Las velas de Pablo

An Unnatural State of being

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Las Velas de Pablo

Boats look so strange on land. Being lifted up out of the water and flying through the air, I often have visions of Peter Pan, Captain Hook and fairy dust.

We hauled Pablo out of the water yesterday do some painting, prop work, seacock servicing and overall inspection. And as I watched and pondered Pablo’s unnatural state, I realized that Captain Steve and I too have been living in an unnatural state. To put it plainly, we have been going 100 miles an hour, ten feet off the ground with our hair on fire.

As the countdown continues we have been spending every minute getting ready for “The Grand Adventure”. In the last few months we have replaced the dodger, replaced the mainsail, repaired and re-plumbed the head, started re-working the wind vane, ordered and are in the various stages of installing; refrigeration, propane system, SSB, life raft, and wiring for new auto pilot. Additionally we still need to upgrade our solar input and our battery bank. Then there is the small task of sewing various spray cloths, sun shades, and cushion covers. Wait…. that’s not all. We also decided that we should sell our house! What? Yep! As if we did not have enough to do already we decided to toss that monkey wrench into the works. We came to the conclusion that it just did not make good sense financially, emotionally, or logistically to keep it.

While all of this takes up the bulk of our time and resources, there is still the day to day life stuff like dentist and doctor appointments, travel for work, family visits, funerals, and birthdays. I have come to the place where I cannot even look at a picture of someone watching a beautiful sunset from their cockpit while on the hook somewhere warm and wonderful without feeling the green bug of envy gnawing at my insides. How did this become such a project? I just wanted to sail away!

Replacing the joker valve

It is so overwhelming at times. However, I have to say that the Captain and I do quite well getting through it all with a smile, hug, and a giggle. We plan and make lists, we support each other emotionally and physically, and we remind each other that this too is part of the fun, part of the journey. At the end of the day we fall exhaustedly into bed with a smile on our faces. With every completed project we get closer to that sunset.

In the meantime we live in a house that no longer feels like home because we had to “declutter”, which is just a nice way of saying get rid of all your personal stuff. We constantly have to keep it showroom clean and are always expecting a phone call from one realtor or another asking us to vacate so they can show the house. Which is fine, because we have to get out of the house and go work on the boat anyway. Once the boat hits the water again, I expect that she will become our main place of residence. Pablo is more like home now anyway. In the months ahead we will work and sail and sail and work. Getting everything important accomplished. I suppose that the idea of an “unnatural” state is probably something I should get used to. I am not certain anything will every be “Normal” again.

And yes….. This is precisely what we have been working and planning for. Living outside the bounds of “Normal”.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Learning, Moss Landing, projects | 2 Comments

Not just dreaming

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Las Velas de Pablo

That moment when you realize this is not a dream, but reality. You have actually twisted the fabric of your life and created something new and unrecognizable. Yep! That’s where we are right now. Each day, each conversation, each purchase is shaped by the pending journey.

I would like to say that we are riding on the wings of excitement, but I cannot. Our time is filled with lists and more lists, analyzing what we need vs what we want. The days are spent working on endless boat projects and nights are wrapped in dreams full of struggle and unrest. I find that I have that “What am thinking” feeling more often than not. Doubts and concern fill my thoughts. I have a good healthy fear of the unforeseen obstacles that lie before us.

We have worked so hard to make all of this come together. We have planned and researched. The past few years have been filled with daydreams of a nomadic life on the sea. I remind myself that we are prepared, we have planned for this, we are not being reckless. This is a moment of hesitation. A moment that is filled with anxiety and question. This too is part of the process of metamorphosis. Each conversation, each day, each purchase……

I know that we will miss much about the life we have now. Family (especially family), friends, hot showers, familiarity, comfort. With each conversation I slow down and try to be more present. Each day that is checked off the calendar is filled up with precious moments stored up for future musing. Each purchase evaluated for necessity, space, and value. With each tick of the clock the day draws closer. We hang in balance between excitement and trepidation, pausing only long enough to give our feelings validity and recognize their place in our process.

Our lives will soon look very different. I believe that we will mostly love all that this new way of living has to offer. Freedom, travel, new sights, interesting cultures and people, living a self sufficient lifestyle yet being a part of a large community of sailors and wanderers. Days and years filled with adventures that will fill our hearts and souls for a lifetime.

This is that moment before the free fall. That moment of hesitation, when you ask yourself one last time….. is this really what I want. I take a deep breath, whisper a prayer, and answer with a resounding YES! This is exactly what I want.

“It’s not just a daydream if you decide to make it your life”

~ lyrics by Train

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Getting ready, Musings | 1 Comment

Hard working, Happy sailors!

