Tell Tales of the Larsenosters

Paradise Found...

2009-12-18T07:33:00.000-08:00

So, Kim and I went South of the Border for a few weeks, Caribbean-style. Our friends won a sailboat charter at the boat show last spring, so I offered to get them trained so they could skipper their own bareboat. We were looking at chartering in Tahiti or Antigua for my 40th. We ended up just glomming onto their party and spending the three weeks prior to the trip doing sailing classes.

They found a condo on Virgin Gorda for cheap (off season rates) for the week prior to the charter. We wandered all over the island, went to The Baths, Bitter End, The Mineshaft for Kim's birthday (where I presented her with a titanium winch handle and a poem). We hit the local beach to cool off and fly the kitecam. It was a pre-vacation because the fun was yet to begin.

Here's a user-friendly version of the ship's log/journal that I kept while underway:

Day 1/8 = 12/04/09
Road Harbour, Tortola
1600 Engine hours = 2992.0
1600 Cast off from BVIYC Base after provisioning with the McDowell's. Dropped McDowell's off at Sunsail Base around the corner in Road Harbour on an empty dock. Backed down fairway to keep dinghy painter from fouling (still getting used to dinghy), and almost got rammed by a large cat. Extricated ourselves and motored out of Road Harbour at 1630. After consulting the chart, we decided to risk running down to Soper's Hole for the night. 7 nm at 7 knots would put us on a mooring in just over an hour. We're not supposed to sail after 1700, but we got a late start and wanted to make it happen. Unfurled the jib and motored downwind at 2500 rpm while watching for W 64* 42.5' to turn North into Soper's Hole. Wind was steady at about 10 knots, large cumulus clouds lit by sunset. The sun was setting behind the USVI, so sunset came earlier than expected. We could see the saddle to Frenchman's Cay prior to making the turn. We had averaged 7 knots and Kim saw 8 while surfing. The roll wasn't too bad. We doused the jib as we turned upwind into Soper's Hole. The saddle doesn't provide much of a windbreak. It was definitely dusk as we grabbed the second mooring ball (the first one didn't have a pennant). Kim was at the helm while I tied a bridle through the thimble and we're here. We dinghied over to Pusser's and got our second passport stamp of the day (first was in Road Town at lunch). We then dinghied over to Jolly Roger Inn for a beer and a t-shirt. Dinghied back to the boat for sliced turkey, brie and crackers with a few rum drinks in our new mugs. We had a few squall lines blow through, so we read and did crosswords until showering and bed.

Day 2/8 = 12/05/09
Soper's Hole, Tortola
0700 Engine hours = 2994.2
Squalls blew through, but left wind at about 15 knots. Couldn't start stove so dinghied ashore for coffee, then' we'll sail to rendezvous with McDowell's at Cooper island.
1000 Radio check. Sailed upwind all the way to Cooper Island. Long day of beating.
0400 Grabbed mooring ball at Manchioneel Bay. Dinghied ashore for happy hour and geocache. Skipped dinner.

Day 3/8 = 12/06/2009
Manchioneel Bay, Cooper Island
0740 Engine hours = 2995.8
0800 Cast off.
0900 Grabbed mooring ball in Lee Bay on Salt Island. Snorkeled Wreck of the RMS Rhone.
1000 Cast off Lee Bay. Motored directly to Marina Cay. Kim was hung over. Having battery charging issues. Have to use start button in engine compartment.
1110 Grabbed mooring ball at Marina Cay. Had lunch, met up with Panacea crew (McDowell's & Tuckers). Got Pusser's passport stamped again (#3).
1335 Photo booth at Marina Cay fuel dock, will look on internet for our pics.
1400 Cast off Marina Cay
1430 Blew 5 short blasts at Moorings boat who dropped sails right in front of us without checking for traffic first.
1530 Lost kite overboard = MOB drill jumped in dinghy. Kite was too deep. I should've dove in after it. Sigh... Glad McDowell's have spare rig.
1810 Grabbed mooring Saba Rock, Panacea in Leverick Bay and on different VHF channel' so plan got fouled.
Dinner was cheese & crackers again.
Tomorrow Anegada. Prearranged radio check at 0800, castoff 0900. Will sail together as true flotilla next 2 days.

Day 4/8 = 12/07/2009
Saba Rock, North Sound, Virgin Gorda
0730 Engine hours = 3000.8
0745 Kim deleted all photos & video and had a meltdown. She figured out how to undelete, so all is good. She started a WiFi upload of all pics.
0800 Cast off to go to fuel dock on Saba Rock. Big cat beat us and took their time.
0815 I grabbed mooring ball single-handed at Saba Rock, waiting for fuel dock.
0845 Karen decided to go geocaching on Eustatia Island instead of leaving for Anegada as planned. Supposed to cast off at 0900.
0930 Cast off for Anegada, finally. Had nice reach. Couldn't see red buoy, so dropped sails and motored East until we sighted it. Motored carefully into lagoon through buoys. On the way across, Kim sailed to halfway point, then handed helm over to me. I dropped sails while she motored us in. I suggested we motor through mooring field. Guidebooks don't mention another set of buoys inside the lagoon to get to second mooring field.
1215 Ran aground in sand inside lagoon because we motored around mooring field and didn't see red/green buoys until it was too late. Kim tried to reverse, then power forward with wheel hard over, then she swung me out on the boom, then I raised main to get us off unassisted. Nice couple came over in dinghy to help, but we thanked them off.
1235 Grabbed mooring ball in Anegada lagoon, right in front of Neptune's Treasure. Flew kite off Potter's dock while others went geocaching. Took taxi to other side of island to do some snorkeling. Had lobster dinner at Potters. Signed roof (All I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by - Masefield, Where the hell is our boat? - Kim & Chris).

