Engine Problems

We arrived in Monterey last night and the rain began just as Alex was dropping the anchor. As he tidied up above, I crawled below and made a warm dinner: beef stew with veggies and couscous, followed by leftover chocolate cake.

As expected, the engine didn't start again this morning, so we sailed into the marina and got ourselves a slip for a few days. There continues to be air in the fuel line, and even though we can bleed it out and get the engine running, we'd like to solve the problem before continuing on.

Otherwise, we're having a good time. Looking forward to warm waters, but in the meantime, we're learning lots about the engine and enjoying a great show in the sky as the storm clouds roll in and out.

Lesson #1. Check the hoses before using head.

It's been an eventful week. At 5:30 am, Thanksgiving day, Greg untied our docklines and along with Jennifer, waved good-bye. We'll miss the great community of friends on Berkeley's G & F dock. We arrived in Half Moon Bay in the early afternoon and before dropping anchor, we were invited to a warm turkey dinner on Kayak, a cruising boat from Alaska.

The next day, the engine didn't start and if that weren't enough, we found out the hard way that the newly installed hoses in the head leaked. While Alex gallantly re-caulked the hoses, I did the only reasonable thing, got out the banjo and wrote a little song about stinky poo.

The engine wouldn't start the morning we left for Monterey Bay, but 10-15 knot winds were predicted, so we figured we'd just sail to Santa Cruz where we could find parts and tools. The winds however, didn't cooperate and we essentially bobbed along for two days, thankful that the current and the little wind we did have was in our favor. I looked up from my pillow in the wee hours of the last morning and found Alex keeping himself warm by paddling the boat, which he claims increased our speed by a full knot. We spent two nights anchored off of Santa Cruz's boardwalk, and then and then a couple of nights with friends, Wendy & Larry, who provided us with good company, warm showers, and a decadent chocolate birthday cake for my 35th. We also had a nice visit from Muriel, who shared stories from her own seagoing days, and gave us a guest book for the boat.

The engine is working again, so we're going to Monterey this afternoon, to wait out a series of storms heading this way.

yes, we're finally leaving.

The boat is 90% packed (110% if you look at the way she's sitting in the water). Tuesday we tidy up the apartment for the subletter, grab our clothes bag and move back on to the boat. We'll sail to San Francisco on Wednesday for a last swim and sauna at the Y and stock up on food. That night we'll anchor in SF. Thanksgiving Day, weather permitting, we head out the gate and point south.

Up until yesterday, I wasn't quite sure if we'd ever leave. Alex kept assuring me that the end was near, but the mess of cables, tools and hoses said otherwise. But, here we are. It may be full, but the boat is clean and organized and we're ready to leave.

We'll do our best to update this as we head down the coast. Our first stop is Half Moon Bay to say hello to Muriel, and pick up a set of charts with a dear history. Muriel is an amazing woman who after a full teaching career became a rafting and xc ski guide. When she and her husband were our age, they sailed a wooden Folkboat (the predecessor of our boat) from England to San Francisco via the Panama Canal. So, with her charts (and a modern gps and set of electronic charts), we'll retrace her path to at least Mexico.

After Half Moon Bay, we'll make a couple of stops before we get to San Diego, but in order to beat the coming winter storms we plan on moving along fairly quickly.