Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Good Luck / Bad Luck

The Good Luck thing that happened was... we went to the boat Sunday to make sure she was still floating and it just so happened some friends on our dock had their diver out cleaning their bottom and replacing their zincs so he kindly got the line off our prop!  He said everything looked fine but of course we'll have to see how things seem with the motor running.  A Sunday, the day after Christmas, and there was a diver all suited up ready to go.  THAT was good luck.

The Bad Luck continues with trying to get a hitch so we can launch and retrieve our dinghy without having to make arrangements with friends.  The first time we tried to get a hitch we ended up with a totalled car (you may recall Matt was on his way to U Haul to see about getting a hitch on the Honda when he was rear ended by the hummer...).  I had ordered a hitch from U Haul for Matt's new car and I had an appointment today to have it installed at our local U Haul location.  The very nice guy there called a short time later and said it was the most complicated hitch installation he had ever seen and he was not comfortable doing it.  He referred me to the U Haul in San Francisco as they have installed hitches on this type of car before and are comfortable doing it.  Now I just have to make an appt with them and take the car up there.  Sigh.  I do respect the person at the local store for not plowing ahead with something he was not comfortable with. 

We plan to stay on the boat tonight... There is supposed to be another storm blowing through so it might get interesting...

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Christmas on the boat

We went down to the boat Thursday afternoon and stayed there until this morning.  We completed a few small projects.  We replaced the burned out light bulb in the small halogen light over the galley sink and BOY what a difference that makes.  We didn't even realize there was a light there until recently and now that it actually WORKS it is so much brighter down there.  We also got some new black non-skid shelf lining stuff and replace that in several spots around the galley.  We did not realize how disgusting the old stuff was until we peeeeeeeeled it up...  UGH.

We started on the shower--it was gel coated a few years back and the gel coat has chipped off in a couple of places on the wood trim at the bottom that holds the teak grate up a bit off the sole of the shower.  So we went to the hardware store to look for caulk, etc to deal with that and in general recaulk. So we started by cleaning.  What we discovered that the shower is actually WHITE.  We thought it was kind of a cream color but in the course of cleaning it we found that the yellowish hue came off to reveal WHITE!  it is going to take some more cleaner to get all the "yellow" off.  I can only assume this is more cigarette tar.  bluck.  So anyway, this is going to take some more work before we can get to the caulking part...

Yesterday we took the boat over to pump out our new holding tank for the first time and decided on the spur of the moment to take a quick spin around the bay.  Unfortunately we did not think about the docklines casually tossed onto the boat for the "quick" trip and with the roughness out in the bay the bow line got washed into the water and of course it ended up around one of the props.  We have to wait for the diver to come next week to get it off and find out if there is any damage.  It is kind of ironic as we were practicing driving with only one engine while we were out there, just to see how the boat handled. We actually got into the slip pretty cleanly. 

Last night we went to our favorite Japanese restaurant for dinner (I think we went there Christmas Eve last year) and then hung out with our friends across the dock on their boat for a bit for some holiday cheer.  We slept in late and the same friends gave us some giant cinnamon rolls as we headed off to visit with family for the afternoon.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

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!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Boating Updates

We spent Thursday through Sunday on the boat.  We had to work on Friday but I had a work party Thursday night 10 minutes from the boat so we decided to stay on the boat.  Saturday we got one of our friends to come by and give us some pointers on engine maintenance, changing filters and various other mechanical things.  Matt put all the cupboard handles back on (he took them off to paint them as the faux woodgrain was wearing off) and we did a few other minor maintenance items.

We had dinner at the club Friday and went to the club Christmas party Saturday.  I am not sure if I mentioned, when we were in San Francisco for Matt's company Christmas party we stayed at the Argonaut Hotel and the bartender there gave us all a round of shots he called "Whoa Nellie."  We googled that and came up with a different drink from what he was making us.  He said it had Vodka, Whiskey, Amarreto and Pineapple Juice.  Let me tell you, they went down easy.  We told the bartender at the club how to make them on Friday, then Saturday we gave him a "holiday tip."  I guess he really appreciated the tip as every time we turned around he had made us another round of "Whoa Nellies".  Sunday morning I was in the WORST mood and I can only figure I was hung over from all the whiskey.  BLUCK.  They sure taste good though.  Luckily we had no plans for the day and we packed up all of our stuff (laundry and such) and headed home to watch some football. 

We put the name and logo on the back of the boat the other day.  The old name and hailing port still show but oh well.

Monday, December 6, 2010

ARGH

totally off topic. Matt was taking our Honda to get a hitch put on it so we can tow our dinghy.  Now we have to get a friend to bring his truck to the marina so we can launch / retrieve it... so anyway, Matt stopped at a red light and the unlicensed driver in the Hummer behind him didn't stop...

Here is the hummer. That little bit of silver paint on the bumper and the bent metal under his bumper (not really visible in the photo) is the extent of the damage to the hummer.  The car was impounded and towed, though, since the driver had no license. He had borrowed the car from his boss, supposedly.


and here is what is left of our 1997 Honda Civic.  I bought this car new in July of 1997.  The crumple zone certainly did its job of absorbing shock.  It is crumpled between the doors and rear tires as well.


Matt is fine, the crumple zone did its job!  Now we have to figure out what car to get.  We weren't planning on getting him another car anytime soon.  Sigh.