Day 5/8 = 12/08/2009
Anegada
0930 Engine hours 3004.0
Charted course for North tip of Guana Island 230M 16.5 nm, plus 6 nm around to Cane Garden Bay. Will sail to 40', then turn to 180M. Dinghied in to Neptune's Treasure to pay for mooring.
0845 Radio check
0900 Cast off mooring. Motored safely out past entrance (N18* 42' 47.8” W64* 23' 46.8”)
0930 Hoisted sail. Rolly reach down to Guana Island. Some waves 6 foot high. Kim sailed for about an hour then gave me helm for rest of the trip.
1220 Changed course to Sandy Cay
1300 Headed up towards Cane Garden Bay at N64* 40' we changed bearing to 180M.
1330 Grabbed mooring ball in Cane Garden Bay. 27nm in 4.5 hours = 6 knots. Max 8.9 knots
Dinghied ashore, did Callwood distillery tour, took tire swing pictures, bucket of beer on beach, and provisioned. After happy hour, cooked steaks & lobster pasta. Phenomenal.

Day 6/8 = 12/09/2009
Cane Garden Bay
0800 Engine hours 3005.9
0900 Dinghy ashore to provision. Saw magnificent rainbow illuminating Sandy Cay and a sailboat.
1020 Cast off. Motored to Sandy Spit mooring field while squalls blew through. No wind.
1100 Grabbed ball off Diamond Cay in Manchineel Bay. Saw topless girls grab mooring ball. Dinghied way over to Sandy Spit. Flew kite, but had to run back to boat for part. Squall blew through so we ran back to the boats.
1315 Cast off and motored around to White Bay. Very shallow and mooring balls are limited. Wave trough caused us to bump our bottom on reef. Motored back to Great Harbour and found a ball recebtly vacated by Valiant.
1430 Grabbed ball. Called Panacea to say that we're staying put. Dinghied in and had a few drinks at Corsairs. Met Vinny, who told us to help ourselves at the bar, he'd be right back. Nice. Walked down to Foxy's, saw the boat preservation society sloop & donkey. Talked to ASA guys from Seattle and a couple of British guys. Came back to boat before dark. Had cheese & crackers and watched TV show on USB stick.

Day 7/8 = 12/10/2009
Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke
1220 Engine hours 3011.4
0830 Radio check with Panacea
0840 Cast off from Great Harbour, motored to Little Harbour to check it out. Plotted Little Harbour to Thatch Island Cut 190M, then to Pelican Island 130M. We motored along Tortola until we could reach to The Indians. Tacked West of Norman Island, then again to sail into The Bight. I asked Kim if she wanted to pick up a mooring ball while under sail. She declined. W 64* 38' = Due N or entrance to Bight. Watched local skipper pick up mooring under sail. Sigh...
1050 Grabbed Ball in Soper's Hole. Had drinks, grabbed WiFi, and provisioned.
1210 Cast off Soper's Hole and motored past bay just West of Nanny Cay. Sailed approximately 175M to Norman Island Bight.
1450 Grabbed mooring ball in The Bight. Dinghied out to Treasure Island caves and snorkeled. Stinging plankton. Dinghied back to Pirate's Bight bar and had beers chatted with charter captain and paid mooring fees. Dinghied back to boat for happy hour, then dinghied over to Panacea.
Dinner was chicken curry with saffron rice, excellent. Panacea crew went to Willie T.

Day 8/8 = 12/11/2009
The Bight, Norman Island
0855 Engine hours 3012.4
1100 Engine hours 3013.1
0905 Cast off The Bight, raised sail and sailed 030M from Pelican Island to Road Harbour.
1045 Tied off at BVIYC. They had me dock the boat by the fuel dock, that was only 15' longer than the 2004 Beneteau 323.
Kim filled out grounding report, so we got tagged with $1000 deductible, plus $75 for diver. Hopefully, no damage. Good thing we didn't tell them about White Bay. Took taxi to Ferry landing and grabbed lunch at Pussers, waiting for 1430 ferry to St. Thomas.

Refueled with 22 gallons = approximately 1 gal/hour.

EOT...

We took the ferry over to St. Thomas and a taxi to Bolonga Bay resort where we repacked our stuff for the flight the next day. Hit the pool for happy hour and made sure we had ear plugs for Mr. McDowell.

Next morning, chilled out around the resort, packed up and taxied to airport. Bought a bunch of rum at duty-free shop to check as luggage. Nice. Flights home were brutal. Got home at midnight local time, but felt like 0400 to me. Woke up at reasonable time to start a new day back home.

Overall, a lovely trip. We learned enough to start our charter company (www.pirateheadsailing.com). Kim told her friend Robin about it, and next thing we know, we've got one whole week booked in Dec 2010. We're doing one week charter, one week vacation, and another week charter to make it more fiscally feasible. Wish us luck. We're either adding Antigua or The Grenadines next year.

Start Spreading the News...

2009-12-18T06:58:00.000-08:00

So, Kim and I went to the City that never sleeps at the beginning of November for a cousin's wedding. It was a lovely Jewish ceremony on the Chelsea Pier, right on the Hudson. As we were sitting there, the first sailboat we saw striding by on the ebb tide was a Valiant 42 (one of the boats on our short list). The reception was awesome and we all waddled out of there stuffed and buzzed.

