the shortest day is over... onward to celebrations and new adventures!
love, peace, health and abundance to you all.
nothing new to report
except that there was ice on the dock this morning... i finally upgraded my computer and can now post the movies i took on the princess taiping. check it out! it's starts with a glimpse of us sailing in the gale and then shows the wind indicator and compass by night, but LISTEN to ACai singing!!!
time for ink!
finally after nearly 3 years i'm getting tattooed again! and i picked a lovely tattoo artist to boot ;-) err, or did she pick me?
it's thanksgiving weekend and after a full day of eating and then another day of sleeping and errants it is the weekend. a good time to add some ink to the inka.
it is also the day that princess taiping is leaving san diego, i miss those guys, and it looks like i won't be able to sail with them to china because of my obligations to the harbor here, it seems not right to leave while my "probation time" is not over yet. i feel a bit sad about it. choosing freedom and finally owning my home and then be locked down... but it's the rules i agreed upon. i hope i'll find the money to at least be able to visit them in honolulu in january..
i got a pair of twinkely dreamy stars now, and i got to do my first tattoo on someone else, only we forgot to take a picture...
Fri - Sun, nov 14-16, 2008
After arriving, experiencing a fabulous welcome home, unpacking, etc i already went on to my next adventure: a reflexology class.
i didn't realize that i'd be the only person in the class who is not studying to be a massage therapist, so it was a bit hard at first to keep up with the vocabulary... the class consisted of five 3 hr segments over the weekend and taught all the basics of reflexology, leaving me with the knowledge and abilty to actually conduct a 50 minute session, touching all the mayor points. it is an amazing art and i am so happy i have taken the time to learn this skill. i am sure my friends are equally thrilled because i'm going to need to practice!
the course was a good mixture of clinical and energy work and apart from the anatomical and physiological stuff i think i managed to do some energy work.
i managed to put ALL my "victims" to sleep. :-) it was amazing how sometimes my hands knew what to do before the instructor said what to do.
but now i'm back to moving.... i have hopefully not overextended my storage stay at 207 too much, i need to get the rest of my stuff onto my boat, do the finishing touches on the outside, now that's not raining and do logistical things, like balancing my checkbook, finding work for the winter, changing my address etc.
i am sooooo excited about my life!
i didn't realize that i'd be the only person in the class who is not studying to be a massage therapist, so it was a bit hard at first to keep up with the vocabulary... the class consisted of five 3 hr segments over the weekend and taught all the basics of reflexology, leaving me with the knowledge and abilty to actually conduct a 50 minute session, touching all the mayor points. it is an amazing art and i am so happy i have taken the time to learn this skill. i am sure my friends are equally thrilled because i'm going to need to practice!
the course was a good mixture of clinical and energy work and apart from the anatomical and physiological stuff i think i managed to do some energy work.
i managed to put ALL my "victims" to sleep. :-) it was amazing how sometimes my hands knew what to do before the instructor said what to do.
but now i'm back to moving.... i have hopefully not overextended my storage stay at 207 too much, i need to get the rest of my stuff onto my boat, do the finishing touches on the outside, now that's not raining and do logistical things, like balancing my checkbook, finding work for the winter, changing my address etc.
i am sooooo excited about my life!
fri nov. 14, 2008
somehow ACai and Lao Tang both got some english lessons when i wasn't listening, so they hug me and say a very staccato " i will miss you!" soooooo cute! then ACai added "i love you" and ran off... i still have a smile on my face.
my gunkholing buddy Jeff Sarr gave me a ride to the airport and Nelson and Angela both came all the way outside of the museum to his pick-up and stood on the curb waiving good bye... one week at sea and we are family forever! i love sailing!
my gunkholing buddy Jeff Sarr gave me a ride to the airport and Nelson and Angela both came all the way outside of the museum to his pick-up and stood on the curb waiving good bye... one week at sea and we are family forever! i love sailing!
thurs nov. 13, 2008
we transferred the boat to the maritime museum, got cannon salutes and a beautiful escort from Lynx and were met by press and tv... from then on Nelson and Angela were basically gone, back in promo land and i got to hang out a last night with the boys and some crew from the Lynx, drinking anf talking into the late night. i'm flying home the next morning.
wed nov. 12, 2008
we spent giving tours, resting and had dinner at patty's house. she was at the yachtclub when we arrived and just sensed that most of the crew hadn't been in a house since departure. we had a fabulous potluck at her very tasteful house and ate, drank and danced together. enjoyed the luxory of lounging on a couch and exchanging different cultural experiences. it was wonderful.
tues nov. 11 2008
i woke up to Lao Tung's voice yelling "Ai Tun!!!" there were lots of dolphins surrounding us. they didn't linger though. our speed wasn't high enough to play. actually we didn't make any way at all. once it was our watch the engine got started and we motored on a glassy golf of catalina towards point loma. we had a pilot whale visit us and shortly after two grey whales and then a submarine. what a bizarre fascinations sailors have with any dark body emerging from the depths...
i had a great time steering the boat into the entrance around the point, dodging kelp beds and sailboat traffic. more and more i realize how to use my photographic memory for navigation.i can memorize the chart and translate it to real life without having to look all the time. whereas anything i can't can't see gets forgotten quickly. i found a good perch on the port caprail, standing high and using the ropes to steer. once Lao Tang releived me, i noticed how pooped i was. we had yummy peppered pork with noodles and cabbage and continued motoring against the current.
