We will be having some work done on the boat (possibly exterior bright work and re-upholstery) so the boat will be berth-bound, but livable in a lovely marina with many amenities (beach, pools, hot tub, for a fee tennis, spa and workout center).
Contribution to berth fees and utilities would be welcome, but not required. Time is of the essence if you are interested. Please email us.
Reflections of 2009
With the exceptions of some significant illnesses, injuries, and death to some of our dear family and friends, 2009 was a milestone year for us. In reviewing our photos for 2009, a Worrall Wind of life passed before our eyes. For full details, see 2009 blogspot entries.
January 2009:
We can finally say it! This is the year we will retire, sell the practice, finish the big boat projects, celebrate our 40th anniversary, and sail away on Labor Day weekend for the Baja Ha Ha and Beyond. WoooHoo!
Return from Christmas Holidays with Abby and Neal in Las Vegas where we traveled through Death Valley, toured Hoover Dam, ate gelato in “Saint Marks Square” at the Venetian so we could compare it in September when we would visit Tuscany for Garyn and Jessica’s wedding, and saw Penn and Teller. Penn and Neal are about the same height.
Top of the Worrall weekend house party for Worrall brothers and wives, watching, laughing, remembering, cataloging, and digitizing old family movies and photographs. This four day get together was a real treasure in so many ways.
Diane, Russ, Ted, Don, Marian & Roz (taking photo)
1908 Tom and Ethyl Campbell
Russ's Maternal Grandparents
1916 Russ's Grandma, Aunt Eileen and Mother Lorraine
1913 Mitlon Worrall, Russ's Father
1955 Milton and Lorraine Worrall
Russ's parents
Roz has knee surgery on right leg which gave her an excuse to sit down and work on media projects.
The realization that we still have a lot to do before we sail away, mobilizes everything we do. We continue with cataloging and digitizing our multi-media projects and begin cleaning out cupboards, closets, garage, and attic. Boat projects shift to high gear. Russ raises and shortens the mizzen boom in anticipation of a stern windvane system, furling sail, and bimini. We make list after list of things to do, buy, and toss.
In the meantime our respective jobs are still demanding and take first priority. Roz visits the personnel analyst at CDE to start planning for retirement. She and her team are recognized in Jack O’Connell’s State of Education address for their forward thinking creation and work on the Department’s premiere Website for middle grades educators: Taking Center Stage – Act II
Roz’s Aunt Evie celebrates her 90th birthday! Cousin Mike sends her pictures of Evie and the floral birthday cake that Roz had sent for her birthday.
She and Roz got to visit in October and knew it would be the last time they would ever see or hug each other. Touching and sad.
March 2009:
Glorious spring has reached the foothills. Garyn, Jessica, Roz, “second son” Mike and and “grandson” Dylan hike near covered bridge and pause to enjoy the wildflowers in between trips to the Bay Area to work on the boat, working on the house,
skiing, and getting our taxes ready. Russ installs the single side band radio. We are studying for our technician class HAM licenses.
April 2009:
Roz’s Mom and Dad turn 82. We celebrate Easter and spring at Merrill Gardens in Vacaville with Aunt Irene, Frenchie, Mom, Dad, Archie (taking photo), Garyn, and Jessica.
We are going to miss opening day on the bay this year. We attend the boat show and buy a Porta Bote, Life raft, water-maker, and Hydrovane steering system. It’s exhausting and scary spending so much money! Roz attends an all day blue water cruising seminar and bones up on provisioning, health care, emergency insurance, Visas, courtesy flags, etc. Russ has Worrall Wind’s engine torn apart as he tunes, cleans, and refits.
The realization of Roz’s declining time at CDE prompts Roz and her team to start preparing for transition. Change and uncertainty is hard for everyone. Russ finalizes the details of selling his practice. The boat gets measured every which way for sails, biminis, refrigerator, and freezer. We take the technician Ham license test in San Francisco and pass!
The realization of Roz’s declining time at CDE prompts Roz and her team to start preparing for transition. Change and uncertainty is hard for everyone. Russ finalizes the details of selling his practice. The boat gets measured every which way for sails, biminis, refrigerator, and freezer. We take the technician Ham license test in San Francisco and pass!
May 2009:
We celebrate Mother’s Day by going out to breakfast with LaVerne, Archie, Garyn, and Jessica and then taking a lovely drive along the Oakland skyline. No trip to Tilden park would be worthwhile without a trip on the little steam train.
We signed up for the Baja Ha Ha 2009! We are boat number 43!
Our entry hall at home becomes the freight warehouse for donations to Good Will, equipment purchased and waiting transit to the boat, stuff we think we would like to take but not sure it will fit, etc. The wind generator, Porte Bote, and watermaker arrive. The pace is quickening.
