LAT:        34 24.402 N
LONG:  118 41.462W

Santa Barbara Marina

DATE:    19 JUNE 2009
TIME:      2140


We arrived safely in Santa Barbara this afternoon at 1330 (1:30 p.m.).  We left Monterey yesterday morning at 1000 (10 a.m.) so the time was just about exactly what I thought it would be.  Actually, we were well ahead of schedule all the way up through this morning when we rounded Point Conception at about 0700.  Then, we hit some sort of nasty current head on and we lost about a knot-and-a-half.  Doesn't sound like much, but that's almost 20% of our boat speed.  So, we lost our time advantage and ended up finishing in 27.5 hours. 

The weather was good - swells behind us at 5' to 7' and wind behind us from 15 knots to 25 knots, with occasional gusts to 30 knots or so.  We held a course that was a straight line from about 5 miles off Monterey to about 5 miles off Point Conception.  This straight line generally kept us about 15 to 20 miles off the coast.  We never saw land from the time we left until about an hour before we arrived.  Oh well.

Interesting - the water was actually a little cooler in Monterey than in the ocean off San Francisco (62 degrees in Monterey, 64 degrees north of San Francisco).  It started warming up around San Simeon and by the time we rounded Point Conception this morning, it was over 70 degrees.  Actually, it reached 76 degrees just as we made our turn into the Santa Barbara harbor - just about the same as Hawaii!

Speaking of Point Conception, I was a little worried about rounding this Point.  Along with Cape Mendocino north of San Francisco, these are the two most notorious bad-weather spots along the US Pacific coast.  No problem with Point Conception today, though.  As we rounded the point and started to fall into the lee of the land north of us, the swell fell from 6 feet or so to maybe 2' with no wind waves - the ocean was almost oily smooth.  Foggy, but smooth.

We did see whales and dolphins, though.  Probably about a hundred dolphins in total  of assorted sizes, colors, and families.  They seem to share a fascination of charging towards the boat and then playing around the bow wave for five minutes or so before disappearing.  It's quite a sight to see them coming at us from about a half mile away, jumping out of waves in unison six or seven at a time.

Yesterday afternoon between San Simeon and Morro Bay, I'd just layed down to take a nap between watches when Michelle woke me up and said come and look at the whales.  So, I went upstairs to the pilothouse and saw - nothing.  I started to think they were seeing things when we saw a whale spout at off our starboard side, maybe a quarter mile away.  I trained my binoculars on the spot when suddenly, this massive whale comes shooting out of the water like a Polaris missle -  straight up almost all the way to its tail flukes.  His head must have been 40' above the water, straight up.  Then, he came crashing down with such an explosion it looked like a bomb had gone off.  Holy crap!  What a sight I'll never forget.  I'd seen pictures of whales breaching before, but experiencing it in person was stunning.  Shortly after, John Kremer, one of our crew sputtered out,  "There's two of them!"  Two whales had breached in the same manner just ahead of us and to port.  I turned just in time to see the massive explosion when they hit the water.  It looked like someone dropped a building into the ocean - huge splash, huge waves.  Quite memorable.

Naturally, we got no pictures.  We barely got our eyes on them, never mind photos.  But I'll always remember.

More to come tomorrow . . .

LAT        36 36.52 N
LONG 121 53.60 W

Still at the Breakwater Cove Marina, Monterey, CA

DATE:    17 JUNE 2009
TIME:     2115

I don't think I should get as sore as I do simply cleaning the boat.  Granted, it's a big boat and I go up and down about 4000 stairs a day, but jeez, after dinner tonight I didn't even feel like getting up!

Long day today.  We started out by making a plan of things we wanted to get done.  We thought there'd be about five or six items - ended up being something like 25.  Buried in there somewhere was "Mark -  Wash the Boat".  I have a high pressure wash sytstem installed so all I have to do is lug the hose around and blast the dirt off - kind of like a 25 cent car wash (but no soap).  Still, it takes about two hours and is a lot of work.  Then, about another hour of wiping everything down.  Not quite the same as a professional detail job, but we're just going to get it all salted up tomorrow anyway.  At least now there's no black crud and half-eaten crab corpses lying around.

Michelle did a great job inside - even knocked out all the laundry. 

If you're thinking, "Wow, the main point of Mark and Michelle's trip seems to be experiencing the joy of cleaning the boat at different exciting locations along the west coast" - the same thought had occured to us.  We have to figure out how to do less boat work and more vacation stuff.  We're working on it.

Our crew - John and Kerri Kremer - arrived this evening.  They've run off to a restaurant to eat dinner while I finish off the last minute details of the trip (we're scheduled to shove off at 1000 tomorrow).

