Ever had your life (or your boat) flipped upside down?

 

Hi! 

Albie here. :) 

As you can see, I love sailing out to sea. As you might know, not only can sailing be fun and a beautiful experience but it also can be downright dangerous. 

Sailing downwind or close to it on a broad reach, is exhilarating and very different than sailing into the ‘teeth’ of the wind. The wind is coming mostly from behind and you often end up ‘surfing’ through the waves on a fast track that appears much easier than beating into the crashing waves. But its dangers are perhaps even more real than sailing into the wind. Wonder why that is? It's because during a storm or gale, the wind and waves can literally spin the boat around if you're not paying attention. And if you're hit broadsides by a big enough wave, then even a big heavy sailboat with thousands of pounds of weight in their hulls can be literally flipped upside down. 

Why am I telling you this? 

Good question!


Well, it's the same for real life. All you need is enough stress compacted into one place and life gets unbearable. Bad things can happen at those times - really bad things. On a scale of 1-10, ten being the worst, any level of things can take place. Your life can turn upside down in a few moments. 

So what's the point of all this? 

Well as a sailor, understanding the elements that can create a broach are helpful to know. It's even more helpful if you have experience dealing with them. And it's the same for life. One thing that can dynamically change a situation is just keeping calm and not allowing yourself to panic or do something out of fear. This is probably the worst thing you can do. 

Honestly most situations can be appeased with a breath of air, some patience and if your allow yourself to think apart from fear. One time I remember having to fix a broken shroud that had come lose during some rough waves and only having a couple seconds to get it right and do it. Instead of panicking, I just breathed and got to work. Thankfully a little adrenaline helped me and I was able to fix it before the mast broke. However, I can say truthfully that panic nearly got me. 

So all this to say, that life can sometimes hit you real hard. And sometimes it just builds really slow so that you don't realize that your getting more and more behind. But you have to wake up and fight back. One moment, or day at a time. And if you don't, then life will defeat you one little struggle at a time. Each moment you decide to let balance in your life slip and take the easy route. So don't let it. And don't let your dreams get taken either! People literally live on hope, so keep yours alive.
  
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I also want to let you know that I'm open if you need additional help to figure this whole internet earning thing out,
simply reply back to this email with this subject heading: " tell me more" and I will send you some further information. :-) 

~Albie 

PS: Want to read more about my adventure trying to keep my boat from broaching? Go here: 



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Sailing into Danger

It was a sunny afternoon and I was happy thinking about sailing today! I could see myself attaching the main sail to the halyard and pulling it to the top of the mast and then setting out over the blue water.

All went like I had imagined it - at first. My suspicion that something was not right happened when I got out to the main harbor. 

The wind was pretty strong and it took some of my advanced sailing skills to keep the boat in the right direction. It wasn't till I was about to head out past the lighthouse into the open ocean when I noticed it. A massive fog bank rolling in with the rushing wind.

 I could see the fog moving past like ghostly fingers. Wow! I exclaimed. It was truly amazing! It was huge like a mountain and dense too. Looking out, I could only see maybe a mile to where the first green buoy was, marking the shipping lane. And it could get worse. I have sailed in fog before and honestly I don't like it. You lose all sense of direction. Immediately I went and got my compass and jotted down my heading in the log. If ever you get lost you can take the reciprocal compass route back. 

When I got out to the open ocean, it wasn't the fog only that I had to be concerned about. It was the wind. It was blowing really strong and whitecaps were forming on the wave tops.

I then got my life jacket on and went out on the bow to get a better look. When I got settled out there and had a tethered myself to the boat, I could see it was actually worse than I thought.

Spindrift was occurring and you could see where the white water was forming streaks over the waves. As for the waves themselves, they were not big yet. Maybe four feet high sometimes.

Being out on the bow is one of my favorite places to be. You can see every facet of the wind on the waves and at the same time get a really good look at the horizon. In this case I could only see the massive fog bank.

Usually I just relax and breath in the freedom being out there. Today though, I could feel the urgency and the danger. I had too much sail up and I knew it."

If I pulled the sails in tight the boat would heel too hard and I would put way too much pressure on the shrouds. Right now I had the sails so that some of the excess wind was lost but not loose enough for them to crack and shake. Eventually if you leave the sails too loose they will rip. For a little while I sat at the bow watching how the boat and the sails were reacting to the heavy wind and the ever increasing waves. 

