allan
09/29/2010, Santa Clara

Gainfully employed once again... and how strange it is... Batteries are recharged and I'm having fun, but the schedule says it all compared to a life of cruising...

And for those interested in the details of our transition back home... I'll be commenting as we process them into something interesting.

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Allan
08/19/2010, Redwood City, CA

The hull is quiet

Our focus has wandered, pulled by the excitement of the impending transition

Re-entry is in full swing

Stretching out in 1800 square feet with unlimited water and power seems positively luxurious

Unpacking each box leads to small but exciting discoveries... like a thousand little Christmas surprises... remember this?

Upon returning for a visit we crack the companionway hatch to a whiff of something familiar yet a bit alien

The electrical panel has been reduced to a single frig and bilge light, the glow un-impressive contrasted with her former livelyness

The birds have done their nasty business on the topsides, but it provides a therapeutic wash down opportunity, re-acquainting me with every curve of her topsides

The mind reflexively builds a to-do list...

I realize that it will likely take a long time to accomplish it...

Oh well...Until next time....

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Allan
08/04/2010, Redwood City, CA

We pulled out of Santa Barbara at 1800 heading for the forbidding waters of Point Conception last Monday, timing our departure to limit the carnage around the normally blustery point. Winds were forecast 10-14 knots but almost immediately we were hit with 20 knots on the nose. Luckily it was only the late afternoon channel winds, and by 2000 we were motorsailing ahead of schedule. Our midnight passage around the point was uneventful and wonderfully lit by a near full moon. Our plan was to keep gong as long as conditions were mild, and we quickly passed Port San Luis, San Simeon, Monterey and approached Santa Cruz at first light on Wednesday. Both Rina and I noticed that our decision-making was heavily influenced for the first time in awhile by the desire to get home... kind of like that feeling you get at the very end of a long vacation.

After 2 days catching up with Rina's mom in Santa Cruz, we caught the next weather window on Saturday, leaving at 5am for the Golden Gate so we could catch slack tide in the late afternoon. We both had goofy grins on our face as we entered the bay, experiencing the expected déjà vu as we took in our former cruising grounds. We took a slip at Pier 39, next to steaming piles of cute cuddly stinky pests, so we could surprise Alyssa, who happened to be working the evening shift at the Pier 39 Hard Rock Café. We put on a bit of a ruse with our waitress, who earned a nice tip by finding a way to get Alyssa out of the break room and away from her shrimp tacos. Sleep did not come easy that night as barking sea lions, creaking dock lines from surging tidewaters and the anticipation of our impending homecoming all took their toll. Our 3 hour sail to Redwood City went by in a comparative snap, bringing into clear focus the differences in our sailing skills and perceptions since departing two years ago. I relished the last 10 miles, gibing broadly to put off the inevitable entrance to Redwood Creek as long as possible... we were masters of our universe; as it turns out, for only a short time more.

Traffic increased as we entered the narrow channel leading to our Marina. Several boats headed towards us and 2 other sailboats sailed along side. After a courteous wave by one smiling skipper who was within hailing distance, he pointed to our rig and helpfully mentioned that we should sheet our main out more. Rina and I looked at each other, simultaneously thinking "who the hell does this guy think he is! He clearly doesn't know that we've been on the water nearly full time for 2 years and are clearly master sailors.... Harrumphhh!" I figure that was his way of criticizing our sailplan, where our swept-back spreaders do not allow us to sheet out the main as far as traditional rigs. Just as our indignancy subsided our attention focused on the boat heading directly towards us. All seemed fine as he turned slightly and drifted slowly away from us. Suddenly he tacked directly towards us, with only 20 feet separating his bowsprit from our rail. We turned the wheel hard to starboard until we realized there was only 5 feet of water under our keel. I yelled "what the hell skipper!" and he yells "sorry, rookie at the helm", referring to the 20-something lady at the wheel. We inched back to port, narrowly missing the boat, which had gone dead in the water thanks to the skill of the helmsman. Rina and I looked at each other again.... "Welcome home, huh? Don't these people know who we are and what we've done?" The hubris bubbled over the top of the box that normally has a tightly secured lid.

We glided through the narrowing creek, gracefully traversing the tricky channel just outside our marina, with less than a foot of water under our keel. 10 feet either way and we are stuck in the mud. We grin at each other and take in the familiar sights, moments from our slip and ready to secure the dock lines for awhile.