the we heard the engine hick-up. she lost speed, going any direction but forward. there was a moment of panic (all in chinese with nelson translating the basics), then we realized that the prop had gotten fouled with kelp.
so the engine got turned off and we were at a good spot to drift for awhile while ACai used the boathook to free the prop. then we could go again at 2.9 kts instead of the 0.3kts with the kelp.
we got met by friends in a powerboat who helped us into a slip at the southwestern yachtclub where we had drinks and showers. i booked my flight home, talked to john M, john B. Frank and Kim.
then we just sat on deck into the late night and drank wine and talked.
these are very cool and special people and i am glad to have met them and spent time living and working together.
i definitely will keep in contact and i am hoping to be able to join the boat for another leg of this and any other voyage in the future.
mon, nov. 10 2008, noon
it was blowing well into the night and every now and then we had sets of 2 or 3 breaking right behind our stern. Just as ACai sat down to put away the ramen makings from our night snack, one broke on our stern and water came in by the rudder and through the yulo hole in the head and dowsed him. he squieled like a little boy.
i got a little banged up by the rudder klonking the tiller and can feel my pecs and shoulder muscles from steering.
as we got into the range of catalina island lighthouse the winds started subsiding though the swell remained. that made it more difficult to steer with the tiller tied off, using the weather helm. we shook the reef but then the wind turned to W just toward the end of our watch at 0500 and we had to wake Lao Tang to help wear the boat about. For that we had to hoist the mizzen and jibe the jib which was on the wondward side. what we call sailing wing on wing, the chinese call butterfly. though for most of the gale with the reefed tan bark sails we looked probably more like a tattered moth.
heading the boat up needs a lot of crew. the main sheet is devided in upper and lower sheetlets which lead to port and starboard respectively. so two people have to haul in on that. with the person manning the mizzen helping at the main block where twist and frictionprevent a smooth running of the lines. the jib gets tied off to weather to help push the bow around. once the boat has tacked we need one person to release the preventer while another one swings the sheetles around so they don't get caught on the battens and change the shape of the sail. all this with a tired crew it happened with a lot of yelling. i learned "hau" means "good", "shi" means "sure, o.k." and "ban" means help. It is interesting that because i understand the issue at hand , i can understand what people are talking about. the moment i try to talk about anything else unrelated, in my smile, pantimime, simple english, it's a 50/50 cahance that they have no idea what i am talking about.
this morning we got awoken with the engine starting. i could see the sunlight come through the diamond shaped holes in the crew hatch. no need for foulies or even shoes.
once on deck i realized that we had probably moved about 5 miles during the last watch. catalina is still there. there is no wind to speak of and the roling sea has only ripples and the remainders of the gale swell. we tied the tiller off and life on board is leisurely. clothes are being washed and hung to dry. guys are shaving. nelson is getting a haircut. we putt-putt into a navy exercise and they take pictures of us and wish us good luck. ACai put a handline out with a big red squid lure on it, but i think we are too slow to catch any of the yummy predetor fish.
i can't stop smiling. there was a pair of pelicans soaring around us earlier, the offshore shearwaters and storm petrels have already disappeared.
I had a good chat with Angela yesterday, her family lives in South africa and she's a painter. she showed me some photos of cool paintings of hers, oil, and we discussed scoping out art supply stores in san diego to get a small watercolor set for her so she can work in color during the trip. she is amazing supporting her boyfreind on this endeavor and coming along to cross the pacific twice in this tiny ancient craft. we were scheeming what to do next. once you are an adventurer it would be foolish (or death) to stop. So, either more voyages on princess taiping: south east asia, india, africa... or a quest for a new adventure. mua-haha!
well, for now we are inching our way towards san diego. after a fabulous lunch we all just hung out, exchanged addresses and sat in the sun.
i keep thinking time doesn't exist.
i got to dry out my sleeping bag and fleece jacket. actually it is weather for shorts and no shoes. the crew is sitting around doing expense accounting, they feel there won't be time for it on land when the cultural exchange and PR machine gets rolling again.
Finally, after it took us 10 hours to pass the length of catalina island, there was a strong enough breeze to be sailing again. what releif for the ears, no engine and instead the splashing of the 1ft sea, the creaking of mast and rigging and the voices of Angela, ACai, Lao Tang and Nelson counting.
i observed that ACai can read but not really write. he had to ask several times for the strokes of certain characters.
Once we were sailing again i retrieved my sleeping bag which was drying on the the forward gallows. unfortunately the jib decided to jibe at this very moment and the block knocked my glasses off and hit me in the cheek, another bruise to take home. it took me a second to realize, as the pain was subsiding that the world around me was blurry, and another minute to find my bent out of shape frames. luckily the pliers on my leatherman were able to fix the bend without breaking the frames of my only set of auxillary eyes in went aft to join the conversation again.
i love the fact that apart from catalina still being in sight, we could be anywhere, at anytime.
i'm thinking of the slow boat to china song.
i feel this is a very good crew. AUe is a little too eager, too polite and apparently doesn't have his sea legs yet. but he's adorable and reads peoples mind for their comfort needs. Hugh is a young man, so no surprises in behaviour, but he did impress me with his stained glass artwork he was working on in china before embarking on this expedition. Lao Tang has three kids and and a 2 yr old granddaughter. "Lao" means "old" as a prefix to express respect, he seems so young and cheerful, well, and small. but i can see the sparkle in his eyes, i think in his culture he is quiet the ladies man... ACai i already described, plus i'm bias because i have a crush on him. the relationship of Nelson and Angela is very impressive, they are a great team, i saw them working with the public and press on land, and also on the boat they have each other's back, i wonder how progressive their relationship is in their country.
the way angela pronounces "nelson" sounds to my ears more like "nielson" so that makes me smile because of pip longstocking's monkey Mr. Nielson.
in short, everybody is great and found a spot in my heart in this short time together. Life is good aboard the princess taiping.
nov. 9th noon
we got into a gale last night and had to reduce sail some more. we could see the lights at pt. arguello. it was blowing up to 35kts when my watch went to bed. this morning at 0900 is was 40plus and the waves were pretty high. 15ft but every now and then the consecutive 2 or 3 that were higher. luckily not very close together. the sun is out most of the day so far and last night we had stars. but i see weather coming, so i'll better put this away.