June 2009:
Roz’s Camry has almost 300,000 miles on it, and we hope it lasts one more month. July 3 will be her last day at CDE; then the 106 mile a day commute will be ended. Roz files her retirement papers with CALPERS, CALSTRS, and terminates her prized parking space in the underground garage at the end of the month. We celebrate Father’s Day up in Sierraville.
The Monico’s home is on the market and it will most likely be our last visit. Roz’s staff treats her to a wonderful retirement party and lunch.
Always curious, Abby progressed from fairy princess and ski queen to ER Doctor and Air Force Captain in her 30 years!
Russ’s staff gives him a surprise going away party. The public invitation is in the local paper and Russ can't figure out why his copy of the weekly edition is missing! Hugs, tears, and more hugs.
July 2009:
Roz’s last day at the Department is the day after her birthday, even though she will not be officially retired until the end of August. Our first born celebrates his 32nd birthday. Where has the time gone!
We spend July 4th weekend in Colfax and take the boat over to KKMI for haulout, bottom painting, and new standing rigging. We anticipate a few days and it turns out to be a month. We spend our weekends in the cold boat yard, sanding, polishing, painting, removing varnish. Russ still has July to work. While Roz is at home, she continues to prepare for our Triple Trimuph Party at the Berkeley Yacht Club on August 9 and makes numerous trips to Good Will, Boys and Girls Club, giving away clothes, games, toys.
Russ receives multiple kudos and certificates of gratitude from Ski Patrol, Auburn Ski Club, Falcon Foundation, and Lion’s Club for his many years of volunteerism and contributions to these organizations. Russ’s last day of work is July 31. He is sad to leave but knows the Colfax practice will be in good hands with Dr. Dan Belajic. The Auburn Staff in Dr. Foreman’s office gives Russ a great sendoff party.
August 2009:
August 9 is approaching and the boat is still in the boat yard! Finally, the part we needed comes in. We don’t have time to take the boat back to Emeryville to clean it up; we bring it directly to BYC the Friday before the party. We clean, scrub, and polish to get the boat yard grime off and the boat ready for the party, knowing that we will once again have to dirty it up to install the water-maker, refrigerator, and complete other interior projects once the party is over. We have a wonderful party celebrating our retirement, 40th wedding anniversary, and bon voyage. What a joy! This makes it all start to feel real.
After the party we work day and night, getting ready to cast off for the BYC Labor Day Cruise to Half Moon Bay and our launch for the Baja Ha Ha and Beyond. We are now living part time on the boat, part time at home. The life boat and Hydrovane arrive.
Not only are we getting the boat ready, we are getting the house prepared for winter with painting and caulking projects, and cramming for our General HAM license. We have only one more chance to take it two days before we leave. Additionally we are trying to get all of our finances, pensions, social security, investment, banking, and technology strategies in order. Garyn gives us a hand!
We get our travel immunizations and prescription refills. Jessica’s friends throw her a girl’s day out bachelorette party with manicures, pedicures, dining, wining (not whining), and dancing.
Mom and Dad move out of Merrill Gardens. As we are moving stuff out of the house, they are moving some of their stuff into the house. They are going up to Sierraville for a couple of months as their house has not yet sold, and then will move into our house for the winter.
September 2009:
Ten years ago when we started planning for our sail away, we were given some good advice. Pick a date and cast off the bowlines. Until one becomes involved in a major undertaking such as the one we have chosen, it is hard to fathom all of the hurdles, trivia, mind boggling details, and heart wrenching good byes that could easily turn into barriers and reasons to just stay put. Were we really ready to take off? No!
We still had much to do and our refrigeration and freezer were still not installed. We are concerned about leaving family, but know whether we are present or not, everyone’s life will be changing as well, and we can neither predict, protect, or change life’s courses. There will never be a “good” time to leave those we love. But come hell or high water, we were leaving on September 5, 2009.
September 3 we take and pass our General HAM license in the morning, stop at the grocery store and buy provisions, and spend most of the night stowing them on board. Friday, we still have errands to run. Garyn and Jessica drive one of their cars down to Half Moon Bay. They will be joining us the following morning and sailing with us out the Gate.
September 5, 2009 is the big day! Friends and family valiantly waved us off from strategic locations around the bay and were lucky to see us as we drifted under the Gate in thick fog.
We sailed from San Francisco down to Ventura, via Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Simeon, Morro, San Luis Avila Bay, Santa Barbara. Once we moored in Southern California, we flew to Florence for Garyn and Jessica’s beautiful wedding and side trips to Venice and the Cinque Terra.
Photo courtesy of Jean Kelly
September 24, 2009 Tuscany
While we were in Italy, our freezer and refrigerator were finally installed in Ventura.