Having gotten the family duties out of the way, we did our usual whirlwind tour of the Big Apple. We walked 25 miles around Manhattan in three days. We saw Anthony Bourdain's restaurant, Times Square, Central Park, Tavern on the Green, the Empire State Building, Pete's (the oldest continuously operating bar in NYC), The Bridge (the oldest drinking establishment in NYC), Battery Park, NBC Studios, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Wall Street, Trinity Church, Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art, The Gugenheim, and a whole lot more. We were so exhausted by the time we got to the Met that we kind of just staggered around aimlessly until closing time.

We originally planned our itinerary so that we could skip NY, NY when we cruise the East Coast. We know now that there's no way we can bypass I [heart] NY. We didn't get to see the Museum of Natural History, or a million other sights. We did get a slice on the street, but we didn't get a dog or a bagel. Thanks to Aunt Marion (the librarian), the cost of the trip was very reasonable. Luckily, Kim didn't see any celebrities to molest. All in all, Gotham was a lot cleaner than we expected. It even smelled better than San Francisco. As we were tooling around, I couldn't help but think about the documentary we saw where the guy was mapping out the new sea level when the oceans rise just three more feet. It went right through Wall Street. It was a great trip, and I got over my phobia of big cities, which is good because we're going to hit a lot of them on our way around.

One Under My Belt...

2009-10-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

So, this weekend, I taught my very first solo Basic Keelboat 1 class. I had four students on a Colgate 26. My prep work Friday afternoon was put to good use. At the end of Sunday's Day 2, I was asked to step out while there was a nervewracking debriefing by one of the Club Nautique staff. In the mean time, the Director asked me in for my own debriefing. This was the instructor I audited the class with last week. He was very encouraging, gave me some great constructive feedback, and said that I had a great future with the school, so I felt a lot better. They even forgave that a rather expensive part on the boat was broken on my watch. I won't let that happen again. Everyone, both staff and students, seemed very happy with the way I ran the class.

They've booked me for another BK1 in a couple of weeks. I can't wait to polish my technique. They want me to add additional classes to my portfolio, plus they asked me to teach any number of "Winter Wednesday" topics I want (i.e. splicing, diesel troubleshooting, coastal navigation, etc.). Some have the course materials already made up. I would be making up stuff for any new class I might add to their repertoire. I also get to audit classes with Arnstein Mustad, the guy that taught my captain's class and whose list for yacht deliveries I'm on. All in all, I'm pretty excited about this new career. With that being said, after dinner and a TV show, I crashed hard.

Day One...

2009-10-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday, I "audited" my first class with Club Nautique. The class was being taught in Sausalito by Jim Hancock, the Director, so I was in pretty heavy-duty company. Auditing is basically a way for a new instructor to observe one of the pros to ensure that they teach the Club Nautique way, which I totally understand and respect. I also picked up little tidbits here and there about general sailing knowledge, Sausalito, and Colgate 26's, which is the boat they teach "Basic Keelboat" on. It was exhausting, but very rewarding as a fledgling sailing instructor for the biggest Offshore Passagemaking school in the US.

Jim was obviously extremely knowledgeable and great to work with. Over the two days, he had me teach small segments and work with the students. We sailed a 26' daysailer out into the Slot in SF Bay, which is no small task for anyone, much less a boat full of newbies.

I gained a lot from the exercise and I will be putting it to good use on Saturday morning when they turn me loose with my own class. Only this time, it will be out of the Alameda base. Wish me luck!

Tomorrow, Kim and I are taking out a SailTime-SF boat on our own for the first time since Lisa bought the base, and we're very excited. It's Fleet Week, and the Blue Angels are practicing. We'll be on the 36 footer out of Emeryville with front row seats, without all of the hassles of being out there on the weekend with the other 500 boats. Thanks Lisa!

Be Careful What You Wish For...

2009-09-30T08:36:00.001-07:00

So, last Saturday, the crew from SailTime-SF went to a diesel mechanics class at KKMI (one of the biggest boatyards in the Bay, where Team Oracle & Alinghi both set up shop a few years ago during the America's Cup races in SF). It was a five hour class that covered diesel theory, troubleshooting, etc. I was blown away by the amount of information they imparted on us.

While we were at KKMI, Discovery Channel was setting up to do a commercial about a documentary they've made on Zac Sunderland. Evidently, there's a sistership, with the same canvas color, in KKMI's boatyard. We didn't stick around long enough to see if Zac was actually going to be there, but it was still an interesting thing to experience.

To make matters more interesting, the 36 footer in Emeryville had some problems last weekend. I ended up replacing fuses in the lazarette locker and replacing the starter ON THE DIESEL ENGINE... It was incredibly difficult to get to some of the bolts, and I did bust a couple of knuckles. When I got home, I told Kim that if this keeps up, we'll have a bona fide diesel mechanic in the family. It's great experience if not a lot of fun.

Oh, thanks to Lisa's suggestion, we pulled the 100 pound batteries out of the bottom of the boat with the man overboard block & tackle system, greatly saving wear & tear on my back. I'm going to run the batteries up to KKMI for charging & stress testing in an effort to understand why this is the second starter we've blown in three months.

I can't wait for the boat electrical systems class this Saturday!

Another Part Time Job!