It was just a matter of time before the waves would get bigger. I carefully made my way back to the cockpit holding on to the shrouds as I crossed the deck. Looking in the pilot book to give me some info about how strong the wind was, I saw that spindrift accompanied a gale. I knew it was not a gale yet but it was not looking good. I determined to only go a mile and then turn around. Eventually that time came. The green shipping lane buoy was now to my left on the port side. 

I then turned the boat into the wind and let go the jib line and waited for the main sail to switch sides. But it didn't happen. "Rats!" I yelled. I was afraid of this. The wind was too strong and was not allowing the sails to pass through the eye of the wind. The boat now turned right back to the same course as before. 

I tried again. This time I helped the boat gather a little more speed before I turned the tiller. But the wind pulled us right back. I sat there a little stumped at first. "Ok" I thought. Don't panic. Yes, I still have a few more tricks I can try." And I did. If one couldn't tack into the wind, one could always jibe away from the wind. True, I would lose some of my way, but I couldn't help it. So turning the tiller I turned the boat the other way - but this time there was no response. There was simply too much sail up to be able to jibe. The power in the sails wouldn't allow the boat to turn. "Great!" I said. "Now what?" Yes one more idea came to mind before I would simply have to take the sails down and use the engine to turn around. This time I pulled in the sails a little tighter (something I hadn't wanted to do) and this is turn brought the boat closer upwind. Now I was closer to the eye of the wind and if I could just keep the boat speed up I might be able to do it. 

After seeing the wake of white water passing the side of the boat (which meant I had speed) I turned the tiller again. As soon as the boat rounded into the wind I held on to the port jib line so the jib would get back winded if the boat passed the eye. It did and we turned! "Hurray!" I yelled and sprung to life pulling in the starboard jib line like a snake that was trying to get away. Letting out on the main sheet I then headed back to the San Pedro light house. I could still see it in the fog. "Whew!" I said relieved. The worst was over now.

After passing the lighthouse, I turned on the engine and motor sailed on a close reach against the wind. Soon I was sailing into my marina and had the sails down. It had not been the calm and relaxing sail I had imagined. More of an adventure really! 

Thanks for your comments! 

~Albie

SAILING Atop the World in October!

The ocean brings you up on a wave and then the boat falls down into the waves valley like trough. 

You feel the rhythmic drop throughout your whole body. And then just as you settle in, the wave surges with power under the boat lifting you up high again. 

You feel the powerful ocean current under you lifting the boat up with its invisible 'wings' and for a moment feel atop of the world! It's as if the ocean is singing with the sea chanty: 'Way ho - up she rises...way ho! Up she rises!'. 

As you can see I was having fun sailing yesterday afternoon - even though the wind was really wierd and blowing from a strange direction in the middle of the day (usually without fail it blows from the northwest during the day). And on top of that the wind was as fickle as anything, Sometimes blowing, sometimes not. So I was sailing under power most of the afternoon. Sailing atop the world in October can only happen with some kind of power and honestly without an engine and without wind, it's more like floating with frustration atop the world instead! Lol! 

 In the past, I had a lot of aggravating sailing days in October because for three years I sailed without an engine! Man, you learn a lot about sailing that way! But it has a big price tag, I can tell you. And it's not always 'safe'. Not having an engine in October is just like asking for trouble - especially when sailing along the coast in California.

For one, what happens when a big ship comes along and you're in the middle of the channel? Well, you have to get creative! I learned how to row a sailboat - and that's not easy - or fast. And two, what happens when you're out at sea and suddenly the wind dies on you? What then? Well, your stuck having to sit around and wait till it comes back and meantime using the tide to the best of your advantage to get inshore a little. 

October sailing has its drawbacks. Honestly it's not my favorite time of the year to sail. Maybe its because the sun does not shine as long during the day nor is it as hot since the colder weather is approaching. I have always found October to have a lot of days when the wind is variable - sometimes blowing and sometimes not!  It seems that in the summer that the wind is like clockwork - up and running at 10am and ready to retire at 11pm. But in October the wind decides to 'sleep in' on many days and 'get up' at 12pm and then take lots of 'naps' in the afternoon - finally getting going around 3pm but then often finishing early at sunset! Crazy!

So anyway, I wish you the best of 'sailing atop the world in October' (and in this season) and my advise to you is (and I thought I would never hear myself say this) is that if you don't have a reliable engine right now, find a way to fix it or get a better one! And if that's not possible check out my website  http://albiesailingwithoutengine.blogspot.com/ and maybe that will help you prepare for some of the problems you may face.

