Tawodi Sailing Adventures

The 2011 San Diego Christmas Bike Ride went off without a hitch.  Great weather reigned thruout.  We had 99 people this year, attendance being up a bit from last year.  The first day, we rode out to Pine Valley from San Diego.  I stopped by in Alpine again for lunch and ate at my friend Scotts rental business with another rider, a fellow named Andrew, who rode his bike here from Arizona self-supported, then dropped his bags off on our truck and joined up with the ride.  We got a little lost after lunch when I mistook a turn, but the error was discovered within 5 or 6 miles and we turned around and got back on track.  We rolled into Pine Valley plenty early and I got a milkshake at the Frosty burger before checking into my room at the hotel.  Yes, I got a hotel room.  A bit of a princess ritual, but I get one every year on the first and the last night of the ride.  The group had spagetti dinner as usual and after the hot-seat I went back to my room at the hotel.

Day 2, I’m up early and on the Sunrise Highway climbing mount Laguna.  I had a wonderful brunch at my friend Steve’s Julian Hotel, in Julian of course.  Steve has been making me breakfast for many years now on this same day and it’s a good opportunity for us to visit.  After visiting Steve, I ride toward Warner Springs, by way of Mesa Grande.  I had a great plan this year for a visit to the hot-spring at Warner Springs, something I haven’t done before, where I also planned to get a massage, but the pools are drained and cleaned every Tuesday so the hot-spring was a no go, then it turned out that the massage was a no-go due to lack of cell phone service this far afield, they never got my confirmation.  Ah well, that’s the way it goes.

Day 3 is the big one, 105 miles.  One of the cool things this year was that my friend Michelle Williams, another sailor, decided to try the ride.  I’ve been telling her about it for years, just like I tell everyone.  Michelle decided this time to go for it.  Before the first day she claims she had never ridden more than 12 miles in one day.  By the end of this day, she had a century under her belt.  It’s just like sailing, I told her, just keep moving and you’ll get there.  We rode together all day with another rider, Ralph Elliott.  Ralph’s mother used to lead this ride when he was a junior and he has been doing it now for 47 years.  He talks a lot about the essence of the ride, so he is known as ‘the Essence’.  At the end of the day, we arrived in the Palm Desert.

On Day 4, Everyone knows I like to ride over the mountain and so I somehow became the ride leader for this route when we left the parking lot.  We call this mountain seven-level-hill, a 25 mile climb of over 5000′.  Normally half a dozen or so will take this alternate route, but this year the splinter group was almost half the group, a new record.  I led everyone to the bottom of the climb, made sure they had their own directions, then took off up the hill.  I rode strong, only a very few can keep my pace, but I was not the strongest.  There is a guy named Drew Peterson who fairly flew past me climbing the hill.  I was standing on the pedals, cranking hard and he was seated and down on his aero-bars when he slid by, going half again as faster than me.  I think he was still in his big ring.  Impressive.  We stopped for lunch at the Paradise Valley Cafe, where they remembered me from last year when it was pouring freezing rain, then a nice cruise through pine trees and a lovely decent into Hemet, our stop for the night.

Day 5, we go from Hemet to Fallbrook.  We stay together pretty well until lunchtime in Temecula, but the hill climb afterward tends to blow the group apart.  I got a flat on my way into Temecula and got separated from the group anyway, so I had lunch alone at the Marie Calenders.  Afterward the route goes through Deluze Canyon, which is beautiful, before arriving in Fallbrook.  Again, I have a hotel room, so that means jacuzzi for me.  Several other riders stayed at the same hotel and we gathered for dinner and drinks, which we ordered to go and took to the hot-tub.

Day 6, the last day, we ride home to San Diego.  The whole group stayed together riding out to Oceanside and down the coast as far as the first lunch stop at Java Depot, but people get underway at different times and from there it’s just the ride to the finish.  After the Torrey Pines hill climb, I took Genessee to Linda Vista, stopping at Rite-Aid for a hand-packed pint of ice-cream before coasting into the parking lot.  We cheated death again, another Christmas trip ended.

Many of us gathered at Tio Leo’s, the traditional dinner spot.  A last chance to say Happy New Year and talk about what a great ride it was, and it was a great ride.  I hope you all had fun too, Happy New Year.

For those of you who have found me on Facebook, I’ve posted photos there from the ride.