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Las Velas de Pablo

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Our boat life lately is filled with a wonderful mix of classes, projects, sailing, and days spent living on the hook. We are hard working, happy sailors, chasing our dream.

Steve and I are halfway through a navigation class with the USCG Auxiliary that is teaching us more than we had anticipated. This vary active, all volunteer organization is a real blessing here in the Monterey Bay. They are great people, eager to share their knowledge and experience. I highly recommend them for the boating basics. Honestly, If we were not leaving I think Steve and I would sign up to volunteer.

In addition to our Navigation class, I attended a Women’s Sailing Convention in Newport Beach earlier this month. I took an MOB class, beyond basic first aid class, and boat maintenance class; met some wonderful fellow sailing Gals and had the delightful opportunity to reconnect with friends from my Mexico sailing trip last November. Needless to say, I came home full of enthusiasm and excitement. Totally empowered and ready to tackle even the scariest of boat jobs and tasks.

Immediately upon my arrival home I began the distasteful task of repairing our head, started to gather supplies for our first aid kit, and have spent the last week getting all of the old varnish off the cap rail and rub rail, although I still haven’t decided whether to varnish or oil them. Steve has been steadily working on both maintenance and repair projects, as well as getting a good handle on the replacement parts; those already on board and parts we would like to carry in inventory. Together we have removed the sails and taken them to the sail shop to have them tuned up. We have also repaired our dinghy, made a lifting bridle and block and tackle to hoist it and worked on the logistics of getting the darn thing assembled on deck without looking too much like a comedy routine. We have ordered a new dodger, ordered fabric to make new covers for the settee cushions and researched a bazillion little details regarding SSB, In-Reach, wifi boosters, solar panels, battery monitors and on and on.

To balance all of this hard work we have had several wonderful days of sailing across the bay from Moss Landing to Santa Cruz, where we have dropped the hook. While these adventures are filled with beautiful sunsets and cocktails on the bow, it is also a learning time for us. Our first anchoring experience had us both a bit nervous, but Steve and I did an excellent job of communicating and getting the anchor set. We had thoroughly talked it through and right before we got to our anchorage we reminded each other to be kind. We have heard too many stories of couples howling at each other over an anchoring issue. Not that we would do such a thing. I don’t think either of us has ever raised our voice at the other, but its good to be ahead of things. Besides, we thought we would leave the entertainment for when we put the dinghy together on deck.

The first night we did not sleep for more than 2 hours at a time. I kept having crazy dreams only to wake up and swear that our keel was rubbing the sandy bottom. Of coarse, our anchor was stuck tight and there was nothing to worry about. So back to sleep until the next crazy dream. After that first night we slept soundly, cradled by the boat and rocked gently by the rolling sea. It was a good first experience anchoring Pablo and we left there proud. When we later returned for more anchoring fun, we had no issues at all. We will be taking more excursions soon to continue building our skills, going to Monterey and Stillwater Cove, Half-moon Bay, and possibly San Francisco Bay.

We have six months to go before we leave. We have a long list of projects that will never get done before we go and we will never build enough skills to feel truly ready. All we can do is get as much done as time will allow and practice our skills as much as possible. Steve and I are both rather conservative with our decision making. We recognize that we don’t have much experience with this type of sailing and respect the dangers that this life presents, but we are intelligent, we do a ton of research, and we practice everything repeatedly. Lately there has been a healthy fear settling into my bones. A quiet reminder that there will be difficult days. And yet I know that without trials there is no joy in the triumph.

Life is just so sweet right now!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Anchoring, Learning, Moss Landing, projects, sailing | 2 Comments

My Friend Sam

Posted on February 24, 2015 by Las Velas de Pablo

I spend a lot of time on the boat in Moss landing working, doing projects, and just hanging out. Most days this little guy comes to visit me. I have come to call him Sam!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Moss Landing | Leave a comment

Reflections and Dreams

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Las Velas de Pablo

Reflecting back over the last few months I am amazed at how far we have come in both skill and understanding of our boat, navigation, mooring, anchoring and sailing in general.

August and November had us sailing several times a week, sometimes with friends and often alone. We took a few trips to Capitola to hook up to a mooring ball. Once on the ball we stayed afloat for several days to test some of our theories about trash and waste management. We started to get a sense of how it would feel to live on Pablo for more than an afternoon or an overnight at the dock. In a short amount of time the cockpit became more to our liking than the living room of our townhouse.

