Sailing on Starshine

Vessel Name: Starshine
Vessel Make/Model: Outbound 44
Hailing Port: San Francisco, CA
Crew: Pat and Melodie Williams
About: We have been "working the plan" since 2004 when Pat began taking sailing lessons. That lead to a few sailing vacations on sailboats. Melodie took some classes too. We purchased our boat in 2011.
27 February 2019 | Alameda California
26 February 2019 | Mazatlan to San Francisco
26 February 2019 | Mazatlan Sinaloa Mexico
01 May 2018 | El Cid - Mazatlan
09 April 2018 | Marina Mazatlan
07 March 2018 | La Cruz de Huanacaxtle
23 January 2018 | La Cruz de Huanacaxtle
04 December 2017 | La Cruz de Huanacaxtle
24 October 2017 | Oakland, CA
04 September 2017 | South Lake Tahoe CA
04 September 2017 | Culver OR
04 September 2017 | Culver OR
04 September 2017 | Redmond Oregon
17 July 2017 | Polson Montana
31 May 2017 | Our new Camper in Ira Texas
04 May 2017 | Nuevo Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit Mexico
04 April 2017 | La Cruz Anchorage
12 March 2017 | Chamela Bay
12 March 2017 | Tenicatita Bay
18 February 2017 | La Cruz de Huanacaxtle
Recent Blog Posts
27 February 2019 | Alameda California

Goodbye Starshine

Melodie and I have accepted an offer on Starshine. We close escrow on March 8, 2019.

26 February 2019 | Mazatlan to San Francisco

The Baja Bash

Preparing for the Baja Bash (the trip north from Mexico to California). They call it “The Bash” because the prevailing winds and waves are from the northwest. So you are basically going uphill (if that makes any sense).

26 February 2019 | Mazatlan Sinaloa Mexico

Summer 2018

As many of you who have followed our blog over the last four years you’ll note that I have not given it any attention since last spring. So let me fill in the blanks.

01 May 2018 | El Cid - Mazatlan

Marina El Cid - Mazatlan

Today is Tuesday May 1, 2018.

09 April 2018 | Marina Mazatlan

Marina Mazatlan

Today is Monday April 9, 2018.

07 March 2018 | La Cruz de Huanacaxtle

Leaving Banderas Bay

Today is Wednesday March 7, 2018.

Snakes to the Lake

04 September 2017 | South Lake Tahoe CA
Pat and Melodie
Today is Labor Day, September 4, 2017.

A busy two weeks since the Eclipse.

We left Culver Oregon and began to make our way to Livermore CA. We made an early departure to beat the traffic and found the roads busy, but traffic was moving. We dumped our waste tanks in Bend OR at a Chevron Station and only paid $5. These RV businesses really try to rip you off (they wanted $20 at the KOA). You just have to be diligent. We arrived in Lava Beds National Monument and found the wildfire smoke was very thick. You could only see a mile or two. We had a quiet afternoon and a thunderstorm passed through late in the evening.

We left the next morning and when we were at the intersection of Hill Rd and HWY 161 the Google Map car drove by. I’ve been checking, but I haven’t seen our camper at the intersection yet on Google Earth.
Just after turning south on HWY 97 from 161 (hour north of Weed CA) we experienced a flat tire. We both heard the pop, but Melodie recognized it as an emergency more so than me. I pulled over and you could hear the air rushing out of the front/right tire. I had stopped on gravel, so I quickly backed up 25 feet onto some pavement before the tire was completely flat. I changed the tire and we were back on the road in about 40 minutes. We got the flat repaired in Redding CA. It only took an hour and it was free (I buy a lot of tires at America’s Tire / Discount Tire). We ate burritos while we waited.

Back on the road we continued south, stopping at the Colusa County Fairgrounds. It was 100 degrees out and we wanted hook ups to run the A/C. We arrived and the place was deserted. I asked a passerby for directions and he pointed toward and open gate. We found a spot and plugged in, no one else was there. In the morning we stopped by the office to pay our fee and they thanked us for actually coming in. I guess some people just drive away.

We arrived in Livermore and got the Cobra ready. We stayed at my friend Bill’s place that night and met up with the Bay Area Cobra Club in the morning.

About 15 Cobra’s met up in Livermore on Friday Aug 25 and we caravanned up to the Kmart lot in Antioch at HWY 4 and 160. We met another 10 cars and the group made our way toward Rancho Cordova for lunch. It was good to see old friends from our “old life”. After lunch at the food trucks we continued up to South Lake Tahoe via HWY 50. In years past we’ve taken very scenic routes to Tahoe, HWY 88, 4, and 120. But due to construction we stuck to HWY 50. We arrived early, so we gathered near the pool and got the party started. We all chip in and volunteers put on a self-catered meal. Pulled pork sliders and BBQ Chicken.

On Saturday the group drove to the North Shore and we had ourselves a miniature golf tournament. It was fun and it’s a group activity which is more the point than the activity itself. We had lunch in Tahoe City at The Bridge Tender. Golf was a group activity, but for lunch people broke off into smaller groups of 2-3 couples. We went to Café Fiore for dinner, it’s more than we usually pay but it was delicious.

On Sunday the group drove to Truckee and we played Bocce. Melodie and I play Bocce on the beach in Mexico, the rules are VERY loose. This time two of the couples play on Bocce leagues. Again, good times with great people. A nice way to spend the day. We drove back to South Shore and I took a nap before dinner. You may have noticed but much of the Cobra Club activities revolve around eating!

On Monday we were one of the last people to leave the hotel. With temperatures in the Valley expected to be around 100, everyone wanted to beat the heat. Many people chose to take HWY 88 back to the bay, but we returned on HWY 50 so we could stop in Cameron Park.

We stopped in Cameron Park and spend the night with our friends Keith and Dana. We had a really nice visit, tasting wine at some nearby wineries in the Amador area.

We also got the chance to visit with friends Phil and Desley in Brentwood.

The next chapter is more travel for each of us. Melodie is returning to Milwaukee and will stay at her family home. I am flying to Poland for a two week motorcycle trip with my friend Arnstein. I fly tomorrow and take a day to arrive in Krakow Poland. We will be visiting Poland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Slovakia and Lichtenstein. I’ll be on a Honda NTV700 and Arnstein will be on a Suzuki 900. The theme will be Historic WWII places. Our longest planned day is 450 KM, about 280 miles. I think I’m all set, looking forward to another adventure!
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