By The Skipper:

I left San Carlos for Eureka on the morning of Tuesday, January 5th.  200 miles down the road I realized that I had forgotten to bring the key to the marina gates. I arrived at 4:45 PM, just after the marina office had closed.   Fortunately, one of the staff was taking his time locking up and gave me a key.  A burger and a beer at the Lost Coast Brew Pub topped off the day and I returned to the boat for my first night afloat in nearly a month. Fellow Vega Owner Jim Elder was driving down from Ashland with his trailer to haul Lealea to Sausalito and we had agreed to meet at Field's Landing between 12:30 and 1:00 on Wednesday. 

First thing in the morning I  went to breakfast, returned the rental car and walked back to the boat to strip off the sails and get her ready for the trip.  It took an hour to motor down Humbolt Bay to Field's Landing.  As I neared the travel lift fingers I spotted Jim's black Dodge Ram pickup and trailer coming through the gates of the boatyard.  Perfect timing! Jim caught my lines and we tied Lealea up to a barge near the travel lift then took a stroll around the small and rather rustic boatyard while we waited for the boatyard crew to come back from lunch.

Blog follower Greg Thornton, who had introduced himself when we arrived in Eureka, showed up to help with the preparations and after the travel lift had deposited Lealea on the trailer the three of us took the mast down and got everything secured for the trip down Highway 101 to Sausalito.  Jim and I said good by to Greg and rolled out the gate at about 3:30 PM.

We decided to stop for the night in Garberville.  First we topped off the fuel tank in the truck, then went looking for food and lodging.  Burgers and beers were excellent at a place behind the Best Western.   After a little interaction with some of the locals, Jim and I agreed that Garberville is "An interesting place to visit".

We grabbed coffee to go and hit the road early on Thursday and drove to the little town of Willitz.  Breakfast at Ardella's Downtown Diner, we agreed, was possibly the best corned beef hash and eggs we had ever had; washed down with perfect roadside diner coffee. The meal sustained us for the rest of the day and we arrived in Sausalito at about 3:00 PM.

Driving through Sausalito, we missed our turn but a good samaritan, obviously a fellow boater, passed us and waved for us to follow, setting us on the right course for the KKMI boatyard where I had arranged for the travel lift to splash the boat. The yard manager showed us where to park the trailer and Jim and I set off  looking for a place  nearby to spend the night.

As we drove down the street we passed the obviously upscale digs of Casa Madrona Hotel and Spa while looking for a place to park.  It was clear that Madrona was far too expensive for our purposes but, on a lark, we decided to check anyway.  To our surprise, we were offered a two bedroom cottage with a spectacular bay view for a sum that fit the budget.  Sailor's luck!  The next priority was a cold beer which we found at a place near the boatyared called "Fish".  The menu looked too pricey for us so we set off again and settled on a Mexican restaurant called "Saylor's" where we had another excellent meal, then back to the hotel for a good night's rest.

In the morning we had a light breakfast of coffee and croissants at the hotel and went to the boat to prepare her for launching.  We got the mast up and the dodger on just as they were ready for us at 12:45.  After the boat was launched and tied up alongside, we went off for an excellent lunch of huevos rancheros at the Mexican place behind West Marine. I thanked Jim for all his help and bade him a safe trip to Olympia where his new boat is being delivered.

I spent the afternoon getting the boat ready for the trip down the bay to Westpoint Harbor where we will be staying for the next few months.  While I was working on the boat, Rob and Adam came by and welcomed me to the Bay Area.  Later, Vega Association member Craig Hirt arrived from Monterrey to help me take the boat down the bay. We went off for a beer and some grub at "Fish" then went back to the boat to crash.

Early Saturday morning we went to the fuel dock to top off then headed south on the rising tide, arriving without incident at Westpoint Harbor at 2:00. Craig dropped me off at the San Carlos West Marine where I gave Laura a hug and a kiss.  Now we can get back to normal life.

By the Skipper:

Back on the boat at last.  I spent the day moving, cleaning the boat and assembling our bicycles.  Bree seems happy to be home but, really, how can you tell with a cat?

