One of the highlights of our trip there was going under the Golden Gate. We also have to charter a sailboat during our stay so we could then go out and back in under it again in the sailboat. Truly an incredible landmark.
87-year-old Boat Heads to UK (the slow way)
- Thread starter MV Content
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
One of the highlights of our trip there was going under the Golden Gate. We also have to charter a sailboat during our stay so we could then go out and back in under it again in the sailboat. Truly an incredible landmark.
Giggitoni
Guru
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2008
- Messages
- 2,092
- Location
- United States
- Vessel Name
- Mahalo Moi
- Vessel Make
- 1986 Grand Banks 42 Classic
OP
OP
MV Content
Senior Member
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2013
- Messages
- 116
- Location
- United Kingdom
- Vessel Name
- MV Content
- Vessel Make
- Fellows & Stewart 58' Pilothouse Cutter
Well, we passed under the Golden Gate at lunchtime Sunday. After the previous 2-3 days, when the weather gods threw interesting seas at us, we had a completely uneventful trip in from Bolinas Bay. As it was a Sunday, there was quite a bit of sail traffic, and we had to concentrate. But what a wonderful thing it is, to take your own boat through this iconic portal, at the end of a 900-mile journey. I think we were elated and slightly bemused at the same time. We had been led to expect much greater hardship than we encountered. I am aware that we had a great 9-day weather window, but even if we'd had to wait for weather a few more times than we did, I'm sure that the boat and crew would have managed it just as well.
The star of the show, other than Content and my brave wife, was undoubtedly the CPT Autopilot. This 35 year old product is amazing. Once I'd made sure there was no mag interference l, it performed impeccably. Huge thanks to Jeff at CPT for walking me patiently through the installation and subsequent fine-tuning.
We are resting ourselves and the boat in the Delta this week, and what a contrast that is! 90 degrees air, and 73 degree water...I'm not getting much work done! Meeting up with our personal delta-guru FlyWright midweek, can't wait for that. Then a week in SF, and off down the coast again.
Eamonn
The star of the show, other than Content and my brave wife, was undoubtedly the CPT Autopilot. This 35 year old product is amazing. Once I'd made sure there was no mag interference l, it performed impeccably. Huge thanks to Jeff at CPT for walking me patiently through the installation and subsequent fine-tuning.
We are resting ourselves and the boat in the Delta this week, and what a contrast that is! 90 degrees air, and 73 degree water...I'm not getting much work done! Meeting up with our personal delta-guru FlyWright midweek, can't wait for that. Then a week in SF, and off down the coast again.
Eamonn
We've heard all the scare tales of that trip too and guess better to expect worst but then it scares some people needlessly away. Plenty of ports along the coast and safe havens to wait out weather. Glad your experience was much like ours.
The Golden Gate was just spectacular. We had to charter a sailboat so we could come under it by sail as well one day.
The Golden Gate was just spectacular. We had to charter a sailboat so we could come under it by sail as well one day.
FoxtrotCharlie
Guru
Be sure to ask Al to wear his pink hat
Oh, and lock your beer frig
Couldn't help myself Al. And very nice of Al to be your host
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2008
- Messages
- 13,731
- Location
- California Delta
- Vessel Name
- FlyWright
- Vessel Make
- 1977 Marshall Californian 34 LRC
Be sure to ask Al to wear his pink hat
I'm going straight for his fridge for an inspection. Pics to follow! 
Looking forward to meeting you and Catherine, Eamonn. I'll see you in the warm, fresh waters of the Delta.
OP
OP
MV Content
Senior Member
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2013
- Messages
- 116
- Location
- United Kingdom
- Vessel Name
- MV Content
- Vessel Make
- Fellows & Stewart 58' Pilothouse Cutter
Looking forward to meeting you and Catherine, Eamonn. I'll see you in the warm, fresh waters of the Delta.
Al, I'm just getting your job-list ready!
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2008
- Messages
- 13,731
- Location
- California Delta
- Vessel Name
- FlyWright
- Vessel Make
- 1977 Marshall Californian 34 LRC
Ha! I was thinking that very thing when you told me it was too hot to work and you were calling off the projects for the day.
I'll show up with my tool belt and fridge inspection kit.
I'll show up with my tool belt and fridge inspection kit.
