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The Reed Pages S/V Andante 02 September 2006
Sorry to have been incommunicado for this long. No good reasons, merely excuses.
Anyway, I will update the Europe travels at a later date. Right now, we are
steaming south at 180 degrees magnetic currently about 15 miles off the Northern
California shoreline, although you wouldn't know it as we have not seen much for
a while now due to the fog. Hardly a breath of wind, which is quite change. To read the rest of this account Click Here for an MSWord document...
11 September 2006
We
have returned from our trip to Florida and wrapped up a blitz weekend with the
cousins in SF and surrounding ports of call. We all had a great weekend, marred
by the sudden illness of the matriarch of the SF crowd. She suffered what
appeared initially to be a stroke, but turned out to be poor circulation to her
brain apparently due to arteriosclerosis. She is convalescing well. My brother
Rick and my Mom came down. Mom stayed with us aboard Andante and they all left
this afternoon. We will be hanging around the bay area for the next several
days, visiting different ports of call and planning to leave next weekend for a
rendezvous with Kathy's sis, Sue in Monterey. Nothing much to report except the
rumors of fog in SF bay have been confirmed, as well as the great sailing winds.
Yesterday we took our guests out for a spirited day sail and felt like we were
again heading for Alaska - one of those crisp fall days - nearly froze our
fingers off, but had a great sail.
24 September 2006 I
am really quite uncertain when I last wrote. I guess that means it has been a
while. It seems as we have been quite busy, but I don't know doing what. We had
a few truly grand sails about
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27 September 2006
Well we did indeed survive our passage from Monterey. The sun rose just as I entered San Simian Bay, rising over the Hearst Castle at the top of the hill. Pulled in, looked around a bit and it is a very pretty spot that Hearst guy picked for his beach cabin, but the swell was to high for easy beach access so we saw no good reason to stays, so continued on the Morro Bay. Very quaint town. Why is it that some quiet, nothing going on type towns are quaint (e.g. Princeton at Half Moon Bay, Morro Bay) yet others seem to be dives (Crescent City) - go figure. Anyway, lest I digress. Entering Morro Bay is really cool with this huge 578 foot tall rock guarding the entrance, much like haystack rock at Canon Beach, on steroids. I kayaked this very long bay/estuary, walked the large dunes and generally enjoyed the sunny day. Yesterday AM (25 Sept), woke up to dense fog again. We did nothing in the AM, walked to town for a few fresh provisions and took off about 14:00 for Port San Luis (as in San Luis Obispo, just a few miles inland)... To read the rest of this account Click Here for an MSWord document.
6 October 2006 Since I last wrote, we have not really accomplished a lot, but we are having fun in the sun. If I remember correctly, we were at last count anchored off San Miguel Island in the rather exposed windy anchorage. We stayed there two nights, we hiked upland to the ranger station, and I took a ten mile hike about the island with ranger Ian as my personal guide. He knows a fair bit about his island, but then I guess he should since he has lived there for nearly 15 years. The island was inhabited for many centuries and the extensive middens (Indian garbage dumps aka piles of clam and abalone shells) reveal this. We left San Miguel for Santa Rosa, a little south and east. Here we were again greeted by 20-30 knot winds in the anchorage. We tucked in extremely close to the beach under a cliff in 14 feet of water to drop the hook. It was still windy, but at least no waves here, or less than one foot anyway... To read the rest of this account Click Here for an MSWord document.
3 November 2006 It has been a while since I wrote, but we did little for nearly two weeks in San Diego. Boat maintenance, touring the town, went to the famous, and very good, Zoo, and taking advantage of our tour guides arrival the day after us. Pete Porter convinced his boss he was needed in San Diego for the time we were there and showed us around quite a bit and provided transportation. Very nice to see him and we hung around together when he was not working and had dinner out a few times and together on the boat. The week before departure, there was this small weather disturbance scooting across the Pacific affectionately named Paul getting our attention, but he left the area long ago now. Barb and Gary Lemon arrived a few days before we left. We finally cut the ties and, after a half day long party with the Ha Ha group the day before departure, we sailed south Monday, Oct 30 in company of 600 of our closest friends in the Baja Ha Ha (180 boats). The sailing was incredible. To read the rest of this account Click Here for an MSWord document.
