jug first.
11:40
Mr. Scott or Scotty has been relieved and Chuck is at the tiller. Winds are light and hard to catch for more than a few minutes at a time. We’ve rigged the awning and put on some Jimmy Buffet.
Noon Position
23:34
159:48
Running along with a northerly current and averaging a speed of 2 knots.
Bree is still being heard but not seen hiding deep in her hole de jour. I’ll have to coax or drag her out soon to give her more water.
We ate noodles and tuna with fresh grated parmesan cheese last night for dinner. One mango is getting pretty ripe and needs to be eaten tonight. We’ve 4 bananas left and they will have to be used in the next few days. Weather permitting I’ll try to make banana/oatmeal pancakes tomorrow. Next off watch I have to inventory and turn vegetables, check forward storage and water jugs and then clean the boat.
Currently on the 1-4 watch, winds are almost non existent. I have such a hard time with light winds.
2pm
Winds have picked back up. Fresh breeze has put us on a course of 330. Scotty is on again and performing like a trooper out in the hot sun. Display was acting up earlier but working again now so we’ve decided to keep it covered when ever we’re not adjusting it. Chuck is below getting some sleep. The sunshade I’ve rigged is not as effective now that the main is up but I’m handily tucked a corner that has the most shade. Two float cushions and a pillow later and I’m comfortably settled in for watch.
We had a Booby land on the bow just before dark. Amazing how they can look perfectly comfortable sleeping until you focus only on the movements of their tails. Only then do you wonder how they make it look so easy. How such a big bird can clutch onto a one inch stainless rail and get any rest is beyond me. Mr. Booby kept Chuck company through the night, slept in late and was gone by 7:30.
Full moon in a few days, the next few evenings should be spectacular if the weather holds.
2:30pm
Winds picking up again, adjusted course to 333. Swells picking up from our starboard quarter, average speed 4 knots. Lealea’s interior is making her rhythmical sounds letting you know she is on course and happily moving with the wind. H.M. Bark Endeavour had her own sound underway and Spike Africa had hers but Lealea‘s pleasant-sounding creaks are my favorite melody.
We still have a few cold drinks left in the cooler and the cold ginger ale tastes pretty good right now.
5:00pm
Around 3:00 winds died completely and Lealea was in irons. We decided to leave her that way so Chuck could have a shave and a hotpot shower while I made dinner, our first real meal in days.
Penne Pasta with Chicken.
This is a 1 pot meal. Cook pasta, drain and leave in strainer. In the pot mix yogurt, mustard and dill to taste then add chicken and heat. Place pasta in bowls and cover with sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan. Note, also good when sprinkled with pine-nuts.
Bree came out of her hole around supper time and tried hard to look pathetic but couldn’t quite pull it off she really does look much better. She sat in front of her bowl which is sitting on the floor, not its normal place, and started meowing. I gave her some plain yogurt, one of her favorite “people” treats served on the lid. She dug in and cleaned it up. Seems her and Chuck are on the same seasick schedule.
Evening is my favorite time of day. Winds are freshening from the south with a hint of chill but thankfully no rain. The ocean stretches from horizon to horizon with no sign of birds or boats. In Las Vegas at The Venetian hotel they have a ceiling painted to resemble the sky. It has special lighting which adjusts for morning, afternoon and evening. Its funny, the painting is so obviously a fake when you are standing under it but somehow the painter managed to capture the subtle changes of blue in the sky perfectly. We are surrounded by cumulous clouds in all directions, perfect weather, and funny enough tonight the sky looks exactly like that painting.
This afternoon Chuck took a reading with a manual knot meter he had purchased years ago and never used. It gave us a reading of 5 knots. We are certainly not setting any speed records but have been very comfortable so far. Besides being physically away from the dock and a few other lifestyle changes, most notably my not exercising 4 hours a day, we are living on the boat as we usually do. Chuck is not fully recovered and still has grumpy “just leave me alone” moments but at this rate I’m hoping he’ll be back to normal tomorrow. We are still receiving the weather station on VHF. Scotty is amazing, keeping the boat on a perfect heading with few hiccups, definitely the best helmsman as he can hold his concentration for hours at a time. Chuck is a close second and I am a distant third. It is difficult not to let my mind drift and lose the best point of sail then it takes me a while to find it again. Scotty never has to correct himself which helps our overall speed and distance covered.