VicTrawler
Senior Member
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2015
- Messages
- 234
- Location
- Canada
- Vessel Name
- Halcyon I
- Vessel Make
- 1984 36' Universal Europa Sedan
Just found your thread (been following via the blog). It was great chatting with you in the spring and we're glad to see you making excellent progress down the coast! You guys are making it look way easier than it was for us. Goes to show that starting the trip in the middle of August might not have been the best idea...
Giggitoni
Guru
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2008
- Messages
- 2,092
- Location
- United States
- Vessel Name
- Mahalo Moi
- Vessel Make
- 1986 Grand Banks 42 Classic
Eamonn,
I guess the "Secret Cove" isn't so secret! I hope you have a great time in the Delta.
I guess the "Secret Cove" isn't so secret! I hope you have a great time in the Delta.
OP
OP
MV Content
Senior Member
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2013
- Messages
- 116
- Location
- United Kingdom
- Vessel Name
- MV Content
- Vessel Make
- Fellows & Stewart 58' Pilothouse Cutter
Hi Mark,
Well, even for July, we were extremely fortunate with the weather! All down the coast, locals we spoke to were saying they'd never experienced such flat seas for such a long period. That did change as we got close to Mendocino, though, as a healthy reminder of just who is the boss on this coast.
I've said it before, but your blog was the sole inspiration that got us looking at this trip: we would never have tried it, without knowing of your journey, and we are very grateful to you both! We decided not to run overnight (we're not as young and fit as you!), but after five days stuck in one place, we could understand that frustration can drive one into a corner: indeed, we left Eureka on a far less than ideal day, when faced with another week there.
So, you've had a great few days in the San Juans.....make your way up to Shoal Bay sometime, and say hello from us to your namesake there!
Cheers, Eamonn
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2008
- Messages
- 13,731
- Location
- California Delta
- Vessel Name
- FlyWright
- Vessel Make
- 1977 Marshall Californian 34 LRC
The location names are all wrong, but the Google-bot put together a nice collection from last week on the water. (I'll post the correct location in the comments.)
Secret Cove August 2017
I had a wonderful time meeting Eamonn and his lovely bride, Catherine. His boat is built with huge timbers giving him a tremendously thick hull. I especially liked the sewer-grate sized scuppers in the cockpit. He has both solid and grated covers! The vessel has an interesting history that I hope Eamonn shares with the group.
As you can see in the images, Eamonn's fridge inspection came off without a hitch. Before I departed to meet Content, I took a picture of my own "beer and bait' fridge as an example for others to try to exemplify when provisioning for a TF Rendezvous. Obviously the week's inventory is kept down below for safe keeping until demand dictates.
It was a very interesting week that ended with a surprise sunrise rain shower as I was lifting anchor on my way home the last day. It's very rare to have August showers in the area and it was a welcome treat.
Secret Cove August 2017
I had a wonderful time meeting Eamonn and his lovely bride, Catherine. His boat is built with huge timbers giving him a tremendously thick hull. I especially liked the sewer-grate sized scuppers in the cockpit. He has both solid and grated covers! The vessel has an interesting history that I hope Eamonn shares with the group.
As you can see in the images, Eamonn's fridge inspection came off without a hitch. Before I departed to meet Content, I took a picture of my own "beer and bait' fridge as an example for others to try to exemplify when provisioning for a TF Rendezvous. Obviously the week's inventory is kept down below for safe keeping until demand dictates.
It was a very interesting week that ended with a surprise sunrise rain shower as I was lifting anchor on my way home the last day. It's very rare to have August showers in the area and it was a welcome treat.
FoxtrotCharlie
Guru
Beautiful photos Al! Thanks for posting. Two great boats in the Delta - wait
"Delta" is Mississippi's phrase
) Oh, and love the pink hat
"Delta" is Mississippi's phrase
) Oh, and love the pink hat
OP
OP
MV Content
Senior Member
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2013
- Messages
- 116
- Location
- United Kingdom
- Vessel Name
- MV Content
- Vessel Make
- Fellows & Stewart 58' Pilothouse Cutter
Here's an update, in abbreviated form.
I took my foot off the gas on the postings, once we'd got to San Francisco. I guess we'd focused on getting that far, simply because it was the biggest city on the route - thinking like a landlubber again! Our blog, if anyone is interested, received much more editorial input than TF did, primarily because the Admiral wrote large chunks of it as we went along, and the Skipper merely had to do the final edit. https://contentgoeshome.wordpress.com is the link.