2009-09-18T10:48:00.001-07:00

So, yesterday, I finalized my employment with Club Nautique, the largest offshore passagemaking school in the US! They do flotillas to the Farallones and Hawaii. I'm already setup to audit a class and take the US Sailing Basic Keelboat Instructor class in October. US Sailing is the "other" school vs. America Sailing Association (ASA) that we're starting with SailTime. As a result, I have to work my way up through the certifications with US Sailing just like I just did with ASA. My pay rate at Club Nautique will ratchet up as I go. One of my employee benefits is taking classes for free, so I'll be signing up for the next celestial nav class, so I can finally figure out how to use my sextant. They're an awesome club and they seem genuinely glad to have me on board. Hopefully, things won't slow down too much, since I'm joining at the alleged end of the sailing season. Between West Marine and Club Nautique, it looks like I'll have my weekends pretty much booked from here on out. It's a good thing we can go sailing on a Tuesday!

Tahoe Baby!

2009-09-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

So, a couple of weeks ago, Kim & I, Chuck & Lisa, our new friends Chris & Karen, and the Pelotes (Kim's friends from "Family Tree Maker") all went to Tahoe for a long weekend. Chris & Karen wanted to go wine tasting on the way, so we stopped and got a few pics of The Twins in gold country. The wine was pretty mediocre. We finally got to our campsite that afternoon. I had booked our campsites in Emerald Bay State Park based on the 2D map indicating it was close to the water. In 3D, we were 300 feet above lake level and a quarter mile hike to the water. No rolling The Twins down to the beach.

We setup camp and Chris opened a huge can of chili (good thing the restrooms were right across the street). The other two couples showed up after dark (probably to miss dinner). Chuck's Jeep's caliper actually caught fire on the way up, so they were ready for a cocktail when they got there. Pelotes brought their kids, so they joined us in a libation too.

Saturday morning, we took Chris & Karen and the Pelotes crew sailing on the Twins. We had a bit of trouble finding a launch. We were already seriously overloaded and had to leave Chuck & Lisa to their own devices. We slogged about the marina on the south end of Tahoe and just as we were about to give up and head back in, the wind picked up. We wanted to get the geocache on Fannette Island, so we headed northwest as close as the wind and ballast would let us. I kept having to head out into the middle of the lake to make any kind of northerly progress against the NW wind. While we were out there, a rental boat full of obviously foreign tourists was heading toward us. At first, I thought they were just coming over to see the pretty boat. When they started to get a little too close for comfort, I yelled at them. The guy in the bow turns around, sees us, and runs back to the helm. He veered away just in time to miss us by about twenty feet. That obviously freaked everybody out a bit, but we escaped unscathed. Factor our near-miss with the fact that we weren't heading toward Emerald Bay anymore, and we decided to turn around. I was able to sail through the mooring field and place The Twins right on the beach where we launched. We put the catamaran back on the trailer and headed back to camp. The Pelotes seemed to enjoy our slightly extreme daysail and I learned to never overload the cat again, for safety reasons.

Sunday, we hiked a part of the Rubicon trail and saw the highest lighthouse on navigable water in the world. We also picked up several geocaches along the way.

Chris & Karen opted to stay an extra day, so we did some more geocaching after packing up the campsites. Kim and I hiked down to Vikingsholm so that we would actually see Emerald Bay. It was pretty cool looking, but a killer hike. Kim and I decided to head home after that. All in all, a great trip, even though we didn't make it to Fannette Island. Kim jokingly refers to it as my qixotic windmill. Next time, we'll have an inflatable dinghy and an outboard to get to that damn island.

Part Time Job

2009-09-07T08:22:00.001-07:00

So yesterday, my buddy Chris McDowell came over while I was working in the shop and asked me to take a ride with him to Sausalito to look at his buddy's 1973 52 foot Ted Brewer ketch. I thought what the heck, dusted myself off and jumped in the car. With the Bay Bridge being closed half of that traffic diverted to the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge, which made quite a little traffic jam. Luckily, Chris makes Kim seem introverted, so we didn't lack anything to talk about.

We finally got to Sausalito and there was a Art & Wine Festival right in front of the marina, so we had a bit of trouble finding a place to park. We finally met up with Dan, the owner of the boat and he took us down to his magnificent boat. It obviously needs some TLC, but she's build like a brick you-know-what. And you obviously can't say much about the design other than having an opinion of ketches.

While Chris and I were taking pics of every little nook and cranny, Dan was telling us all the stuff he wanted to do to the boat. We talked about a lot of nautical stuff and bandied thoughts back and forth. I was just making conversation because I appreciated the boat so much.

When the tour was done, Dan said that he'd pay us as we go along, or give us a hefty slice of the commission when he sells her. At this point I realized that Dan wanted Chris and me to do the work that we had been talking about for the last forty five minutes. He also said that we could use her anytime, once we get the mechanicals squared away. I thought, "Wow, what a great opportunity". Then I thought, "Wow, I'm already busy". Then I thought, "Wow, I better check with Kim on this one".

I thanked him for his offer and told him I'd have to think about it. On the drive home, Chris and I talked about the pros and cons. I think I'll take Kim on the shakedown cruise and see what she thinks. It's an unbelievable opportunity, but also a major committment. If I spend a year working on this boat and we get our boat next year, that means that I'll have to dive right in to another huge project. Another option is possibly purchasing the ketch, but that's not really what we've been looking for.

Payback!