Got the cockpit cleaned up and cut more non-skid for the galley. Bilge is dry but needs to be cleaned. We ran with the forward hatch open for a few hours to circulate some air. We’re both having a hard time getting in the habit of always putting things back in their place. The only way to find the item you need is to make sure it is always put back in its place; sounds simple enough but a hard habit to break. I’m hoping Chuck will be feeling well enough tomorrow to start on the new lifelines. Engine temperature alarm solved. When Chuck installed the new thu hull for the engine saltwater intake he left it closed. Well, that’s a new item to add to our checklist before starting the motor. Hindsight, I’m glad we didn’t turn back or pull into Kauai for something so simple.
6:30pm
Getting buzzed by two Boobies looking for potential roost, maybe we’ll have more guests tonight.
11:00 am
Chuck and Bree both, well, sicker than dogs.
Got off yesterday at 6:40am. Jesse and Diane came down to see us off and Jesse insisted I get on the boat so he could toss off the lines. I hope Chuck knows Jesse is to him what Leah is to me. I hope coffee doesn't stain non-skid, I just lost half a cup of coffee! Our neighbor Gus came out and waved us off. I let out a loud yell when we passed the last boat on D dock and turned toward the channel and I'm pretty sure I heard Jesse's laugh in return.
We were doing great until we passed the first channel marker and then the engine alarm sounded. Now remember "oil change" was on the A list of thing to do before we left. Hmmmm, first lesson so early in, Must do on the A list is just that. Anyway, wind was good so we just switched off the engine and I ran forward to put up the jib. Handily done if I do say so and we easily cleared the 2nd set of markers. All I could say when I jumped back into the cockpit " I take full responsibility". Chuck just replied "we'll figure it out on the way". Should be interesting to see at the end of the trip if that turns out to be a major mistake or not. Was it a fluke or maybe Lealea just letting out her own yell at leaving as well. Wouldn't have been my sound of choice.
Weather started off briskly and we decided to just sail on the jib and leave the main down (and it still is) Not even 30 minutes out and Chuck was already getting queasy and within 45 minutes Bree was drooling great gobs of slime, letting out mewling howls that timed perfectly with Chuck's retching in the cockpit. Now I take seasickness seriously and hope it never happens to me but it was hard not to laugh at the perfectly synched noise. The winds eased off a bit around 2pm and the waves flattened out enough that we decided to put a reef in the main to have it ready but leave it down. Now Chuck has used the roller reefing before several times but I've never done it. So in 3-4 foot seas I'm taking directions in between retching sessions from Chuck who clearly wants to do absolutely nothing else but go below and sympathize with the cat. I went over the procedure step by step in the cockpit and then repeated it back to him. I made my way to the mast and mentally went through the procedure. Just needed to clarify one point but was able to visualize how it worked. Took about 45 minutes to an hour. Needed to loosen the mast plate and slide it back so when I lowered the main I was able to remove the three slides from the sail track. Holding on the both halyard lines, which used to be one continuous line with two ends but Chuck had changed it to one continuous loop, the one item I needed to clarify with Chuck prior to the start. He had changed it but forgot to mention it to me so I was having a hard time since I was looking for one line. I needed to first raise the main, loosen the mast plate then lower the halyard while at the same time crank the roller reefing on the mast while making sure the three tracks and three tracks only came off. Tighten the mast plate back in place, secure the lines and we were done. I know Chuck was getting aggitated with me for the lenght of time it took but I didn't want to screw it up but I also know he threw up at least three or four times while I was forward and he just wanted to ge tit over with. If I've learned anything over the years from both diving and racing, prep is the key to making sure everything goes as planned.
After we reefed the main Chuck went below and I took my first turn at the tiller. It took about two hours before I was able to relax enough and regain the feel for the boat and I was comfortably steering with my feet. I caught an unfamiliar sound from forward and then it was gone. I heard it again a few minutes later and studied the rigging again, nothing. The sound grew more frequent and I was able to focus in. Rats! I mentally calculated the wind and seas and the length of time it would take to go forward and fix the problem. I would have to wake Chuck so we could get this done before dark. I mentally went through the steps needed to get the job done, re-arranged the sequence of one and wentthrough the procedure again. O.K. ready, time to wake Chuck. "What's up?" he answered when I called him. "Sorry Hon, 3 hanks have come off the forstay on the jib and we need to get started on it now". "Crap" was the reply as Chuck came out, vomited in the bucket and looked forward.