And then in November I (Sherri) got the opportunity to go on a week long charter sail in the Sea of Cortez with a group of women whose combined sailing experience was more than we would ever achieve in our lifetime. And that just cinched the whole deal. Those days in Mexico confirmed everything that we had been dreaming about. Yes, we want to cruise. Yes, we want to cruise in Mexico. And Yes, we are totally capable! All of these successes and experiences help to speed us along and encourage us as we continue to prepare.

We are now taking navigation and Spanish classes. As well as checking the “to do”, “to get”, and “to learn” items off the long list as prepare for our September departure. Our financial plan is coming into focus as is the the planning of the first few months of our journey.

In the months to come we will be increasing the time spent on Pablo, eventually shifting the balance from land to boat life. We will spend more time on the hook and will start to venture further from home. Even as I write this, we are anchored in the waters just outside of Santa Cruz Harbor and man does this feel good! Sometimes I just have to pinch myself to be sure I am not dreaming. Or maybe it is in the dreaming that we are creating a new reality. Whatever the case we are loving life!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Getting ready | 2 Comments

Life is the journey, not the destination

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Las Velas de Pablo

Our lives are so full. Over a short few months we have felt the triumph as our youngest child graduated from High School in late May, we were repeatedly blessed as we traveled to both domestic and international destinations; visiting family and friends in cities across the continent and the oceans, and we faced challenges and hardship when we had a family member get into a terrible car accident which had him recovering in our living room and under our 24 hour watch for two months. Through each trial and blessing we have had the opportunity to remind ourselves and each other that our lives are rich and flavorful. We remember that life is the journey, not the destination.

It is now mid August and Pablo has been in Moss Landing since May 16th. Due to life’s events we have only sailed her 5 times this summer and each time was wonderful and memorable. There was the unforgettable Blessings and Celebration sail on my birthday followed by a lovely, yet strenuous day on the water with our friends Mac and Cathy. Mac is one of our oldest and dearest friends. So to be able to share our new love with Mac and his wife Cathy was such a thrill for us. We sailed out into fair winds and sunny skies and were rewarded with the beautiful sight of humpback whales feeding in the waters just two miles from the harbor. What a great day shared with friends.

Following the wonderful day with Mac and Cathy we had a few days with just the two of us under light conditions. We tinkered with sail trim, worked on procedures for raising and lowering the sails, and worked through some of our line handling difficulties. Each day out we worked on gaining more control and confidence as we got to know our boats quirks. Finally, on July 4th, we had what we consider to be the most wonderfully perfect day with Pablo. We were in charge, under control, and gleefully cutting through the blue waters of the Bay. Suddenly sailing Pablo seemed less like work and more of a joy. We no longer looked like the Keystone Cops, frantically running around the deck and cockpit trying to keep everything from flying apart. Ah, the sweet feeling of a successful day sailing our boat. Things were finally looking more as we had envisioned them. We were now going to do more than just the basics of sailing around for a few hours. We were going to be able to practice anchoring, changing sails, heaving to, spending days out on the hook. We were going to be able to do the work necessary to get ready for the “Grand Adventure”. However, while toasting our great triumph that evening, we received a call that Steve’s nephew was in a car accident and being airlifted to Stanford Hospital. Needless to say, our attention quickly shifted to family matters and we were preoccupied with more serious matters for the next few months.

Thankfully, all is well. He has now fully recovered and is literally back on his feet. I have to say that in looking back at that terrible event, I find that this too was all part of the lessons we must learn in order to follow the dream which is the “Grand Adventure”. We learned how to put Pablo on hold and take our love for sailing out of our central focus. We learned that sometimes other peoples lives will affect our ability to follow our dream and that when we let other peoples lives take center stage we are blessed. We learned that the “Grand Adventure” is not the most important thing in our lives, something we were losing sight of, as we were spending every waking moment discussing, planning, and preparing to sailing away.

Now we are looking forward to more days on the Monterey Bay sailing Pablo, more boat projects finished to prepare for the journey, and more lessons and classes to get us ready. While we are still planning, discussing, and preparing for the “Grand Adventure”, we will take time to enjoy a life seasoned by family, friends, and events; in gardens, restaurants, and living rooms. We will be present and fully engaged in the moment wether it be on sea or land. We will enjoy the journey, while keeping our eyes on destination, which is the “Grand Adventure”.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Getting ready, sailing | Leave a comment

Blessings and Celebrations

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Las Velas de Pablo

Our first sail on the Monterey Bay was on my birthday, May 18th. The Santa Cruz Yacht Club was hosting a blessing of the fleet from 12 to 2 in the waters near the Santa Cruz Municipal wharf. Our boat is in Moss Landing, which is about 15 nautical miles from Santa Cruz. Seemed like a great way to introduce Pablo to her new home waters and a wonderful way to celebrate.