Thanks for your comments!

~Albie
SMILE :-D
http://GodsBeautifulName.blogspot.com

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Sailing from San Diego to Los Angeles Part X: From Point Vicente to Marina Del Rey

Marina Del Rey Breakwater

 It was while crossing from Newport Beach to Long Beach and then from there through the San Pedro channel that I had my hardest battles with the sea.

 For one the winds were really cooking at beginning speeds of 15 knots. These rapidly changed into gusts to 20 knots and up. One can tell by the development of whitecaps on the waves. It was during this time that, though the waves were yet small, they were nonetheless still very powerful and had a very aggressive nature about them. 

I can remember standing in the cabin opening to the cockpit resting my arms on the top hatch and feeling the pounding the boat and I were getting on each wave about every 5 - 6 second intervals. The boat would go down and them up and smash into a forceful wave trying to win the battle the wind was playing too of pushing us back into the lee shores of despair. Of course the waves were not winning, but with the giant force of the pressure on the sails - and ultimately the shrouds (metal cables that hold up the mast), all the wind and waves had to do was send my mast crashing down for their victory. So I watched and nursed the sails (by moving the tiller of the boat) in and out of the gigantic loads of pressure against them.

 Finally I had to make the decision to stop the boat, head it into the wind and get a smaller jib head sail up (that would cause less strain on the boat). This helped, but as the gusts increased in velocity even this sail had trouble later on. As I watched the sails pulling down the boat lee rail near the rushing white ocean water, I had to trust God that the boat could handle the strain and just try to relax a little. 

So I would often pop down into the cabin to get some lightly salted peanuts to munch on or some Gatorade to drink and refresh my mouth a little. Finally, the sea and the wind leveled out  and things got back to normal. 

I was reflecting how I enjoyed the cool air on the ocean. I would start off by wearing just a wind breaker during the day usually to keep the sun from burning my skin. But the sea breeze eventually would cool me down to a degree where I was thankful for its warmth. As the evening drew on I would put on another jacket over the wind-breaker and eventually I would then pull the hood on my windbreaker over my cap. This really seemed to keep most of the cold air out and I would be very cozy and warm in this, but still enjoy the cool night air against my face too. Sometimes I remember the wind blowing very aggressively at night and making my head cold even inside my hood, so I put on my warm woolen cap under the hood and put a scarf on too.

 This seemed to help, but on this particular night only the shelter inside the cabin was the answer. I would go below and suddenly the chill of the night would leave. Looking out the dark cabin windows the bright stars would shine. I could see the dark ocean waves passing by too. Turning on the cabin lights would add a warm glow inside. Looking at the map to get my bearings on the distance my boat was from shipping lanes, I then turned out the light and went back outside to the cockpit. Here I could see the stars truly gleaming. I put a blanket around me to keep off the chill and settled down near the tiller (like the wheel) and made sure the boat was truly on course.

For an hour or two more I sat out watching the boat sailing with a slight angle to the wind blowing against me. The Point Vicente oscillating light was now clearly in sight and remained so until the wind died around 11:00 pm. 

Finally the morning came and with it the hope of the wind coming out again and being able to finally get going and sail on again to Marina Del Rey! 

But the wind wasn't listening to me or my hopes and didn't come out for most of the morning. Nine o'clock came and went and I thought 'well, the winds not going to be early today.'

After 10 o'clock rolled past I said 'well, the winds not going to be on time either.' I conveniently found a sail to sew and mend up and after doing that I cleaned up the boat. It was a bit foggy but the sun burned it off later in the day. I was generally happy but with only one thing missing - wind! As 11:00 am came and still nothing, I started feeling upset that I was just going to sit here all day and waste it by just waiting. Suddenly I felt something on my cheek. The wind was light but there it was. I finally set off - very slow at first but I was moving and happy. 

Soon I could see the orange ball buoy between Redondo and Point Vicente.  The very same buoy I saw floating on massive twenty foot waves coming back from Catalina in a gale. This time I passed it on three foot waves as I sailed north to Marina Del Rey.

Here's what my wife and I texted each other around this area: 

Albie no just fog but I'm only 15 miles from MDR. It should be easy. I feel like a mess. I want 2 take a shower so bad. But the boat is in top shape. Even mended sail.