And then, as sailing usually does, we were put in our rightful place near the bottom of the food chain, reminded that we are clearly not masters of this or any other universe. We ghosted into the marina, awaiting the crowds and balloons, which for some reason, did not materialize. Instead, we crept into the channel near our new slip to an eerie silence. I started to back down to put the stern of the boat into the slip first, but as the boat started to make its turn in the narrow channel, it headed directly for the dock, aided by suddenly gusting wind. C'mon, I've done this a million times...No problem... power out and let's try it again. This time I gave myself a little more room, and as people started to poke their heads out, taking in the spectacle, I headed for the slip again. I got closer, but no joy. Power out again.... Grrrrrrrr.... Now several guys come out, ready to catch dock lines, and start giving advice. I feel the temperature in my head start to increase, reflecting my growing embarrassment. Outwardly, I'm still calm as a cucumber... no problem, third times the charm. As I head out yet again to position the boat for docking, I hear a voice yell from across the marina... "need some help skipper?" I ignore him. I give it another try with the same result, and as steam quickly exits my ears, gun the throttle quickly in forward then reverse, trying to jam the boat into the narrow slip. Water and diesel fumes swirl violently as the boat is impaled on the corner of the dock, tattooing the hull with an 18" black scar. I quickly throw dock lines out to the patiently waiting deckhands and we finally wrestle her into the slip. I put on a brave face as my blood pressure slowly receded, and we continued tucking Follow You Follow Me into her former home for the first time in 2 years.

-------------------------------

So what does it all mean? Who knows, but it's been on our minds for awhile. On long passages, Rina and I have compared notes on the impact this trip has had on us, both as individuals and as a couple. We are experiencing a lot of interesting things now that we are home, noticing how our perceptions of familiar places and interactions with American life have changed. The friendships we have made on the water have been many and have persisted, even as we have scattered across the globe and as many of us have moved ashore.

One thing that has not changed is our family. Throughout our journey, they have been there for us in so many ways, both large and small. We were blessed by many family visits over the past 2 years, most well documented here, but we could not have done what we did without their support from afar as well. They were our long distance physical and emotional support team in so many ways, and for that we are eternally thankful.

The picture above was taken just after passing under the fog shrouded Golden Gate Bridge. Two years older and grayer, but happy and better for the many wonderful experiences we've enjoyed sharing with you.

Thanks for reading...

Allan and Rina

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Allan
07/26/2010, Santa Barbara, CA

We've had our usual awesome time in Santa Barbara, riding our bikes around town, hitting the farmers market for fresh veggies, listening to live music and watching people on State Street. We got the last slip in the Marina due to the Kings Harbor Regatta being in town. That put us at the end of S Dock where the lack of constant boat activity invites the harbor seals to lounge about on the end of the dock, pooping profusely while they do so. The harbor patrol and I took turns washing down the docks and chasing the critters away and eventually they got the idea and found a home someplace else.

We visited with cousins Ken and Susan Radkey and enjoyed dinner at their spectacular new home in Montecito. Ken is an architect with a focus on building the most energy and resource efficient homes possible. His home is a virtual showcase of green technologies, from passive and active solar, water conservation and re-use, plus building with reclaimed materials while creating one of the most spectacular living spaces we have ever seen... and all with views of the city of Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara channel.

On the docks we met Joe Elliott on s/v SEA42, who is just down from the bay area. Joe is yet another cruiser who has been following our blog over the years. He's just starting his journey, so we had lots to talk about and he even bought our South Pacific electronic charts and folding bikes after a test ride into town.

Rina and I are departing tonight at 6pm on our last overnighter of the journey, for the trip around Point Conception. Weather is benign, with overcast and fog holding the wind down. We expect 6-10 knots tonight when we pass the point and the wind/seas should be reasonable for the next 48 hours. Because the weather picks up again in 48 hours we have decided to make a straight shot 203 miles directly to Monterey, bypassing our normal overnight stops at Port San Luis and San Simeon. This should put us into Monterey Bay on Wednesday afternoon, where we will hang out for a couple of days visiting friends before heading to Santa Cruz.

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Allan
07/19/2010, Avalon, Catalina Island