We left Moss Landing around 9:30 with the giddy excitement of two children on Christmas morning. The forecast was for 10-12 knot winds from the west. Our destination was west and since we wanted to make it to the blessing on time, we would motor there and sail back. So there we were on a beautiful, magical, sunny day. Motoring our way into light winds and low swell. Steve decided to raise the main sail to get the boat more stabilized, however the sail would not cooperate. Steve cranked, readjusted the topping lift, readjusted the reefing lines, and tried again, the damn thing would go up, but only partially. It all just seemed to be more difficult than it should be, so we decided to leave it down until we could get into a better location to look at it. As we continued our trek west we noticed the windline change dramatically and there was a tangible change in the air. It wasn’t long before the winds and seas started to build, oh goody, now we would have the chance to see how Pablo could ride the seas. We grinned into the wind and marveled at how well she cut through the swell.

We had been operating the auto pilot, which was doing a wonderful job when the attachment bolt on the tiller sheered off. OK, so now we are hand steering dead into 15-20 knot winds and choppy 4-6 foot seas. This doesn’t really seem like the dreamy vision I had of our celebration sail. We were quickly reaching that “this isn’t so fun anymore” state. We checked our navigation, checked our speed, and realized that we would not make it to the blessing on time. Even if we did, it would be a miserable ride and who does that if you don’t have to? So we decided to turn back and head for our dock and a nice celebratory cocktail.

Once the wind was behind us we had the bright idea to raise the sails and cut the motor. After all, we had been discussing the issue with the main sail and realized what we were doing it wrong. We needed to pull her up with the topping lift first to release the stress on the sail so we could raise it easily. After several attempts and lots of boat yoga on the deck, Steve finally got the sail up to a somewhat satisfactory state. Now for the jib. Hah! The halyard twisted around the forestay halfway up. This meant that Steve was flailing around on the foredeck trying to keep the jib from dropping into the water and untangle the halyard all while doing his best not to go swimming. (Thank you God that we always wear our PFD’s and we rigged up jack lines). With much wrangling, Steve finally got the jib up. Now we were sailing. Although we were no longer grinning or really even having much fun anymore, we were determined to achieve some level of dignified sailing. As I stood at the tiller, while Steve panted and recovered from his sail wrestling, I was smuggly thinking, “ok, we can do this. It’s not that hard”. Suddenly something came whipping past my face so fast I did not really register that it was anything important. Then it whooshed past me again. What the….. it was our running back stay. It had come loose.

Our running back stays are secured to eye bolts on the deck and are not used unless we are sailing with main and staysail alone. They provide the counter pressure on mast for the staysail if were not using the jib along with the staysail. So we weren’t in any real danger other the fact that there was a 1/4″thick steel cable flying around our heads that could have easily injured either of us. The whole pirate thing is cute and all, but I don’t really want to wear an eye patch. Now Steve and I are jumping up and down in the cockpit trying to catch the damn thing and scared to death it is going to hurt like hell if it hits us first. I can’t recall who caught it, only that I was relieved to tie it back down on deck. All the while Pablo is like a runaway horse. She has a single reefed main and a full yankee jib flying downwind with Frick n Frack at the helm.

We move into a broad reach but now her weather helm is so strong I am holding onto the tiller with both hands and she is being hit broadside by each wave. OK, this is definitely NOT fun anymore. Captain Steve and I decided to call it a day. It was time to lower those sails and motor her home. Steve shimmies his way onto the foredeck to drop the jib. Now, I am in the cockpit holding onto the tiller using my left hand and full body weight while holding onto the jib sheet in my right hand. All while the 15knots of wind are trying to tear it loose from my grasp. Steve is rolling around on deck, I am doing cockpit aerobics and it seems like an eternity before the damn jib drops to the deck. Now for the main sail. Should be no problem. Right? During the whole sail dropping process the topping lift came completely loose and we spent several hair raising, boom swinging, moments trying to get the situation under control. To say that we were exhausted would be an extreme understatement.

We finally got our girl safely back to dock. Or should I say that she got us there. We spent many days debriefing our experiences, hashing out the things we did wrong and analyzing the whats and whys of how much trouble we had. In the end we realized that we were not in control of our boat. We will never be able to follow our dreams if we don’t get her under our command. We have a lot work ahead of us. Practice, skill building, lessons, and practice. We are not afraid (mostly), but we would be foolish to think we are prepared.