Wife: Glad 2 hear boat is in shape.  Call or text when u r entering MDR.  Will u b ready 2 b picked up and head home?

A: Oh today's mom & dad's anniversary! Oh - I wish I could be there. Don't wait 4 me though till I call u @ MDR. I want 2 see the movie too! Yeah - I'll be ready! 

A: 10:23 and still no wind? W/ all the fog the land must b taking longer to heat up and create the wind. Getting a lot of little things done, but frustrating wait.

J: Mom said she will take us to dinner @ Souplantation in MDR.  U can shower down there.  Where r u now?

A: Passing Redondo! That would b real nice!! Tell mom great idea! Doing 6 knots right now! Should be there by 2 at this rate! We'll see. So look forward 2 seeing u

A: Comin up 2 big ships near MDR!

J: Yeah!  Call when u r entering the harbor.  Love u. You have been sailing 4 2 weeks!

Soon I had passed R2 Buoy and within the hour would be coming into Marina Del Rey's breakwater.

It had taken me two days and a night to sail down to San Diego, have a few days vacation with my family at Mission Bay and two more days to sail up to Dana Point. From here I spent a couple more vacation days and then set sail back up to Los Angeles. From Dana Point to Marina Del Rey took me two and a half days (without the benefit of an engine). In all I had been gone for two weeks of which I was at sea nine days and nights out of fourteen. It was a highly memorable trip! 

Thanks for your comments!

~Albie

SMILE :D

http://GodsBeautifulName.blogspot.com

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Sailing Up From San Diego IX: From Newport Beach To Point Viscente

     "As the sun was going down twelve dolphins jumped out of the water and at the same time surfed a big wave. Water flew everywhere!

Later the stars were beautiful out at sea and the lights on the mountains were intriguing. The rushing of water past the boat was restful.

San Pedro was trying to win the award for most lights blazing the night sky!"

Earlier that day...


After the wind came out late that morning, I sailed on from Newport Beach area up towards Long Beach and San Pedro. I was already about five miles out at sea and had been out here all night waiting for the wind to begin.

After sailing for a while I knew my next obstacle would be passing through the Long Beach shipping lanes that pass near the oil rigs out at sea. The first shipping lane was at least a few miles wide so I knew I was going to need a steady amount of wind to pass across it.

Since my average speed was about 3 - 4 knots, it would take me about an hour to cross it and if the wind got flaky on me - I would get stuck there. One thing you don't want is to get stuck in the Shipping Lane with a huge ship bearing down on you!

I didn't want to risk that and so I needed to be pretty sure the wind would hold. After about an hour of sailing at a constant speed, I figured that would be as much assurance from the wind that I would get - so I went for it!
At this point I texted my wife and let her know what I was doing:

Albie: "Ok. Passing through shipping lane in 15 min. I love u very much. Whatcha doin today?"

Wife: "Helping Atiana, recycling, getting flyers out 4 Prince (our dog)."

A: Oh good! Tell Atiana hi. And our kids too!

W: K

That was it for the text messages - now for the Shipping Lane. All went well for most of the way across when all of a sudden I saw a big ship coming!

The distance of the ship was at least five miles off but those ships come fast! I figured that the ship was moving at least 10MPH and maybe faster so that meant it would pass my way in 15 mins or at least in 1/2 hr. I knew I would be across before then so I felt ok. But I undid the jib line from the winch and held it in my hand and pulled it in and let it out manually to help the boat go it's maximum speed.





All went well and I passed the shipping lane without incident. I now could see the big ship passing by where I was.

Soon I sailed right by an oil rig! It was amazing. I've seen these oil rigs from the beach many times but always wondered how it would be to see them up close. Now I was getting that chance. And I can tell you it was really wierd!


Those oil rigs stand really high and tall out of the water like you can imagine. It's just the craziest thing when you've been sailing out at sea and seen nothing but water for two  days to all of a sudden pass by one of these! It's really not anything I can explain...you just kind of have to do it to understand!


Anyway, after passing to the left and right (port and starboard) of a few of these oil rigs, I finally came to where I could see Long Beach off to my right. It wasn't long before I was getting near San Pedro too.

In the mean time I thought I had sailed far enough out to sea to clear San Pedro and Point Vicente but the wind was driving right in my face and I was on a close haul tacking harder towards land than I had hoped. So much harder that soon I realized that I wouldn't even clear San Pedro - not to mention Point Vicente!