We are in the Westpoint Harbor marina in Redwood City.  It is a brand new facility, actually not quite finished, and sports all the amenities of a first class joint.  Surprised they let us in d;^) 

The WiFi here is very good. The best we have ever had. Connection speed at the moment is 58 mbps which means that we can watch TV shows and movies without the annoying buffer breaks.  It will also make it easier for me to upload our videos.  WiFi also allows us to listen to streaming audio from almost any radio station in the country.  I mention the WiFi because this bit of technology is not often mentioned in our discussions about cruising and we never anticipated that it would become such a key element of our lifestyle.  Of course it is only a factor when we are in port. We would not want it at sea; I don't think.  I am certain that wireless interwebs access will eventually be available cheaply everywhere and that is probably a good thing but I cannot help feeling slightly uncomfortable with it.  It seems to me akin to wearing a leash.  It is the same way I felt about cell phones when I was first required to carry one for work.

For me, and I think for Laura as well, part of the attraction of voyaging is being entirely on our own.  Having no distractions, no phone, no email, no news broadcasts, no outside demands; only the responsibility to each other and moving the ship safely toward her destination. We think that much of the reason we have been successful cruising is that we do not try to bring our shore life with us to sea. But this is the modern world and you cannot help but see that the vast majority of Americans simply cannot imagine life without being electronically connected at all times.  The new "Normal".   

We always enjoy the comforts, conveniences, new friends and camaraderie we find in port. We carry our cell phones, check our email, post our blogs, surf the internet and watch streaming video.

And when in port, we always look forward to getting back out to sea and away from all the distractions and complications.  Where our only concerns are each other and the boat.

We know it is not "Normal".  We just do not care.

By the Skipper:

We have been getting a lot of positive feedback on our video series onYouTube.  I am almost finished with the Pacific Coast series.  The last few days in this series is challenging simply because we did not shoot much video while Laura was ill. After I get this one finished, I plan to begin on two new series covering living aboard and cruising in the Pacific Northwest.  Have not decided yet which I will do first.  Suggestions welcomed.

Here in the marina, Mark, the man in charge, told us we cannot keep our bicycles on the deck of our boat. He told us to put them in the bike storage room.  That room is a quarter of a mile from the boat across a muddy field in a shipping container in an area where pipe is being laid and construction equipment is moving earth. When I gave my opinion of that situation, he asked if I thought a bike rack would be helpful. I enthusiastically endorsed the idea.  That was Saturday. 

Over the weekend We realized that the bike storage situation was unacceptable for us.  Laura rides her bike to work every day, coming home after dark and I make daily runs into town for groceries, post office, bank etc. Tromping through the mud to get our bikes and put them away then tracking mud back to the boat was just too much and we decided to look for another home for Lealea in a marina more agreeable to our lifestyle. 

Then, on Monday afternoon, Mark asked me what I thought of the new bike rack.  He had already installed one near the head of our dock. I was astonished.  The marina is still under construction and Mark certainly has a lot on his plate.  I would consider it unreasonable to expect to see the bike rack in less than several weeks if ever.  We are, after all, mere transients here, the only cruisers and apparently the only ones using bikes for transportation.

Thanks Mark.

Westpoint Harbor is really going to be something when it is finished.  The plan includes a boatyard and fuel dock, facilities sorely needed in the South Bay area.  We do not know Mark well yet but he gives every indication of being a perfectionist.  We would like to visit in  a few years when the project is complete.

By The Skipper:

Good comments from John and Dave.  When we began the Across the Pacific series of videos, we started with the easiest ones first as we were still learning how to edit and produce. Then we moved on to those we judged most interesting and finally filled in the rest.  Each has the day # in the title but they were not posted in chronological order.  To bring some organization to the series, we put them in a playlist in order from Day 1 through Day 55. There are 44 videos in the series and they can be viewed in sequence by clicking the "Sea Log" playlist on YouTube or the embed on the "Voyages" page on this site.

With the Pacific Coast series we started with what we thought was the most dramatic in response to a question we received, then went to the beginning and posted the rest pretty much in order. This series includes a couple of short, unedited clips with no production that we posted just for fun and to see what kind of reaction we would get on YouTube.  You can watch this series in chronological order either on the "Voyages" page or in the playlist on YouTube titled "Sailing the Pacific Coast".

