October 10th – 25th
First of all, I’d like to express my most sincere thanks to Scott Paterson, (along with his FlipCam and his iPod), without whom posting our recent adventures down the California Coast and into Baja, Mexico would not have been possible.
Scott’s journey began when he left the dock in Tiburon with Captain Bill and crew member Matt. I have enjoyed hearing the tale of their sail from San Francisco to San Diego, as it has allowed me to reminisce about my own maiden voyage two years ago. There is nothing that compares to that “first time”!
When I got word from Bill that they would be arriving in San Diego on a Sunday, I flew in to secure our slip at SunRoads Marina and met the crew when they arrived just as the sun was setting. Dock I, slip 19 would be my home for the next week, as Bill flew back to return to work the following morning and Scott headed to Florida on Wednesday. Without a car and no particular place to go, I was able to enjoy the beginning of much deserved sailing vacation and the beginning of what would become our eventual, planned circumnavigation. This rest was much needed, as the series of events leading up to casting off the dock lines in San Francisco were a combination of sheer excitement (understandable!) and overwhelming frustration, as we were literally down to the wire on trouble shooting the botched installation job on our Westerbeke generator. I will spare you the gory details, other than to say that the generator is now warranted forever, should it ever need repair or replacement, anywhere in the world.
It is still amazing to me, that even with all this preparation, we have yet to complete the wiring for the air conditioning and heating system (although the compressors are installed), one of six fans is mounted but not wired, and some additional offset interior lighting is yet to be completed. The good news is that all the critical upgrades (meaning those needed to sustain a comfortable life aboard and cover safety requirements) are now installed and were tested on the voyage to San Diego. Many missions finally accomplished!
It is still amazing to me, that even with all this preparation, we have yet to complete the wiring for the air conditioning and heating system (although the compressors are installed), one of six fans is mounted but not wired, and some additional offset interior lighting is yet to be completed. The good news is that all the critical upgrades (meaning those needed to sustain a comfortable life aboard and cover safety requirements) are now installed and were tested on the voyage to San Diego. Many missions finally accomplished!
After nearly one week at Sunroads Marina, and after some convincing rationale from Scott, I decided to move us over to the San Diego Yacht Club (SDYC) marina, where we had stayed once before on our sail to Ensenada, MX. In a few days, all would arrive to meet me.
SDYC, is by far, the most incredible yacht club facility on the west coast, and likely among the top in the world. Their sailing tradition includes membership of America’s Cup sailing greats, such as Dennis Conner, who has two of his boats (Stars and Stripes, the AC winner) and Fame, his classic wooden boat. A brand new 2 story building houses the Harbormaster’s office, along with a complete work-out facility, conference rooms and classrooms to teach sailing to local area middle and high school students. SDYC was host to a number of youth races while we were there for a week. All of this, in addition to their pool, saunas, and world class clubhouse, restaurant and bar has secured SDYC as a must-visit recommendation to any of you passing through San Diego. The only caveat is that you will need to find a member to take you there, or have membership in a reciprocal yacht club. Or call me. I’ll be right down!
SDYC, is by far, the most incredible yacht club facility on the west coast, and likely among the top in the world. Their sailing tradition includes membership of America’s Cup sailing greats, such as Dennis Conner, who has two of his boats (Stars and Stripes, the AC winner) and Fame, his classic wooden boat. A brand new 2 story building houses the Harbormaster’s office, along with a complete work-out facility, conference rooms and classrooms to teach sailing to local area middle and high school students. SDYC was host to a number of youth races while we were there for a week. All of this, in addition to their pool, saunas, and world class clubhouse, restaurant and bar has secured SDYC as a must-visit recommendation to any of you passing through San Diego. The only caveat is that you will need to find a member to take you there, or have membership in a reciprocal yacht club. Or call me. I’ll be right down!
One of the most wonderful experiences we had at SDYC was getting to see our dear friends Suzanne and Richard, who had flown in from Seattle after a business conference to wish us bon voyage. Among the many highlights of their visit was a short sail out of San Diego harbor, where we spotted Navy ships and a Cruise ship headed for Cabo San Lucas. Hang on, Cabo. We will be there soon!
Here are some pics of two of our three friends and crew (...Chris and Scott only... Richard had not yet arrived), a few pics of our friends at the San Diego Yacht Club and onboard the Bonnie Lass, and yours truly repairing the ships' flag (a.k.a. "doing a Betsy Ross").
No comments:
Post a Comment