We still celebrated our first sail in Pablo’s home waters. Although we lifted our glasses with sore and bruised arms. We were still blessed by God’s hand of mercy and with the lessons learned about ourselves and our strengths, our skills and our determination. Life is oh so sweet when you take the chance and chase a dream.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Learning, sailing | 1 Comment

Captain’s log – a journey up the coast

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Las Velas de Pablo

(left to right: Steve Brenner, Graham Wright, Randy Sparks, Don Radcliffe)

Bringing Pablo Home

May 11^th 2014, Sunday, Mother’s Day – About to go on my longest boat ride ever.

I was the junior crew – along with Captain Randy Sparks (Sailing instructor, charter captain, much international charter experience), Don Radcliffe (long time cruiser, 2 circumnavigations) and Graham Wright (starting sailing as a boy in England, never stopped).

We left Santa Cruz early Sunday morning with our gear and all the food that Sherri had prepared for us in a rental car.

For the last few weeks we had been watching weather windows come and go, wanting to be able to get past Point Conception and Point Sur all on the same trip. Finally a window had opened and hadn’t closed.

We arrived at Channel Islands Harbor at mid-day but after unloading we still waited around until 4:30 so we wouldn’t get to Point Conception too early while the wind was too strong. Plenty of time to make sure the dockbox was empty, pull up my shore power cord and check out of Vintage Marina. We’ll miss that place, a really nice well run marina (and harbor).

At 4:30PM we started the engine, untied and set off. It was warm and sunny with very little wind (IN THE HARBOR!)

Outside the harbor big wind coming right down the coast, with 6-8 foot swell with really short periods. NOT comfortable. Randy and Don went forward to raise the main (double reefed) for stability. Hanging on as they worked the main, they discovered that I had rigged the reefing line all wrong. Great time to find out. But these guys fixed it! While Pablo was see sawing up and down the chop, water pouring over the dock.

These conditions held for about 3 hours. The whole time I’m thinking “Is it going to be like this for the entire trip???” You know, it could have been. But it wasn’t. After passing Santa Barbara things calmed down considerably, but never really got “smooth” until the end of the trip. We were able to use the autopilot for the remainder of the journey.

It was getting on towards evening. The other guys ate some of the KFC chicken we had picked up in Oxnard, but I couldn’t eat. I wasn’t sick, I just didn’t have any desire to eat. I drew the best watches (I think) 9 – 11 at night, 5 – 7 in the morning, dawn.

As the sun went down the oil rigs lit up, they DO look like Christmas Trees. The iPad/GPS/AIS/WiFi router system all worked correctly, but occasionally the iPad lost the router signal (briefly) causing false AIS alarms. Very annoying. It only seems to happen with the iPad 2, but not with the newer iPad Air. Needs to be investigated. We ended up only using the iPad Air, but I need to have both functional in the future.

It was really nice to see our “own ship” location on the chart as well as the shore, oil rigs, and the AIS targets (other ships).

When Graham went below at 9:00PM I was on watch by myself. The lights from shore on starboard, oil rigs to port, and a few ships on the horizon. It wasn’t nearly as cold as I thought it would be. We were in a good weather window. The watch went faster than I thought it would, and I even made some minor course corrections to keep us evenly between the rigs and the shore, and a wide margin from other vessels.

Randy came up at 11, and I was wondering if I’d be able to sleep. We were still seesawing heavily, and I was up in the V-berth, with a lot of vertical motion. While I was wondering if I could sleep, I did. At least half the time anyway.

Graham woke me for my 5 AM watch – told me I’d get to watch the sunrise over Point Conception. It was beautiful! And again, not nearly as cold as I had expected. No ships in sight. As the day became brighter we went by Point Arguello, also beautiful. The winds were still on the nose, but not very strong, swell moved the boat but not too bad. It could have been SO much worse.

Sunny day Monday motoring north, with the constant droning of the engine, the continual seesawing of the boat. Finally by the afternoon, I actually felt like eating something. Really nice view of the launch facilities at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

When we saw Avila Bay we knew we were close to Morro Bay which would be the last chance to get fuel before the long harborless (is that a word?) stretch to Monterey. We checked the fuel, and it showed we had enough to go the whole way.

Sherri’s dinners were great. Some of us had stew, some spaghetti and meatsauce. All delicious, not to mention the cookies, brownies and everything else she packed. Thank you my love.

My Monday night 9 PM watch was just past Morro Bay, and things really started kicking up. Much more wind on the news and much higher seas with them. Our average speed dropped from 5 ½ Knots to 3 ½. Pablo didn’t mind at all. Just powered up the wave, and splashed down the other side, water flying to port and starboard off the bow. Me? I just held on.

At one point hit with a very strong smell of sewage – my first thought was that the holding tank had done a bad thing. I stuck my head down into the cabin and happily it wasn’t coming from there. We were several miles from shore, so perhaps a passing ship had dumped their tank.