After our few days in the Delta, we tied up in Green Marine: we'd left it way too late to get into South Beach. We hadn't needed to book anywhere else on the way down, and we got a bit casual. However, it was a fine place to stop for a week, with good access to the Golden Gate, and Sausalito. Some of our family had joined us there, and it was full house on Content! We became quite adept at getting around by Uber, and had a great week, taking in all of the sights. A friend had recommended a few places, and we didn't run out of things to do! At the end of the week, we were all ready to head south, and get away from the buzz and the pace.
Pillar Point was next - we anchored there for the night, and it was a very sheltered spot. There is quite a bit of silting going on there, and a local suggested that we move a bit further away from the breakwater.
Santa Cruz was a blast - I'd last been there for the Melges 24 World Champs in 2007, but the off-the-water memories were hazy
My wife Catherine was game enough to come on the Giant Dipper with me, and we won't forget that.
We had learned from our SF experience, with regard to booking ahead. We got a good spot in Monterey, near the Abalone farm, under the wharf. The seals were everywhere, and noisy with it. We spent two nights, and wished we'd been a month later, so we could have caught the Jazz.
Carmel is an old favourite - we dropped the hook in Stillwater, and were guided in by Jay, the Pebble Beach harbour master, to the only kelp-free spot there. It was very quiet, and peaceful too. Of course, we walked the 18th, and Catherine lined up for a 6-iron to the 7th green, off the pilothouse roof.....but didn't really launch the ball!
The long slog to Morro Bay was next. The weather was still all behind us, and we didn't encounter anything greater that 5-6 ft, with intervals at about 9-10 secs. Content was handling it very well indeed. the majority of the trip, from Point Aiguilla onwards, was certainly flatter. The CPT Pilot was performing very well indeed, and was making life much easier for all.
During the morning, I noticed that the House bank was not charging. I'd installed a Smartgauge / SmartBank before we left Canada, and it had worked just fine up to now. It looked as if the relay had failed, so I bypassed it crudely, by combining the two banks. A couple of emails and calls to the manufacturer (in the UK), and we worked it out. The 150A fuse had blown - I had forgotten to update that when I installed a larger alternator on the starboard engine, doh! I made do with my workaround, until we got to a store with a 300A fuse.
We got in to Morro Bay at 21:30, and as the bar was flat, it was uneventful enough. We tied up at the Yacht Club, ate quickly, and crashed.
Morro Bay is a great town - we used the opportunity to catch up with more of my family, and found all the stores we needed within easy reach. Lunch at Tognazzini's was great, with a splendid duo playing old favourites.
After two nights, we had an 07:00 departure for Cojo Anchorage, just behind Point Conception. Once again, our luck was holding. 4ft @ 10-12 seconds had become the routine, and the 9-hour run was a breeze. Cojo wasn't at all sheltered, however! Not quite as bad as 'Shelter Cove' had been, but pretty rolly all the same. I'd made the mistake of anchoring too far off the beach, unfortunately, and pulling up the anchor next morning turned into a kelp harvest. There was an awful lot of it, and a knife attached to the end of my pike pole turned out to be the perfect implement.
We'd been looking forward to the Channel Islands, and they did not disappoint. First off, we dropped the hook in Cuevas Valdes - sadly we had to skip San Miguel Island, because the left-over sea coming around Conception was making life uncomfortable there. The Painted Cave was fascinating, and scary too, when we came across the sea lions on the ledges inside....they make a heck of a racket, and they smell, close up! We moved to Little Scorpion for the next two nights, and it was wonderful. This island is beautiful, with great walks, lovely swimming, kayaking in and out of caves, and great snorkelling. It was hot!
On then, to Marina del Rey, for our first taste of LA, and a memorable day at the Getty. For me, that was one of the highlights of the whole trip - LA is very fortunate to have such an amazing treasure. Venice Beach was fun too.
Content was built in Long Beach: well, in San Pedro, to be exact. We were very disappointed to find that the Maritime Museum had its budget cut by the city last year, and hasn't had a librarian for quite some time. So, all of the useful information about the Fellows & Stewart yard is locked away in a room, to which nobody seemed to have the key.
In Long Beach, we tied up at Cabrillo Way Marina, a bit of a soulless place. Its a bit like a garage: nothing nearby, and it just had the basic facilities. They don't like wood boats there, either, and we were only allowed a one-night stay. I wasn't sorry to leave.