Went for a nice long bike ride today (Wednesday 12-21-11), out to Alpine and back.  On my way out the door, while lapping the end of Harbor Island I saw my good friend John Vernon turning in to park his car.  I pulled over as well and we had a good visit and exchanged holiday wishes.  When I got back underway, I went up through old town to Friars road, where I made my way east.  Friars becomes Mission Gorge, then I cut through Mission trails and back onto Mission Gorge.  I road out on Mission Gorge to Woodside rd., but missed the turn onto Los Coches, I went left instead of right at Lake Jennings, next thing I knew the El Capitan reservoir was in view.  I rode along the edge, even after the road became dirt fire acess road.  I was on the carbon road bike with skinny little tires, but that didn’t slow me down too much.  I followed the perimeter of the reservior all the way around to Chocolate canyon and got to within sight of the 8 freeway before I was stopped by water.  There is a small stream that must be crossed, and the only bridge was swarming with construction workers.  They seemed quite suprised at my presence and thought I was kidding when I told them where I’d come from, but they did escort me across their bridge.  From there it was just a few miles into Alpine, where I had lunch with my friend Scott at his rental shop in town.  I had to keep moving in order to get home before it got dark, so soon it was time to go.  As I rode west it was into the sunset and the afternoon breeze, headwind all the way.  I made it all the way back to old town before I finally pulled over at a liquor store, put my sunglasses away, turned on my lights, bought and consumed a Gatoraid, then rode the last 15 minutes home to the boat.  Total distance about 80 miles with lots of climbing.  Boy did that hot shower feel good at the end of the day.  Made a huge pasta dinner which I shared with my nieghbor Johnny while we watched “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure”.  No problems with the bike and I feel fairly ready for the Christmas trip.

For me today, Winter Solstice, is the Happiest day of the year, because now the days are getting longer again.  It is also the anniversary of my Cape Horn rounding, which was on Dec 21st, 2008.  Of course, it is Summer Solstice in the southern hemisphere.

Party on!

The last shopping weekend before Christmas was last weekend, I spent it mostly surfing with friends.  Saturday we went out at Scripps pier, and then Crystal pier on Sunday.  I tried out two of my friends smaller, more nimble boards on Saturday and on Saturday night I bought myself a new surfboard.  This is a 6′6″ “glider” with a rounded pin tail.  I took it out yesterday, though the surf was small and closed out I still managed to have fun and put the first good ding in the board (I got worked a couple of times).  It’s not new anymore, so no point worrying about it.  I also put a hole through my wetsuit and a little through myself from a fin gash.  It is definately a fun board and it caught waves easily, although the waves were mostly walls with no place to go.

Last night (Sunday) was the second Parade of Lights.  We heard all the commotion, but a small gang of us was hanging out on my neighbor Johnny’s boat and we couldn’t be bothered to go look at it.  They had the football game showing on the electric television and didn’t want to leave the action.  I enjoy hanging out with my friends, but sometimes I feel like an anthropologist, since I’m not really interested in the game.  For me it’s just a social scene.

One week left till Christmas, and the only one I’ve shopped for is the woman who left me all alone, how foolish am I?  I don’t have too much work this week though, so I plan to shop for some gifts for family and friends, catch up with domestic chores (laundry, bottom cleaning, etc), and get ready for my bike ride, by riding my bike.  I’ll head up to my parents house a day or two before the Noel, stay till Christmas day and drive home to San Diego that same afternoon.  My brother and sister-in-law will be there at my parents house, so we’ll all get a bit of time together.  I get home in the evening of Christmas day and leave again the following morning for the bike trip, which is a 6 day excursion.  I am so looking forward to the riding/ camping/ comradery.  I wish it was begun already.

I hope you’re all ready for Christmas this year and that it’s happy for you.  While driving and shopping, remember to share the road and take it easy out there.    Be well. 

San Diego had their Parade of Lights last night and they’ll do it again next Sunday.  I mixed myself a tasty adult beverage and went of to see the show and visit and our Point Loma Yacht club, which was having the Christmas party.  After hanging out at the club and maybe eating too many rice krispee treats, I got on my bike and rode very slowly thought the crowd lining the sidewalk along Harbor Island.  It was as much fun watching the people as it was seeing the lighted boats.

I’m looking forward to the Christmas ride, as always, which is coming up soon.  I’m talking about the 6 day bike ride around San Diego county that takes place during the 6 days between Christmas and the new year.  This year is the 55th annual Christmas trip.  The first year I did it was 1999, the same year I was crushed by a large falling rock.  I was only just out of the hospital bed and I remember struggling with recovery while I struggled down the road.  I’ve come back every year, except for the year I was rounding Cape Horn.