Comments about the titles are well taken.  We will take care to number future series to make them easier for viewers to sort through.

We should be finishing up the Pacific Coast series this week - We only made it as far as Eureka then put the boat on a trailer and brought it to San Francisco.  Next up will probably be a less chronologically organized series of our cruising in the Pacific Northwest.  We are also planning a series on living aboard - marina life, that sort of thing and there may be some boat project videos if time permits before we put to sea again.

We still want to cruise Southeast Alaska and, from here, that means sailing to Hawaii first so there should be plenty of material for future video series.

We enjoy your comments and welcome suggestions.

By the Skipper:

We are moving over to Bair Island Marina in a couple of weeks.  It is much smaller, tiny by comparison, and perhaps not quite as POSH as Westpoint will be when construction is completed. It is very nice nonetheless. The main reason for the move is that it is closer to where Laura works by three miles. She commutes by bicycle five miles from Westpoint now so that is a substantial improvement. 

Bair Island also features free gym membership and a pool; extra cost options at Westpoint.  Also worth considering is the substantially lower slip rent.  Both marinas have a lot to offer but, for us at least, Bair Island is a better choice. I don't think Bree cares one way or the other.

I have been spending a lot of time lately on various sailing forums and have noticed an increase in subscribers to our YouTube channel and traffic here at the blog. Aloha e' komo mai to our visitors. Leave your shoes at the door and make yourselves at home.

By The Skipper:

Recovering from a bug that had me bedridden for a few days.  Really kicked my butt.  Today will be a bit of a trial as I must get on my bike an ride the four miles to the supermarket for groceries.  We are completely out of fresh fruits, veggies and bread.  While it is true that we have a good six months supply of canned and freeze-dried packaged foods as well as dry beans and various grains and pastas, as long as we are in port we consider fresh produce a necessity and, at the moment, we are down to a few sweet potatoes and a couple of onions in that department.

Robert asked where our next destination will be.  Hawaii is the plan.  As always, subject to change due to wind, sea, natural disaster or political upheaval.

Our intention is to pass under the Golden Gate westward and follow the prevailing winds to Kawaihai on the Big Island then work our way up the island chain, provisioning and visiting old friends in the islands for a couple of weeks.  We cannot stay long in the islands because we still want to cruise SE Alaska so we will have to get moving to take advantage of the summer weather.  It is an ambitious plan given our usual leisurely pace.  We will see how it goes.

By The Skipper:

We are now settled into our slip in the cozy little Bair Island Marina.  The move cut three miles from laura's commute and now we have access to a pool, jacuzzi and a small but well equipped gym.  The Wi-Fi here is not as good as at Westpoint but that is a small price to pay.  Speaking of price, the slip rent here is less than half what we were paying before.  In fact, less than we have paid anywhere and the setting is very pleasant.  We will only be here for a short time but it promises to be a very enjoyable stay.

Meanwhile, it is time to take advantage of the fine weather and begin getting the boat ready for sea again.  We aim to leave for Hawaii at the end of April so we have plenty of time but there is no sense waiting until the last moment.  I need to overhaul the running rigging and re-lash the forward anchor mount.  It is time I replaced the stern running light, the last of the original lights on the boat, with the LED unit I bought in Seattle. Also, the steaming light has been acting up.  It flashes intermittently but always works perfectly when I climb up the mast to check it.  Very frustrating. A coat or two of Cetol Marine on the brightwork should be the final bit of maintenance before we head out.

Then, of course, when we arrive at our next port of call, we start all over again.

By The Skipper:

In the news this morning, four Americans killed by Somali pirates.  The victims had a web site, S/V Quest Adventure Log Read the news article atCBS News.

There is a lot we could say about this.  For now, though we will pray for the families.

By The Skipper:

To Jason:  If you bring the beer - Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA

To Jeremiah:  Over the past five years we have been averaging about $300 per month for slip rent.  Here at Bair Island, as transients, it is $200.  We are in a 30 foot slip.  Permanent mooring rates are different and I don't know what they charge but at Westpoint, just around the corner and at Pete's Harbor, even closer, it is $400 plus electricity.