The entire 2 hours was rough going. When Randy got up for his watch, I overheard him discussing with Don the possibility of turning around and going in to Morro Bay. I went to my bunk not knowing where I would be when I got up.

During my 6 hour sleep shift I awoke and we seemed to be going MUCH smoother. I assumed we were motoring in to Morro Bay, and fell back asleep.

At 5 AM Graham came to get me. I asked where we were, and he said “…almost to Point Sur – you have another good sunrise coming up.” Up on deck I looked at the chart plotter and we had come a LONG way. He said that after my watch things calmed down considerably and we had made good time.

Another beautiful sunrise, this time over Point Sur. Once again, like at Point Conception, there was wind and swell coming right at us, but no whitecaps, not very cold, and we moved right along. Tuesday became warm and sunny. As we approached Monterey I realized that we would be in today. I was totally shocked, I NEVER expected to do the trip in 2 days. I texted Sherri giving her our ETA.

Past Stillwater Cove, it was actually HOT with no wind. I had not brought a single T shirt with me.

Around Point Piños, I could see the stacks at Moss Landing. A couple of hours later, and I was waving to Sherri – who was there on Moss Landing Harbor beach waiting for us.

47 hours – way faster then I expected. I learned so much from these guys, up to and including docking the boat in Moss Landing Harbor.

What a ride. And the adventure is only beginning.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Channel Islands, Getting ready, Learning, Moss Landing, Sailing peeps | 2 Comments

Home at last!

Posted on May 16, 2014 by Las Velas de Pablo

Captain Steve and crew arrived safely Tuesday afternoon. They made the trip in 47 hours! Even the more experience crew were amazed at how fast the trip went. They had a few minor things to deal with; a head that did not work so well, no ability to plug in iPad without exposing it to weather (we have a water proof case for it), iPad shutting down because of overheating while in the sun. Nothing too big. Captain Steve has promised to post about what it was like for him going on his first overnight passage. What a learning experience for him.

Yesterday we were able to work on the boat for the day and come home to have dinner with family. Loving the fact that my “Pablo” life and my land life can now be more integrated.

Now we get the joy of learning how to sail this baby!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Getting ready, Learning, Moss Landing | Leave a comment

Bashing up the coast

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Las Velas de Pablo

Steve got some spotty cell coverage today and was able to say that they had made it past Pt. Conception and Pt. Arguello. He was even able to send me a few photos.

His words: “What an Experience!” He said that even in the nice conditions things are having they are rocking and rollin. They are making good time at 5knots and might even be here by Thursday evening. This is just so exciting. Hard to believe our girl is coming home. She will finally be close enough to incorporate her into our lives instead of having her be the long distance mistress.

The dodger has held! I think I should contact the gorilla tape company and ask for sponsorship.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Channel Islands, Learning, Moss Landing | Leave a comment

Thoughts from land

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Las Velas de Pablo

I heard from Steve four hours ago that they were leaving the dock, heading for home. Bringing “Pablo” to Moss Landing, near our home. I am sad not to be with them on this journey. This is Steve’s first overnight (multiple night) passage. It is now 8:30 and the sun is beginning to set. I think about how they have started rotation. I wonder if Steve is on first watch or second? Will he be up when they round Point Conception? Are they eating the brownies I made? Is the crew getting into a groove?

I know that my thoughts and heart will be with them these next couple of days. I know that people do this trip all the time. I know that the crew is very experienced, but still my mind wonders…..

This will be a long three days.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Channel Islands, Learning, Moss Landing | 2 Comments

King Neptune has granted us passage!

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Las Velas de Pablo

Hip, Hip Hooray! The long awaited day has finally arrived! Steve and crew; Randy Sparks, Graham Wright, and Don Radcliffe left this morning at 6am from Santa Cruz to drive down to Channel Islands Harbor. The plan (there’s that word again) is to leave the dock at 4pm. This will get them around Point Conception around 4am when the winds are predicted to be the lightest. The forecast for the following days looks good for the long passage past the Big Sir coastline. I just talked to Steve on the phone and he tells me everything seems in order and they are on schedule. I am not sure how much communication we will have over the next couple of days, so I will be sitting on pins and needles waiting for word from them.

They should arrive in Moss Landing on Wednesday sometime, possibly Thursday.

Praying for fair winds and an easy passage.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Channel Islands, Moss Landing | 2 Comments

Not Yet!

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Las Velas de Pablo

We have now scheduled two different dates to move the boat from Channel Islands Harbor to Santa Cruz. And both of those dates have been cancelled due to high wind conditions. Since we will be beating into a Northerly wind all the way up the coast, we are waiting for the winds to lighten, especially around Point Conception. There are some rough places that you have to get past on the passage and Point Conception is one of them. Some say it is the most treacherous (such an ominous word) along the California coast.