So I tacked again out to sea towards Catalina island. I was not really getting much farther ahead - maybe just a little so I didn't like this tack. It just would mean getting home was going to take that much longer.

Here's a text to my wife around that time:

A: Hey! I'm cruising @ 6knots along San Pedro. Trying 2 pass Pt Vicente. It juts out into ocean & the wind blows in ur face making it hard to pass.

A: Plus the wind is blowing 20 knots & waves r short n steep (but only 2 feet). I will b SO glad when make past Visente (Gods help). Miss u!

W: Dido

W: B safe

W: Mom is wondering where u r @ this point and how far u have gottin.

A: Can see San Vicente pt. Am half way across Long Beach/ 1/2 way out 2 Catalina. Super wind. If continues u can come get me this eve!

And a little later...:


W: Where might u b?

A: 1/2 way up Point Vicente. It stretches 10 miles. In an hour or so I expect to be past it (i hope!). Am hoping 2 get 2 Redondo n sail 2 MDRtomorrow. How r u guys?

A: I love and miss u So much. Tonight was a beautiful sunset and San Pedro Hill was pleasant 2 sail by. Was very lonely 4 u all.

A: Wish u were here w/ me seeing all these beautiful sights. The stars r beautiful and the lights on the mountains. The rushing of waters past the boat is restful.

A: San Pedro is trying 2 win the award 4 most lights blazing the night sky! 12 dolphins jumped out of the water @ same time surfing a big wave. Water flew everywhere!

W: How cool.

A: Having 2 heave-to by Vicinte Pt. tonight. Wind died just as getting close 2 rounding it. :-( But, Lord Willing, will b able 2 go 2 MDRtomorrow. I Love u! Xxooo

W: U must b tired.  Hey u r almost back.  R u excited? JUST AROUND THE RIVER BEND...  Kisses

J: U needed to rest in Newport Beach last night.  R u out of shipping lanes? We r going to sleep.  Ur mom seemed disappointed u were not home yet. Miss u.

A: Yea - out of shipping lanes! Been getting some rest by hoving-to. I get up every 15 -30 mins 2 look if all is same. Usually is. JUST AROUND THE RIVERR BBEND!"



     By this time I had tacked toward Catalina until I was about five miles away from land (in hindsight I would go further out if I was to do it again).

Then I tacked again towards Point Vicente - hoping that I would clear it but it was at this time (11:00pm) that the wind died again leaving me two miles from shore. In the morning the drift of the tide and waves had brought me in about a mile or so from shore. I was thankful I was far enough out during the night so I wouldn't get too close to shore by morning!

 I hove-to all night (putting the sails in opposite directions so that the wind would just move the boat back and forth or sometimes just in circles). It's kind of like parking out at sea. Sometimes people ask me why I don't just drop the anchor but I explain that the water is so deep out there that I would need close to a thousand feet of line to even anchor at all (the depth being 300 ft or more).

It was as restful as a night as one can expect having to wake up and check for boats and ships every 10 or 15 mins all night. I had gotten used to it by now though. I don't have any bad memories.

In fact I can only remember the fascinating things like watching the oscillating light from Point Vicente shine bright and then disappear for seven or eight seconds as it shined bright in its circle wide path.

Then I remember waking up and seeing a fishing boat coming my way and passing by or a ship in the horizon passing along the shipping lanes - some going north up toward San Francisco and some heading south to Long Beach or San Diego.

I felt a little vulnerable out at sea without much power - except an oar in a real emergency. But at the same time I felt fairly safe too - knowing I was far enough away from the shipping lanes and not really in the way of fishing boats either. So it was a strange feeling of happiness and concern all mixed together!

I really enjoyed the rhythm of it all - the constant movement of the waves against the boat, the silence and solitude. The only sounds were the sounds of the sea and the main sail moving from side to side (windless) with the motion of the waves. The darkness with the slight light of the stars shining from above was also amazing.

I was nearly back. Redondo Beach was 'just around the corner' - so to speak and then after that was Marina Del Rey (about 10 miles off). As soon as the wind came out (in the morning or later tonight) I would be off."

Thanks for your comments!

~Albie
SMILE :D
http://GodsBeautifulName.blogspot.com




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Sailing Up From San Diego VIII: From Dana Point to Newport Beach.

It was blowing ten to fifteen knots of wind with baby whitecaps and 2 foot waves. It was a nice day and I felt excited to be heading out on another adventure!