6 November 2006 From the Reeds We completed the wonderful second leg of the Baja Ha Ha when we arrived at Bahia Santa Maria last night at 00:15. The sailing was unbelievable the past two days. Day one out of Bahia Tortugas was fast. We flew the spinnaker a short while, but since I had it made for lighter wind (light fabric), we stowed it as the wind picked up. Set full canvas with the mainsail, genoa and staysail smokin down the coast at 6.5-7.8 knots. At sunset, the wind quieted down a lot, so Kathy and Barbara took their first watch alone, 18:00-22:00. By 19:30, the wind had shifted and freshened to 20 knots. They got me up to reef the main sail. I sent them to bed, set full sail and had an exciting sail plunging through the 6-10 foot seas under a full moon until about 01:00 when things cooled off a little. I stood their watch until 22:00 then my watch until 02:00 when Gary took the watch. It is so exhilarating in these perfect conditions sailing under the full moon at night. It cannot be described, only experienced. Yesterday, we caught several Dorado (Mahi Mahi), and several tuna of different types, which we returned. Sailing was much more sedate with lighter winds, actually motoring most of the day, sailing only late afternoon and evening. .. To read the rest of this account Click Here for an MSWord document.
15 November 2006 From the Reeds Well, it looks like we have made it to La Paz, or nearly so. Again, a little recap. Bahia Los Frailes was a very pretty place with lots of hiking and scenic beauty, but the swell from the southern storms was still a nuisance with beach landings. The breakers were 2-4 feet. Landings are a cakewalk, but launching is still a challenge. We are getting better, but Kathy is still quite apprehensive about the event. We moved on up the line to Bahia Los Muertos, or bay of the dead, although we have only found live people here. Another pristine white sand beach, aquamarine water with visibility (snorkeling) of 50-100 feet, and the ocean swell is finally blocked so no surf landings. There is a fine twist here. In this remote, otherwise vacant bay, we found that the Giggling Marlin of Cabo San Lucas fame has set up a branch location here. Breakfast out yesterday, margaritas out last PM and dinner out - the cooks needed a break. Endless beach walking, very good snorkeling and more puffer fish than I have ever seen in one location... To read the rest of this account Click Here for an MSWord document.
29 November 2006 From the Reeds It seems we were incommunicado while in Cabo San Lucas as the condo was too cheap to have wireless internet access, and I am too cheap to spend $10 per hour for it - or is it just the principle of the thing! Any way, had a very nice time while here in La Paz. We tried a couple of the local haunts and found a great taco stand, of course. One evening, one of the cruisers, (who picked up a new crew member AKA live in girl friend who jumped ship from here ride in Turtle Bay) decided to host a dinner party up town. The fish dinner was so so and the margaritas OK. Another cruising couple came and put on quite a show for us. He played guitar and sang Flamenco and she danced. A very entertaining and fun evening. On Saturday we drove down the coastal (Gulf side) highway 1 (highway loosely interpreted here) and saw lots of great scenery, several small towns and great, but brief Gulf views. Arriving at San Jose a little too late, the dog storage facility was closed so we took them to the condo and they spent the following two days with us there, incognito. We met up with my brother Rick and his wife, Claudia in Cabo, staying at the condo on the beach. Did all the usual - swam in the ocean and pools, had tacos at our favorite Cabo taco stand - five for five is now five for six (four tacos and a beer, $6), and all the rest. Had our traditional Cabo Thanksgiving shrimp dinner in town with Rick, Claudia, Gary, Barbara, Kathy and I.... To read the rest of this account Click Here for an MSWord document.
1 December 2006 From the Reeds We had a very nice time at a fairly well protected anchorage called La Partida, tucked between Isla de Ispirita Santos and Isla Partida. It appears to be a small caldera or crater with the Sea of Cortez on one side and Ensenada La Paz on the other. Snorkeling was OK, but we did not snorkel the outside reef, as it was a little too rough. Maybe at our next visit. We celebrated Rick's birthday #60. The water was a little boisterous due to the Coromels (catabatic cooling winds off the Baja peninsula) this evening, but not uncomfortable for anyone aboard. Wednesday morning we had a very nice sail most of the way back to La Paz, motoring only about one hour as the wind died as we entered La Paz bay. Went to bed at Marina de La Paz under clear, quiet skies, only to be awakened about 01:00 with the boat pitching at the dock and the wind howling at up to 40 knots. Our first norther has arrived. Northers are a well known and very respected weather phenomenon here. Typically during the warm months there is a stationary low pressure system over the desert southwest (in the US). In winter, this reverses with a rather stationary high pressure due to the cold nights etc. Any way, there is a lot of cool heavy air that gets herded into a big pile by the normal clockwise rotation over Arizona, Colorado, Utah. It gets so big that it destabilizes and falls down the Colorado river into the Gulf of California occasionally. And fall it did. The wind has been blowing hard all day and will for the next 1-4 days, unsure how long yet. The waves in the gulf are reported 10-12 feet and very steep, and are 2-3 inside the bay, breaking over the dock and taxing the web of nylon dock lines I have to absorb some of the shock loading of the wind and waves... To read the rest of this account Click Here for an MSWord document.
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