Time is almost here... tick, tick, tick

We are cleaning the house after staying for a few weeks over Christmas with the dogs.  Now, back to the boat, finalize the stowage of every last bit and piece that we can cram aboard, and set sail for our next destination of the American Legion Yacht Club in Newport Beach.  Such a long distance sail!  But, one last stop to say hello/goodbye to our friends that have been so supportive of our long distance friendships.
    Then, on Jan. 6 we will be off for San Diego for a brief stay to see our friends, and a stay at Southwestern Y.C., and then... off to Ensenada!!!  Finally!  With luck, some good friends will be joining us for the trip to Ensenada as well.  So, stay tuned, the travels are about to begin!

Finisterra resting at Avalon a few weeks ago.

Trial run at Avalon, Catalina

We are inching ever closer to our departure date.  That is how it appears at times, then at others it's as if we are barreling headfirst down a rapid in a stream.  We decided that due to some excellent weather, we would head to Avalon for a test sail.  The newly installed solar panels, re-wire of the entire battery panel, and newly added reefing system all needed to be checked out prior to departing.  And... we have some freebies from the West End Cruising Club at the Isthmus that need to be used up! 
   So, off we went, motor-sailing across the channel on an 75 degree day in December with 10-14 knots of northerly wind.  Arriving in the early afternoon, we settled into an un-crowded Avalon harbor for a few days.  The winds were supposed to be up a bit, giving us pause as to whether to sail around to Cat harbor on the backside for protection from the Santa Ana winds.  Fortunately it died down out here and it was fabulous.


Leif with his competition!!

Christmas lights and sunset over Avalon.

   Day one found us up early, hoping for a Cape Canyon tour around the inside of Catalina on a Hum-V, passing over dirt hiking trails and seeing areas that the tour busses don't get to see.  As we arrived at booth, we were told that the tour was cancelled due to no reservations, but tomorrow's tour would be available.  Bummer.   So, instead, we played mini-golf, and had a yummy breakfast ashore, as well as a very extensive walk up the hill to the Wrigley Botanical Gardens and back.  We didn't actually go into the gardens, as the mini-golf course gives an excellent account of many of the native plants around Catalina as you play each hole. 
   And, as to our solar replenishment of our batteries, we left the refrigerator running, some small appliances charging, and still returned to full charge on the battery panel.  So, success on that part.
   The next day again found us up early and off to try our luck at the Cape Canyon tour.  We succeeded in our quest, and jumped aboard an eco-fueled Hum V for a 4+ hour tour.  It was a bumpy ride past the many water storage ponds, many, many bison, lovely Cottonwood lined canyons and serene rocky beaches.  One would never know that much of this was on the island.

A captive bald eagle, injured and can't fly for more than a few seconds.

 There are many bald eagles which have been transplanted on the island, which replace the golden eagles that began taking over and eating the small island foxes.  The foxes were close to extinction, so they created a program to help keep them from that fate.  Now there are many foxes, and bald eagles which eat fish and not foxes!  We did get to see one bald eagle and one golden eagle in pens as they were unfit to release into nature due to blindness and inability to fly. 

Shark's Cove on the backside of the island.

   One thing I forgot to mention was that the Carnival cruise ship Inspiration showed up anchored offshore in the morning.  I had never seen one anchored here, it was quite a sight, with the shore-boats constantly ferrying back and forth all day.  It was kind of a relief to see it set sail at 5 p.m. and the crowds diminish.  Great for the local economy, but it's so nice to be here as if on our own private island this time of year. 

Our very capable ride!

   Another interesting event is that the small squid appear to be in season for laying their eggs.  There are millions of them here, and this in turn attracts thousands of seagulls!  It's fascinating to watch the squid come to the surface for some unknown reason, and then the seagulls will dive and pick them off for dinner.  The bay is surrounded by circling gulls night and day!  We heard that one of the Cousteau family is here filming this event with lights at night.

Finisterra, surrounded by seagulls searching for squid!

A bit of a delay...