I had just left Dana Point. Here's what happened from the beginning:

Having just sailed from Oceanside, I had anchored in Dana Pt.

During the night I had managed to row my dinghy ashore and get my battery charged. The next day, I then hooked it up to the electrical on the boat and sat and waited for the wind to start. It was a nice morning with pelicans flying overhead. The wind usually begins around 10:30 am or so and when it did I pulled up bow and stern anchor and set sail out of the harbor.

I texted my wife the following soon after I left:

Albie: "My route is 170 S for 10 miles (as wind is against me), then 300 -310 N between Catalina and San Pedro, and then to Redondo or Marina Del Rey.

A: Left Dana Pt at 10:30 am. Out at sea now on course. I love you!

Wife: I love you too. Thank you.  Travel safe.  Kids send their love.

A: I love them too! Only text me. Can't get voice mail at sea.

W: Come home to the land.  We miss u.

A: Comin! :-D xxxooo

W: Have fun!"


Out at sea I saw a pod of whales. Every ten seconds I would see another whale shooting out water high into the air. Then black dolphins came.

After an hour or two, I turned north on 310 degrees. I was about 7 or 8 miles out. Visibility was only 5 miles so I could barely make out the land.

After checking my course, plotting my route and doing the math, it seemed that I would get to Point Vicente by 8pm (if I had good winds). Then if I had light winds at night it would take 8 more hours to get to Redondo. It would take me all night and morning to get to MDR.

I was enjoying the trip. But not looking forward to the sleepy parts and the light winds and possible rocking when and if the winds died.

The afternoon sail was pleasant despite the fact that the wind was not exactly favorable.

Pulling in the jib and mainsail tight, I tried to head up as close to the wind as possible. My aim was to head  north - toward Marina Del Rey. But it was almost in vain. The wind was coming directly from the north and I was only able to head north west - and more west than north.

So that meant the only way I could head north was when I tacked north east - toward the shore. This tack allowed me to head more north than east but it also brought me inland.

This would mean it would make passing Point Vicente later on really hard. In order to pass it, I kept having to lose time by heading west instead of north - back out to sea again. So I was plagued by the need to head NORTH AND WEST at the same time but only getting ONE OR THE OTHER. And each time I gained one - I LOST THE OTHER! Oh well, I would just have to enjoy the sail for what it was. At least there was wind!

Eventually, I found myself following a beautiful sailboat ahead of me. it sped up though and disappeared out of sight.

By six pm the winds were already light. I was thinking of anchoring at Newport Beach instead of getting caught in the shipping lanes with no wind.

So much for my plans for reaching Marina Del Rey by morning!

The wind was changing direction and was against me. The jib was luffing a lot with dying winds too.

 I watched for the Newport harbor entrance. The sun was getting lower on the horizon and I looked for the harbor entrance and soon found it. The entrance was still a mile or two away. By the time I got near the harbor, I could see the green and red harbor entrance lights. Sunset was upon me.

As I entered Newport Harbor, I began to study the harbor map. It wasn't long before I realized that the entrance was two miles long.

Without an engine and having to sail against the light inland winds, I made another change of plan. It was going to be a LOT of work just to get in and then anchor. I decided to spend all that work getting home instead of getting into the harbor.

The wind was not favorable toward going north (as it was very light and I could only gain way on a close reach). I headed south west instead out to se a once more.

My wife texted me wondering if I was crazy to leave the safety of the harbor at night and head out. I texted her back letting her basically know all my reasons. I would rather work at getting home since I was going to have to work at one or the other. My wife didn't like it.

It took me a while even to get a mile out of Newport. For sure I wouldn't head north through the shipping lane till a really strong breeze came up.

Eventually I hove-to about 5-10 miles out. All was ok. I could see the fishing vessels out with their bright lights out over the horizon. But I was tired.

I texted my wife again:

A: I am well. Just woke up. I am about 10 miles off Newport. No wind last night except very mild which took me out.

W: Come home.

A: Miss u all.

W: I am sending these text with a fun tone.  We just want u safe.  Have fun. We will see u when u get home.

The next day I awoke to a windless morning. Because of this, though, I was able to see through the mirror-like water and see a ball of silver colored fish swimming around my sailboat! It was absolutely beautiful and amazing at the same time.

I'm not sure what was going on with the weather but it would be the third morning I would experience on this trip where the wind started late. It was also very overcast too which added to the mysterious feeling I was having bobbing around out here at sea.