Catalina Island was absolutely rammed. We caught our first tuna on the way around the western tip, as we headed for Cat Harbor. From the AIS tracks, it looked as if half of LA was heading for the closer side of the island, and our decision to put in the extra hour proved to be a good one. Cat Harbor is separated by narrow causeway from Two Harbors, but it could be in a different country. I reckon there were 200plus boats on moorings in Two Harbors, against about 15 in Cat Harbor, and we had none of the northerly swell and tanker wake to deal with. We passed a very peaceful three nights here.
Tuna number two, a 9-pounder, came straight after we left for Newport Beach. He didn't come quietly, but then I was reeling him in as we continued at 7kts.
The Newport plan didn't go so well - quite a chop stacked up on top of the 4-5ft swell, which was coming in squarely on our port beam. We stuck it out for an hour or so, but decided to bear away and head for Dana Point - not, however, before a nasty little series caught us, and I watched through the starboard door, as the side deck went under, and then through the port door, to see the same thing happen there. Hmmm... the Admiral was not impressed.
Dana Point was full, so we had to anchor on the corner of the northern fairway. There's not a lot of space there, and the holding is not good. I won't wash my embarrassing dirty linen here, but the blog contains a salutary lesson I learned in beautiful Dana Point!
San Diego seemed suddenly to be rushing up to meet us.....after seven weeks, and only about three of them at sea, we were only 30-odd miles away. We stopped at Oceanside to meet yet more of my extended Irish family (they're everywhere!), and visited the gorgeous Mission at San Juan Capistrano, early in the morning, before heading in to the final destination of our first leg.
Arriving into SD is something to be done carefully. It was busy. There doesn't seem to be any speed limit: the channel is not that wide, when you've got USN destroyer 104 coming in, after a tour in the Pacific. We'd booked an anchorage permit in Glorietta Bay for the first night, and that was lovely: warm, clean water, despite all the naval traffic, and a short row to the dinghy dock (by the launch ramp), to find food. Next day, Catherine had booked a slip for the week on the Police Dock, at the west end of Shelter Island. This is a good facility - lovely and quiet, facing the lovely homes on the other side, and only a dollar a foot - bargain! A week would give me time to find a more permanent hiding place, while we fly back to the UK, to wait for this rather destructive hurricane season to end. Our thoughts, as I write, are with the people of Texas and Florida.
We are starting to work out among ourselves how much we have learned on this 1200 mile trip. We know that good weather greatly simplifies the West Coast descent, and we were very fortunate on that front. We crossed 13 bars, and only one, Eureka, gave us any discomfort (that was coming out!). WE did make sure that we always arrived at the right time, so the risks were minimised.
We ran the engines at a conservative maximum of 1500 RPM, and that gave us 7.6kts @ 2.5GPM. Frequently, we ran at 1100, and that delivered 6kts @ 1.6GPM. Only once or twice, for very short periods, did we have to go over 2000 rpm. The engines are three years old, and had 750 hours on them when we left. 370 hours later, and our Iveco 150s haven't missed a beat. A couple of electrical issues, my fault, were quickly rectified.
The day tank, which I installed in June, ensured that the engines saw no dirt or water. As I found out recently, the Iveco only demands secondary filtration at 15 micrograms, which really takes a lot of the dirty-fuel risk away. We will never know whether the Pacific would have stirred up enough sludge in our old, unclean tanks, but I do know that the filters going into the day tank have picked up no water, and haven't shown any signs of dirt either.
The CPT Autopilot was a great addition. However, ours is a first-gen product, from the '80s, bought for a few hundred dollars, to test the principle, and it went off-duty for a few random days. Once or twice, we identified magnetic interference, but I think I will buy a new one, before we go further. It is inevitable that we will have some all-nighters as we head south, and I want to remove the uncertainty. But we will stick with a CPT, just a new one!
On the comms side, we carried internet hotspots from Verizon and Straight Talk, and between them, they covered the entire coast. We were rarely more than 6 miles or so offshore, and only had to endure one peaceful evening with Facebook.
VHF cover was fine, and the Vesper 8000 transponder never blinked.
When we encountered fog, the 40-year old Raytheon worked just fine too, and we felt quite comfortable with our AIS and radar screens acting as our eyes, on the few occasions when we could see no further. Our hearing was augmented by the fog-horn facility on the Standard Horizon 2150 - we'd gone for the larger horn, and once or twice it was useful to pick up another boat's horn through its microphone.
