Tawodi Sailing Adventures

Felix Cinco de Mayo!!

Q.- What do you call 4 Mexicans in a leaky boat?  A.-  Quatro Sinko

Welcome to May, I hope all are well.  What news?  Not too much really.  Driving boats and riding bikes.  Last weekend I delivered a boat from San Diego to Oceanside after installing a new mast, arriving in the morning, then riding my bicycle back to San Diego.  It took about 7 hours to motor up and 3 hours to ride home, including a stop for tea along the way.  Corinne did the La Jolla half-marathon last weekend and is getting ready for the “Rock and Roll” marathon here in San Diego coming up soon.  This morning she’s out doing a 20 mile run for fun.

I bought another boat yesterday, a small inflatable with a couple of outboards, one of which is a 4-stroke.  I once bought a brand-spanking new 15hp 4-stroke honda, which I got to own for about three months before someone decided they needed it more than me.  I remember paying $2700.00 for that engine and I expected to have it longer.  Of course, I only can afford liability insurance, so I had to take the hit.  I couldn’t afford another 4-stroke so I bought a 2-stroke Mercury 15hp to replace it.  The Merc still runs great, but I’ve always kept a weather eye for a deal on another 4-stroke, which gets much better mileage and pollutes far less.  So, the dink I just bought has a 9.8hp 4-stroke and my plan is to switch the outboard with my other skiff, then sell the dingy again but with the 2-stroke Merc on it.  If it works out, I may not lose too much money.

In the mean time, I have a question.  So, I have my sailboat, “Tawodi”.  I also have two project boats, “Taurus” and “Sweet Medicine” respectively.  I also have two rigid Kayaks, one inflatable Kayak, two rigid skiffs, three deflatable boats, two stand-up paddle boards and a surfboard.  My question is: How large does my fleet have to become before I need to have my own flag?

In other news, my friend John Pinto is embarking on an epic ocean voyage eminently.  His boat is a very small Pacific Seacraft model called a Dana 24′.  He has crossed the Pacific once before on a similar boat many years ago as a young man with his family aboard.  This time he will be single-handing to Hawaii.  One big man in a small boat.  The name of his boat is “Aurelia” and you can follow his adventure starting tomorrow by going to    http://www.osnsupersite.com/blog/pinto.aspx

Good luck John!  Happy May to all!

Happy May!

Hello all and welcome to April!

Since my last post, I’ve been far offshore and far inland both.  Our hiking trip to Havasupai Falls in the Grand Canyon went off great.  We loaded the car with four people and a dog, plus all the gear.  The weather service told us to expect rain and snow so we took a lot of gear.  We drove to motel on the first day that was near the hilltop parking area, although it was still over an hour drive though the Indian reservation to the parking.  We got up early, drove to the parking area and began our hike.  This trip was all put together by Corinne’s family and we ultimately had 13 people in our group, although only 9 were hiking.  Getting big groups of people together can often be like herding cats, but eventually we started hiking.  We had great weather for the downhike and arrived by early afternoon.  The only real mishap occurred near the village, where a bridge takes you across the fast moving water.  I had put little hiking boots on Dory, our dog.  We were close enough that I decided to take off her boots and let her play in the shallow beach area next to the bridge.  Dory splashed around happily for a bit then found a stick and dropped it at Corinne’s feet for her favorite game- fetch.  Without much thought, Corinne tossed the stick-into the fast moving current.  Dory went for the stick, got it, turned around and was swimming toward us as fast as she could but was quickly swept out of sight around a bend and down-river.

Panic!

I took off running full tilt through brush and shrubbery trying to keep the water in view.  Corinne ran for a small distance, then dropped her pack and jumped into the river (getting banged up in the process).   We got Dory back safely, but the whole adventure took close to and hour.  We found her on the bank unscathed, having gotten out on her own.  In fact, when she was found the first thing she did was to get another stick.  Our party had moved on, so by the time we got to the village there was an A.P.B. out with the local police and animal control so we had to go report our status.