2009-09-06T09:05:00.001-07:00

So, yesterday, I had my very first official, paid captain charter (the day after my 40th birthday!). Lisa with SailTime San Francisco scheduled a gig with a family down from Napa. After making sure we weren't on a low tide, we took the Hunter 36 in our fleet out from Emeryville and sailed over to the San Francisco city front. It was blowing 25 knots (almost 30 mph), so I was heavily reefed, using the in-mast furling main. Because they wanted to see the City and we only had four hours, I fired up the diesel which allowed us to point much higher. We were able to get to the City in an hour and a half, which gave us time to buzz up and down past the Ferry Building and Pier 39 while dodging ferry traffic and other boats.

By then, it was time to head home. We had a nice series of jibes (with the main sail centered) to get back to Emeryville almost dead downwind. The fog had built so thick that everything north of us was a whiteout. Berekely was invisible as we dodged barges in the mooring field east of Treasure Island. We got the boat put back in the slip safe and sound, and after the family left for their next adventure, I put the boat back shipshape for the next member. We had beers at Chuck & Lisa's place and talked about the day. All in all, a very satisfying experience. I was also able to make my captain pay rate finally! Only twenty more charters and I should have my license paid off! Thanks Lisa!

Saturday Sail

2009-08-13T09:34:00.000-07:00

So, Saturday we were able to go out for a recreational sail on one of the SailTime boats. It just so happens that the Kiteboarding World Championships was Saturday on the Bay. It was mind-blowing to see all of those kiteboarders so close. It was pretty hazy, but the wind was blowing through the Slot as usual. We carved over there from Sausalito and kept our distance. The above pic is from Latitude 38.

After a leisurely sail over to Belvedere, we anchored in front of the Corinthian Yacht Club and watched the start of the race to Vallejo. We had a nice dinner and motored home. Our friend Nancy from Austin was on board and was not used to the somewhat extreme nature of sailing across the Slot. Lake Travis, TX is much more placid (when there's water in the lake).

It's Official!

2009-08-11T09:07:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday, Kim ran down to the store to get some green onions for our stir-fry last night, and a few minutes later, she pulled back in. I said, "That was fast." and she said she forgot something. A second later, she's handing me an official looking envelope with an expectant look on her face. It was my Merchant Mariner Credential (captain's license)! My eyes started to well up because this has been such a long, drawn out ordeal.

I can now start teaching legally for Lisa @ SailTime and Club Nautique. CN is a US Sailing school, where Lisa's is an ASA school. As a result, I've got to go through another round of classes at CN to become certified out the wazoo with them. This should keep me busy for the rest of the year.

I've decided to scan the passport looking license and archive it, just in case. BTW, I was officially qualified for "Master Near Coastal 25 Gross Tons w/ Sailing & Towing Endorsements". That should be sufficient for just about anything short of operating a ferry or a cruise ship. I may very well go for the Duck Boats next summer if I decide to get my CDL.

Arts & Crafts Fair

2009-08-10T08:29:00.000-07:00

So, Saturday morning, we drug Nancy (our friend visiting from Austin) to the annual San Francisco Arts & Crafts Fair. This was something I've been looking forward to for months, practically since last year's show.

I saw a Limbert Lamp Table #238, which is the companion piece to the #240 that I'm currently working on.

We also saw a Stickley Sideboard #818, which is the three drawer version of the #802 that I've already done my research on in anticipation of building it to go with the dining room set I'll be working on soon.

We bought a MacKintosh rose fridge magnet, but couldn't justify the expense of the embroidery kits we wanted, so I'm going to make them from Joanna's fabric. Kim bought a Montana del Oro tile, which is really nice (and it's a great place to hike).

On the way out, we dumped $10 into raffle tickets for a $100+ tile of the Golden Gate Bridge, which is pretty cool. Sunday, while on lunch at West Marine, I received a call notifying us that we won. I've never won anything. The downside is that we're rapidly running out of wall space.

Brush With Fame

2009-07-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

So, Lin and Larry Pardey came into West Marine on Sunday, asking if they could film some stuff in our store. I graciously helped them get setup, but was unfortunately too busy with customers to actually be in their film, as they requested. One of the girls that was supposed to work that Sunday took off sick. Sigh... They were there for a few hours, taking up the entire book aisle (or is that isle), but whatever. The funny thing I found was that they pulled up in a big truck with a nice, big camper shell on back. I guess that's how they cruise by land. Kim asked why I didn't ask them to sign a book. Sigh...

Talk About Fragile...

2009-07-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

So, Chuck and I babysat Yes for their Rockline interview. During two-thirds of the show, I was running three blocks to pick up Sauvignon Blanc or creamer for their tea. They refused to sign the albums that Kim and I had purchased at Amoeba Records in Berkeley. Chris Squire was too busy pounding wine and waiting for his cab. I don't know what Steve Howe's problem was, but Carl Palmer was pissed there were no ELP albums. It was a Yes/Asia show. Sigh... Anyhoo, had fun and helped Chuck out of a jam. I told him on the elevator on the way down that at least it makes a good story. BTW, I now get a bad taste in my mouth when I hear Yes on 107.7 The Bone...

You Know How I Know You're Gay?

2009-06-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

"I beg to hear your wonderous stories..."

So, thanks to our good buddy Chuck (THE Lisa Chapin's boyfriend), I've got an incredible opportunity coming up on July 1st. If you're a big fan of "40 Year Old Virgin" and "Asia" you'll get the above reference. I thought it only fitting, considering San Francisco's "Pride Parade" this weekend. I'd hate to see the tan lines on those ass-less chaps, but I digress...

Anyhoo, as some of you may not know, Chuck is the head engineer for a bunch of Clear Channel radio stations out here. On Wednesday night Yes & Asia are going to be on Rockline. These are some of my all-time favorite bands, and I've been listening to Rockline for 25 years, since the days of KSHE-95 Real Rock Radio in St. Louis, MO.

