Made for the Shade!

Here are a couple of photos of our new bimini from outside looking in and

inside looking out.

Our canvas smith is still working on the shade cloths which will zip onto the sides of the bimini for angled sun protection. We will be able to fold the bimini back just before mizzen and just in front of the back rail. When open the two folding parts of the bimini are connected with a canvas bridge that wraps around the mizzen sail. When in the folded position, each bimini component will have a protective boot. We wanted our shade to be removable in case of high winds, following seas, and evening star watch.

Looks like our number of vicarious sailors is growing. We are excited that we can keep in touch with you. If you have a digital photo to share of your smiling face, we would love it! Until next time!

Three Months and Counting

I turned in my retirement papers yesterday and stopped my parking...only 4 weeks to get everything off my desk and files cleared up or at least cleaned out. Russ is making arrangements with the optometrist who is buying his practice and beginning to introduce him to the community and patient base. We are both attending meetings for the last time and saying goodbyes. You would think these simple "end" tasks would be easier, but it is surprisingly more difficult than we thought it would be. The last 30 years have been relatively stable with incremental changes like a run-on sentence punctuated with commas and semi-colons. Now it's time to put a period at the end of that sentence and chapter and to start a new chapter by sailing into the uncharted waters.

Russ got the engine started last weekend! Yeah, what a nice sound after seeing the parts strewn about for the last five weeks. There was a slight hiccup when we realized that the water pump wasn't sealed well and we were leaking seawater into the engine compartment. After a mop-up and some moderate adjustments, we started the engine again...and it purred! No leaks, nice and dry, and peace of mind that all the parts and hoses are either new or rebuilt.

The bimini is almost complete. We are hauling the boat out July 6 to replace the standing rigging, new bottom paint, and whatever else we need to do. We got the watermaker two weeks ago and Russ is beginning to lay that out for installation. We already have a saltwater intake thru-hull, so we are hoping not to have to make a second one for the watermaker. The refrigeration expert should be starting that project this month before we haul out and then install the keel cooler components at the haul out.

In the galley, my wonderful little microwave is acting up. My start button gave it up. Now to use it, I have to use one of the special functions. Looks like I will have to replace this unit. I purchased some new silverware, that lays flat and nests together better than what I had. This should save some space and keep things better organized as we sail. I am looking at pressure cookers and solar ovens, and still buying air tight containers to transfer cereals, grains, rice, sugars, and other dry goods to keep the moisture and critters out. That's it for now. I'll be spending the rest of this weekend, sending out invitations to our Bon Voyage party.

Memorial Day at the Dock

This weekend, BYC went to Napa Yacht club. It is one of our favorite cruises, but we are still dock bound. It was cold and foggy most of the weekend in Emeryville. The sun peeked out around 10:00 on Monday morning. We went to dinner on Saturday evening with BYC friends, and took a couple of long walks, and an evening dinghy ride around the marina, but spent most of our time onboard working. Russ is almost finished rebuilding the engine. It looks shiney and new. We'll turn the key next weekend and hope the engine fires up.

While Russ worked on the engine, I spent my time studying for the general Ham license, lots of memorization of stuff I will probably never apply. Back to work tomorrow. It's getting more difficult to go back each week when our minds are already becoming increasingly invested in getting ready for our voyage. Only 29 more work days for me!

Signed Up for the Baja Ha-Ha!

We're all signed up. Russ and I sat down and filled out the registration last night. I started filling out the registration last Saturday, 1 day after the opening day and was already boat 41! Somehow I accidentally closed the browser and thought I lost everything. Fortunately, the Baja registration captured the first page even though I had not finished the process. Our sailing pals Marcia and Dave, currently in Mexico on SV Juniata, will be taking the bus north and crewing with us from San Diego to LaPaz. We are looking forward to their company and veteran expertise.

We got our Portabote and engine last week. We got the aluminum "silver" color. I was really torn between the "silver" or the cream color which would have matched our boat better, but ...the bottom of the boat is cream too....thought it would show too many scuffs and stuff.

Russ and I pried open the "little clam" in our garage last night. Fortunately, it came with a little notched board to keep the two sides opened until the seats were installed. It was like prying the jaws of an alligator open and keeping them open with a stick. We breathed a sigh of relief when the first seat was installed. The boat was a little stiff but went together pretty well. Not sure how we will do this on the big boat after a voyage. We'll have to practice, but it has been assembled on smaller boats than ours. The next adventure will be collapsing it, taking it out to the lake on a summer evening, prying it open again, and trying out the motor and oars.

We Got the Liferaft Mom!