And the boat herself? Well, for an 87-year old, she was pretty sprightly. We are taking no more water than when we left, and that isn't much at all. I'd beefed up the bilge pumps, and installed new switches - a counter will be the next addition in that area. We also replaced the shafts, and she'd had some small hull-work done, but nothing major. We had an out-of-water survey done before leaving also, and that was very reassuring.
Navigation was an all-Apple affair, with a MacBook Pro running GPSNavX, and two iPads running iNavX, with the Vesper 8000 providing the AIS overlay via WiFi. Two separate GPS antennae, one of which was always in reserve. The main one was shared by the primary VHF and the Vesper. We also had a third iPad using its own internal GPS. Interestingly, we only once saw a noticeable difference in position between the Vesper-fed devices and the iPad internal chip, and they reconciled very shortly after.
Gosh, that was a long catch-up. Many more miles to go, and we are looking forward to a dog-walking break back in the UK. Thank you all for your various inputs along the way. A mention too, for Al (FlyWright)....thanks for the suggestion of the electric skillet! We turned off the Dickinson when we left SF, and if we hadn't done so, we'd all have melted by now!
Eamonn
I took my foot off the gas on the postings, once we'd got to San Francisco. I guess we'd focused on getting that far, simply because it was the biggest city on the route - thinking like a landlubber again! Our blog, if anyone is interested, received much more editorial input than TF did, primarily because the Admiral wrote large chunks of it as we went along, and the Skipper merely had to do the final edit. https://contentgoeshome.wordpress.com is the link.
After our few days in the Delta, we tied up in Green Marine: we'd left it way too late to get into South Beach. We hadn't needed to book anywhere else on the way down, and we got a bit casual. However, it was a fine place to stop for a week, with good access to the Golden Gate, and Sausalito. Some of our family had joined us there, and it was full house on Content! We became quite adept at getting around by Uber, and had a great week, taking in all of the sights. A friend had recommended a few places, and we didn't run out of things to do! At the end of the week, we were all ready to head south, and get away from the buzz and the pace.
Pillar Point was next - we anchored there for the night, and it was a very sheltered spot. There is quite a bit of silting going on there, and a local suggested that we move a bit further away from the breakwater.
Santa Cruz was a blast - I'd last been there for the Melges 24 World Champs in 2007, but the off-the-water memories were hazy
My wife Catherine was game enough to come on the Giant Dipper with me, and we won't forget that. We had learned from our SF experience, with regard to booking ahead. We got a good spot in Monterey, near the Abalone farm, under the wharf. The seals were everywhere, and noisy with it. We spent two nights, and wished we'd been a month later, so we could have caught the Jazz.
Carmel is an old favourite - we dropped the hook in Stillwater, and were guided in by Jay, the Pebble Beach harbour master, to the only kelp-free spot there. It was very quiet, and peaceful too. Of course, we walked the 18th, and Catherine lined up for a 6-iron to the 7th green, off the pilothouse roof.....but didn't really launch the ball!
The long slog to Morro Bay was next. The weather was still all behind us, and we didn't encounter anything greater that 5-6 ft, with intervals at about 9-10 secs. Content was handling it very well indeed. the majority of the trip, from Point Aiguilla onwards, was certainly flatter. The CPT Pilot was performing very well indeed, and was making life much easier for all.
During the morning, I noticed that the House bank was not charging. I'd installed a Smartgauge / SmartBank before we left Canada, and it had worked just fine up to now. It looked as if the relay had failed, so I bypassed it crudely, by combining the two banks. A couple of emails and calls to the manufacturer (in the UK), and we worked it out. The 150A fuse had blown - I had forgotten to update that when I installed a larger alternator on the starboard engine, doh! I made do with my workaround, until we got to a store with a 300A fuse.
We got in to Morro Bay at 21:30, and as the bar was flat, it was uneventful enough. We tied up at the Yacht Club, ate quickly, and crashed.
Morro Bay is a great town - we used the opportunity to catch up with more of my family, and found all the stores we needed within easy reach. Lunch at Tognazzini's was great, with a splendid duo playing old favourites.