We had hoped to leave last week for San Diego and points beyond.  However, it was not to be.  We both had our physical check-ups and unfortunately Leif's showed a problem.  So, after a surgery, he's regaining his strength and we hope to be leaving in January.  The boat is sitting pretty, all ready for our departure.  And we had the time to spend with the dogs, and the house, and catch up on blogs!  Tomorrow we leave for Mammoth Mtn. not for skiing, but as a recuperative stay for Leif. 
   It's hell getting older, yet wiser.  I had hoped to be sending lovely pictures of warm places as of now, and that will happen soon.  Weird to be digging out all of our warm clothing and hiking boots instead of warm clothing and foul weather gear.  Life is full of changes, and we try to flow with them instead of fighting it and becoming depressed that we're not at Philo's yet.  Soon.  Philo's is a restaurant in La Cruz that has excellent food and live music Thursday through Saturday. 
   A month ago, in preparation for leaving, Leif decided that our rotomolded kayak wasn't a good addition to our foredeck.  It blocked some much needed room to blow up and launch our dinghy.  We had seen a Hobie 9i kayak over at Isthmus which looked intriguing.  It's an inflatable, 9', foot peddle kayak that seemed seaworthy and great for fishing.  Alas, I placed our practically new plastic kayak on consignment and purchased a Hobie.  Totally fun, it moves quickly, turns like a bus, but you can paddle it and turn more quickly.  And it deflates and can be stowed below in a cockpit locker, albeit in a rather large bundle. 
  

 



Our new Hobie 9i

Moving day is almost here!

We are planning on moving aboard this coming Tuesday, October 1st.  It is hard to believe the date is arriving so quickly.  I was rather bummed that the new West Marine store in Newport is just now opening, as we won't get to shop there due to our new location.  We did venture in last Friday, opening day, and it is a pretty amazing store.  Lot's of new stuff to tempt us, fortunately we don't have space onboard.
   Leif and I have both been packing up the house, mostly into bins in the garage.  It is incredible how much useless stuff one acquires but to throw it away?? Never!  Well, actually yes, we've dumped quite a bit of things, clothes, office supplies, garden stuff.  We are so glad that our house/dog sitter from our last trip will be staying again and keeping Casey and Woody happy and healthy.
   Leif has installed the solar panels on to the stern, above the bimini on their own rail.  He also has added a lee board divider in the aft cabin... shaped, sanded, varnished...   It all takes time.  I have been packing up some food, using the food saver once again.  I'm not going overboard with the food this time, as we arrived back in the states with some of the stuff we left with.  However, Ding Dongs will definitely be onboard.  Thank you to whoever bought Hostess!  And of course lots of wine, esp. Mezza Corona Pinot Grigio, Leif's favorite stand by, and a few reds for me.  We discovered that Argentinian wines are sold in Mexico and are pretty decent. 
   Today Leif is going back down to the boat to hook up the solar panels and organize some of the lockers.  Even though the boat is larger, it has less storage than the Honcho.  A bit hard to believe, but we slept in the aft cabin and used the V berth for all sorts of storage.  We're switching that this time, and so far it seems a tighter fit.
  I have been teaching 7th and 8th grade over the past two weeks.  It was an absolute joy to meet the new students and be a part of their lives for a couple of weeks.  They are really nice young people, on the other hand, it's a relief to know that I can now focus entirely on the boat and house. 
   Last trip I was suffering from the onset of rheumatoid arthritis, and it seemed a long road to feeling better and able to even hang on to the boat rails.  It was a bit disconcerting that if I needed to grab something to hang on to, I couldn't.  Now, several years later and with the help of medicine, I am feeling almost normal? and have been working on the boat, golfing, even surfed once.  So, this will be an easier start for me.  No more on that. 
Pictures to come soon, I've been negligent with the camera, and those I did take were deleted.

Labor Day Weekend

We are continuing to prepare Finisterra, so our holiday weekend is being spent in the Long Beach Marina shipyard.  The boat was hauled out last Thursday for new bottom paint and to replace a through-hull for speed.  It always seems to take longer than anticipated, so we'll go back in the water next Wednesday.  While the boat is out, Leif has installed the brain-box for the wireless instrument system, and of course that means running wires!  To the main electrical panel that is.  Also, he put new grooved rollers on the stem head fitting so the anchor chain will run smoothly, not bounce.  This of course meant that I needed to run all over looking for a 5 1/2 inch hex bolt. 


Good luck getting aboard. 

   The cockpit table has been installed and it helps keep an open feeling in the cockpit whilst we are dining, or sitting.  Our dodger cover and intermediate piece have been shipped back for modifications so they join together more efficiently, so during this hot spell, we have little shade...

Walking on the water...

   I've been adding insulation to the fridge and freezer, in hopes of keeping the temperature down in the tropics.  All this work is being completed while the boat is 10' in the air, so climbing up and down a ladder is adding to the exercise routine.  Probably good for both of us!  Just don't miss-step. 









We also had the life raft recertified, and got a good look at it.

The happy couple, prior to the work.