He's going to take care of all the technical stuff like piping it from the studio in SF to New York, then simulcast it back to 107.7 The Bone, one of his radio stations. I'll try not to be a blithering idiot and pester them with trivial minutae. I can't promise to not have them sign a t-shirt for me with a Sharpie.

Thank you Chuck, I hope this is the beginning of a long and mutually beneficial collaboration between your technical expertise and my willingness to do just about anything to hang out with the band.

"You're leaving now...
There's no denying it...
It's in your eyes..."
It really comes as no surprise...

Summer Sailstice

2009-06-22T18:04:00.001-07:00

So, Lisa and I took "A Vela", a Hunter 38 from Sausalito to Clipper Cove (separates Treasure Island from Yerba Buena) for the Summer Sailstice at 0700 Saturday morning. BTW, Kim might be working on their website next year. We did the SailTime-SF thing, which is why we've been killing ourselves to get the boat detailed over the last week (Lisa did 3x the work. It was a relatively small show, compared to Strictly Sail, but we had some good leads. Lisa hosted a cocktail party after the show which was a HUGE success.

Besides the SailTime leads, we made friends with Pam, Jim DeWitt's daughter. She is also interested in custom framing.

I glad-handed with the guy that taught my captain's class and my future boss at Club Nautique (they were giving sailboat rides all day). I also met a couple who had been sailing on Stockton Lake in Missouri the previous week. They sent sailing on the very first Slovenian sailboat produced in that country that was imported into the US. I told them I was very interested in the story to publish as an article in Sail Magazine. They have already contacted me saying they have passed my contact info onto the boat owners.

Sunday, Kim and I went to the NorCal Pirate Festival in Vallejo. It was pretty small compared to TexRenFest, but pretty cool. It's only their 3rd year. We got to chat with the models on PirateMod.com. Kim and I will be purchasing our t-shirts and pirate license online.

Sunday night, we had Chris & Karen over for Thai and to discuss our pending trip to the British Virgin Islands this Fall. It looks like we're glomming onto the vacation they won at the boat show. A week on Virgin Gorda, followed by a week on a 32 footer in the BVI. I'm hoping we make it to Anegada this time. In the mean time, sailing lessons will continue. Oh, Chris says he's got a friend who won a ketch in Sausalito in a lawsuit settlement.

ASA Certifications

2009-06-15T16:20:00.000-07:00

So, today I finished my final round of classes to become an ASA Certified Instructor for Lisa and SailTime - San Francisco. Yesterday was a presentation on tide books, followed by teaching docking on the boat, followed by an old USCG Six Pack exam (which was pretty tough). Today was a presentation on Mediterranean Mooring (Med Moor), followed by actually doing it on the boat while instructing the students on the process, followd by a 20 min lecture on diesel troubleshooting while pointing at a Volvo Penta. After that, back into the classroom for an exam. I had to get 90% or higher on all exams to maximize my certifications.

As of now, I can teach 101 (Basic Keelboat), 103 (Coastal Navigation), 104 (Bareboat Chartering), and 105 (Advanced Coastal Nav). SailTime sometimes holds these classes in the British Virgin Islands on their "Novice to Captain" trip. Hopefully some Caribbean time will come out of this. I couldn't have done this without the unwavering support of Lisa and Kim. Thanks!

Up next, US Sailing certifications! Yeah!!! All these classes are making it difficult to get business cards printed up...

I've Been Framed!

2009-06-14T07:42:00.000-07:00

So, I sent Kim to pick up some glass at the Framer's Workshop, a nice, 30 year old framing shop in Berkeley. The glass is for the new frame I made for her Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival poster we got last Fall. I was in the shop cutting the backer board for it when my phone rings. She's at the Framer's Workshop and has chatted up the owner about my woodworking. The lady needs a local, dependable source for custom, Craftsman-style picture frames (Dard Hunter) who can deliver in less that six weeks for less than $300-$400. Kim finds out that they're a Motawi tile deaaler, so she tells her about the Greene & Greene frame I made after we visited the Gamble House a couple of years ago. The lady expresses her interest in talking to me, so Kim runs home, picks me up, we grab the tile frame, and we head over there. After about 20 minutes, we shake hands, and I've got a homework assignment. I've got to make four different styles of picture frame corners (the kind you see velcroed to the wall). We'll see how it goes from there. This could be a pretty lucrative side job. I jokingly told Kim that now that I'm making money sailing and woodworking, the only thing left is to become a porn actor and I'd have the ultimate trifecta.

After that, we ran over to Live Oak Park for the annual Arts & Crafts fair. We got Yoshiko Yamamoto to sign one of her prints for us.

After that, I had to run home and finish studying. I'm taking ASA 203/204 this weekend (Basic Coastal Cruising & Bareboat Chartering). Hopefully, after this next round of certifications, I'll be able to help Lisa with her SailTime school. Wish me luck!

While You Were Out III

2009-06-05T18:30:00.001-07:00

So, we put some stuff on the mantel after the finish cured. Notice the ASS Hunt trophy (a major award) on the right...