We had not rigged the jacklines yet and there was no way I was going forward to fix the hanks unless I was tied on so that had to be done first. This took about 30 minutes and Chuck was dry heaving by the time I was finished. After the jacklines had been run Chuck and I went over the procedure. He nodded at each point andtold me to hurry up and get on with it. (Seasickness talking) Of course we have to come into the wind to bring down the jib so the bow started dippping with each oncoming wave. Awww ya baby, I must be wierd but I love this stuff. Jib came down easily enough and I dug into the mass of sail to find the hanks. Took me a few moments to find them and another few to get them re-attatched, of course getting completely drenched in the process. Took about 30 minutes and we were back on course with our jib fully functional again. With a sigh I sat down drenched with saltwater and looked at the riggingonce more. With horror I followed the portside sheet from cleat to clew and back again, now how on earth had I missed that before? I know why Chuck missed it with his head in the bucket all afternoon but we had tacked several times and I couldn't believe I had not noticed it before now. The sheet was running inside one of the lifelines. For the third time that day I mentally went through another procedure. "Honey", I called again th Chuckwho had just gotten below and laid down again. "What now, Dammit" came the response. (Again the Seasickness talking) "We have to tack and fix the sheet". "Why can't you just leave me alone" was the response this time as he poked his head into the cockpit, grabed the bucket and heaved again. I kissed the top of his head and gave it a pat, "Come on Chuckie, lets get it done" I seriously hope this was the last thing that was going to come up.
Well I’m feeling a bit sore this morning. I finished the Honolulu Triathlon yesterday in a total time of 3:05 and 18th overall in my age group. Swim went great, running start from the beach which was a bit hectic but not as bad as I thought it would be. Pack evened out pretty quick and I was in my own space for a while until the 40's men came plowing through. I got run over by two guys that had to weigh 200lbs each. Total swim time 39min. The bike went smooth, at least I didn't stop and chat with anyone this time. The worse part is the rough roads, lots of potholes to avoid. 1 hour 16 min. Run.....well by this time it was close to 90 degrees. I hate running bad enough but running when its hot is unbearable! I did not see one person who looked like they were having a good run, everyone was dragging. Lots of water stops along the way and one guy with a water hose to run through. My legs cramped up again in the first 10 min and I had to stop and walk them out. I could actually see the muscle twitching...aaaaaargh! Chuck tried to get some video again but he said EVERY TIME he set up to take a shot someone stood in front of him so there will be no video of this one. We even forgot to take a finish picture. Went to I love Country again for breakfast after and had a pancake for the first time in a year. Came home and took a nap then it was time to head to the Harbor Pub for our Bon Voyage party. We had about 50 people come and just hang out. Good friends and good fun. Leave date has been extended until Thursday, wind being the factor. No wind expected for the next two days it should start picking up Wed. afternoon and be perfect by Thurs. We've got all the major items done so now it’s just a matter of getting cleaned up and slimmed down. Will be shopping for supplies sometime Tues or Wed and then spend the next day playing jigsaw puzzle. It will be so much easier concentrating on the boat now that I don’t have to worry about training or eating every two hours. Off to the storage locker today to start sorting and tossing. Still need to sell the truck but we got a few bites yesterday so things are coming together.
We’re just finishing up a second cup of coffee before we get the day started. Both of us are headed in different directions for most of the day. We had another surprise last night when Chuck went to Demo the truck. We’ve had that truck for 6 years now with not one moment of grief and when we get the first prospective buyer the battery dies. The truck is our last major hurdle as we need to sell it before we leave. Worse case will be to take it to the dealer (JN Chevrolet) but we won’t get nearly as much for it. Considering we’ve had nearly $800. in unplanned expenses we need everything we can get for it.
Today is going to be extremely busy for both of us. Chuck must get the truck running first thing and then start on wiring in the solar panels. I’m hoping the truck will be running by this afternoon so I can take the bike for one last practice run down Lagoon before I have to check it in this evening. If not, it will be learn as you go tomorrow which won’t be as bad as it sounds since it is the same bike I used for the Tinman last July. My chore for today is just to get started on getting all the junk off the boat and get it sorted and stowed.
Walked to the post office to check the mail and stretch my legs I’m feeling strong and ready for tomorrow. Still have the butterflies though.
