Hi everyone, this is Gina, Don Lehman's daughter. Many people probably already know that it is with a heavy heart we say goodbye to Don Lehman; a son, a brother, a husband, an uncle, a father, proud dog dad, a grandfather, a friend, a mentor, a sailor, an incredible soul. After 76 years on this earth, he peacefully passed away on July 4, 2023

Dad was one of the most amazing people I've ever known. We were blessed to have him in our lives; his compassion, his light, his sheer joy will continue to shine on thru his friends and family.

Dad lived his life to the very fullest, refusing to allow himself to retreat from life after the loss of his soulmate Bobbi last year. He continued to ski, sail, kayak, travel, go to wine tastings and to laugh and smile until his very last breath. After a day of biking thru the Canadian vineyards, of West Kelowna, stopping for wine tastings, dad closed his eyes in sleep and woke up, united again with his beloved wife.

Raise a glass, raise a sail, raise a prayer, raise a song; celebrate his life. Cherish the time we had with him, his legacy lives on in those whose lives he touched.

We will be having a Celebration of Life/Memorial for him on

Saturday, Sept 9th at 11am
Community Presbyterian Church
1555 Poli Street
Ventura, CA 93001

There will be light refreshments after the service.

Please RSVP to R.Joy.Lehman@gmail.com using the subject line Don Lehman's Memorial, so I can plan for enough refreshments.

Should you like to bring any photos of dad to add into the guest book, they would be most appreciated.

I hope you will be able to come.

Much love,
Gina Lehman

With a three-week road trip coming up towards the end of the week Gina and I decided we needed to get some day sail before I left. So, we planned on Sunday, June 18th, on Father’s Day and then the next day, Monday, June 19th. Each of the sail lasted a little over four hours and were very enjoyable, but very different.

On Sunday it was overcast with light winds around 5 to 8 knots, with the seas were flat. It was what I call a “Lazy Daisy Sail”, which in reality to keep the boat moving in light winds you are constantly trimming the sails for optimized performance. We were able to keep Sea Dancer’s speed over ground between 2 and 5 knots. We sailed to the edge of the north bound shipping lanes and turn the boat around to head back home.

Along the way we saw a lot of sea life, primarily dolphins. We saw at least two pods and between the two them, there were at least 100 of them swimming with us. On the way back, we went through a group circling small fish for food. It is always fascinating watching them swim with you.

Monday’s sail was entirely different. To start with, it was a sunny and warm day with blue skies and twice as much wind. The wind was blowing between 9 and 13 knots from the west, with seas at 2 to 4 feet at about 12 seconds. Giving us a bit of a roll while moving along at 5 to 7 knots over ground. As we were approaching the north bound shipping lane we noticed three freighter in the lanes. With the closest one six miles from us, we felt safe to cross in front of them and made it across with 4 miles to spare.

In a matter of two hours we reached the east end of Anacapa Island and as we passed by it we enjoyed the view of the lighthouse on top. Even though it was sunny with some clouds, there was enough moisture in the air to have the fog horn sounding loudly. We tacked the boat and headed for home. On our sail back, we did seem a few dolphins swimming in the distance, but none of them came close to us. Sea Dancer is a wonderful boat in stronger winds, it she is trim properly, she will keep her bow down as she moves through the water and swells.

Both days were great and we enjoyed them for different reasons. For the best part of both days was being able to shut off the motor after got of the harbor and didn’t need to turn it back on until we got back into the harbor. It is truly a blessing to be out on the boat with only the sound of the wind and the boat moving through the water.

I have added two new photo links in the gallery section of both days of sailing.

The week before several of us from the dock were at the Rudder Room enjoying the Hollywood Beach and channel entrance view. We started talking about going on a cruise to Santa Cruz Island and decided that if we leave on Friday of Memorial Weekend we could have a day or two before the crowds. As we were talking I looked over at Gina and found her texting, she looked up and said she was going to get those days off.

We loaded Sea Dancer with more food and stuff for a two-week trip and pulled out of our slip at 0900. The weather was overcast with mild winds and short choppy seas. As we were approaching Santa Cruz the wind dropped and was on our nose, so I started to roll in the genoa sail. As I pulled the line the furling drum was turning, but the sail wasn’t rolling in. I went forward and found that the three screws that attach the drum to the bottom sail bracket were missing, they had come loose with the bashing into the waves. Gina and I manually lowered the sail, then I went below to find some screws to fix it. I found one screw and two carriage bolts that were the right size and thread, which would make a temporary fix. After dropping the screw overboard, I finally got the two bolts in and raise the very heavy sail up and rolled it in.

Our plan was to spend the first night at Choches Prietos, which was Bobbi’s favorite anchorage, but as we approached it the south swell was rolling into it and making it unsafe. We turned around and headed back to Smugglers. We all found a good place to anchor close to each other and settled down with our arrival drinks. The sun started come out, giving us a beautiful afternoon to finish the day.

The next day, Saturday, the sun came out early and stayed most of the day. Giving us plenty of opportunities to kayak together. We finished the day with happy hour on Tom’s boat and plans for dinner on Mikes boat. As usual happy hour filled us up and none of us were hungry for dinner. Sunday was a foggy and overcast day, Gina spent some time kayaking, but I went through the boat looking for any possible problems and reading. This time happy hour was on my boat and by the time we went through 3 pizzas and other stuff we were all full and didn’t need dinner again.

Monday morning was still overcast and with no wind. Shortly after breakfast around 0800 we pulled our anchor and headed home. We raised the main to balance the boat, but with no wind and flat seas we motored all the way home. Except for birds, the only sea life we saw on the way home were three sharks circling off our port beam. As we were motoring into the harbor the sun came out for the rest of the day. We finished the weekend by having our usual L-Dock Potluck. It was a wonderful cruise and I am looking forward to our next cruise out to the islands.