After two nights, we had an 07:00 departure for Cojo Anchorage, just behind Point Conception. Once again, our luck was holding. 4ft @ 10-12 seconds had become the routine, and the 9-hour run was a breeze. Cojo wasn't at all sheltered, however! Not quite as bad as 'Shelter Cove' had been, but pretty rolly all the same. I'd made the mistake of anchoring too far off the beach, unfortunately, and pulling up the anchor next morning turned into a kelp harvest. There was an awful lot of it, and a knife attached to the end of my pike pole turned out to be the perfect implement.
We'd been looking forward to the Channel Islands, and they did not disappoint. First off, we dropped the hook in Cuevas Valdes - sadly we had to skip San Miguel Island, because the left-over sea coming around Conception was making life uncomfortable there. The Painted Cave was fascinating, and scary too, when we came across the sea lions on the ledges inside....they make a heck of a racket, and they smell, close up! We moved to Little Scorpion for the next two nights, and it was wonderful. This island is beautiful, with great walks, lovely swimming, kayaking in and out of caves, and great snorkelling. It was hot!
On then, to Marina del Rey, for our first taste of LA, and a memorable day at the Getty. For me, that was one of the highlights of the whole trip - LA is very fortunate to have such an amazing treasure. Venice Beach was fun too.
Content was built in Long Beach: well, in San Pedro, to be exact. We were very disappointed to find that the Maritime Museum had its budget cut by the city last year, and hasn't had a librarian for quite some time. So, all of the useful information about the Fellows & Stewart yard is locked away in a room, to which nobody seemed to have the key.
In Long Beach, we tied up at Cabrillo Way Marina, a bit of a soulless place. Its a bit like a garage: nothing nearby, and it just had the basic facilities. They don't like wood boats there, either, and we were only allowed a one-night stay. I wasn't sorry to leave.
Catalina Island was absolutely rammed. We caught our first tuna on the way around the western tip, as we headed for Cat Harbor. From the AIS tracks, it looked as if half of LA was heading for the closer side of the island, and our decision to put in the extra hour proved to be a good one. Cat Harbor is separated by narrow causeway from Two Harbors, but it could be in a different country. I reckon there were 200plus boats on moorings in Two Harbors, against about 15 in Cat Harbor, and we had none of the northerly swell and tanker wake to deal with. We passed a very peaceful three nights here.
Tuna number two, a 9-pounder, came straight after we left for Newport Beach. He didn't come quietly, but then I was reeling him in as we continued at 7kts.
The Newport plan didn't go so well - quite a chop stacked up on top of the 4-5ft swell, which was coming in squarely on our port beam. We stuck it out for an hour or so, but decided to bear away and head for Dana Point - not, however, before a nasty little series caught us, and I watched through the starboard door, as the side deck went under, and then through the port door, to see the same thing happen there. Hmmm... the Admiral was not impressed.
Dana Point was full, so we had to anchor on the corner of the northern fairway. There's not a lot of space there, and the holding is not good. I won't wash my embarrassing dirty linen here, but the blog contains a salutary lesson I learned in beautiful Dana Point!
San Diego seemed suddenly to be rushing up to meet us.....after seven weeks, and only about three of them at sea, we were only 30-odd miles away. We stopped at Oceanside to meet yet more of my extended Irish family (they're everywhere!), and visited the gorgeous Mission at San Juan Capistrano, early in the morning, before heading in to the final destination of our first leg.
Arriving into SD is something to be done carefully. It was busy. There doesn't seem to be any speed limit: the channel is not that wide, when you've got USN destroyer 104 coming in, after a tour in the Pacific. We'd booked an anchorage permit in Glorietta Bay for the first night, and that was lovely: warm, clean water, despite all the naval traffic, and a short row to the dinghy dock (by the launch ramp), to find food. Next day, Catherine had booked a slip for the week on the Police Dock, at the west end of Shelter Island. This is a good facility - lovely and quiet, facing the lovely homes on the other side, and only a dollar a foot - bargain! A week would give me time to find a more permanent hiding place, while we fly back to the UK, to wait for this rather destructive hurricane season to end. Our thoughts, as I write, are with the people of Texas and Florida.
We are starting to work out among ourselves how much we have learned on this 1200 mile trip. We know that good weather greatly simplifies the West Coast descent, and we were very fortunate on that front. We crossed 13 bars, and only one, Eureka, gave us any discomfort (that was coming out!). WE did make sure that we always arrived at the right time, so the risks were minimised.