Well we had a grand time.....maybe 20! We got some boat show specials and "saved" some dollars. Mom and Dad, you will be pleased to know that we bought a six person life raft. Hopefully we will never have to use it. The life raft will be shipped to us in August just before we leave. The three year clock will start running in August. Yes in August 2012 we will need to have it serviced and repacked.

We also bought an Echo2 water maker, hydrovane, porta bote with Nissan engine, and some stainless steel, opening portholes for the galley area. When we got to our boat on Friday, we found the steel fabrication installed for our bimini. Our stays are presenting a bit of a problem with the folding mechanism, so we are meeting with the canvasmythe on Saturday morning to discuss some modifications. We are also meeting with a fellow who will be repairing some of the gel coat dings on the hull.

Russ is stripping parts, hoses, alternator, etc.,off the engine, having things reworked and buying spares. Time is starting to fly by. So many projects. But it so exciting. May 1 is almost here. That is the day we sign up for the Baja ha ha. More later.

Eve of Boat Show! Time to Bleed $$$$ Big Time.

It's the eve of the boat show! Sugar plum fairies dancing in our heads. It's kind of like waiting for Santa with lots of expectations, but unlike Santa; there are no elves making free gifts and being delivered by a bearded man. So we've been psyching ourselves up for what will undoubtedly be a big bleed. On our boat show list:
water maker, Hydrovane, refrigeration system, maybe a new dingy, and a life raft. We've already contracted out separately for bimini, sails, and standng rigging. Russ is starting to refit engine parts with new ones and if the old ones are still serviceable, we will box and store them for spares. If they are too worn, we will buy doubles.

The radios are in and we passed our technician class HAM license test. Now we are studying for the General. I am attending a full day seminar tomorrow at the boat show on cruising preparation, navigation, etc. I tried to get into this class two years ago and it was sold out, so I am glad to have gotten a seat. Last year I took a basic marine weather class.

On the home front, we are painting decks and taking care of wood work that will need to weather some time without maintenance. We are also sorting and packing some things that we can move out in the event we decide to rent all our part of a furnished house.

Russ has sold his practice, and it will change hands in July. His patients are now making everyday an emotional one for him as they realize this will be the last visit for some of them. He is being showered back with all the love and caring he has given over the years. I am also painfully transitioning out of my role as the administrator of an office filled with work and people that I have grown to love and respect. Endings are tough! I plan to retire the beginning of July. Saying farewell to family in friends is really hard.

A new adventure and beginning keeps us going. We're ready to start living our long-time dream.

Equinox - Glorious Spring

Now that the ski season is wrapping up, we are spending more time at the boat. The Bay Area is a riot of spring color and reminds us that summer and fall are just around the corner. Only 5 months before we take off! In the last couple of months we have been making plans for the bimini, refrigeration system, energy capture, sails, and standing rigging replacement, digitizing photos, films, and music that we want on our voyage, and studying for technician class ham license. I've been learning how to make Greek Yogurt in my crockpot along with a lot of other low carb recipes. I hope this can transfer over to using a a dutch oven in a solar oven. This should work for most high temperature recipes but probably not for the yogurt. In the meantime, I've been buying air tight containers to store provisions. It hasn't been an idle winter.

Major work on and for the boat will begin in April and hopefully will be complete by the beginning of July when Russ and I will phase out of our jobs and retire. Then we can complete the finishing touches before our journey. Unfortunately, I doubt that we will be doing much sailing before we head out the Gate and head south. We do plan to attend the boat show in April and will sign up for the Baja Ha Ha in May.

January's Gone!

This month has flown by. We got the estimates! Ouch. We are rethinking a few of our options and looking at plan B, maybe more canned goods and fewer perishables that need to be refrigerated. Russ is also looking at more alternative energy sources. We loved the idea of a stand alone generator until we got the bid. Also getting bids for other wish list items, then we will need to prioritize what is necessary and nice. Only 8 months left.

Waiting for the Estimates

It has been a week now since we had both a canvas maker and a refrigeration expert visited the boat, take measurements for sailing bimini on the fantail and updated refrigeration/freezer respectively on Worrall Wind. We are waiting for sketches and estimates. It feels like waiting for the shoes to start dropping with all of the $ outlay we are going to start incurring. Russ finished up the mizzen furling project. Now we need to have a sailmaker come and give us estimates for a new mizzen, staysail , and two headsails on the jib furler so that we can wing-on-wing in a downwind. I think we have decided not to get a cruising spinnaker.

It's a beautiful January day in Emeryville, mild weather, no wind, crystal clear.

Happy New Year 2009!

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails! Explore! Dream! Discover!" - Mark Twain

Worrall Wind's Sail Plan
Ready.....July 2001 - July 2009
Set..........August 2009
Go...........September 2009 - Throw off the bowlines, take a left at the Gate!