I’ve done this ride on several different bikes, including both mountain and road style.  I’ve done it self-supported pulling a trailer, although there is a truck provided and no need for that, I did it because I was prepping for a trip.  Of course, my ex-girlfriend Kathleen did this trip with me many times over the 10 years we associated, but I’ve been a solo entry for the last couple of years anyway.  This year marks the first time I’m doing it on a road race bike.  I plan to take the carbon wonder bike this time around.  Considering how much I’m running with the front of the pack on the heavy steel bike, I have high hopes for this year.  There are awesome hill-climb option every day, which I love and look forward to, but the carbon bike doesn’t have an inner (granny) chainring, so taking it is commiting to high gears only, but I didn’t use the granny ring at all last year and the steel bike weighs almost twice as much as the carbon.  By all accounts I should rock those hills.

We’ll just have to get a lot closer and have a better look, it should be fun in any case!

Rain today in San Diego 12-12-11.  Keep your powder dry.

I hope you are all having a happy and healthy Holiday season.

The ‘Half Pint O Rum’ race, an annual San Diego tradition was this Saturday, 12-10-11.  I was once again a guest aboard “Circe”, a big beautiful yawl that is arguably the prettiest boat in the fleet.  In this race, the entry fee is a bottle of rum.  Handicaps are adjusted based on the quanity and quality of rum provided.  The rum is all taken ashore and each boat sends a representative ashore also, by whatever method they have.  Some use surfboards, others use dingys.  The start is Le Mans style, running from the beach to the watercraft and out to the waiting boats.  Boats are not allowed to hoist sail or anchor until their representative touches the boat.  Then all hell breaks loose as the entire fleet sails off anchor at the same time.  All boats then sail out the bay, toward Shelter Island, where the race commitee sets up a table with the rum, which has all been poured into a communal keg.  Each boat send a crew member in to the beach to drink the ‘half pint o rum’, the boat’s finish time logged when the rum is consumed.

The drama started early for use when we found ourselves aground before the start, due to the outgoing tide.  The moon is full and the tide is huge and going out all day today.  In the course of freeing ourselves, we lost the anchor rode, which was not floated.  We watched as it was slowly sinking, but luckily were able to manouver back to it and grab it before it disappeared.  Cool, O.K., now we’re ready to race.  Bang, the start, and our guy runs the fastest to his (actually my) surfboard and paddles fast out to the boat.  We’re underway and doing well.  We made it out of south bay and under the Coronado bridge when, shit, we ran aground.

Hard aground.  We proceeded to try all the tricks.  All crew to one side, to the bow, out on the boom, backwinding the sails, engine on and full power aft, then forward.  All to no avail.  Eventually the race commitee/photo boat came over to assist.  They pushed and pulled at the bow with no effect.  I tried the old trick of making the tow-line to the masthead by way of the spinnaker halyard, and lo, we had movement.  With the commitee boat pulling the boat over 45 degrees, we slid free.  Now underway again, but disqualified from the race, we just sailed home.  A fun day despite the disappointment, and now we know for sure where that shoal is.

There are only three kinds of sailors after all.  Those that have run aground, those that will, and those that don’t go anywhere.  Oh, and those who lie.

Parade of Lights tomorrow night, come on down to Harbor Island and join me here for the best viewing.

Turkey day again.  Seems like it just happened all of a sudden.  Yesterday I was riding my bike, today it’s Thanksgiving.  I know I have much to be thankful for.  I started the day with a nice hot cup of tea and cold yogurt/berry cereal for breakfast, then went surfing with my neighbors Chris and Johnny.  We went out north of Torrey Pines.  The water was fun, though a bit crowded.  After surfing for a couple hours, we went to second breakfast, then came back to the marina, where we sat in the hot tub.  The weather was cool, but not raining as was predicted.  For our bachelors Thanksgiving meal, Johnny made a batch of his “Skyline Chile” (some Ohio thing) and we all watched a film on his boat.  Not a bad day at all, spend among friends doing fun things.

I hope yours was fine as well.  Happy Thanksgiving!