- by the time i had the book wrapped up and put away, it had stopped raining. ha!
i got dowsed by one wave that snug aboard but not very much. i was at the helm in just canvas pants and fleece sweater and saw the cloud coming. Nelson was about to take over the helm and i gave him some time to put his raingear on - wham - it got me! the sun is drying everything fast, over 40kts of wind help too.
ACai amazes me, he is so diligent, not only steering the boat through a gale with one foot, but also singing beautifully and whipping up the most delicious chinese food in these seas in that little galley cupboard, he is very good crew, we talk him in chinese and me in english, lots of smiles and pantomime. i am learning a little chinese, but it's a bit "in one ear and out the other". i retain even single words for only 20min max. when i hear them talk i sometimes crack up because whatever they say sounds like something else. yesterday i heard them say "hei-di-ho" a lot but even through asking couldn't figure out what it was supposed to mean. they had no idea what i said when i repeated it to them.
the boat is surprisingly dry. we only had two times water coming into the cockpit in 24hrs, and every now and then at the slats at the beam. the higher poop deck is my favorite spot, the "top-of-the-world" spot just before we start going down a wave and the white caps are breaking behind me.
i've eaten more fortune cookies in one night than in the past five years together. for once the sugary taste is welcome in a long wet night.
we are racing toward san diego with this gale pushing us. at 1300 we nearly passed san miguel. we carry a reefed jib (maybe equivalent to 1st reef) and a very tattered and small looking main, reduced to maybe the equivalent of a 4th reef.
in one near mishap the jib accidently jibed and got its sheet caught on the bamboo that is lashed to the gallows. the force lifted the whole gallow beam out of its socket. if it wasn't for the thwartships lashed bamboo we could have lost it. it made us thing about the main gallows too which would take the roof with it.
i sleep very soundly between watches, sometimes my knees feel cold, i wrap a fleece sweater around them and feel pretty cozy. the foot end of my sleeping bag is stuck into my big dry bag because there is water running down the sides and occasionally the bilge water wallows up as we are rolling. i could hear it sloshing around between the ballast rocks last night. My hands are a bit raw from correcting the course with the block and tackle rope, i can't do it with my foot in these seas, i need both feet planted on the floor to keep my balance.
these capped and streaked waves are so forceful and pretty at the same time, the wind howls in the bamboo. some sound like whistles, some like a far away horn.
the princess is stout and behaves very well, i totally enjoyed steering her this last watch.
now, so close to the channel islands we had a harbor seal come up and check us out. it was twisting its neck as we swooshed by oogeling with its big round brown eyes.
i'm learning to drink a glass of warm water in the morning and not go to sleep until at least 40 minutes after a meal. that's my chance to write, i'm pretty pooped from wresteling that klunky tiller, and elated to be in my element. time already doesn't exist.
nov. 8th 0900
i finally figured out their head system which isn't really rocket science but i have to admid it took me awhile. yesterday i just peed in a bucket but there is an actual head with a door that closes and a seat over a hole in the deck. who would have thunk....
the early morning watch wore the boat about and reduced sail a bit, we are moving a bit more inland trying 165true. we're past pt. sur, over 120miles in 24hrs.
this morning is overcast and grey. i think i seelight rain on the horizon, but not directly behind us. had some good sailing chats with nelson about the project and its difficulties and his circumnavigation.
ACai
the rudder is klunky but i started to get a hang of it. i was oversteering at first and since they stressed not to jibe didn't really dare to go dead downwind at first. we have a block and tackle and with the boat having weather helm even downwind one can tie it off to one side and needs to only correct a bit in general and only a lot when she's trying to round up or broach coming down a bigger wave.
we've had two fabulous chinese meals so far, chow mein and cabbage and bacon with rice, both delicious. the galley is a two burner cupboard in the cockpit with a big highwalled wok and high fencing so the pots can't move around.
once again i realize how much i like waking up to a new dat at sea, when everything is the same but entirely different.
nov. 7, 2008
departure on time at 0800 with the starting ebb
lots of photos and Angela is still on the phone
on board are Skipper Nelson, his girlfriend and project PR person Angela, both from Taiwan, sailing master Lao Tang, his cousin ACai, both fishermen from china with sailing junk experience, AUe a retired engineer from Taiwan, Hugh a young man from Iowa who lives as a businessman in China, and me.
leaving SF
through the gate accompanied by porpoises. John Bielinski is seeing us out the gate with his boat Annabelle, he's got Frank on board, a chinese camera man and another friend from the dolphin club.