October 2009
When we returned from Italy, we set sail once again for the Channel Islands, Catalina, Long Beach, Oceanside, Dana Point, and San Diego. Our friends Clark and Nina joined us in late October for the Baja Ha Ha. Abby, Neal, and Noodles come to San Diego to wave goodbye. Noodles wants to sail!
It wasn’t all Ha Ha as we negotiated some strong winds, high seas, and lost a boat when it collided with a whale, but all in all Worrall Wind had a great time making our way down to Cabo San Lucas. We even learned how to fish with a hand line and enjoyed the fruits of our effort with two juvenile yellow-fin tuna (at first we thought they were skipjack because they lacked the mature markings of yellow fin), and a Dorado.
It wasn’t all Ha Ha as we negotiated some strong winds, high seas, and lost a boat when it collided with a whale, but all in all Worrall Wind had a great time making our way down to Cabo San Lucas. We even learned how to fish with a hand line and enjoyed the fruits of our effort with two juvenile yellow-fin tuna (at first we thought they were skipjack because they lacked the mature markings of yellow fin), and a Dorado.
We also received the sad and unsettling news that Roz’s cousin Margo and husband Dave were in a a motorcycle accident and Margo is seriously injured. While hospitalized for her injuries, it was discovered that she also had breast cancer. Major Bummer! They too celebrated their 40th anniversary this year and were at our party. She and Dave are on our minds and we hope all goes well for them.
Photos below are of a happier day at our party. Roz's Dad and Dave. Roz's cousins Mary and Margo.
Photos below are of a happier day at our party. Roz's Dad and Dave. Roz's cousins Mary and Margo.
November 2009
December 2009
This was a very busy month with tremendous highs and lows. Not only were we reunited with friends Dave and Marcia aboard Juniata, we were reunited with Laurie and Michael on Laura and Cathy and Doug on Galetea and were berthed close together in the Mazatlan Marina.
From getting to know Mazatlan, to a trip to the Copper Canyon, and finally passage from Mazatlan to Isla Isabella, Mantanchen Bay, Chacala Bay, to Puerto Vallarta, we were on the move most of the month
When we arrived in PV and were once again connected to the Internet, we learned that not all is going well for Margo, but hopefully after she has a surgery amputating her right foot, she will mend more quickly and be ready for chemotherapy and radiation to rid herself of breast cancer. Roz, marks her as second year breast cancer survivor, is hopeful for Margo's recovery. She is concerned about all of her girl cousins and girl friends. Self examinations and mammograms are essential.
We also heard that Roz’s darling Aunt Evie passed away, that her Uncle Link was in the hospital and not doing well, and her cousin Eileen was a victim of a hit and run accident. All of this is hard news to absorb. We are saddened by all of this and reminded that we need to live and enjoy each day as if it were our last.
We also heard that Roz’s darling Aunt Evie passed away, that her Uncle Link was in the hospital and not doing well, and her cousin Eileen was a victim of a hit and run accident. All of this is hard news to absorb. We are saddened by all of this and reminded that we need to live and enjoy each day as if it were our last.
Abby and Neal joined us in Puerto Vallarta on December 23 for a week’s visit after their own terrifying experience of driving through Nevada and negotiating their car to a safe stop after their back wheel’s lug nuts popped off and they saw the tire bounce past them and across the double lane highway narrowly missing other cars!
Yipes!
While they were with us, we went sight seeing in Puerto Vallarta on Christmas Eve,
sailing, whale watching,
crocodile hunting,
surfing, bicycling, sunbathing,
hot tubbing, and swimming in both the ocean and in the four fresh water pools at the resort. We ate lobster, shrimp, chicken, and fish; and were entertained with Mexican-Aztec folklorio dance.
surfing, bicycling, sunbathing,
hot tubbing, and swimming in both the ocean and in the four fresh water pools at the resort. We ate lobster, shrimp, chicken, and fish; and were entertained with Mexican-Aztec folklorio dance.The Christmas “hype” in Mexico is practically non-existent. There are some lights, a few public Christmas trees where North Americans are likely to gather, and Christmas Carols in Walmart and Department Stores. Earlier in the month, Catholic Mexicans celebrate with great vigor their Virgin of Guadalupe. Nativitiy scenes (absent a baby in the manger) abound in Mexico. The magic on Christmas Eve isn’t that Santa Claus arrives, but that the “baby Jesus” arrives and is placed in the crèche.
Even the sand sculpture of the nativity hides the baby until midnight. More than the sites, the culture and traditions of different people and countries is fascinating.
We wish you and ourselves good health, warm relationships, family gatherings, and smooth sailing in 2010!