In breaking news, both road bikes have been recovered.  I spent the early part of the afternoon combing through the ads on craiglist for bicycles.  I found ads for both bikes with photos.  The ads had been placed the day after the night they were stolen (thursday).  The Police told me they also found the suspects with drugs and weapons along with the stolen bikes.  They had me look at both suspects, a tall guy and a small girl, but I didn’t recognize them.

Both bikes have been stripped of all accessories and stickers and spray paint had been applied, but there was no question they were mine.

I’ll still have to spend a bit of money bringing them back up to standard, but I don’t have to start from scratch.  I can ride the Christmas ride on a road bike, yay!  I wonder if the bikes will ever tell me the story of their whirlwind adventure?

Well, my loving-relationship has come to an end, again.  As many of you know, we broke up after the circumnavigation, but we got it back together.  Recently, I’ve been told that she would now prefer the company of others to my exclusive company.  She’s moved away and found other interests and people.  We used to speak every day, now she says don’t call me, I’ll call you.  If I was holding my breath I’d have died already.

That was two weeks ago, so I’ve been down.  Then, this morning, I got up to find that both of my road bikes, both the Carbon-fibre Kuota and the steel Trek were stolen off the boat-while I was onboard.  Last night, someone sneaky stole both bikes, lifting them quietly over the lifelines and carrying them away.  I filed a Police report this morning but there is very little hope for recovery.  These two bikes were worth over 5,000. dollars between them.  I am not in the income bracket that allows me to absorb such a loss.  No, there is no insurance.

For those that remember, this is not the first time this has happened.  There were some terrible similarities.  When my dear titanium bike was stolen a few years ago, it was from the Lady Washington, one of the ships I drive occasionaly.  When the loss was discovered, I still had to put on a happy face because we had a charter getting underway with lots of people aboard who came to have a good time.

This morning, I discovered the theft as I was leaving for two charters on the big catamaran Aolani.  Once again I had to wear a happy face immediately after learning I had been robbed.

I feel like I’ve been kicked down, then kicked again.  This is the time of year when I gear up for the Christmas bike ride.  I’ll either do it on my mountain bike (which fortunately was at the rig-shop) or find a deal on craigslist for another road bike.

Americas cup racing begins tomorrow in San Diego bay.  They’ve been practicing every day but who cares.

Winter is clearly on its way.  The air has taken on an edge.  Oh, it’s still San Diego and not all that bad.  I still wear shorts most days.  The holidays are just around the corner.  For me, it feels like time to ride.  The San Diego Christmas bike ride is coming up again and I wouldn’t miss it without cause.  Whenever I know it is coming up, I feel the pressure to get into shape for it.  There is no question of being able to do it, it’s more that I want it to be easy and I want to be fast.  I’ve had to put the lights on the bike now that it is dark after work and I’m wearing reflective clothing.  I found a pair of bright flourecent yellow and orange work gloves with leather palms.  They make awesome turn-signals.

The Americas Cup trials are starting soon and all the teams are here practicing in the bay.  Fun to watch.  The sailing should be spectacular, these little cats really haul ass, easily doubling the wind speed.

Happy Holidays (almost)

Well, I’ve joined up with the Facebook crowd.  I don’t know what to think of it yet.  Joining was a bit frustrating for me.  I don’t fit well into boxes and to be a member you must submit to their form.  They won’t let me have a title.  They don’t let me put things the way I want.  Still, I suppose we must all chose our battles and I don’t think this is one I can win.  I want to be able to keep up with my friends and this is the way so many wish to stay in touch these days.  So, I’ve conformed a little bit, which is not usually my way.  I still hope to develope a better website at some point, but I still don’t have the connectivity to support it.

In the mean time we’re still sailing.  Monday was the start of the Baja-Ha-Ha.  Kathleen was in town to help with the event for West Marine.  She had her friend and co-worker Lanore with her from the Anacortes store and we went out to start with the fleet.  It was a pleasure to have a guest aboard with quite a bit of sailing experience and enthusiasm.  Predictions about over use of the D-sail were proven true as we watched almost the entire flock of “cruisers” motor south with the mainsail being used as a vertical stablizer.  It still never ceases to amaze me how many people will spend a fortune on a sailboat but won’t learn to sail. Granted, it was quite light as far as the wind was concerned, but we still sailed along with a few others, a very few.  We flew the assymetric spinnaker with Lanore trimming, Otto (auto) driving, music playing, Kathleen entertaining and I served hot-chocolate.  Still, It’s good to have them spending money on boats, the industry I work in.

Till next time.