To John G.:  Checking the rig is an ongoing process.  At sea every morning I go over the rigging.  Before setting off on a major passage, I examine the fittings at the bottom of the stays and shrouds with a magnifying glass for cracks, pitting or corrosion and frayed wire.  I check up as high as I can reach for broken strands.  The most likely place for a failure is at the bottom fittings so that where I pay the most attention.  We just had the rig down when we trailered the boat from Eureka to Sausalito so I did a thorough check then.  Another thing to check is for any source of chafe - cotter pins, etc that may snag a sheet (Or an arm or leg)

For the running rigging, I constantly check for chafe.  I make up my sheets and halyards a little long so I can cut off ends and move chafe points before they get too serious.  We replaced the halyards after crossing the pacific and they are still in good shape.  The headsail sheets are over sized so they are easier to handle and have lasted longer.  They need replacing now, before we depart on our next passage.  We carry enough new rope to replace all the running rigging twice over.

As for the bottom, most yards will not let you sand so we just scrape off any loose paint and lay on two more coats.  We use Pettit Trinidad and have found that every three or four years is sufficient.  We have considered taking the bottom down to gelcoat but have not yet bothered to do so.  We would have to have the yard do the work and we are too cheap for that.  Besides we do not see the need.

By the First Mate

Blueberry pancakes for breakfast and boat maintenance for lunch.  

Predictions for snow in San Francisco turned out to be false, at least in our area.  It has been cold, windy and rainy the last few days but today is glorious.  Chuck is in the cockpit smoking a cigar and putting some finishing touches to our lifelines.  My job for the day is to catch up on some correspondence and do a bit of cleaning inside the boat.  

I've had some pretty full days at work helping to get the San Carlos store ready for season and amazed at how quickly our time here is coming to an end.  Downtown Redwood City is a pleasant 30 minute walk from where we are moored at Bair Island and so far we've found a few small cafe's worth revisiting but nothing yet which meets our requirements of good beer and good coffee.
 
Chuck mentioned last night the possibility of continuing on to San Diego when we leave here.  My step father retiring from the U.S. Navy on June 1st and we would really like to be there for the ceremony.  We have received several emails suggesting we cruise the Channel Islands first before jumping back to Hawaii so.... we are thinking about it. 

Bree has no opinion either way.

 

By The Skipper

Out cruising around San Francisco Bay for a few days.  We were tied up at the St. Francis Yacht Club Guest dock overnight when Laura' Mom called to tell us there was a tsunami warning out.  We had not heard but, in any case, there was not much effect in the bay.  We saw about four feet of surge in the harbor where we are moored but no damage to any of the docks or boats.  We spent the day walking to Fisherman's Wharf for lunch, exploring the Maritime Museum and eating ice cream.  When we got back we learned that a friend of ours, Mickey Smith, had lost his boat, "Distant End" at Brookings, OR.  Our prayers go out for the Captain and Crew.

We expect to be sailing back down to the South Bay tomorrow or the next day.  It is just sunset so it is time to take in the flags and head to the Yacht Club for a cold one.

The Weather has turned fine, almost summer, and the forecast is for it to continue through the weekend.  We are taking advantage by putting a couple of coats of Cetol Marine on the bright work, polishing the stainless steel and a few other outside projects on our list.

We are counting down the days now. Laura has 30 days left on her commitment.  We will be departing immediately after, wind and seas permitting. 

While browsing YouTube this morning, I found a boat project that makes ours look insignificant.

http://youtu.be/AG8x8C5I8a0

 

By The Skipper:

Of course, Bree had to interrupt her nap to take a lap around the cockpit after I had laid a fresh coat on the hatches.  I saw her hop out through the companionway and grabbed her before she made footprints all over but not before she dragged her tail through the wet Cetol.  Ah well.  That's life.  Who wants perfect bright work on a cruising boat anyway?