Part of this includes double checking the weather.  I say double-checking because I looked at it pretty thoroughly on Monday.  It looked like a piece of cake then.  Winds at 4 to 7 knots, swells at 4 to 5 feet and wind waves not much bigger than a ripple.  Well, things have changed a bit since then.

Now, the forecast is for 20 knots Thursday daytime along our route with 3 to 4 foot wind waves atop 4 to 6 foot swells (combined seas of 7 to 10 feet).  By Thursday night, the winds will quiet down a little to 15 knots, but the seas will have been all stirred up all day and will then feature swells of 5 to 7 feet and wind waves of 4 feet or so - combined seas 9 to 11 feet.   By Friday, prior to making the turn around Point Conception, we'll see 15 to 25 knots with "frequent" 30 knot gusts and seas about the same as Thursday night.  When we make our easting around Point Conception, the winds and the seas will lay down and we should have smooth sailing (with the chance of patchy fog).  So, the conditions for this leg look a whole lot like the conditions we saw the last couple of days of the Seattle to San Francisco leg - Hold On!  Oh well.  Nothing we can't handle.

I may not be able to get a report out tomorrow night - we should be somewhere off Morro Bay this time tomorrow.  But I'll check in no later than Friday when we arrive in Santa Barbara.

More to come tomorrow (or Friday) . . . .

LAT          36  36.52 deg N
LONG    121 53.60 W
(Breakwater Cove Marina, Monterey, CA)

DATE    16 JUNE 2009
TIME      2030


We made it back to the boat this afternoon with no problems.  The boat is fine - but incredibly dirty.  It's amazing how cruddy a boat can get simply sitting in a marina with no activity.  I'll be tackling the outside tomorrow prior to the arrival of our crew.  Michelle has kindly volunteered to handle the inside.

It's warm and sunny in Monterey this afternoon.  After our airline trip (Seattle to San Jose) followed by the car ride from San Jose to Monterey, we don't feel like doing much this afternoon (other than talking about how we're going to get after things manana.) 

So - we're going to the movies instead.

More to come  tomorrow . . .

One day while we were moored at Pier 39, a sailboat named "Showbiz II" pulled into the slip next to us.  I could tell the boat's crew - two adults and three teen-aged boys -  knew what they were doing - they were all wearing PFD's, they knew their assignments without being told, no yelling, no panic.  Impressive. 

A little later that afternoon, I got to talking to them and found that they were a unit of the Sea Scouts Troop 1776 from the east bay and that they were in the middle of a three or four day tour of the area.  Sea Scouts is a branch of the Boy Scouts of America with a boating orientation designed for teen-aged boys and girls.  I was reminded of my time in Boy Scouts when I was young - an important part of my life at the time (and, in many ways, since).  I invited the guys onto Rhapsody for a tour.  We spent over an hour going over the boat and talking about boating.  I think the boys got something from the tour (but I'm sure I got more).

So - salutes to George and Ken - the adult volunteer leaders, and to Jake, Brandon and Zach.  (Zach -  good luck on your application to the US Coast Guard Academy!)

I've been bad!  And I apologize!

I haven't kept the site up for the last 12 days.  So let me bring you up to date -

We had a very nice three day stay in Monterey.  We got in on Monday and our crew left on Wednesday.  We flew back to Seattle on Thursday.  Why so fast?  I'm trying to balance business - school - and boating.  Some times - like that particular week - are more pressing than others.  As a result, I'm not always able to spend as much time "on station" as I'd like.  Hopefully, we'll be able to stay a little longer in Santa Barbara.  (And we'll have two more days in Monterey next week).

While we were in Monterey, we visited the aquarium (world class) and had lunch or dinner at several nice restaurants.  The Chart House sits on stilts over the water.  We were treated to a marine mammal show - harbor seals with their babies and sea otters with their babies.  Quite a treat.

While the boat's in Monterey, I've decided to get some maintenance done - oil and filter changes, tighten down some "weepy" fittings, replace a couple of bulbs and batteries, etc.  The biggest item is that during our engineering checks (done every three hours) on the way from Seattle to San Francisco, Mike wrote up a discrepancy - the water pump relief port had a slow, weeping kind of leak that was allowing a very small amount of coolant to escape.  When I got to San Francisco, I checked with the guys at Emerald Harbor Marine in Seattle.  They said that this shouldn't be a problem go continue to Monterey, and have it fixed there.  Which is what we've done.  The boat mechanics in Monterey identified the problem as a water pump that is allowing fluid past the seals, either because the seals have warn out prematurely or because the water pump shaft is starting to wear out and wobble.  Either case, it needs replaced before it fails completely.  So, we've ordered a new pump and had it shipped down to Monterey, where it is being replaced this week prior to our arrival.  A good case of careful attention to the mechanics while underway that allow us to avoid a big problem offshore.  Good job, Mike!