Leif's latest design

Our new cockpit table mold...



Testing out the proportions with all of the items, note the wine holders!

 

Weeks ago, perhaps months, Leif tore out the cockpit table in preparation for designing the new one.  This one will hold the Garmin GPS, two hand holds, and two stem less wine glasses, or drink glasses.  It is currently made of wood, but soon to be carved out of starboard.  He glued chips of wood on to the steering column horizontally, then pulled them off to reveal the shape of the column, then did a drawing on the computer which matched the shape.  He's pretty talented in my opinion.  We are also going to have a small table which will swing up from this to support dinner plates or whatever. 

  The main idea was a smaller footprint for the cockpit during passages and most of the time, but the ability to have a table when we desire one. 

  We are starting to feel the press of shrinking time before our departure.  It's only July, but time seems to slip away.  The few remaining jobs seem to multiply, as we finish one, another pops up.  Not a new idea, but always surprises me how things seem to never end.  So our to do list includes:  finish install of SSB, add 3 solar panels and electrical panel, 7 new batteries, wireless instruments, haul boat, switch instruments in thru-hull, finish varnishing toe rails, service life raft and all safety equipment.  There's more, but that's a general idea. 

   So, this was our 4th of July this year, but it was a very good time knowing we were getting a move on towards our goal. 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 



A year later...

Starting to look very cruiser-like.  Leif wanted the kayak out of the photo...

It's been a year since we purchased "The Cat's Meow", and slowly transformed her into "Finisterra".  The new canvas has added a subtleness to her lines, and looks a lot like the old Honcho.  We took a weekend recently and sailed to the isthmus at Catalina.  It was an excellent sail over at around 7-8 knots, arriving in about 4 hours.  It's so nice to be able to leave the dock in the early afternoon and still have a great day of sailing, arriving at happy hour ( of course they're all happy hours at sea).
    We are slowly adding more of the necessary equipment for our upcoming trip, as well as learning more of what we already have.  On this trip we tried out the tankless water heater and found it to be a sensational asset.  Lovely hot water instantly without the engine running, yippee!  Of course one has to watch that the water isn't left on for long periods of time, as fresh water is still a limited commodity.  I have to say it's really luxury riding on this boat, so comfy and much easier to cook and have real meals without canned food dominating the menu.  With a freezer aboard it opens up new areas for creativity with dinners. 
   This is Memorial Day weekend, and we're going to add supports to the stern rail, and attach the new engraved documentation numbers that I carved over the last week.  Hopefully we'll get to do a little dinghy cruise around the marina, as we still haven't tried the new dinghy with the old engine. 

Our entry way.
 

January 2013, Inauguration Day

It's January, Inauguration Day, or rather Inauguration Day 2.  We have been busy improving Finisterra, and not sailing much.  So far, Leif has: fixed the auto-pilot by installing a larger arm which can handle the loads better.  Torn out the cockpit table and is currently redesigning a new one of smaller proportions.  Redesigned the dodger, and ordered new canvas all around.  Bought a new RIB dinghy, of which we have yet to launch.  Hung my 5 fishing rods in the aft cabin.  Hung sheet bags in the aft cabin for tools.  Tore out the cute curtains and installed pull down disappearing shades.  Replaced the windlass after determining that the casing for the old one was pretty rotten.  Had to build a mounting bracket of course.  Installed a new anchor chain stop, which he designed and built out of teak.  Installed new tie-down pad eyes for the dinghy on the foredeck.  Bought a new Garmin GPS that will be mounted on the new cockpit table.  Bought a new knife block for me and installed it along with a papertowel holder in the galley.  We had molas made into place mats and pillows, and a new table cover ordered. 
So, we've been busy, or Leif has.  I've resealed the teak toe rails several times, and wash the boat incessantly.  And of course am the chief tool passer and runner, flashlight holder and cheer leader. 

Leif and Steve at the start of the "Crew of Two".

 

On a different note, as I was walking along the riverbed with the dogs yesterday I recalled my state of mind when we had just returned from Mexico.  It was MUCH different than now.  I vividly remember walking along and seeing the birds, watching them dive and fly off.  Seeing the flora and fauna, and having wonder about it.  My mind was relaxed, open and more thoughtful towards life.  Driving was not as frantic, as now I'm well into the manic patterns of Southern California.  Sad.  Not that life here is awful, it's not.  But it's definitely not as awe inspiring as travelling on our boat, meeting new people, seeing events for the first time.  My goal is to find the awe inspiring things each day, and get back the wonder-full mind set that I had.