We were up and ready this morning when we realized that something was amiss with our electrical system. Ralph just tracked it down to a broken alternator connection, so it’s back to bed for now. Hopefully this will be something we can fix tomorrow and then head out.

We had a nice stay in Ventura. We left there yesterday morning and headed for Santa Barbara in the fog and mist. Our radar is working well; we’re getting used to reading it and the new chart plotter is great.

It was a very calm day, but we managed to motor sail. In the distance we saw some whales jumping completely out of the water! They were too far away to see what kind they might be. We passed through a couple of pods of dolphins and I got a good photo of them playing in our bow wave. We also saw several sunfish, which are really strange prehistoric looking things.

Santa Barbara is really lovely and we are tied up at the public docks. Yesterday we did some laundry here at the marina laundry facility. Today we broke out the bikes and rode to Trader Joe’s to stock up on essentials, about 4 miles round trip, mostly in really nice bike lanes.

For the next couple of days there is a calm weather window, so we are taking the opportunity to get around Point Conception. We spent today making food to have on hand, checking the engine fluids, and doing general cleanup in order to be ready for a very long day tomorrow. We plan to leave in the wee hours of the morning.

We left Paradise Cove yesterday morning at about 9 am.  Anchoring there was quiet (only one other boat) and peaceful.  Also, there was a pod of bottlenose dolphin cruising around all evening to provide entertainment.  Most of the day was gray and windless, which is good news and bad news.  The good news is that there wasn’t any chop to fight against, the bad news is that we couldn’t sail for most of the day.  On the bright side, we went through a large school of common dolphins who were busy catching lunch.  A few of them cruised along with us for a little while – a highlight of our day.  The wind picked up at about 1:30 and we hauled ass to Ventura harbor.  The yacht club (VYC) was hosting a race, so there were quite a few boats outside of the breakwater.  VYC was kind enough to accommodate us at their guest dock and we had dinner at the club last night. 

We had a very restful night’s sleep with nothing to be concerned about (when we are anchored, we get up several times a night to check our situation and make sure we are where we are supposed to be).  Today we are working on tasks that are more difficult or not possible when we are out on the ocean.  We don’t need to get provisions yet, and our ice is lasting pretty well (we only run the refrigerator while we are motoring or if we are connected to shore power).  Even though we’ve been sailing aboard Toga for almost 13 years, we learn at least one thing every day, and we are always trying to improve the way we do things.  We are looking forward to another dinner out tonight and tomorrow we leave for Santa Barbara, another wonderful port of call. 

Motoring south of Point Magu

Nautical Chart of the area

Tied up at VYC Guest dock

VYC facilities and little sailors getting ready for lessons

Yesterday we repaired the mail sail with Dacron tape and decided against the stitching. It looks pretty good and held well all day.

We left Emerald Bay this morning and headed toward Malibu. At first, we had no wind and motored, but it was pleasant anyway. Then the wind picked up and we sailed a close reach (see points of sail, below). Paradise Cove is lovely, and we are enjoying a gift of champagne from our friends, Steve and Laurie, to celebrate our first northbound stop.

We left our dock yesterday at 2:30pm and headed to Emerald Bay, Catalina. It was a really strange feeling to know that we won’t be coming back to our marina for the foreseeable future. We felt the same when we left the house the day before.

The weather forecasts predicted 10-15 knot winds, but we had 25-30 knots for most of the trip. When went to put the mainsail up we decided to reef it (reduce the sail area) because of the heavy winds. When we raised the sail, right away I heard a ripping noise. We ripped about a 5 inch tear at the most aft tie point. Yikes!! (it’s worth noting that the main sail is older, and even though we had it checked out, these things happen.). We put the main back down and after we recovered from our shock, we put our new jib up. It performed beautifully and we motor sailed, average speed about 7 knots. I was very seasick, unfortunately. I don’t think the pastrami sandwich for lunch helped.

We arrived at Emerald Bay at about 7:15 pm. There is almost no one here and the weather is beautiful! We will spend the next day or two relaxing and fixing our mainsail the old fashioned way.

I want to take a moment to thank our family for supporting us in all of this. I know that some of our family members think this trip is a little crazy and dangerous, but they encourage and support us anyway. It means a lot to us. Love you guys!

The sail arrived this week and we plan to leave Tuesday morning. It’s time and we’re ready. This is a quote from Mark Twain that I’ve been thinking of for quite a while, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” We’ll check in soon, friends!

Our sail is going to be delivered tomorrow! Ralph has worked hard on the curtains and they are almost done. Today we loaded up our folding bikes and some other gear. We’re almost there.

Hi again.  Ralph is in the throes of making window coverings for Toga.  I think they are looking great.  I am down to the bottom of my “to do” list, finishing some legal/financial business and upgrading our boat first aid kit.  I moved almost everything I want to bring on the trip aboard this week and we also finished a first aid class together.  Just as I was typing this, we got a call from the sail maker and our sail will be here by the end of this week!  So, departure is looking more and more real.  Yeah!

We had a good week.  Although it is frustrating to be waiting, it does give us time to do things that we didn’t think we could get to.  Ralph replaced the port lights and built a railing for our clothes area.  I have been organizing things at home and wrapping up other loose ends.  I had a nice visit with Amy when I took the car to her in LaJolla on Saturday and we had a nice mother’s day celebration Sunday with our crew.  Our new target departure date is May 20th.

New port lights!

guard rail for clothes

Hi friends! We had a fun bon voyage party last weekend (I will post some photos when I get them from my family) – I still feel elevated from all of the blessing and good wishes we received.  I never grow tired of answering questions about our trip and the live-aboard lifestyle.  Some of my favorite questions: “where is the microwave?” (not going to happen on our sailboat), “where is the TV?”(there isn’t one), “where are you going to put your clothes!” (probably several places!).  Unfortunately, our departure date is still uncertain.  The soft target of May 10th is going to pass.  There are a few issues that need to be resolved before we can leave here, one of which is the delivery of our new head sail.  Ralph’s goal was always to leave here in during the recommended time frame of May/June, so he isn’t worrying about anything.  I have to admit that I am anxious and would like to get going soon.  I still have a lot to do, however, so I am going to focus on being as ready as possible. 

It seems like excitement and anxiety are two sides of a coin, or the edge of a line I walk.  I am bouncing between the two, and I wish I was more relaxed.  But I am happy and I am trying to ride the wave as it comes – always a challenge for me.  Hugs!