While You Were Out II

2009-06-04T11:02:00.000-07:00

So, Kim went to band for the last time this season, so I took the opportunity to hang the new mantel. It's the first major woodworking project since the accident. I can honestly say that turning the table saw back on was an exercise in willpower. Anyhoo, I think it looks pretty good. It's my own design from ideas that I got off of LumberJocks.com. The finish is Danish oil - Red Mahogany. It gives it a nice, rich, look with just a hint of red. The wood is quartersawn white oak that I had earmarked for the night stands (the project I was working on during the accident). I'll get back to that after I knock out some smaller projects and get my courage back up. We're going to put our ASS Hunt trophy, and a couple of other knick-knacks on it. I hung it with a french cleat so it's easy to take off the wall. I think I'm done in the living room for a while. Next stop, Kim's frame for the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival to hang over the piano. It's one of the only blank spots on the wall left.

Santa Cruise/Half Moon Bay Rally Pic

2009-05-29T17:44:00.000-07:00

From a fellow rallier about 40 yards off the starboard beam:

We may have found this year's Christmas card...

I'm Almost Official!

2009-05-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

So, the other day, Kim and I ran over to the local TSA office that is under the auspices of the Department of Homeland Security to pick up my TWIC card (Transportation Workers Identification Card). It's basically $130 card that says I'm who I say I am and that I'm not a terrorist. The office in question looks like a fake office setup for a sting. They took an unbelievable amount of time while I'm sitting in a folding chair to process me and to pick it up. For an office that processes mostly men, I found the array of Oprah magazines disenchanting. They had a survey asking how my experience was. I filled out very unsatisfactory for everything. I'll probably get picked up for subversion. Don't you feel safer now?

Santa Cruz'in

2009-05-26T12:17:00.000-07:00

So, Lisa Chapin signed up to do the Santa Cruz Rally with Club Nautique (who I'll be teaching for in a few weeks). She asked us to join her on the Hunter 380 in Sausalito to sail the 75 miles down the coast. We were really excited, and I did a ton of research for the trip and I brushed up on my coastal navigation. We got to the boat Thursday evening, did some work in the boat and shoved off at 3am to catch the ebb tide under the Golden Gate Bridge by 4am. I didn't sleep much due to excitement. We were the first ones out the Gate because we didn't want to dilly-dally in the commercial traffic lanes. Lisa reported all the commercial traffic we did see to the rally organizers and she reported the thirty five sailboats doing the really to Vessel Traffic Service, which was the captainly thing to do.

Kim's brother Jon immediately got seasick, even though he had a scapalomine patch on from the night before. That made Kim sick, so they ended up going down below for most of the day. Lisa and I were doing OK, even though the ebb tide was fighting the south westerly breeze. We had eight foot waves for most of the day. Since the wind was from the wrong direction, due to a low pressure system out in the Pacific, we ended up tacking way out to the traffic lanes, then back to within a mile of the coast. On each roll-call, we found that most of the boats were making considerably more southerly progress than we were. We decided they must be motor sailing.

We noticed that our reefed sails had cut our tacks from 90 to about 50 degrees, making our southerly progess even slower. I had been carefully logging the latitude, longitude, and time of all of our tacks, so I was able to plot our course on the chart. Over the VHF, we heard that a lot of boats were giving up on Santa Cruz and were ducking into Half Moon Bay for the night. We decided this was a good plan for us too. We finally started motoring when the headland of Half Moon Bay came into view because of the shoals and rocks on the approach. We called into the harbormaster for a guest slip and backed her right in. There were several ralliers there on the dock to help us. Once we got the boat put away, we had our congratulatory cocktail and headed into town to give the folks with seasickness a little stationary footing for a change. We headed into Ketch Joanne's for a drink before heading back to the boat.

I plotted our course and reheated the mostaccoli I made last week while everyone took a nap. We then crashed pretty hard after dinner.

Saturday morning, we checked out Half Moon Bay after deciding that Sant Cruz was too far for a SSW wind. We knew that the ralliers that had motored down there were coming back to Half Moon Bay for the north leg of their trip, so we'd just wait for them to come in. Half Moon Bay is a lovely little working port, so we got to see a bunch of fisherman working on their boats. I grilled sausage and marinated chicken for dinner in the cockpit.

Sunday, after a great breakfast at Ketch Joanne's, in true cruiser fashion, we bummed a ride down to Half Moon Bay proper and checked out all of the shops and caught the bus back to the marina. Very relaxing. I messed up reheating our dinner, so we ran back to Ketch Joanne's for dinner. We knew we would be getting up early to leave, so we all crashed.

Monday, the seas were about six feet, but the wind was light and of course to the north, directly in our path, so we motor sailed at 7 knots NNW. I had overdosed on the seasickness medication accidentally, so I spent most of the day down below. We got back to Sausalito pretty early, fueled and pumped the boat out, gave her a good cleaning inside and out so she'll be ready for the next SailTime member, and had a beer in the cockpit. Kim and I headed home to shower and pickup the dog. Teri, our faithful dog-sitter came over for dinner, sparing us having to make a run out to Fremont. I cooked the dinner we were supposed to have on the boat Sunday night, curry chicken and stir-fried rice, and crashed early.

Kim and I slept in a bit and then have been playing catch-up all day. My hopefully last hand surgery is tomorrow at 6am, so wish me luck. I've also been horribly remiss in wishing my best bud Mike Maloney and his twin sister Mindy in St. Louis Happy 40th! Miss you guys! I'll post some pics of the last few weeks ASAP...

I forgot to mention that it was about 55F the entire trip.