First there was a bit confusion about the route, with the shipping channel and the lee shore, Nelson was still on the phone and Lao Tang and i couldn't really communicate, but all is good now, we're in 6ft swells way past point bonita. it is gorgeous weather, little not enough wind to sail. i don't have a feel for the boat yet so it's hard to make recommendations.
out the gate
Yesterday when i went to the lunch it turned out that i'll be the only US crew, well, besides hugh who speaks chinese and lives in china.
So they made me the navigator and i spent all afternoon getting proper charts together and advise, John Bielinski help a lot, so did Nelson's friend Bob. then i found myself getting photographed and giving interviews. it felt a little overwhelming and stressy, but also exciting and an honor. We decided on the major waypoints and the watches. I went and had a beer with ACai who wanted to go to hooters, but instead of the girls he kept watching the cooks preparing the food behind the counter. then i crawled into my bunk, a little coffin made for short chinese people. about 22" wide, 30" high and 5.5ft long. the crew quarters are about in the middle of the boat and 4 bunks on each side thwartships. so the head is near the keel in the middle of the boat where there is the least movement - in theory... it was o.k. at the dock, we'll see how it will be at sea.
my bunk
Getting into the watch system was easy
A: Lao Tang, AUe and Hugh
B: Nelson, ACai, Angela and i, with angela not really on duty so she gets to rest from the one month long PR circus in SF
4hrs on 4hrs off, each person steering for 1hr20min
watchlist
it was easy to fall asleep when it was time and wake up.
We are running before the wind trying to nail 180true, but it seems more like magnetic. in the afternoon off Pt. Montara it got really foggy but we slowly sailed out of it further away from the coast, leaving it between us and land.
the galley
At night the moon set and we had tons of stars, lots of shooting stars as well. ACai was singing beautifully all night, respectfully humming when it wasn't his trick at the tiller, but singing loudly when it was. I found myself humming along.
Too bad we can't really talk because he seems so nice and funny, like a cute, cuddely panda bear.
lots of photos and Angela is still on the phone
on board are Skipper Nelson, his girlfriend and project PR person Angela, both from Taiwan, sailing master Lao Tang, his cousin ACai, both fishermen from china with sailing junk experience, AUe a retired engineer from Taiwan, Hugh a young man from Iowa who lives as a businessman in China, and me.
leaving SF
through the gate accompanied by porpoises. John Bielinski is seeing us out the gate with his boat Annabelle, he's got Frank on board, a chinese camera man and another friend from the dolphin club.
First there was a bit confusion about the route, with the shipping channel and the lee shore, Nelson was still on the phone and Lao Tang and i couldn't really communicate, but all is good now, we're in 6ft swells way past point bonita. it is gorgeous weather, little not enough wind to sail. i don't have a feel for the boat yet so it's hard to make recommendations.
out the gate
Yesterday when i went to the lunch it turned out that i'll be the only US crew, well, besides hugh who speaks chinese and lives in china.
So they made me the navigator and i spent all afternoon getting proper charts together and advise, John Bielinski help a lot, so did Nelson's friend Bob. then i found myself getting photographed and giving interviews. it felt a little overwhelming and stressy, but also exciting and an honor. We decided on the major waypoints and the watches. I went and had a beer with ACai who wanted to go to hooters, but instead of the girls he kept watching the cooks preparing the food behind the counter. then i crawled into my bunk, a little coffin made for short chinese people. about 22" wide, 30" high and 5.5ft long. the crew quarters are about in the middle of the boat and 4 bunks on each side thwartships. so the head is near the keel in the middle of the boat where there is the least movement - in theory... it was o.k. at the dock, we'll see how it will be at sea.
my bunk
Getting into the watch system was easy
A: Lao Tang, AUe and Hugh
B: Nelson, ACai, Angela and i, with angela not really on duty so she gets to rest from the one month long PR circus in SF
4hrs on 4hrs off, each person steering for 1hr20min
watchlist
it was easy to fall asleep when it was time and wake up.
We are running before the wind trying to nail 180true, but it seems more like magnetic. in the afternoon off Pt. Montara it got really foggy but we slowly sailed out of it further away from the coast, leaving it between us and land.
the galley
At night the moon set and we had tons of stars, lots of shooting stars as well. ACai was singing beautifully all night, respectfully humming when it wasn't his trick at the tiller, but singing loudly when it was. I found myself humming along.
Too bad we can't really talk because he seems so nice and funny, like a cute, cuddely panda bear.
from Lotus to Princess Taiping
I guess i have a thing for chinese boats.
i just got invited to go sailing with the princess taiping from san francisco to san diego, maybe stop in LA. we'll be leaving thursday or friday. no i dea when i'll be back, they are trying to shanghai me (no pun intended) to come to china with them. that's not possible, i need to make my home here, but i think i could miss this here for two weeks or so...
i feel totally honored to have been invited by Angela and Nelson, please google the boat and her voyage, they sailed here all the way from china. she is a 15th century full original replica. adventure!!!!
chipping away
well there was a paintjob that needed pink, so i got a flowerbox, oh yeah, the cabin sides are green now - with orange trim :-)
then i went on a retreat with some friends and managed to have a little relaxation
oh, and on occasion i do wear dresses for cocktail hour....
now i'm back and working on galley and forepeak, i'll be moving aboard on sunday. there' will be fotos of before and after posted. later
tow back home
on the tow back home Tim the diver drove by in his powerboat and took some pics, here they are!
you can see my new neighbor Marc Gounard in the skiff.
haul-out done
Sunday evening 19:00 i am home an just downloaded the photos form my camera. here is the before.
and here she is after. two coats of bottom paint, two coats of primer, two coats of topsides. Lotus is now blue!
then we had alittle rott surprise in the bilge which got sandwiched which hopefully takes care of that.