I've added some photos to the album - both the SF to Monterey leg and the Seattle to SF leg.  The photo entitled "Rollers" shows typical 10' waves that we encountered along with 50 knot winds after we'd made the turn in to San Francisco.    We were headed directly parallel to the wave direction, generally not a good idea with tall waves and strong winds.  So, just as the wave started to reach us, I'd turn into the wave and climb up the face on about a 45-degree diagonal.  When it passed beneath us, I'd turn back to the correct course.

We return to Monterey on June 16th.  Unless something comes up, I'll make my next post then.

See you in Monterey -

TIME: 2230
DATE:  May 25, 2009

LOCATION:  36 deg 36.52' N
                     121 deg 53.60' W
                     Breakwater Cove Marina
                     Monterey, CA


We left at 0600 - right on time.  No problem getting off.  Started picking up ocean swells about a mile east of the Golden Gate Bridge and by the time we were under the bridge, we were working!   The seas were probably six to eight feet, but they were right on the nose and they were pretty close together.  So, hold on! 

Heading west towards the San Francisco sea buoy (prior to turning south in order go put a little distance between us and the shore), the ride remained rought, but certainly bearable.  Just off our starboard side, somebody rang the breakfast bell because we saw hundreds of dolphins heading east (opposite direction to us) at a rapid clip.  This persisted for several miles - maybe half an hour.  I've never seen so many dolphins at one time. 

Once we finished our westing and turned south, the ride improved considerably.  Still, the waves were more west north west than we'd had on the ride down from Seattle (those waves were more north north west).  This time, they hit us from our starboard quarter.  Most of the time, the boat handles these just fine.  Occasionally, though, a steep one will hit us at just the right angle and the boat does a little jig - stern swings to port, boat rolls (a little) to starboard, autopilot and stabilizers catch up and swing the stern back to starboard and roll the boat back even. 

This pattern persists for about five hours or so, until near Ano Nuevo when we're able to turn more to the south east.  Doing so pretty much squares the waves up behind us and, excepting the odd wave coming at us from the side, the ride smooths out even more. 

I stood watch from 0600 to 1200 and was releived by by mom and Phil from 1200 to 1500.  I did what I normally do when I get off watch - set the alarm clock and went immediately to sleep.  Woke up just ahead of the alarm, did my engineering inspection, and went back on watch ad 1500. 

All day, the wind never exceed 12 knots or so.  Pretty benign.  Swell usually 6 feet with maybe a 1 foot windwave on top.  Sky overcast - visibility about four to five miles.  No problem.

We travel about three to five miles offshore for this short little leg.  We see several dolphins along the way (after the big pod near the Golden Gate bridge).

We spot Monterey at about 1700 - probably six miles or so distant.  On the way in, we see to whale watching boats and, as we watch them, a whale surfaces between them.  Too far away for us to make out any details.

We make an uneventul landing at the Breakwater Cove marina at 1730 - about thirty minutes ahead of schedule.

All in all - a pretty easy, uneventful run.  Very nice to enter Monterey by boat.  When Michelle and I lived in Las Vegas, we rented a vacation home in Monterey and we'd fly our own plane over every chance we got.  When we couldn't fly, we'd drive.  Now, I can say I've come to Monterey by land, sea, and air.  I probably need to do it by rail next.

More to come tomorrow . . .

TIME:  1900
DATE:  May 24, 2009

LOCATION:  PIER 39 Marina, San Francisco, CA

My crew arrived today - my mom (back for a second leg) and her friend Phil Johnson.  Our plan is to leave the marina tomorrow morning at 0600 for what should be a 12 hour run south to Monterey.  The weather report looks good and I've prepared the route (using a software program called Nobeltec) in advance.  The engine room checks are complete so all we have to do is wake up (at about 0530) and get going.

Before the crew arrived, I toured the S.S. Jeremiah O'Brien - a World War II "Liberty Ship".  Liberty Ships were a class of cargo ship that was mass produced during WWII.  More than 2700 were built.  Towards the end of their run, a complete ship could be built in 42 days!  Imagine that.  It takes me that long to get an oil change!

Anyway, the Jeremiah O'Brien actually participated in the Normandy invasion in 1944.  Just before being mothballed and scrapped (as was the fate of all but two Liberty ships), a foundation was formed to save the O'Brien.  In 1980, she was overhauled and entered services as a tour ship, based in her current location in San Francisco.  In 1994, the remaining crew of the O'Brien thought it might be fun to go for a little cruise so they raised the money and sailed the O'Brien from San Francisco all the way back to Normandy to take part in the official 50th anniversary of D-Day.  While on the other side of the Atlantic, they visited several ports in France and Great Britain before returning to San Francisco. 