Finally the wind came up, slowly at first, and blew away the clouds! I was off again - this time for Marina Del Rey!

Thanks for your comments!

~Albie

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Sailing from San Diego to Los Angeles, Part VII: Oceanside to Dana Point

After leaving Oceanside, I sailed the rest of the afternoon toward Dana Point.

 It was late afternoon when I was sailing past San Onefre Nuclear Plant.

I was about a mile or two from shore and the closer to land I got the heavier the kelp got. It started getting really thick all of a sudden and I decided to change tack and head out to sea and get away from the kelp. The kelp must have been good for fishing as I saw a couple fishing boats near the kelp beds.

While I was doing this I was reading a book. I didn't have to worry about steering as I had the tiller on "auto" by using a rope that connected to the tiller extender and then back to the port and starboard cleats - essentially locking the tiller in place. It was easy to keep the boat balanced with the rudder/tiller on a close reach (sails being pulled tight to head up as close to the wind as possible).

Soon sunset came and then darkness. And sailing out here there were hardly any lights from the land and it was really dark! The wind came out too and I was sailing along at a good clip. The waves started getting bigger too and in an hour or two they were four foot high.

Suddenly I happened to notice something swinging loose on the starboard side. I went to investigate by crawling on the cabin top and discovered that the lower shroud had come undone. I was stunned. How had that happened? The bolts that held it in place were not easy to come loose. But it had and I had to deal with it, in the darkness with a strong breeze. 

So with a flashlight in my mouth, two sets of pliers on the moving cabin top (both put in place so they wouldn't fall into the sea) and some miscellaneous parts to help me get the job done, I held on with one hand and tried to work on the shroud with the other.

 It was very difficult and time after time I failed getting the shroud secured. It was a very tight fit and hard to do when the boat was moving and tilted on its side from the power of the wind in the sails. My teeth could not get the flashlight to focus on the right area. I kept failing over and over and was beginning to feel desperate. What would happen if I couldn't do it?

Thankfully the boat was on the other tack. But if I had to tack the boat to the other side the mast would not be secure and could fall!

Finally, with a little creative power, I was able to get it done and get it to be tight too! But it had been a very stressful struggle. 

Hours went by out on the dark sea and finally I saw a lot of lights on land far ahead of me. It might be Newport Beach. That's the only place I could think of that would have that many lights. It would be a while before I was able to get there as it seemed far away. At least the wind was strong and steady.

By 1 am I was getting closer to the lights on shore when I happened to notice a blinking red and green light. I carefully observed how many seconds before the lights came on and realized that they were not traffic lights. They were definitely ocean navigation lights.

Suddenly it dawned on me that this was the harbor entrance to somewhere! I wasn't exactly sure where but maybe it might be Dana Point. I couldn't believe that I had just accidentally seen the harbor entrance lights. I had almost passed on by too!

So I sailed directly toward the lights. Still it was SO dark I couldn't even see the harbor entrance. All I saw was a rocky wall and was sure hoping I wouldn't sail into that!

The closer I got the more I could see the angle I needed to sail at to get into the harbor. It was a little tricky but suddenly the way was obvious and I sailed into the harbor. I called the Harbor Master and asked them where I could dock or anchor. They asked me if I was Albie and being very much surprised, I answered 'yes'. They immediately informed me that my wife was worried about me and was waiting for me at the dock! That was really great news! They then told me I could anchor for four days for free at the southernmost part of the harbor.

I then proceeded to sail up toward the harbor wall to anchor. My first attempt failed and I pulled the anchor back out of the water. I then reattempted it and sailed closer to the sea wall this time. I then dropped the anchor and pulled on it to see if it had caught hold. It had. I was in about twenty foot of water and put out 100 foot of line including the anchor chain. I then dropped the stern anchor too.

I then texted my wife to see exactly where she was. After I found the place where she was, I rowed the little row boat over to it:

Wife: Where is the jetty?

Albie: Let me know when there. I'll row back. I'm on boat waiting 4 u 2 find it. So tired darling.

A: No sweet friend - at the boat launch! Diagonal 2 where u first parked resting waiting 4 me. Where u bring ur boat down to launch. There's parking lot right next to it.

W: K

I then rowed the family out on the dinghy and we all slept on the sailboat that night.
The next day we had fun exploring Dana Point together and playing at the beach. :-)


It would be a couple days before I would set sail again out of Dana Point for Newport Beach and then Marina Del Rey.

