We’ve leaving for San Diego and then Baja in five days. Tons of work done and a fair amount still to do, but manageable. Still need a couple coats of Cetol on the rails, but other than that, we’re about set other than food. Still some details though, the biggest one is that I decided at the last minute to add a starter battery. Ordered an “echo charger” which should arrive tomorrow (Monday). Bought the battery and fabricated a platform out of wood and fiberglassed it in today. Will check tomorrow and see if it it strong enough. So, here’s what we’ve gotten done: Cleaned out all the “liveaboard stuff” and moved it to the storage unit. Brought 130 jib, asym, dinghy and engine down to the boat. Been playing in the dinghy all day to AHEM make sure it’s working effectively. Taped off the rails so I can start final Cetol coats Monday and Tuesday. Already put two to three coats on everything else. Rigged two new hatch scoops (to bring air into the hatches in the tropical climes. Bleached the iceboxes and storage bins to make sure they are clean, bought and working on installing boards to hold 10 gallons of potable water and 10 gallons of diesel on the foredeck for emergency use and about fifty other small but necessary projects that each take up time and energy. Fun though, knowing that you’re going to be self-sufficient and need to have everything in working order. Here’s a couple pics of our Baja crew and flag.
Author Archives: bob
Countdown to Baja: 14 Days!
It’s getting real. Only two weeks left. This weekend with Ann’s help we completed the following: Varnished the brightwork on the cabin top, fixed the manual bilge pump including installing a new section of hose (problem was a jammed filter. Flushed and cleaned it several times), pulled all the chain out of the stb’d anchor and all the rope out of the port anchor and labelled every ten feet, changed the oil and the oil and fuel filters on the engine. Good effort. Some more stuff to go, but getting there.
Single Sideband is Installed
Now I have a shortwave radio with a Pactor III modem. Email at sea! (I’ll try not to use it much, but very useful for getting weather faxes). In testing the modem, I was able to send an email from Berkeley Marina via a server in Hawaii, over 2000 miles via shortwave radio. Very cool.
Farallones July 3rd
Decided at the last minute, the weather looked good for a trip to the Farallones. No-one was available on short notice, so me and Wilson (aka the Monitor Wind Vane) left Berkeley at 7AM and headed out. Fetched the Farallones around 2PM. Wind was less than 10 knots with tall seas on the ebb tide heading out, so motor-sailed until hitting the slack tide about 8 miles out. Wind filled in at 18-23 with 6-9 foot swells and had a glorious sail out and back complete with Dolphins. 
Transmission’s Broke
Yup, that’s what the mechanic said. Went out for a sail on coming into the harbor on the way back the engine started making “expensive” noises. You know, the screeching, grinding ones. I initially thought it was the fresh water pump, but when I took off the fan belt and tugged on the pump shaft it was tight and spun freely. Started the engine again and realized it was coming from the transmission area. Time to call in the mechanic. He immediately diagnosed it as a broken stress plate spring. Turned out that was close. It was the fan on the stress plate that broke. Pieces were flailing around inside the bell housing. The “tranny” was fine, but the stress plate was toast. We pulled the bell housing, took off the stress plate and it turned out the flywheel had to come out too due to some bolts on the stress plate corroding onto the flywheel. A week later and a new stress plate and we’re back in motion (oh, and about $1500!) 
Boatwork Week
Took a week off to get some work done. Wanted to do some varnishing (OK, “Cetoling”), but the weather wasn’t cooperating. Fog and threat of rain. Instead did a bunch of the “little” projects that are always on “the list” but don’t get done. Biggest among these was the dreaded chainplate sealing. Taking the deck covers off the chainplates, digging out the old bedding compound and resealing all. Takes about an hour per chainplate times four! Backbreaking, as you are on hands and knees removing screws, prying covers off the deck, digging out old bedding, etc.
Also removed and replaced the anchor washdown pump. I had “fixed” the old pump that had seized, but it seized again and I decided just to buy a new one. However, it sat on the “to do” list for about six months since it wasn’t a big priority. When I finally got to it this week, it took about an hour and a half.
Some other small but important stuff: Bringing my collection of flares up to date. Now I’m legal till 2013 (but what do I do with the other 15 year old flares?). Taking all three fire extinguishers for pressure testing, reloading and re-certification. Now Charisma’s 100% legal if stopped for inspection by the Coasties.Also, fixed the head which again broke. This time the water inlet refused to work. As I thought, it turned out to be the float valve. Took off the bowl, “jiggled” the float ball, reassembled and voila, it works! Nice to be able to pump water again and not have to pour fresh water into the bowl to flush.
Drake’s Bay 2010
Finally, the weather cooperated; sort of. Steep chop and light wind meant motor sailing the first half of the trip, but North of Bolinas, we got 20knots, gusting to 25 and some nice sailing into Drake’s Bay. Windy night, gusting up to 30 knots, but anchor deeply embedded in the sand and the anchor alarm set to 120 feet, meant a good sleep. On the way back, saw two whales (probably Gray’s) and a dozen or more dolphins that swam with us, surfing on the six foot waves for 15 minutes during one session and 10 minutes during another. Really fun to watch!
By the way the Monitor (now known as “Wilson”) steered all the way back. In 15 knots true, a double reefed main and yankee jib, Wilson steered brilliantly. We just sat, read books and looked up from time to time to make sure we didn’t hit something. The trick is the heavily reefed main. Keeps weather helm from overpowering the self-steering. We made about 5+ knots with this set up. Even better would have been the 130, but I was too lazy to put it up!
A Nice Weekend
Went to China Camp. Wanted to go to Drake’s Bay, but winds were 35+ and waves 12 feet at 9 second periods–not a fun ride.
China Camp was nice though. Warm, good anchoring and a chance to test out the new hammock!
Living Onboard
Wow, hard to believe it’s already been over four months. Seems like yesterday I moved aboard.It’s such a joy to be living on “Charisma”. Great neighbors, beautiful boat and easy to go for a sail. All I have to do is disconnect the internet and I’m off (well, almost all). Nonetheless, I keep everything put away, so it’s as easy to go sailing as before I moved aboard.So far, I’ve loved falling asleep at night listening to the rain on the overhead, hearing the wind in the rigging and feeling the gentle rocking on the water. Sunrises and Sunsets in the Marina are also a treat.
Now I can’t wait for the warmer weather to try out the hammock I got for my birthday!
Buddy Boating
Went sailing the other day with another Tayana; “Alchemy” just down the dock from me.
What a fun day and some great pics to boot!
