Year in Review

As the year winds down and we plan our trip to Sausalito for New Year's weekend (on Pineapple Girl, of course), I have been reflecting on 2010. What a year it has been...

Most of the first half of the year was consumed with getting Tiki J ready for the 2000+ mile Pacific Cup race.  Boat projects, racing, boat projects, provisioning...

Ocean race highlights included
+ my second trip around the Farallones--I was very lucky both times as the weather was nice and the smell was not too strong.  I think this was the day we wrapped a spinnaker sheet around the prop during some practice jibes after the finish.  D'oh!
+ The Duxship race where it was VERY rough out, super windy, big wells with short periods. Just miserable.  All the agony of the day was rewarded by surfing in through the gate.  As much as a boat that size / weight can surf, but still.  The conditions that day really showed us what the boat was capable of.

Pac Cup prep highlights included
+ the refrigeration system croaked a few weeks before the race and sent us into a tizzy over whether to replace it or change our food plans (we replaced it)
+ the new forward water tank burst when it was filled two days before the race.   Glad I wasn't there that day.

Provisioning highlights included
+ driving all over the bay area trying to find fresh, never refrigerated eggs as the supposedly last a lot longer

Pac Cup highlights included
+ seeing the stars from the middle of the Pacific.  Wow, doesn't get much better than that.

Pretty shortly after we got back we got Pineapple Girl 2.  Highlights with the new boat:
+ Our dear friend Mike Murphy came to our first cruise out (labor day weekend) and told us he wanted us to have his dinghy.  Mike died October 28.  I am so grateful to him for his generosity to us as he was battling for his life, but that is the kind of guy he was.  There aren't many like him.
+ Waiting out a storm at Angel Island in October--just hanging out in the saloon, listening to the niners game on the radio, waiting for the 30-40 knot winds and the rain to subside.  they did, and we had a great trip home
+ Thanksgiving at Angel Island
+ basically all the time we get to spend on the boat, whether at the marina or on a trip, whether hanging out or working on it.  There is so much to learn about it and it is so much fun doing it!

Other things:
+ well of course the car crash and Matt's new car fall into the "what a year it has been" category, though not necessarily a highlight.  though Matt's new car is pretty cool.  Adaptive cruise control is awesome!
+ A definite highlight is all the good friends and great people we have in our lives!  Thanks!