Took Bree for her Health Certificate this morning. Not nearly so traumatic as her vet visit last March. We were only there for an hour and a half this time compared to four hours last visit. The Health Certificate cost $40.00 and is good for one year and her Rabies shot cost $25.00. I still need to go back and get the flea and tick medicine since I didn’t have enough cash on hand at the time. Had just gotten back to the boat and John Morton arrived promptly at 10:00. If all goes well we should be wired and ready to rock by this afternoon. Must spend all day cleaning tomorrow, race on Sunday, supply and stow on Monday and hopefully gone by Tues. Chuck will also have all vents installed by this afternoon. Nick from Moonraker should have the settee backs done by today or tomorrow. Chuck thinks he can have them installed in a day if they are built to measurements which we are both confident they have been. Rented a couple of movies last night since both of us needed to just forget about the boat for a few hours. No lists, no “What’s the plan for tomorrow” discussion, just a few hours of mental vacation. Time is getting short and our leave date has already been extended until Tuesday since the Harbor office is closed on Monday. We want to keep our shower keys for as long as possible. Even if we leave Tues eve or first thing Wed we will still have pulled off something pretty spectacular. I don’t believe anyone in the harbor expects us to leave for at least a few weeks yet. Looking at the boat as she sits today I wouldn’t believe it either. Once again sitting at Starbucks, this time I’m simply getting out of the way while John and Chuck finish the wiring. I’ve taken two days off training and feeling antsy. Need to do a light bicycle ride tonight just to refresh my memory. I’ve not been eating as well as I would have liked the last 2 weeks but have not been bad either. Missed my last two scheduled workouts but I’m not going to get worked up about it and Chuck seems to feel it wouldn’t have made any difference either way. Must trust my trainer and not doubt myself as it’s ALL mind games from this point on.
I walked to the Hyatt to pick up my packet for the race. After sitting through a 15 min race briefing I picked up my number and headed home. Butterflies still there.
Crunch time! Have to get the fuel tank polished today. Heart attack, $200.00, but totally our fault for not fixing the fuel gauge hole in the top of the tank. Good chance we’ve got water in the tank when we had our “leak”. Absolutely NOT going to take a chance and take off without getting it taken care of. Chuck got all the wiring run for both watermaker and tiller pilot so when John Morton arrives they just need to be wired into our main panel. Chuck did a great job on both installations. He has been working very hard and I’m very proud of him. Bree has been running off early every morning and showing up later and later every evening. I’m going to have to get up early and find out where she is headed. She must to the vet tomorrow for her Health Certificate. I’ve got to get some laundry done today and start cleaning interior lockers and wood. Time to start getting the boat cleaned and ship shape. Our next major concern is the storage locker. We’re almost to the point of saying “screw it” and just leaving it in place but the idea of paying $100.00 p/m is unacceptable. If all goes according to plan we are still on track to leave Tuesday.
I’m currently sitting at the Ala Wai fuel dock doing laundry. With all the other stuff that needs to be done we still have the everyday chores to keep up with as well. Dropped off lunch to Chuck, Brian was still there polishing the fuel. I hope it was all going well but chickened out and coped a “Don’t even want to know” attitude. So I’m going to sit and stew for a few hours and watch the driers turn. John Morton called and won’t be able to come by today so wiring postponed until tomorrow.
Two days until we should be ready. Tiller pilot should be installed by today. I’m hoping John Morton will be able to stop by tomorrow to get the wiring hooked up. Chuck has done a great job on the watermaker installation and running the wires. I got the weather stripping done on all the cockpit lockers yesterday and need to finish the cockpit sole today.
Well, this whole afternoon did not go as planned. Started first thing in the morning when Bree decided to miss her Vet appointment. Damn Cat!! It was like she knew something was up. Saw her at 8:00 am and she went MIA until noon. We checked every locker and even opened a can of tuna and used the fan to waft the odor around the boat. No show! As a result we missed our appointment at Blue Cross which I made over a month ago. We’ll have to go as “walk-in’s” and wait. We took an unseen trip to the lumberyard to buy material for the navigation station and pan locker. Honolulu Hardwoods 1211 Kona St.808 589-2722. Nick from Moonraker seems happy to help out and I know Chuck is glad to pass the project on. I got the forepeak board bolted in when we got back from the lumberyard. Honolulu Hardwoods 1211 Kona St. 808 589-2722. Chuck is currently hip deep in the lockers installing the watermaker. I helped run one wire but quickly realized I would do us both a favor if I just got out of the way. So, here I sit at Starbuck’s on the corner of Hobron and Ala Moana enjoying an iced coffee. One of my last at this location. Excited, Yes! Anxiety about making the deadline we set, YES! I would like to be able to do more but I think my main job is to keep Chuck on track and keep him from stressing anyway I can. (Kisses, hugs, and cold drinks). We are still on track for departure date. Well, 20 min. break is over and must get a move on. Still need to swim and bike this afternoon.