Double over night camping and exploring and general good times, then it was time to go.  The rain was supposed to begin Saturday night and go through Sunday.  The rain was to be snow at the top of the canyon.  Sure enough, the rain began at 10:30 Sat. night and rained all night.  We broke camp at 0500.  At 0515, the rain stopped.  We were underway by 0700 and hiked all day in beautiful clear weather with blue skies and the perfect cool temperature for athletic up-hiking.  Corinne and I made the top by 1200 and the last of our group was at the top by 1300.  At 1300, just as the last of our party was arriving at the cars, a huge gray cloud blew in  and it began to snow.  We all said quick goodbyes and drove away in the snow.  It turned out to be a big storm and it snowed like crazy, closing the road behind us.  We drove out of that weather and had a clear road for a while, but by the time we got to San Diego at mid-night on Sunday, it was raining.

That was all a couple of weeks ago.

In recent news, Corinne broke her finger.  She did this by trying to half-ride half-walk her bike down the ramp at the marina, after three glasses of wine and no dinner yet.  There is a hard right turn at the bottom of the ramp, but she didn’t make the turn.  Instead, she hit the dock box and fell over the front of the bike into the water, missing many obstacles and the boat that was in the slip, finding the only clear way, she looked like a sea-otter diving into a hole.  Unfortunately, in addition to breaking her finger, she had her purse and backpack and keys and phone, much of which was now on the sea floor.  I grabbed my wetsuit and dive-light and retrieved everything but the keys which I couldn’t find in the dark.

It was kind of a scary moment when I was free-diving on the sea-floor, my light went out on left me in the total darkness.  There were boats and docks above me so I couldn’t just come up anywhere.  Anyway, I survived it.  We took Corinne into Urgent-Care and got her diagnosed and casted.  I went back in the morning and found the keys.

Otherwise than that,  It’s the same old story.  Rigging boats, sailing boats, riding bikes and generally enjoying life.

Wow, I just noticed that February is almost over and I haven’t updated this site.  The new year has brought about some great things so far with all signs pointing to more.  I was really in a funk at the end of the year due to the final failure of my relationship with Kathleen.  After almost 10 years of roller-coaster emotions we went our separate ways, actually she went away, I’m still here in San Diego.

During a re-rigging job on a Catalina, a customer told me of someone they thought I should meet, a girl who lived on a boat at their marina.  Her name is Corinne and we did meet, and this meeting has blossomed into a new relationship with real hope for the future.  After ten years of squabbles and strife, I don’t quite know what to do without them.  We have been spending quite a lot of time together, but we haven’t found anything to disagree on yet.  I mean we have not had a single fight.  I’ve had to tell her that that her easy-to-get-along-with demeanor is really pissing me off.  Just Kidding!, it is actually quite refreshing to not be walking on eggshells all the time.  This girl has lived on a boat since early childhood and has many miles under her keel already so she understands what it’s really like out there, plus she actually has a healthy relationship with her family, including her father (a rare thing, sadly), who she cruised with as a child.  We are having fun getting to know each other and talking about what the future might hold.

Also in the realm of big change, after a 10 year hiatus, I have bought another car.  I picked up a little used volkswagan passat station wagon on craigslist.  It is a perfect surf vehicle (it came with racks) and we have already been on a multi-day surf camping trip where we slept in the back.

While we’re on the subject of buying things, I’ve also purchased another road bike.  Yes, this makes 4 bikes in my stable, 3 of them road bikes.  Before you roll your eyes too far toward the ceiling, let me remind those of you who don’t know that I am slowly gearing-up with the idea of competing in RAAM in 2013, a ridiculous bicycle race from west coast to east coast with no planned stops.  I will need spare equipment (as well as a team of supporters in trailing vehicles).  More on this as it comes closer, the more immediate bike trip in the works is a plan to ride from Canada to Mexico by way of the continental divide THIS SUMMER.

But before any of that, I gotta make that dollar.  The rig shop has been plenty busy and I am leaving next weekend to deliver a boat up to San Fransisco with the owner and one crew.  Fortunately the rig shop gets Fritz back this week, he’s been off sailing a boat from the east coast, down through the Panama Canal and out to the Galapagos with the A.R.C. group.  I spoke with him on the phone last night so I got to hear a little of the story.  It is great to have him back and I look forward to catching up with him before I have to go offshore myself.

Following my return from the boat delivery, Corinne and I are driving to Arizona in mid March to hike and camp in Havasupai canyon with much of her family.  Should be fun, I’ve been told to be sure and bring inner-tubes for the river.

I hope the new year is treating you all at least as well.

Be well, have fun

Stephen

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?