Life Began…
Life began, at least my sailing life, about a month ago (June 3, 2009) when my wife
and I purchased our first sailboat. She’s was a 26′ Columbia Mk II and she was our pride and joy. Although she needed some fixing up, we were learning to sail with her, and alas, we sold her to make way for our new boat. We now own a Harstad 31 (try to find that one on the web!) that is actually 32′ LOD and has over 6′ of headroom in the main saloon. She’s a beautiful boat!
This blog will stand as an historical account of our learning to sail and our 
adventures.
Tags: life on a boat, sailing
We were finally able to get back down to the marina and get some things done on the boat. Our of our list of things to get done, we managed to build the shelves in the storage closet. That was a really big deal because it has allowed us more space for more food staples.
We currently have about 250 pounds of food on board. Most of it is stored in the stern area of the boat, but the storage closet towards the bow was mostly empty. It was originally designed to have clothes hanging in it, so it was a big open closet. We built several shelves into the closet that allows us to store a lot more food and other items.
There are several more subtle modifications that we are going to make to get her into shape for extended cruises. There is a lot of unused space there, and a lot of places for good and extra water.
More to come…
There have been several interesting discussions here and there regarding carrying arms on a boat for protection during an extended voyage. Depending on where your voyage takes you, there are things that you will have to consider that will play a part in your decision. You should know the law where you are and know the laws for your destination. Also know that protected waters vary from place to place.
It has long-been our right in the United States to carry arms. Our forefathers had a good understanding of the eventuality of events that might lead up to the point where we may need to use them. The open sea has its own set of reasons, mostly because the force of law is not there to govern behaviors, and a code of morals isn’t either. Because of the precariousness of the open seas, a firearm is a good consideration. This is especially true if you are planning a sail into areas where the indigenous people might not be friendly. You best choice for a single weapon is probably a shotgun. Given the choice, I would probably carry a shotgun, rifle, and a side arm. This would afford you protection at different distances.
Again, the laws vary widely from country to country, and from state to state here at home, so know them and adhere to them. Make sure you understand how to handle boardings from the Coast Guard and what they expect. Train before you carry. Be ready to use if you are going to point. Most of all, keep safe, and know that if you are in a place where there is a possibility of being boarded by pirates, they probably won’t think twice about taking your life.
Tags: adventure, protection, sailing
After getting all ready to go, it seems that plans changed. We’re not sure what happened, but our travel mates were evidently not up for the trip to Mexico, so the plans fell through. We did manage to make it to Catalina Island for a night, though. It was really fun there.
Initially we started for Catalina on 12/22. I had checked the wind/weather forecast the day before, and although it appeared that the winds were going to be fairly strong, that is all that was in the report that was to be concerned about. We started out on the trip around mid-day and all was going well until we were around 8 miles out, or so. The wind and wave heights started increasing around the 5 mile mark, but by mile 8 we were looking at 25-30 knot winds and waves between 10 and 15 feet. The last straw was when we had crested a fairly big wave and when we hit the trough, I looked up at the next wave which was approximately three seconds later. To see the top I had to look at at about a 45 degree angle! I estimated that it was at least 15 feet tall. After all the years I engineered telephone systems, I have a fairly keen eye for heights, so considering that a typical building has stories that are 10 feet in height, this wave was definitely taller than a single story building.
We decided at that point, that it was time to turn around and head home. We were both feeling a little sea sick after being tossed around for about an hour anyway, so it was not a difficult decision. Upon returning we had the chance to talk to the sheriff and the port police. They both told us that there had been a weather advisory issued that morning and the ferry service to Catalina Island had been suspended until the weather cleared. The port police told us that the wave heights were 10-15 feet at three seconds with gale-force winds. We were glad that we made the decision to turn around!
Although there were a few moments that we were concerned about, it was rather exciting! Perhaps we just aren’t experienced enough to have been scared, but it was an interesting experience.
I’ll post pictures of the next day when we actually made it to Catalina in my next post.
Here we are in our last few days of planning out trip to Mexico. I have the route planned and how long it will take, I have waypoints set so that we can stop if needed, upgraded our insurance and towing package… Just a few small things to work out on the boat.
We bought an ice maker yesterday, and I have been putting it through its paces to see if it will do what we need. We will use it to replenish the ice box and for ice for drinks. It should work well to keep bait and caught fish fresh until needed. So far it is working well and I think will be a welcome addition.
I doubt that we’ll be able to stay there more than a day because of the work that has piled up, but the adventure of cruising and fishing will be great!
In planning this trip, we will be taking a bit over a week to sail south to Coronados Island where we will drop anchor inside one of the natural harbors. It will 
take us all day to get there – probably 13 hours. We will leave really early on the 19th or 20th. After a night’s sleep, we will probably make shore somewhere around Rosarito. We are going to be traveling with Dan and Daniel, our marina mates, so we’ll all be looking for a party!
We’ve bought another 50 or so pounds of provisions and a new reel for our third rod so that we can troll 3 lines in the water, so our food should be plentiful. I will be buying an ice maker so that we have ice for the box and drinks on the trip. I will also be making some small repairs to the boat to ensure that nothing goes wrong.
This should be a fun trip! It’s around 113 miles one way, so it will be the farthest that we have taken our sailboat. We will always be close to shore just in case something comes up, but the boat is in great condition and we have sailed for up to 16 hours straight before, so we can handle this.
We’ll be blogging during the trip, too. We’ll send back as many pictures and videos as we can. More soon…