Preparations are going well.  We are down to mostly cosmetic stuff.  I still need to rig the new radar reflector;  We will have two this time, one on the back stay and one at the port side spreader. We don't want to run into the kind of weather that carried the old one away off the Washington coast but just in case we have improved the rigging for it and we have a back up as well.  We learn as we go.

Laura is in charge of stowing provisions and we will inventory and make our last minute shopping list next week.  As always before departure, I will empty and repack the cockpit lockers.  The bicycles have to go in the bottom so everything has to come out anyway.  That will take about two hours and will be done on our last day in port. Tonight I will check our navigation lights.  I'll check them again the night before we leave.  I may make up a new set of jib sheets but I can just as easily do that under way. Rigging our deep water lifelines will wait until we stop at St. Francis Yacht Club for one last cold beer and a restaurant meal just before we exit the Golden Gate.

That's about it.  Grocery shopping and, filling the water tank and topping off our cooking fuel is about all that remains.  Unless something unexpected pops up, I should have time to get a couple of videos done. 

By The Skipper:

Seven days from our planned departure.  Laura has the day off so we had pancakes for breakfast and, at noon, have not yet left the cabin.  After washing the dishes and having a second cup of coffee we are just beginning to think about planning our day.  We know that we will be having dinner with Laura's boss tonight but how to fill the intervening hours?

It is too soon to break down and stow the bikes.  With Laura home, I don't want to get into any of the very few involved (And, at this point, optional) projects on my list.  So we are just sitting; Laura is reading. I am writing.  We are listing to "The Prairie Home Companion" on the radio while letting the juices break down the pancakes.

I have it!  I will begin organizing Laura's photos for uploading to her Photography pages.

By the way; we have been looking for a pressure cooker for some time now and Laura finally found one at the boat show. It is a bit larger than we wanted. I used it last night for the first time to cook a batch of beans, it works great, but we are going to be eating beans for a few days.  

By the Crew

Our stay in the San Francisco Bay is coming to an end.  One of the highlights of our stay here was a four day cruise around the bay, during which we stopped at Ballena Bay in Alameda where we found “Tinker” tending bar at the Balena Bay YC.  We knew we had found a friendly place when we noticed the yellow and black “Tug Boat” burgee of the Nawiliwili Yacht Club over the bar.  From Alameda we sailed across the bay to San Francisco and the St. Francis Yacht Club just under the Golden Gate.  We enjoyed a night at the guest dock then moved across the harbor to the municipal marina.  The unusually strong surge made docking a challenge but we managed.  Only later did we learn that the surge was the tsunami of March 11 hitting San Francisco.  We spent the day doing the tourist thing, exploring Fisherman’s Wharf and having lunch at Allioto’s.  On the return trip to Bair Island we motored along the San Francisco waterfront.

Laura worked her last day at the San Carlos West Marine store on Saturday and we are spending Sunday just relaxing and taking care of a few last minute preparations.  We expect to leave Bair Island for St Francis Yacht Club on Tuesday.  We plan to make one last grocery run there and exit the Golden Gate on Wednesday or Thursday with the tide.

Float Plan:  Departure from St. Francis YC at high tide on or about May 3^rd, weather permitting.  Outside the gate we will take a course of approximately 221 degrees true to our first waypoint at 29.59 degrees North X 129.59 degrees West.  From there our course should be 248 degrees true to waypoint #2 at 25.59 North X 139.59 West.  We will continue on course 248 from there to waypoint #3 at 22.02 North X 150.01 West. From Waypoint #3 we will proceed to our expected landfall at 20.29 North X 155.54 West.  Our first planned stop is at Kawaihae.  We customarily take our time so we expect to cover the roughly 2500 miles in 30 days which will put us between Maui and the Big Island the first week in June.

The Coast guard will want to know:

The sailing yacht “Lealea” is an Albin Vega 27, USCG No.1167966, call sign WDD7505.  She is equipped with VHF radio, AIS receiver and EPIRB.  Lealea is 27 feet on deck, sloop rigged with white sails, navy canvas dodger and spray cloths.  She has a grey hull with grey and white decks, dark navy transom and royal blue bottom paint.  Photos at http://cruisinglealea.com/theboat.html

We may post here again before we depart, we may not.  It depends on opportunity and availability of WiFi.