So….. We Wait…. and Wait….. and Wait…..

The next window appears to be May 10th. Better to wait than have problems. The idea is to have the boat and crew arrive safely. Maybe this patience thing is starting to kick in?!?!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Channel Islands | Leave a comment

Another day of work while we wait

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Las Velas de Pablo

Well if we can’t bring “Pablo” to us, we will just have to go to her.

Another scheduled move date has been cancelled due to high winds. It had been three weeks since we last stepped foot onto “Pablo’s” deck and we were anxious to spend some time aboard. So we left on Thursday 4/24/14 and did our usual trek down Hwy 101 to Vintage Marina. We planned to take “Pablo” out for a sail and do some small projects over the weekend. Key word: Planned. The winds were too high even in the harbor so no sailing. However, we did get a few things done.

A few weeks ago I got a great price on dock lines from West Marine (crazy that they would have good pricing on anything, I know). I purchased 1/2″ dock lines at 40% off! I scored four new lines for less than $80.00. I wanted to put some new chafe guards on but was not liking any of the options I found until I saw a product from SEADOG. These seemed to fit in better with “Pablo’s” old salty dog look. I am quite happy with the results.

Steve did some other small projects and we spent a few windy but wonderful days aboard.

She feels more like home all the time.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Channel Islands, projects | Leave a comment

Patience, Patience, Patience

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Las Velas de Pablo

Our current lesson is patience. Wow, this one is tough. Last week we set a date for moving the boat. Next week! Tuesday! whahoo!!! Everyone has cleared their calendar and the crew is ready to go. Oh no, not so fast. The winds are predicted to be 30knots with gusts up to 37 knots on Tuesday around point conception. That is a big fat “Oh Hell No”. So we wait. The winds are looking better for Thursday. We shall see.

Learning to roll with it!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Channel Islands, Learning | 2 Comments

Strictly sail boat show

Posted on April 13, 2014 by Las Velas de Pablo

When you can’t sail what can you do? Go to a boat show! Perfect!

(fellow Westsail people!)

We spent the last two days at the “Strictly Sail Boat Show” in Jack London square. Wonderful time! Wonderful people! It was so nice to be surrounded by others who are equally obsessed with their boats, their boat equipment, their sailing plan, their head, galley, SSB, and so on….

We spent an afternoon having lunch with folks from our local Santa Cruz Yacht Club, went to several seminars (some useful, some not so much), and priced several pieces of equipment on our” need to have” list. We actually did purchase our EPIRB at a steep discounted price because the units had been sitting in the warehouse for a year, which ate into their 5 year battery life. Upside is that they give us a replacement battery (free of charge) when this one expires. The battery alone would cost us a few hundred dollars.

We also purchased foul weather bibs, Gil brand. I had not expected to pay this much for bibs, but we really liked the features. So there you go. A large savings on the EPIRB and an excess spent on the bibs. I still think we made out well on our purchases.

Two other great things! We bought a couple of cruising guides for Mexico. After searching through them we discovered that the authors (who were at the show) were also cruising on a Westsail 32. Were we ever excited! We had to go back and chat them up. Additionally, and probably the best part of the weekend… we had drinks and then dinner with fellow Westsail owners. It was so great to chat with other folks that have the same type of boat as us. To hear what they have done, plan to do, and how things have worked for them. Hoping that we can see some of them again soon.

Getting it done! Having fun doing it! Life is Good!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Getting ready, Learning, Sailing peeps | Leave a comment

Change in the “Big Plan”

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Las Velas de Pablo

I think they are called plans and not guarantees for a reason. We planned to leave in October of this year. However, it does not look like that is going to fit very well with our other responsibilities. We knew from the beginning that we were pushing things a bit, but still we made our plans. There never was any guarantee that all the pieces would fall into place as we had hoped.

It is not uncommon for me to but my head against reality and try to force the outcome I want. This time it is just giving me a headache and I am afraid the consequences of pushing our departure date too soon will have lasting negative effects. So I have acquiesced to the calendar which dictates the seasons of our lives.

After processing this new reality I have come to see some of the positives of leaving in 17 months vs. 5. We will have more time to get to know “Pablo”. More time to practice, take more classes, and get our home life in better order. More time with family and friends. All seems as it should be which relieves my headache.

Embracing the change!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Getting ready, Learning | Leave a comment

Work and play… or is it play and then work?