We started the morning with an early breakfast. Strider arrived early and we walked to Ala Moana park for the Jamba Juice Banana Man 5K Chase, a popular prep race for next weekend’s Honolulu Triathlon. I was aiming for a finishing time of 26:30 or better. My finishing time last year was 27:43. My actual finish time was 24:13 avg pace of 7:33. I’m pretty happy with that! I’m sitting at the Ala Wai fuel dock doing laundry while Chuck is running to Sears in Ala Moana Shopping center. We must get our list of items either started of completed this afternoon or we will really start getting behind.
Cut Chuck’s hair last night, what fun! He was a bit squirmy but did O.K. He was happy enough with the cut so he should be a bit more relaxed next time.
Sold the generator! Dropped it off to our boatyard neighbor MoeMac, the $400.00 will pay for the batteries
My last day at West Marine, Chuck came in and we bought the last of the items on our list. Positive nothing else will come up but hey….can’t get in the trap of thinking we need to stay because the boat isn’t finished. Lesson #1 The boat will never be finished. You can always ting of one more thing that needs to be done.
Aaaaa, I’m 41!
Chuck got the awning back up today. Nice to have the new zipper on, Thanks Janice! I’m getting that awful feeling that we are quickly running out of time. We are currently on track and I still believe we’ll have everything done by the 18th. It’s going to be a lot of work but it is an achievable goal. But, it will still be down to the wire.
Got back in the water last night at 6:00 and raced back to the slip. I left Chuck to clean the boat up and jammed to work. Worked until 10:15 then raced home for a long hot shower. I had not showered after my morning swim and run and was still wearing the same clothes I had on all day in the boatyard. Forward bunk was still stuffed so decided to sleep on the floor. Woke up at 4:00am with Bree jumping on my feet and yeowing. Still asleep my first thought was that she had peed on the sheets but I really woke up when I realized I was lying in a pool of water. Woke Chuck up with a pat on the shoulder saying ”Honey, I think we’re sinking”. While Chuck pumped the bilge I made a pot of coffee and then we got started on tracking the hole down. I had to leave for work at 5:30am. Chuck cleaned the boat and pumped the bilge every hour until Les Vasconcellos was able to arrive at 2:00 Les Vasconcellos Boat Bottom Services 808 955-3512 Chuck said it took him less than 10 min to epoxy the hole which had been caused by a thru hull screw which went in a bit to far. Got off work at 2:oo and went to the D.M.V to re-new my drivers license. Got home and Chuck and I headed to the Pub. I had my 2 beef patties and fell asleep while Chuck watched a Yankees game. Sigh, Now it’s time for a work out.
Went for a swim while Chuck ran to West Marine for a zinc, we almost forgot to get a new one. I just need to touch up the bottom paint and install the zinc and we are ready to go back in. Can’t wait to get everything off and getting it sorted and cleaned. Wow! Only 12 days until the Tri and 13 until we expect to leave, these next two weeks are going to fly by.
Another dirty day in the yard. At least we got a good night’s sleep as we just took all the crap up forward and tossed it on the settee. Up at 5:30 to gather everything up for the swap meet at the Ala Wai fuel dock. The swap meet is held the first Sunday of every month and can be a great way to pick up some cool stuff or sell any unwanted items. We made a total of$225 today. We sold my spare computer for $100.00 and got rid of my scuba equipment which I’ve not used for over 10 years for $60.00 plus a set of Henri Lloyd foul weather gear for Chuck. Hard to part with the equipment but it all needed to be serviced and we don’t have the time or money. The guy working on MoeMac next to us wants to buy our generator which will help in paying for the yard bill. Chuck just finished putting in the last thru hull, everything else can be done once we are back in the water. MoeMac has been grinding fiberglass since we got here so we’ve had fiberglass dust wafting in continually. Now we are dirty, disorganized AND itchy!