Daniel and Sushe helped me big time, and friday Ross and Tony put in probably a half day each. i even managed to put a coat of primer on the cabinside that is facing away from the dock. very tired, yesterday i couldn't do a thing, especially not blogging... Tomorrow is splash time and i'll be backin the harbor.
the hole in the bottom - note the daylight coming through...
my brave crew!
topsides done exept from this little corner which is in need of some cosmetics...
the aft end finished
bottom!
and i ain't talking bdsm...
Lotus: haulout workday nr. 1
the fuzzy wood is still drying out
Sushe came and worked all day, cleaning the bilges and then helping with splashzoning the chine.
i did some reefing and caulking, will need to do a bit more tomorrow. there wasn't that many bad seams, phew.
the two pads that were put over where the prop strutts used to be appeared to have been just screwed on from the outside with sheetrock srews or something, they just came off with no fastener to be seen.... i made two new plates and they'll get fastened tomorrow.
little worm damage in the shoe, nothing a little cement can't fix, that's all prepped for tomorrow too.
now she's sitting, drying a bit more, and tomorrow should be rock and roll time for the bottom as well as the topsides. it's a lot of work, but doable by sunday.
Lotus: haulout workday nr. 1
the fuzzy wood is still drying out
Sushe came and worked all day, cleaning the bilges and then helping with splashzoning the chine.
i did some reefing and caulking, will need to do a bit more tomorrow. there wasn't that many bad seams, phew.
the two pads that were put over where the prop strutts used to be appeared to have been just screwed on from the outside with sheetrock srews or something, they just came off with no fastener to be seen.... i made two new plates and they'll get fastened tomorrow.
little worm damage in the shoe, nothing a little cement can't fix, that's all prepped for tomorrow too.
now she's sitting, drying a bit more, and tomorrow should be rock and roll time for the bottom as well as the topsides. it's a lot of work, but doable by sunday.
Lotus is hauled out
we finally did it. at around 17:00 i ran into Jeff and we walked over to the yard together, jmust in time to help Ross putting the Peregrine into the water and scootch Lotus onto the railway car and pull her up.
i soent the next hour and a half pressurewashing her bottom... few oysters, some slimy things, not too much real hardcore growth, even after 4 years...
i found some quiet fuzzy wood on the starboard aft end. hmmm
real assessment and photos in daylight tomorrow. Sushe will come out and be my lovely assistant for the day, hopefully i'll have more crew show up and get her ready to be splashed by Sunday. i'd love to get the topsides painted in the yard as well, at least sanded and primed...
adventure mate out for now (catching Zs)
i soent the next hour and a half pressurewashing her bottom... few oysters, some slimy things, not too much real hardcore growth, even after 4 years...
i found some quiet fuzzy wood on the starboard aft end. hmmm
real assessment and photos in daylight tomorrow. Sushe will come out and be my lovely assistant for the day, hopefully i'll have more crew show up and get her ready to be splashed by Sunday. i'd love to get the topsides painted in the yard as well, at least sanded and primed...
adventure mate out for now (catching Zs)
drakes bay drowned in storm
but we knew that would happen, so we didn't attempt to go out into the ocean, even though i so much wanted to... instead we sailed to china camp, anchored there, cooked a good meal, played some music and slept on the hook...
actually, it didn't even rain...
there was some rain we saw over berkeley while sailing through racoon straights, but it went south, we mostly had sun, and very fair winds on the light side.
of course in the ocean there was still the swell and it was high and from the south, so we did well not to venture out there. that would have been the kind of rock and roll we don't enjoy...
in the morning Anton got picked up by his girlfriend Julie at China Camp and Jody and i made the trip back to sausalito by ourselves. with Taihoa contributing quiet a bit....
we had a weird easterly wind for half the way and we did set the D-sail to round san pedro point and then again to make the richmond bridge. overall it was very mellow and vacationey. we drank way too much beer wich resulted in having to get up in the middle of the night to pee... oh well. sleeping on the hook is something else, and if you actually get to get up at night you notice that the boat swings with the tide. in the morning we were in the same position we were when the sun went down, but in the middle of the night we pointed exactly the other way... we saw first the sun set, then the moon set, got to observe a huge amount of stars and then woke up to the sun rising again...
it was soothing to sway on the rode and hear the waves lapping on the hull, it is a different experience from being in a marina, i love it...
on 'LOTUS'
so here it is, the day that Lotus is finally mine. i went down to the boat after work, it is of course empty - except for a matress and some galley stuff... i felt incredibly lonely and not at home at all and had to give the situation a good cry.
then it got better, as i walked out of the harbor to do something other than sitting in an empty boat, Maite just arrived with goodies, and i got coffee and bread for breakfast tomorrow. better already... now i'm at the boys' shop e-mailing, because i can't do that either of course on the boat, everything has been shut off. i'll get my bike from my shop, retrieve my toothbrush from Alesha and Ginger's boat where i forgot it yesterday and give it another try.
i also got my hair cut. at least something feels good. :-)
this week we'll finish working on the lobster boat and i'll bring all my stuff together in the small room at 207. then over the weekend i'm finally going ocean sailing. even if just for 2 days. Jody is taking Anton and me to Drake's Bay on Taihoa. Casey from PT will come along buddyboating, i don't know if there'll be anyone else. it's supposed to be raining and cold.. good practice for a nordic adventure... bah! patagonia did that already!