Small Craft Advisories in effect outside the gate for wind and rough bar conditions.  We will wait for conditions to improve and enjoy the hospitality ofSt Francis YC for a couple more days while watching the weather at theNOAA, Weather Underground and PassageWeather.com web sites.

Judging by the forecast, we expect to get under way Saturday or Sunday with the tide.

By The Skipper:

Just finished breakfast (Pancakes with maple syrup and fresh strawberries).  After a second cup of coffee we will disconnect the power cord, wash the dishes and head for the fuel dock to top off our tank.  From the fuel dock we will loop around the east side of Alcatraz Island and into the westbound traffic lane.  We need to get out of the Golden Gate before the tide turns after the  3PM slack.

Once outside the Gate we will follow our float plan.  If all goes according to plan we expect to sight Haleakala and Mauna Loa about June 5th.

By The Skipper:  Honolulu

Thirty eight days out of San Francisco, Lealea made landfall at Upolo Point on the Big Island on the morning of June 18th and picked up a mooring at Kawaihae harbor just before sunset that day after an exhilarating and wet sail down the Alenuihaha channel in 30 to 35 mph winds.  We rested for a few days then sailed for Manele Bay on Lanai, again braving the Alenuihaha, this time at night.  We stayed at Manele Bay for four days before crossing to Oahu, finding a mooring at the Ala Wai Boat Harbor's fuel dock.

Vessel and crew are in good condition and recovery operations are in progress.  More details on the trip as time permits and internet access is available.

By The Skipper

Laura and I are sitting on the lanai at the "Poor Boyz Yacht Club" watching the surfers at Kaiser's enjoying the unusually big waves today, the fishermen on the breakwater and the dinghy class playing bumper boats just off the fuel dock, while I sort through videos of our trip.  Hawaiian music is coming over the speakers behind me and it is very hard to keep my mind on the task at hand.  

The weather is classic Honolulu: Temperature in the mid-eighties, trade winds blowing the occasional shower off the mountains.  I am, of course, appropriately attired in shorts and Aloha shirt with a panama hat and flip-flops handy should I decide to venture out into the direct sunlight.

Do I miss Seattle?

By The Skipper:

Time flies when you are enjoying life; and we are enjoying life right now.  As I write this, I am sitting in the shade at a picnic table under an awning about twenty feet from Lealea’s pulpit.  Laura is lounging next to me in a deck chair reading Michener.  Off to our left a few hundred yards, surfers are doing their best with the small surf on the reef at Kaiser’s.  After the big south swell last week it must be a disappointment.  To our front, across the channel, yet another Japanese couple is getting married under the Coco palms on Magic Island so they can get Diamond Head and the surfers, and possibly an arriving or departing yacht, in the background of their wedding photos. Meanwhile, the happy couple is being completely ignored by the steady stream of joggers and walkers and the SCUBA diving group entering the water nearby. Watching the arriving and departing boats is always interesting and we have a pair of binoculars handy for that. Hot food and cold drinks, including beer, are just a few steps away if we are too lazy to climb back aboard Lealea to fix our own breakfast or lunch.

On a typical day we get up around 6:30 or 7:00 and go out for some exercise.  This usually takes the form of us walking or jogging over the bridge to Ala Moana Beach Park where Laura swims while I either continue jogging or work out at the exercise station across from the beach.  I will get in a quick swim and beach shower to cool down before we head back to the boat for breakfast.  Laura may cook or we may order an omelet from the kitchen.  Either way there will be several cups of the free coffee that comes with our mooring permit.  Later, after the few chores we have to do, we will probably walk over to the neighborhood market to pick up fresh fruit and veggies and maybe something to put on the BBQ for supper.  In the afternoon when we are not out and about town, we read, write and work on video production and web site maintenance thanks to the free Wi-Fi provided by the Fuel Dock.  On Fridays, the yacht races start at 6 and there is a fireworks show at 8PM. And the weather is always perfect.