For months we had been planning an outing to Avalon on Catalina Island for mom's bday. As the time grew near, we fretted that the crappy weather we have been experiencing for weeks would continue. Luckily the weather gods were kind and for 4 glorious days, Avalon was warm and sunny, only clouding up on our last day, somehow telling us it was time to move on. And since this was the first sunny weekend in weeks, every power boater from Dana Point to the Channel Islands decided to join us. Luckily we arrived mid-day Thursday, putting us fairly high in the queue for a coveted inside the breakwater mooring. The problem was each morning, the owner of the mooring could decide he was coming over and punt us lowly renters off his mooring. We would wake each morning at 730 to the voice of the harbor patrol telling us that we would likely have to move to another mooring. On our second day we got pushed out of the main harbor to the western mooring field - purgatory, as far as we were concerned. We tried to make the best of it, rationalizing how it wasn't rolling *too* bad, especially compared to the big motor boats, that seemed to roll 30 degrees to each side. Just as we had come to grips with our fate, the patrol came by and shouted "166" and we knew instantly we had received a reprieve from a rolly night aboard. We happily headed back into the main harbor and grabbed mooring 166, right near the fuel dock and a restaurant with live music from 2-6 each afternoon. This was a great spot, well protected from the afternoon wind-waves, and gave us endless chuckles watching the parade of boats practice close quarters maneuvering and docking, as well as ravaging the melodic inconsistencies of the band. I'll just say that the drummer was solid. Anybody that showed up after us on Thursday and who was not an owner we unceremoniously kicked to the outer anchorage where endless drinks were spilled. Kudos to the Avalon Harbor Patrol, who have a thankless job, but do it fairly and calmly, even as indignant boaters plead over the radio for a better mooring assignment because "their guests came all the way out here and are seasick all the time"

Besides Mom, we were joined by Gene, Stephanie and Megan, who all took the Catalina ferry to join us. We all had a great time walking, kayaking, tootling in the dink with our sunset cocktails, and catching up on 2 years of family stuff. Photographic evidence of our great time can be found in the gallery.

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Allan
07/12/2010, Newport Beach, CA

Our next stop was Newport Beach, which is always a highlight for us. We arranged for Alyssa to fly up from San Francisco so we could meet Dylan, the new BF and get some daysailing in. As in San Diego, the weather was not very cooperative, with overcast and light winds for most of our visit, but we had a great time on the water getting to know Dylan and reconnect with Alyssa. All we heard from Alyssa was how much she misses being on the water. The 3 months she spent with us crossing the pacific from Mexico to Tahiti has definitely turned her into a sailor. She picked up right where she left off, handling lines with skill and impressing the non-sailor BF. Auntie Pep, the Newport local and past Lido14 national champion also joined us for several days, reliving her exploits on Follow You when she joined is in the Marquesas and Tuamotu Islands in 2009.

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allan
07/09/2010, San Diego, CA

Yea, we've been gone awhile, but for a good reason... Visiting family and friends as we make our way up the coast of California has kept us very busy. After hitting San Diego and enjoying the 4th, we spent several more days with Megan and Jared before heading North to Newport Beach. Above is Jared - Megan's BF, Eric, their good friend, yours truly, and Megan.

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allan
07/07/2010, San Diego, CA

We have been anticipating a 4th of July back in the states for awhile, and San Diego did not disappoint. Daughter Megan, her boyfriend Jared and their good friends Kathy and Eric joined us for a daysail in San Diego bay and a raft-up with friends Kurt and Susan Roll on sv Pura Vida and several other motor yachts, runabouts and two huge blow-up icebergs. The icebergs provided laughs all day and night and were the hit of the La Playa anchorage, specifically opened up on the 4th of July to boats for the best parties and fireworks watching on the bay. While the weather did not cooperate, it did not dampen our spirits one bit. The wind was a fluky 4-9 knots on the bay and the water temperature in the cove was a chilling 64 degrees. The kids, both large and small climbed and jumped off the icebergs, with calamitous belly flops, wardrobe malfunctions and near misses. At night, one of the motoryachts in the raftup showed a laser light show on the icebergs while people continued with clothing optional iceberg entertainment. While the rest of Shelter Island was wall to wall people and traffic gridlock, we enjoyed the fireworks, coordinated with FM 107, thumping from Follow You's double subwoofers, in the smooth as glass anchorage. It's gooooood to be home.

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allan
07/07/2010, San Diego

From our 4th of July raftup in San Diego

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Allan
07/03/2010, San Diego, CA

We arrived early Wednesday morning in San Diego after an uneventful 2.5 day passage from Turtle Bay. Our patience paid off by waiting for a good weather window. Leaving Sunday night, we headed west past Cedros island and once we turned north enjoyed westerly winds and light seas. By mid-day Monday we were motoring in a flat calm... classic millpond conditions. Light winds and great sea conditions lasted the entire passage and we timed our San Diego arrival for sunrise, although we would not see the sun due to San Diego's omnipresent "june gloom". After an uneventful check-in with customs and immigration, we snagged the last slip at the transient dock on shelter island...cruising's best marina value at 10 bucks a night! We're doing repairs to our radar, vhf and other deferred maintenance items now that we are in boat vendor nirvana on shelter island. We'll hang here till the 8th, visiting with daughter Megan, enjoying the land life before heading to Newport, another of our favorite places. (picture courtesy of U.S. Navy)

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