Well, at least I got in my swim today. It’s 7:30 and I’m sitting at Starbuck’s after a horrible dinner of McD’s cheeseburger, sm. Fries and sm. soda. No willpower tonight whatsoever. Chuck went to his last Renegades meeting tonight so I’m on my own. Finished the bottom, more or less, I’ll need to ask the yard if they still sell bottom paint by the pound like they did last time we hauled out. Just need to do some quick touch-ups around the rudder and thru hulls. Watermaker is turning into a challenge as to where we should mount it, I was hoping under the bunk but its just a bit big. Chuck knocked out the valve and thru hull under the bunk and will replace tomorrow. Unfortunately, the board that goes on top is such a major pain to get back in. I remember being horribly frustrated last time we had to remove it. If Chuck gets home first I have no idea if he can replace it by himself. I left a note “I tried, I cried, I went to Starbuck’s”. Not the best way to handle things since it will have to get back in tonight or we will have no place to sleep. Sigh…I hate the boatyard. Swap meet in the morning. Hopefully we can sell a few things and make a bit of cash, if not they will have to get tossed as we have no extra room. Got the stove mounted today but still have to make a flame deflector so the stove knobs don’t melt open again. Chuck is getting a bit frustrated that we haven’t gotten more done. I wish I could help more but the boat is just to small for us to be working in the same space. Things on the list are not getting checked off fast enough. Thru hulls are the only things that MUST be done before we go back in so I’m pretty sure we can get back in by Monday.
Chuck picked me up from work at 2:00. Got back to the boat and took a quick nap. I’ve been sleeping on the floor and did not sleep well last night. Got the spice rack, lantern, and our coffee pot mounted today. Chuck got all thru hulls pulled out today. It took most of the day to get out with the aid of a hacksaw, pipe wrench and a lot of swearing. Tomorrow we have to move the boat stands ourselves so I can finish painting. Chuck asked the yard to move them twice this morning but they didn’t.
Had to work from 6-2 and then get in my workout. Feel bad I got nothing done on the boat today. Chuck removed the ball valve in the engine compartment as it was pretty rusty. Watermaker should be installed this weekend. We got the transom cleat on yesterday, looks pretty good and will come in handy. Bree is doing very well. She was out in the cockpit on the first night watching the traffic go by and doing laps on deck by the second. Work tomorrow but I don’t have a workout planned so should be able to put in the bracket for the coffee pot and get the spice rack installed. Finally found the mounts for the black lantern, it’s been missing for over a year.
Got up at 7:00 and had breakfast with a second cup of coffee then we got to work cleaning the boat in prep for haul out this morning. Arrived at the slip way at 10:00 and tied up. There was another boat in the sling so we decided it was a good time for another meal and headed to the Pub and back by 11:30. No sign of John and Nanci’s boat yet.
12:30
Still waiting….
Got out and on the blocks around 2:00, bottom was spotless and in great shape. John and Nanci’s haul out did not go so well. The rear sling slipped twice and the boat dropped several feet. Scary since they had to remove their forestay so they could fit in the travel lift. They got the boat out and found their rudder had been damaged. We got the transom cleat installed, bottom sanded and the first coat of paint on. Thank you Russ for sanding the bottom and thank you West Marine for the 2 cans of “damaged” Trinidad blue for $25.00 each. Score!! Chuck took the templates for the windows to be cut but turns out they mis-quoted us. Original quote was $160.00 but they said the correct price was $560.00 which included the cutting but not the companionway door. OUCH!! We’re going to wait until we get to the west coast to put them in. No workout today. Ate well for most of the day but difficult to stay completely on track. Had to break down and eat a ham and cheese sandwich immediately after painting the bottom. We met Scott and Johnny for dinner and went to Shanghai Bistro on Ala Moana. Nummy...Kung pau Chicken w/a tiny bit of white rice. Probably our last “nice “ dinner for a while I think. Arghhhhhhhh., boat yard life. I always remember how much it sucks and even after the third time I am amazed that it’s worse than I remember!
Lists, lists, lists and more lists which consist of lots little things and a few big ones. Haul the boat on May 1st. Chuck’s last day is on Monday. No time for relaxation as everything is going to happen faster and faster from this point on. Every day has a “last” of some kind and is sad in some ways but we are looking forward to all the “firsts coming our way. Unfortunately have to work today. Power went out on all of Sand Island yesterday and both Nanci and I were “requested” to make the time up. Would much rather do things on the boat. Yak, like clean it! That must be done by the weekend!! Went to Down to Earth today to price out some items and look around with a cruising eye. Found a couple of dried soups we haven’t tried yet and some dehydrated refried beans. No cans! Finished my supply list for groceries. Can’t find any flaws in the numbers and just hoping once I buy everything I don’t find my list was bigger than my boat. Not to worried about the haul out but worried about running out of time. We’ve been doing something on the boat every day since Chuck gave his notice but work is SO getting in the way. Example, today, this was supposed to be my day off.