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Las Velas de Pablo

March 28th and 29th 2014

On the LONG drive down the coast Captain Steve and I discussed the final few projects that need to be completed in order for “Pablo” to be moved up to Santa Cruz. As we pondered the list (which seemed very short) our conversation moved to the possibility of throwing a sail into the weekend. What could it hurt? A few hours out on the water would be lovely. After all, we haven’t really had a good sea trial. The first two trips out left us a bit less than satisfied (one day of NO wind and the second with thick, soupy fog). So we made up our minds to take a few hours on Friday to go sailing before we got to work.

We woke early and had our usual Pablo scramble (eggs, spinach, sausage, and mushrooms). Steve decided he really wanted to get the router connected to the VHF/AIS before leaving dock. This will be very important to our navigation in the coming weeks, months, and years. After an hour or so and a few failed attempts he got it up and running. We can now use the iPad as our primary navigation tool. We are using iSailor as our chart plotter with the AIS connection that displays other boats in relationship to ourselves. I make it all sound so simple. Steve has spent hours and several weeks getting the system set up. This was just the culmination of a lot of hard work. Yay for Captain Steve!

While Steve worked on the router connection, I got the sails ready, ran the sheets, and got the boat ready for leaving the dock. This process, which seemed so daunting at one time is getting easier each time I do it. As it is with all things “Pablo”. We were off the dock by 11:30. A quick stop at the pump out station and we were soon heading out of the harbor. We had a most wonderful day with a light 5-8 knots SSW. We were quite pleased with the fact that our big heavy boat was able to maintain 2.5-3 knots in such light conditions.Perhaps that new feathering prop was worth it!

After spending about three hours sailing we decided it was best to head back in. After all, we had that list of work items to attend to. Truth is, that once we got back to the dock, got the sails put away, sail covers on, and everything stowed it was too late to get any real work done this day. Oops! Maybe we should have completed our chores first. Nah! I would not have traded this day of sailing for anything. It was exactly what we needed. We needed to remember why we were working so hard.

Saturday came and work we did. From sunrise to sunset we spent the day completing one task after another. Fuel tanks filled, water tanks filled, Pilot berth cleared, Permanent stowage for items randomly placed around the boat, cotter pins installed in rigging and on and on….. By the end of the day we realized that there was still a few necessary items that needed to be completed. Steve will come next week to get them done. We are now ready to set a moving date. We will contact our skipper and friendly crew to see if we can get a date put onto the calendar and then pray the weather cooperates.

Soon, soon, soon our boat will be home!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Channel Islands, projects, sailing | Leave a comment

Gorilla tape!

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Las Velas de Pablo

March 8, 2014

Today’s great accomplishments include: Steve getting the 12volt outlet working and verifying that the auto pilot is completely operational. I cleaned out the dock box and cockpit lazaret, and moved enough stuff around in the cabin to make three empty lockers for the crew that will help us move the boat to Santa Cruz.

Steve and I worked together duct taping, or rather Gorilla taping, the dodger. The old clear plastic was no longer clear. It was actually not possible to see through it at all. So we used Gorilla tape to temporarily put clear plastic in place. It looks really pathetic, but hey, if it holds until we get her home I win the MacGyver award. We still need a new dodger, but it will just have to wait.

I have been running some very loose observations about how much water we use onboard. As of now, without any conscious effort toward conservation and without showers onboard we use aprox 3.8 gal/day. We have two 36 gallon holding tanks so that will give us 20 days if nothing changes. We have a water maker and my mind churns about a freshwater catchment system. Just something else to think about.

Sundowners of rum punch and red wine. Carnitas for dinner. Life is GOOD!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Channel Islands, Getting ready, projects | Leave a comment

The gusher works!

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Las Velas de Pablo

March 6, 2014

Spent the day working on many projects. Steve installed the re-built, and re-built again (yes, he did it twice) Whale Gusher 25 into the boat. It works perfectly! Hooray! Steve was also rather brilliant as he figured out how to get the kerosene hose working to fill our lanterns. You see, we have this great 10gal kerosene tank built into the turtle on the deck with a hose running into the cabin that lets you get kerosene without leaving the cabin. We haven’t been able to get it to work until now.

Steve also replaced the bow and stern running lights with LED bulbs. Kim, the master rigger, came and helped with the masthead running lights. He actually climbed the mast in gusting 20-25 knot winds! Everything is working great. We now have all running lights.

I scrubbed the deck and tried to replace the pelican hooks on the lifeline gate. No bueno! The new hooks are too big. Bummer because to old ones bite me every time I operate them. I need to do something about the dodger. I tried special glue, but it is not holding. Applied some gorilla tape to one section. We will see how it holds.With any luck I will be finishing my fine taping job tomorrow.