37.45°N 122.41°W

Austin City Visits

2009-05-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

So, Kim and I spent 10 days in A-town. We had a blast, even though it was a whirlwind tour. We flew in on Thursday night. We were supposed to hook up with a good friend, Jeff Barger, but our plane was late getting into DFW, so we missed our connecting flight. They practically shut the door in our face. We chilled with a drink and got into Austin an hour later. This caused our reunion with the Dreher's and meeting Lyla to be postponed because it was too late on a school night. We took a cab over and borrowed Eric's Jeep. We crashed with Robin Millings and realized we had left some luggage in the Dreher's front yard. The next morning, we drove back down to Circle C and met Lyla, reacquainted ourselves with Miles, and got our luggage. Back to Robin's for a shower to get ready for our big business meeting.

Kim had a meeting with her big client with a presentation. That went very well. The meeting was followed by a cocktail party for all of the people involved with the startup. We hit it off really well with all of the folks, and I helped tend bar. We will definitely be heading back to A-town for more face time with them.

After the cocktail party, we ran over to one of Kim's band friends to see their new house. It was very large and lovely. They recently were married and it looks like they're off to a great start on their new lives together. Best of luck to Brenagh and Jodi.

The next day, we met Ben, our circumnavigator friend, to hang out with him on his Tayana 42 Vancouver. Mostly we wanted to hang out with Ben, but part of us wanted to test-drive the boat. It was very large and comfortable, and after a lot of discussion, Kim and I have decided that it will be on our short-list when we're ready to buy a boat in a year or two. Thanks Ben! Oh, we brought him a BB gun to dissuade the grackles from spackling Gypsy Soul.

After we said our goodbye's Sunday morning, we headed down to Wimberly to hook up with Kim's folks down there. It was very relaxing as usual. I love just wandering around their home, looking at all of the Stickley stuff they have either bought or Joe has made. Joe's been a huge help with me in my woodworking career. I brought a table saw insert pattern, and we made a bunch out in the shop, since we both have the same table saw. He also showed me his blade guard system he purchased after I cut my finger off. It works pretty well and is of course pretty expensive (but not as much as emergency medical care). Monday, we tooled around Texas, visited Luckenbach, etc.

Tuesday night, we gave our presentation to the Austin Sailing Society meeting held at Darin's brother's restaurant Planks at Parmer and 35. Excellent pizza! The presentation went pretty well. We got a lot of comments. There were a ton of people there. Kim worked the projector while I worked off of my outline. It was great seeing everybody.

Wednesday, we hung out with our good friends, the Dooley's. We met their new daughter and Adam showed me all of the cool stuff he's building in his shop. He does special effects for movies, so he had a bunch of creepy sculptures laying around.

Thursday night, it was parrothead time. After a short stop at C Hunts for a beer with Lynn and Meaghan, we headed over to Sam's Boat to hang out with all of the folks we haven't seen in a year. It was cool, there was a good turn out, and several people sounded interested in our new business venture, skippered catamaran charters in the British Virgin Islands. We stayed up late partying with Kevin and Stella who were nice enough to let us crash at their new home.

Friday, it was the standard Vino 100 stop, and catching up with Diemos, a very cool dude. We ran over to Gino's, the best Italian food in Austin.

Saturday morning, it was the ASS Hunt, our annual scavenger hunt. We sat on the boat while waiting for the rain to let up. It was supposed to start at Starnes, which was five minutes away, but they moved the start to Anderson Mill, which instantly made us an hour late. We got over there ASAP, and huddled under a pavillion, waiting for the rain to let up. Luckily, there was a keg donated by BB Rovers (where we normally have our monthly meetings), and a ton of brisket being smoked by one of our newer members. Awesome TX BBQ! The rain finally subsided enough to launch the Hunt. We had to take a bunch of pics of stuff around Lake Travis, so we got a good bit of sailing in. One of the items on the list was a pic of a tornado, so we zipped back over to Dodd Street Marina and got Kim's laptop out of the Jeep. We took a pic of the tornado we saw when we moved to California a year ago. HA! Anyhoo, we came in second because Meaghan did a pole dance on the forestay, so I can't complain about that. All in all, an excellent day on Lake Travis.

Sunday night, we hung out with the Dreher's all day. Eric and I got our shop time in, Eric smoked some yummy ribs, and we headed over to Mel and Loren's, more woodworking friends. They had made a huge batch of chicken enchilada, so we got caught up while stuffing ourselves again.

Monday morning, drop off the Jeep and head to the airport. I can't tell you how nice it was to see everyone again. It was almost a year to the day when we left. Everybody was so generous with letting us crash with them. Can't wait to see all y'all again soon.

Back on that Horse...

2009-05-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

So, today I did my first woodworking in the shop since 10:45am on September 19th last year. I installed the splitter (device that keeps the wood you're cutting on the table saw from kicking back, which is how I cut my finger off). It only took five minutes. As my fellow woodworkers know, it's a huge pain. It's in the way when you try to measure the width of every cut (so I'm resorting to using the tape on the saw), and it can only be used for cuts greater than 1-1/2" wide (otherwise the push stick won't fit through. I've yet to see how it works with the dado blade (table saw blade that cuts from 1/8" to 3/4" wide groove).

Anyhoo, the project I'm working on is a small, removeable mantle for our fireplace. I'm using an aluminum bracket to mount it to the wall (french cleat). It's 5' wide, and an L-shape that's 8"x8". I'm going to use a box joint to glue the two pieces at right angles (think interlocking fingers) all the way down. There will be a bracket on each end to lend strength and support. The panel against the wall will be a panel in the true Arts & Crafts style. Here's my drawing:

To give you an idea of what it's going to look like, here's my buddy Schroeder's from LumberJocks.com mantle. Mine will be sort of an upside down version of it.