then it got better, as i walked out of the harbor to do something other than sitting in an empty boat, Maite just arrived with goodies, and i got coffee and bread for breakfast tomorrow. better already... now i'm at the boys' shop e-mailing, because i can't do that either of course on the boat, everything has been shut off. i'll get my bike from my shop, retrieve my toothbrush from Alesha and Ginger's boat where i forgot it yesterday and give it another try.
i also got my hair cut. at least something feels good. :-)
this week we'll finish working on the lobster boat and i'll bring all my stuff together in the small room at 207. then over the weekend i'm finally going ocean sailing. even if just for 2 days. Jody is taking Anton and me to Drake's Bay on Taihoa. Casey from PT will come along buddyboating, i don't know if there'll be anyone else. it's supposed to be raining and cold.. good practice for a nordic adventure... bah! patagonia did that already!
another month....
Wow, time passes quickly!
i haven't had a chance to catch up here because as soon as i got back from albuquerque and worked just for a second in sausalito, i left town again. it is easier to chouchsurf somewhere other than your home town... :-) but before i left i spend the night at china camp and woke up to the most marvellous sunrise with the Niña anchored out! a sign from different times...
I flew up to seattle and took the bus to Port Townsend to attend the Wooden Boat Festival. it was pretty cool! the busride was even cool, we managed to take the ferry at edmonds exactly at sunset and it was a gorgeous sight. just like all of the landscape up there is beautiful, the bays, the trees, the snowcapped mountains...
i got to stay at my friends Heidi and Peters house, met up with Margaret and we went to chanty sings, met cool people and roamed listening to street musicians and dug through thriftstores and jewelery stands.
after the festival was over we bussed down to Tokeland, WA and then traveled around the southwestern part of WA for quiet awhile. the beaches and the huge amounts of driftwood are amazing!
i flew back out of Seattle last monday just in time to attend the general membership meeting at Galilee harbor where i got voted in (!) YAY!
i am now a member of the harbor, in posession of the pink slip and will move aboard on wednesday -- only to move back off the following monday when Lotus (the boat) is scheduled for a haulout. i actually broke down and rented the little room in 207 for a month to have an actual homebase while the boat is out of the water and being worked on, this way i can do painting and re arranging without health hazard and too much stuff in the way. i am very excited.
oh, i forgot my welcoming commitee when i got to susy's boat, where i'm currently crashing. She has been invaded by 8, yes EIGHT!, racoons... here are two of them saying welcome home, well actually they are saying why the f**k is the door closed we want to eat your catfood!
i haven't had a chance to catch up here because as soon as i got back from albuquerque and worked just for a second in sausalito, i left town again. it is easier to chouchsurf somewhere other than your home town... :-) but before i left i spend the night at china camp and woke up to the most marvellous sunrise with the Niña anchored out! a sign from different times...
I flew up to seattle and took the bus to Port Townsend to attend the Wooden Boat Festival. it was pretty cool! the busride was even cool, we managed to take the ferry at edmonds exactly at sunset and it was a gorgeous sight. just like all of the landscape up there is beautiful, the bays, the trees, the snowcapped mountains...
i got to stay at my friends Heidi and Peters house, met up with Margaret and we went to chanty sings, met cool people and roamed listening to street musicians and dug through thriftstores and jewelery stands.
after the festival was over we bussed down to Tokeland, WA and then traveled around the southwestern part of WA for quiet awhile. the beaches and the huge amounts of driftwood are amazing!
i flew back out of Seattle last monday just in time to attend the general membership meeting at Galilee harbor where i got voted in (!) YAY!
i am now a member of the harbor, in posession of the pink slip and will move aboard on wednesday -- only to move back off the following monday when Lotus (the boat) is scheduled for a haulout. i actually broke down and rented the little room in 207 for a month to have an actual homebase while the boat is out of the water and being worked on, this way i can do painting and re arranging without health hazard and too much stuff in the way. i am very excited.
oh, i forgot my welcoming commitee when i got to susy's boat, where i'm currently crashing. She has been invaded by 8, yes EIGHT!, racoons... here are two of them saying welcome home, well actually they are saying why the f**k is the door closed we want to eat your catfood!
on to a new adventure
o.k. given the fact that i am homeless for the month i might as well fly up to pt, so i got a ticket for tomorrow, thursday. it'll be better, as much as i love my friends, it is hard to live and work in a place while couchsurfing. it is so much less stressfull to sleep under a tree while vacationing...
sunday started slow with sorting out stuff and mail at 207. actually, it started sad with receiving the news of porkchops death. she was my ex-partner Natasha's cat...
but following the motto that water cures everything, i took up jody's invitation to go sailing on taihoa to find a leak that developes when sailing hard.
so, that's what we did, right through the slot on SF Bay, nearly to Black Aller and back. and she WAS leaking. katie and i took turns steering while Jody was checking out where the water enters, then i went to look, and we agreed that it comes in from some topside seams under the port chainplates. phew, a much easier fix than leaking mast step or something more complicated that involves haulout and giant investigation. we did get a bit worried about the amount of water coming in though and headed straight back into calmer Richardson Bay and Galilee Harbor - pumping nearly all the way. but the water did never get over the cabin sole, so that's good. I was thinking of Porkchop out there, and the rest of the Family... Death is a weird thing. and the ones who are left behind are the ones who suffer...