We ran the engines at a conservative maximum of 1500 RPM, and that gave us 7.6kts @ 2.5GPM. Frequently, we ran at 1100, and that delivered 6kts @ 1.6GPM. Only once or twice, for very short periods, did we have to go over 2000 rpm. The engines are three years old, and had 750 hours on them when we left. 370 hours later, and our Iveco 150s haven't missed a beat. A couple of electrical issues, my fault, were quickly rectified.
The day tank, which I installed in June, ensured that the engines saw no dirt or water. As I found out recently, the Iveco only demands secondary filtration at 15 micrograms, which really takes a lot of the dirty-fuel risk away. We will never know whether the Pacific would have stirred up enough sludge in our old, unclean tanks, but I do know that the filters going into the day tank have picked up no water, and haven't shown any signs of dirt either.
The CPT Autopilot was a great addition. However, ours is a first-gen product, from the '80s, bought for a few hundred dollars, to test the principle, and it went off-duty for a few random days. Once or twice, we identified magnetic interference, but I think I will buy a new one, before we go further. It is inevitable that we will have some all-nighters as we head south, and I want to remove the uncertainty. But we will stick with a CPT, just a new one!
On the comms side, we carried internet hotspots from Verizon and Straight Talk, and between them, they covered the entire coast. We were rarely more than 6 miles or so offshore, and only had to endure one peaceful evening with Facebook.
VHF cover was fine, and the Vesper 8000 transponder never blinked.
When we encountered fog, the 40-year old Raytheon worked just fine too, and we felt quite comfortable with our AIS and radar screens acting as our eyes, on the few occasions when we could see no further. Our hearing was augmented by the fog-horn facility on the Standard Horizon 2150 - we'd gone for the larger horn, and once or twice it was useful to pick up another boat's horn through its microphone.
And the boat herself? Well, for an 87-year old, she was pretty sprightly. We are taking no more water than when we left, and that isn't much at all. I'd beefed up the bilge pumps, and installed new switches - a counter will be the next addition in that area. We also replaced the shafts, and she'd had some small hull-work done, but nothing major. We had an out-of-water survey done before leaving also, and that was very reassuring.
Navigation was an all-Apple affair, with a MacBook Pro running GPSNavX, and two iPads running iNavX, with the Vesper 8000 providing the AIS overlay via WiFi. Two separate GPS antennae, one of which was always in reserve. The main one was shared by the primary VHF and the Vesper. We also had a third iPad using its own internal GPS. Interestingly, we only once saw a noticeable difference in position between the Vesper-fed devices and the iPad internal chip, and they reconciled very shortly after.
Gosh, that was a long catch-up. Many more miles to go, and we are looking forward to a dog-walking break back in the UK. Thank you all for your various inputs along the way. A mention too, for Al (FlyWright)....thanks for the suggestion of the electric skillet! We turned off the Dickinson when we left SF, and if we hadn't done so, we'd all have melted by now!
Eamonn
Last edited:
Giggitoni
Guru
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2008
- Messages
- 2,092
- Location
- United States
- Vessel Name
- Mahalo Moi
- Vessel Make
- 1986 Grand Banks 42 Classic
Thanks for the update, Eamonn! I watched (AIS, Ship Finder) you arrive at Pillar Point, Santa Cruz, Monterey and Morro Bay before work got in the way! Have a good rest and please be sure to let us know when you depart San Diego.
Wonderful account of your travels. Thanks so much for the details.
My son and family live in Dana Point. Great area with boating all over the place. Sorry the harbor was so full when you arrived.
Several years ago, in the night, we watched a portion of Catalina Island burn from son's porch looking over the ocean. About 10 PM my wife said what is that red glow coming from the island. Not long after it became noticeable flames. We shared the binoculars into late night.
Looking forward to your next update-post.
Continue your many enjoyments!
Art
My son and family live in Dana Point. Great area with boating all over the place. Sorry the harbor was so full when you arrived.
Several years ago, in the night, we watched a portion of Catalina Island burn from son's porch looking over the ocean. About 10 PM my wife said what is that red glow coming from the island. Not long after it became noticeable flames. We shared the binoculars into late night.
Looking forward to your next update-post.
Continue your many enjoyments!
Art
Similar threads
Latest posts
-
-
Fixing boats in Exotic Places - are new boats really that bad?
- Latest: Hippocampus
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-