I cannot think of a more comfortable place to spend the winter, or of any particular place that I want to go.  And yet, every day that passes, we are more anxious to leave, to get back out to sea.  Unfortunately, this view is not shared by the Boatswain.

By The Skipper:

 

Laura and I are formulating new plans for the next few months before we head North to Alaska next summer.  We are applying for permission to visit Palmyra in November.  Meanwhile, the Nawiliwili Yacht Club on Kauai is having a Halloween party that we think we will attend.  Kauai is an easy overnight sail from Honolulu but it is an open ocean passage so there is work to be done to prepare.

Honolulu is great but we are feeling a bit oppressed by the big city and want to get back out to sea for a while.

By the First Mate

We are spending the next few days doing small chores in preparation to take the boat to Kauai.  APEC ( Asia Pacific Economic Conference ) begins in a week and Ala Wai Harbor will be swarming with DLNR, USCG, DOBOR, and a bunch of other authorities providing security in the Waikiki area.  We are moored at the entrance to the Ala Wai channel and I think the traffic will be crazy intense.

Instead of dealing with the above we’ve decided to attend the annual Halloween Party at the Nawiliwili Yacht Club in Kauai.  We have been members of NYC for years and have only been able to participate in one of their events.  Now if I can just get Chuck to put on a pirates hat….

Our time, so far, at the Fuel dock has been extremely pleasant.  Chuck has been working feverishly on our video’s for YouTube and we have both been working hard to improve the CruisingLealea website.  Someone wrote and requested we update the photo’s so I’ve spent many hours selecting some favorites which were added yesterday.  Also, anyone familiar with the Ships Store at the American Vega website will find some new products available so please take a look.

 Chuck and I are looking forward to getting back on the water.  Bree, as yet, is undecided.

By The Skipper:

Back in our home port, Honolulu after a tiring four-day trip back from Kauai.  We waitied for the gales to pass and departed in light trades.  After a few hours the wind died completely.  We were determined to sail back to Oahu but when the third day dawned with Kauai still in sight we decided to start the motor if we made no more progress that day.  At sundown we hoisted the iron mizzen and pointed the boat toward Barber's Point.  After 18 hours of motoring we arrived at the Ala Wai Boat Harbor and went directly to the Harbor Pub for pizza and beer.


Now that we are back in civilization, we have uploaded a new video to YouTube and are working on more.  Laura has a new photo album to upload from our visit to Kauai and we are working on more new material for the web site.  We hope you like the new stuff.

By The Skipper:

This morning, when I got up, it was cool enough I needed a flannel shirt over my surf shorts and T-shirt when I hopped off the boat, in bare feet, to grab a cup of coffee at the Fuel Dock store.  Laura had gone off for her morning run and swim while I enjoyed some quality time with Bree and watched the early morning activity around the harbor; surfers and outrigger canoes paddling out, late fishermen fueling up and chatting about where to find the fish - the HH FAD buoy is always a favorite for a short trip - or the Penguin Banks between Oahu and Molokai.  By 0800 the sun began to warm the day and the flannel came off and I found myself reflecting on the last four winters we spent on the mainland.


Frankly, I'm feeling oddly uncomfortable about being so, well, comfortable.  True, we lived right here in the Ala Wai for 15 years before sailing to the Pacific Northwest and one might logically think that returning to our home port would be not much different than before.  What is missing, I have finally figured out is stress, or at least the kind of stress that comes from having to make dead lines and take responsibility for the productivity of others; of having to be in a certain place at a certain time.  No more conflicts of interest.  No more juggling personal and business life.  Hawaii has turned out to be very much more pleasant than before.  And what's not to like?  The air is cleaner than almost anywhere else in the US, as is the drinking water.  The weather is as good as it gets anywhere, the sea is clear and beautiful and the sailing is glorious.

So we are leaving.  In a few weeks or months, depending on which way the proverbial wind blows, we will be heading either North or South on another voyage to someplace new.  As soon as we decide, we will let you know.

By The Skipper:

You may have noticed changes in the site in recent days.  If not, be sure to refresh.  We have moved some pages and re-arranged content while we add more pages, photos and articles. There is a lot of stuff coming up.  We hope you will like it.