Paul Dines told me later that he was out the same day running a charter and right under the golden gate bridge they had a jumper just 100 yards from them, big splash, totally aloof clients that needed to be distracted and he had to inform the coast guard - horrible, stressful, seamans code AND trying to make a living at the same time. i have seen the smoke once when we were sailing. the suicide patrol on the bridge throws smoke flares after a jumper so they can retrieve the body easier... what a job! and why would anybody want to take their life!? life is so short if its long, and then there's all that time left to be dead!
Monday i went for a long bikeride and felt really good afterwards, i want to exercise more! i actually wanted to work, but couldn't get into the yard, it was a holiday... Checked in with Natasha and then went to crash a suzy's. Gay Jay came over to tell us about his recent adventures in NYC and we settled down to watch a movie, my first in a long time: Flags of out fathers. i was impressed and all the time, seeing the footage of the war i had to think of my friend frank who was there. he was a signal man, so he stayed on board of the big ships that dropped off the little landing craft, and helped putting the wounded and corpes in a row on deck so the corpsemen could inject them with morphine...
the next day i finally worked! it was so great to see all the combings and lockers i built a couple of months ago to have been painted glossy white, seeing my reflection as i re-installed the hinges and hardware, i can't wait to take pictures of the done job to post on my website.
after work i went to china camp to do laundry and repack, and to hang out with frank, since he was so on my mind the previous night. out there anchored was the Niña replica. i wish i had the time to row ot there and chat, but it was getting dark and the tide was going out making it more difficult for me to get the peapod back ashore. instead we had dinner, enjoying the unusual view and i did my laundry and repacked for my trip to PT.
My friend Lee is up there with his boat and will give me a pass to the show, and my friend Peter and his wife live up there and i can stay on their boat.
Margaret will get there the same time as me, so i get to check out the Lady Washington, and i'm sure i'll meet osme cool people, meet some i already know, and who knows, there might be an adventure around the corner, or a job to work on, or a sailing voyage to participate in.
come back to find out
sunday started slow with sorting out stuff and mail at 207. actually, it started sad with receiving the news of porkchops death. she was my ex-partner Natasha's cat...
but following the motto that water cures everything, i took up jody's invitation to go sailing on taihoa to find a leak that developes when sailing hard.
so, that's what we did, right through the slot on SF Bay, nearly to Black Aller and back. and she WAS leaking. katie and i took turns steering while Jody was checking out where the water enters, then i went to look, and we agreed that it comes in from some topside seams under the port chainplates. phew, a much easier fix than leaking mast step or something more complicated that involves haulout and giant investigation. we did get a bit worried about the amount of water coming in though and headed straight back into calmer Richardson Bay and Galilee Harbor - pumping nearly all the way. but the water did never get over the cabin sole, so that's good. I was thinking of Porkchop out there, and the rest of the Family... Death is a weird thing. and the ones who are left behind are the ones who suffer...
Paul Dines told me later that he was out the same day running a charter and right under the golden gate bridge they had a jumper just 100 yards from them, big splash, totally aloof clients that needed to be distracted and he had to inform the coast guard - horrible, stressful, seamans code AND trying to make a living at the same time. i have seen the smoke once when we were sailing. the suicide patrol on the bridge throws smoke flares after a jumper so they can retrieve the body easier... what a job! and why would anybody want to take their life!? life is so short if its long, and then there's all that time left to be dead!
Monday i went for a long bikeride and felt really good afterwards, i want to exercise more! i actually wanted to work, but couldn't get into the yard, it was a holiday... Checked in with Natasha and then went to crash a suzy's. Gay Jay came over to tell us about his recent adventures in NYC and we settled down to watch a movie, my first in a long time: Flags of out fathers. i was impressed and all the time, seeing the footage of the war i had to think of my friend frank who was there. he was a signal man, so he stayed on board of the big ships that dropped off the little landing craft, and helped putting the wounded and corpes in a row on deck so the corpsemen could inject them with morphine...
the next day i finally worked! it was so great to see all the combings and lockers i built a couple of months ago to have been painted glossy white, seeing my reflection as i re-installed the hinges and hardware, i can't wait to take pictures of the done job to post on my website.
after work i went to china camp to do laundry and repack, and to hang out with frank, since he was so on my mind the previous night. out there anchored was the Niña replica. i wish i had the time to row ot there and chat, but it was getting dark and the tide was going out making it more difficult for me to get the peapod back ashore. instead we had dinner, enjoying the unusual view and i did my laundry and repacked for my trip to PT.
My friend Lee is up there with his boat and will give me a pass to the show, and my friend Peter and his wife live up there and i can stay on their boat.
Margaret will get there the same time as me, so i get to check out the Lady Washington, and i'm sure i'll meet osme cool people, meet some i already know, and who knows, there might be an adventure around the corner, or a job to work on, or a sailing voyage to participate in.
come back to find out
last day as a guest
today is the last day as a guest in the harbor. Deborah, the woman who still owns my boat is coming back today for the rest of the month (september, that is). so today it's housekeeping..... taking out the recyceling... packing my stuff in some sort of order so i can find things again...
yesterday was spent mostly in the eastbay where my dentist has his office. my appointment was a t 8:30, i got looked at, my suspicion that i have some pusspocket in my upper jaw got confirmed, and an appointment made to fix it at noon. so i had 3 hrs to wait and went shopping at the japan woodworker store and hung a bit at the beach in alameda.