Today, once a month, the O'Brien takes guests out for a cruise on San Francisco Bay.  Still functional after all those years.  Truly remarkable.

My tour was a blast.  Compared to the submarine, there's acres of space.  The crew quarters were reasonably large.  The engine room is a full four stories tall.  The propulsion is diesel-powered steam engines.  The ship had done her monthly cruise a couple of days before my tour but the engines and the engine room were still warm.

One last thing - James Cameron recorded hours of underway sounds on the O'Brien for use in his movie "Titanic".  When the Titannic's engineer throws the engines in reverse in a desparate, but futile, attempt to avoid the iceberg, the sounds you hear are the actual sounds of the Jeremiah O'Brien's engines being thrown into reverse!

Crowds today at least as big as yesterday. 

More to come tomorrow . . . .

TIME:   1830 
DATE:  MAY 23, 2009

LOCATION:  PIER 39 Marina, San Francisco, CA


I got to the boat this afternoon at about 3 p.m. after an uneventful plane ride from Seattle followed by an exciting cab ride from the airport.  Pier 39, like the entire Embarcardero, is completely packed - I guess in part because of the holiday.  I say in part because at least half of the people here are from a foreign country and I don't imagine they celebrate our Memorial Day.  Anyway, I took a photo today of people standing in line to go for a ride on the "Rocket Boat" - a big planing boat that seats about 50 passengers at a time.  There are several hundred people in line and they are apparently prepared to wait for hours to get a seat.  Recession - What Recession?

The boat was fine when I got here.  I pretty much knew it would be because I have a little device called a "Boat Nanny" on board that constantly monitors temperature, voltages, bilge pumps, and unusual noises.  Anything goes amiss, and it immediatley sends me a text message.  It also sends one every day at noon with a complete status report.  So far, they've always been good.  (On my previous boat, I've had the power go out which spoils everything in the refrigerator and generally makes a smelly mess.  Now, if this happens, I can call and have it taken care of before it becomes a real issue).

I spent most of the day cleaning up and getting ready for the arrival of our crew tomorrow.  I also installed Photoshop on the computer in the office at the boat so I can get a little more prompt at posting photos.  Now the pressure's on me.

More to come tomorrow . . . .

We're back in Seattle for a week - Leg 1 is complete.  We had a wonderful time - truly a lifetime experience.  The crew was great - Michelle, Mike, and Ellen (my mom) were superb shipmates.  Got to watches early, didn't complain, totally reliable.  At sea, you literally trust your life to the person on watch.  I'd trust these three anytime.

Current plans are that I will return to Rhapsody on May 23rd for preparation for Leg 2 of our Pacific Coast Tour - San Francisco to Monterey.  This short little leg is about 12 hours long and will then give me almost two weeks in Monterey.  Scheduled departure date is Monday May 25.

I've posted some "Leg 1 - Seattle to San Francisco" photos in the Gallery .  There are a few more to post when I get the data.

Unless I come up with something profound to say, or unless someone asks a question on the BLOG, I won't be making any more entries until next Saturday, May 23rd.

Thanks for keeping up with us!

More to come, next week . . .

Time:  1900

Position:  Pier 39 Marina,  San Francisco, CA

Sure doesn't seem like a week has gone by already!  Tomorrow morning, we jump on a plane and return to Seattle for a week before the start of Leg 2 - San Francisco to Monterey.  We'll return to the boat a week from this Saturday.  We'll be joined by our crew the next day and we'll then depart for Monterey at 0600 on Monday May 25.  It's a 12 hour trip to Monterey (plus or minus).  If the weather holds to its typical pattern, the morning will be nice, the afternoon will be windy, and the evening will be nice again (after the sun has gone down).  Probably the best thing to do is to leave about 2100 (9 pm) and arrive at 0900 the following day.  But, for the moment anyway, I'm opting for a daytime cruise.  (I reserve the right to change my mind.  Tuesday's little afternoon pounding is not something I'm in a screaming hurry to repeat!)


Today, we walked across the Golden Gate Bridge, then toured the Presidio and Pacific Heights.  San Franciso is certainly an interesting city.  Down on the Embarcadero, where Pier 39 is, it seems like at least half of the people we hear are tourists speaking foreign languages.  The place is busy.  In fact, there's a crowd of people (100 or so) watching the sea lions in the next marina row up from ours.  The crowd builds by around 9 a.m. and doesn't dissipate until about 9 p.m.


Spent the rest of the day cleaning the boat, putting stuff away and getting packed.   The  boat is all tucked in, ready for a "week off".  I'm anxious to get home and see the dogs, plus, I have some music homework that's due this weekend.  But, I'm also already looking forward to Leg 2 and two weeks in Monterey!

More to come tomorrow . . .