On our way
23 March 2023 | Underway, 30 degrees 25 minutes N. 118 degrees 19 minutes W
Eric
We departed the Police dock in San Diego at 9:37 on Saturday, 4/1/2023.
Crew is Eric, Kristin, Peter and Burt.
Winds were calm on the exit from the bay so we motored for a couple of
hours, then set sail as the wind built up.
We connected the Monitor wind-vane steering system and discovered that
it was broken. Further investigation revealed that the water vane had
probably been bumped and some parts were damaged, likely a âbump and
runâ while the boat was at the Police Dock. We were on and off the boat
there, so didnât notice the bump or the damage until we went to use it.
It steers the boat under sail, like an autopilot, so we donât need to
have a person on the helm continuously. It hangs off the stern of the
boat (exposed to potential damage) and is difficult to work on out
there. After an hour or so with three of us hanging off the stern of the
boat in building wind and seas we managed repairs, but donated some ball
bearings to Neptune in the process. Itâs been working well since then,
and we hope it will continue to work until we can make permanent repairs
at anchor.
The crew is getting their sealegs. A couple of them are taking
seasickness meds with varying effectiveness, but morale remains high.
The first day we made roughly 130 miles. Weâre planning 140-mile days,
and the seas and wind have been building to about 6 feet and 17 knots.
Sail plan is staysail and one reef in the main, jib furled. Boat speed
is about 6 knots. Thereâs a gale building off southern California, and
weâre fleeing south to try to stay ahead of it. Looks like Monday or
Tuesday will be more windy.
Saw about half a dozen ships so far visually, on radar and AIS, they
seem to be getting sparser as we get offshore. Weâve seen a few
seabirds, a few dolphins of at least two species, but no whales. Not
fishing yet because the idea of catching and cleaning a fish is not very
appealing to any of the crew right now.
Itâs nice to be underway at last, have solved a critical problem, and be
settling into a routine.
--
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