to confirm the fact that i am not normal, here another proof: this tooth, which is a front tooth and should only have one straight root has actually 2 which are interwoven! hah! that of course means TWO rootcanals, and a lot of fiddeling to hollow out the roots...
the procedure took forever, the x-ray computer konked out twice and there was a lot of waiting involved, so another three hours later i'm finally done, back in the harbor and ready for a beer. my face feels huge on one side and i can't feel my nose which keeps running... no fun.
back to today: cleaning the boat...
then at 16:00 i'll be volunteering at the art festival until 18:30. well, i really hope i'll be able to go earlier and actually check stuff out. Fiver's band is playing and ... i've never been to the art festival in sausalito, it's really expensive to get in. so this time i'll be selling fish and chips for the harbor.
the hot weather is gone too, last night the fog rolled in, first a little hesitant and then with full speed, making us- who were just an hour before holding cold beerbottles against our necks - reach for the sweaters and crave pizza instead of salad...
so we had a little evening aboard "Lotus", actually the first time witth the whole gang, Katie and Jody, Julie and Anton and Elsie and later Duncan came to join us.
Later Julie, Duncan, and i sat up quiet late to discuss all the cool things we know about which somebody should write a book, and all the cool people we know who somebody needs to interview before they go.
as for the rest of the week, i don't know yet, there is so much to do!!!
i want to go to PT for the wooden boat festival, i can either drive up with Lee on tuesday and spend 2 days on the road, or work on tues. and wed. with Jim and fly up wed evening and be there at the same time only maybe a bit richer. i might have enough miles for SFO-SEA and back.... and it would be good to not disappoint Mr. Cooper, the client we'd be working for this week, he deserves to have his boat ready before fall comes.
i'll keep you posted.
yesterday was spent mostly in the eastbay where my dentist has his office. my appointment was a t 8:30, i got looked at, my suspicion that i have some pusspocket in my upper jaw got confirmed, and an appointment made to fix it at noon. so i had 3 hrs to wait and went shopping at the japan woodworker store and hung a bit at the beach in alameda.
to confirm the fact that i am not normal, here another proof: this tooth, which is a front tooth and should only have one straight root has actually 2 which are interwoven! hah! that of course means TWO rootcanals, and a lot of fiddeling to hollow out the roots...
the procedure took forever, the x-ray computer konked out twice and there was a lot of waiting involved, so another three hours later i'm finally done, back in the harbor and ready for a beer. my face feels huge on one side and i can't feel my nose which keeps running... no fun.
back to today: cleaning the boat...
then at 16:00 i'll be volunteering at the art festival until 18:30. well, i really hope i'll be able to go earlier and actually check stuff out. Fiver's band is playing and ... i've never been to the art festival in sausalito, it's really expensive to get in. so this time i'll be selling fish and chips for the harbor.
the hot weather is gone too, last night the fog rolled in, first a little hesitant and then with full speed, making us- who were just an hour before holding cold beerbottles against our necks - reach for the sweaters and crave pizza instead of salad...
so we had a little evening aboard "Lotus", actually the first time witth the whole gang, Katie and Jody, Julie and Anton and Elsie and later Duncan came to join us.
Later Julie, Duncan, and i sat up quiet late to discuss all the cool things we know about which somebody should write a book, and all the cool people we know who somebody needs to interview before they go.
as for the rest of the week, i don't know yet, there is so much to do!!!
i want to go to PT for the wooden boat festival, i can either drive up with Lee on tuesday and spend 2 days on the road, or work on tues. and wed. with Jim and fly up wed evening and be there at the same time only maybe a bit richer. i might have enough miles for SFO-SEA and back.... and it would be good to not disappoint Mr. Cooper, the client we'd be working for this week, he deserves to have his boat ready before fall comes.
i'll keep you posted.
what a beautiful day
Rare Bay Area summer weather, no wind in the am, temperatures in the 80s... Karen brought beautiful flowers and food from work, so i scored potatoes and shiitakes which will make a yummy (nummy) summer dinner with some cottage cheese!
ii also got a pretty bouquet of lillies for my boat.
then it got entirely too hot to do anything and i decided to go to black sand beach. it's only 10 minutes from here and clothing optional - whoohee, get rid of those working gal tan lines!
the sand is actually not black but full of agates and mostly green and reddish colored pebbles, so from afar it look black. i collected a couple to work on some hippie travelling style jewelery. Doing online work today, then tomorrw fixing a hot tub. hey, if i can keep water out of a boat, i sure can keep water inside a tub!
other than that i hope to enjoy some more of this fabulous harbor community later tonight. yesterday was Karen's b-day and we had chocolate cake and fruit and ice cream at the general membership meeting - oh, and champagne! here's a picture of my gem/rock/pebble booty from the beach:
and here the finished products (added a bit later)
ii also got a pretty bouquet of lillies for my boat.
then it got entirely too hot to do anything and i decided to go to black sand beach. it's only 10 minutes from here and clothing optional - whoohee, get rid of those working gal tan lines!
the sand is actually not black but full of agates and mostly green and reddish colored pebbles, so from afar it look black. i collected a couple to work on some hippie travelling style jewelery. Doing online work today, then tomorrw fixing a hot tub. hey, if i can keep water out of a boat, i sure can keep water inside a tub!
other than that i hope to enjoy some more of this fabulous harbor community later tonight. yesterday was Karen's b-day and we had chocolate cake and fruit and ice cream at the general membership meeting - oh, and champagne! here's a picture of my gem/rock/pebble booty from the beach:
and here the finished products (added a bit later)
