Hey All,
After 41 hours of sailing we made it the 200+ miles from Trinidad to Bodega Bay.
About 15 minutes after leaving Trinidad the AUTOPILOT shit the bed. For those unacquainted with "shitting the bed", it's an expression that is more forcefully synonymous with "dropping the ball". Aka, failing to perform at a VERY inopportune time.
Hence, due our third crewmembers demise at sea, one of us had to steer at all times during that 41 hour sail. No bueno!
Regardless, it was awesome. At one point, this actually happened.
Conjure the image.
Its a perfect, sunny California afternoon and after a long stretch of sailing, we're approaching our destination. La Sin Fin is about two miles off a remote, mountainous, beautiful coastline. Conditions are mellow. Mack is currently manning the tiller... ALREADY AN AWESOME SITUATION!
But it gets better.
About 25 feet to our right a family of whales (including a baby) is swimming at the surface. Mommy and Daddy whale are MUCH bigger than the boat. Baby is just a wee bit smaller than the boat.
But it gets better.
Meanwhile, 5 or 6 dolphins and doing laps around the whole scene, darting, leaping, and making funny noises.
But it gets better.
Just to our left, 300-400 (yes, 300-400) SEALS are going nuts about something. It looks like a feeding frenzy. Countless seagulls and pelicans circle overhead, occasionally divebombing amidst the frenzy. When the seals notice us, all their attention switches to the boat. They start following us around, waving their flippers, making funny noises, and doing assorted other hilarious crap.
And the whales just take it in stride and keep swimming along... breaching and spouting and slapping their tails.
I gotta go get some lunch. Then we're going kiting. Setting sail for San Fran this evening.
If all goes according to plan, we'll be approaching the GOLDEN GATE at dawn.
Yep.
After 41 hours of sailing we made it the 200+ miles from Trinidad to Bodega Bay.
About 15 minutes after leaving Trinidad the AUTOPILOT shit the bed. For those unacquainted with "shitting the bed", it's an expression that is more forcefully synonymous with "dropping the ball". Aka, failing to perform at a VERY inopportune time.
Hence, due our third crewmembers demise at sea, one of us had to steer at all times during that 41 hour sail. No bueno!
Regardless, it was awesome. At one point, this actually happened.
Conjure the image.
Its a perfect, sunny California afternoon and after a long stretch of sailing, we're approaching our destination. La Sin Fin is about two miles off a remote, mountainous, beautiful coastline. Conditions are mellow. Mack is currently manning the tiller... ALREADY AN AWESOME SITUATION!
But it gets better.
About 25 feet to our right a family of whales (including a baby) is swimming at the surface. Mommy and Daddy whale are MUCH bigger than the boat. Baby is just a wee bit smaller than the boat.
But it gets better.
Meanwhile, 5 or 6 dolphins and doing laps around the whole scene, darting, leaping, and making funny noises.
But it gets better.
Just to our left, 300-400 (yes, 300-400) SEALS are going nuts about something. It looks like a feeding frenzy. Countless seagulls and pelicans circle overhead, occasionally divebombing amidst the frenzy. When the seals notice us, all their attention switches to the boat. They start following us around, waving their flippers, making funny noises, and doing assorted other hilarious crap.
And the whales just take it in stride and keep swimming along... breaching and spouting and slapping their tails.
I gotta go get some lunch. Then we're going kiting. Setting sail for San Fran this evening.
If all goes according to plan, we'll be approaching the GOLDEN GATE at dawn.
Yep.