Thanks for your comments!

~Albie


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Sailing from San Diego to Los Angeles. Part VI Up to Ocean Side!

The wind was up and all seemed well until I got a ways out to sea. From that point it was apparent that the wind was going to continue from the north making it clear to me that I could only sail north west close hauled.

 After a couple hours I got about five miles out and then the wind promptly stopped! 

So much for getting anywhere today. I watched the sun go down and then darkness came on.

 I could do nothing but take the sails down and wait for the wind. But there was nothing but sheer calm all night!

I took notice of all the land sights and lights around me. Tonight I decided to sleep in the V-birth instead of out in the cockpit. Basically the reason for this was because of the dead calm. The ocean waves were pretty flat too.

Throughout the night I would wake myself up every fifteen minutes or so and look out the hatchway above my head to see if any boats or ships were coming my way. Nothing came.

 I could see the fishing boats bright lights however, scattered here and there over the ocean horizon. For some reason this night is etched in my memory but for what reason I am not sure. Not really anything happened!

 But perhaps it was the feeling of being alone at sea overnight without any stress or adventure that I remember.

I reflected back on what we did in San Diego as a family before I left. Basically, here's what happened:

Upon arriving and anchoring in San Diego (Mission Bay), my family had a nice time swimming in the clear water around the boat, making sand castles in the sand and collecting shells.

After taking the dinghy over to the boat or swimming there, we cooked dinner on my boat stove, lit some candles for light and eventually fell asleep on the boat night after night.

On the way down to San Diego, my lower shroud had broken near Catalina Island and I had to fix up a jury rig to help support the mast on the trip. Now during the vacation, I took the time to take the jury rigged Lower Shroud off and attach it to the mast with a real stainless steal 'S' hook. This seemed to really do the job and I was ready again to sail.

So to test it out I took the family sailing around Mission Bay.

 This was a bit of a dream come true as my wife and I had always wanted to sail there.

At one point we were sailing under a bridge across from Sea World and the mast barely cleared the top of the bridge! That was a harrowing experience! We sailed on the calm water all around all the different isles and bays. It was fun!

On our last day we visited Sea World! But I eventually had to sail back up to Los Angeles and left the following day out of Mission Bay. Bringing us back to where I was now.

It had been a nice vacation! I especially liked swimming in the warm teal green water near our boat. So that's what happened in San Diego.

The dark night at sea passed peacefully. I remember the faint glow of the candle I had lit glimmering in the cabin, the occasional flicker of my flashlight on the countertop to get a snack.

Slowly through the night I drifted with the current unawares a couple miles south down toward Point Loma.

In the morning I was not aware I had drifted so far as the landmarks had not changed that much. It was only the visit from the Coast Guard that woke me up to the fact that I was further south than I realized. 

After giving them permission to check my boat for drugs and hideaway people - they promptly believed that I was not hiding anything after I confirmed I had nothing and after checking my drivers license. They then decided not to come aboard.

 Revving up their four huge outboard engines, they took off.

I was then left alone to wait for the wind. And I waited and waited.

Usually the wind picks up around 10 am but not today. I waited while the suns heat beat down upon the boat. Thankfully I could go down into the cabin and open the hatches for ventilation and get some relief from the sun! 

Finally around 1pm the wind came out and I slowly began to sail north past La Jolla.

But it was a slow ride as the wind was not exceptionally strong an I was fighting the current too. What should have taken a couple hours took all day and I was just clearing the San Diego area by nightfall.

Thankfully the wind kept up nicely till 11 pm and even after this there were enough spells of wind to leave the sails up and I very slowly made my way toward Oceanside.

 I just kept on sailing as long as there was wind and by early morning had made my way to the two big smoke stacks near Carlsbad. It took a while to clear them but by morning I could see the Oceanside area. 

I remember the feeling of sailing up the coast that night. The wind was constant but not very strong. Sometimes it seemed like it had completely disappeared but when I looked at the sail it was still full - so there was must have been some wind somewhere! 

By sunrise I was closing in on the harbor. But I couldn't see it. In fact only the landmarks I could identify on the map confirmed I was even at Oceanside. Without the map, I could of been anywhere!

The closer I got though, I started to identify a lot of tall masts rising up. But for some reason I couldn't see the harbor entrance.

The wind came out stronger as the morning progressed and I kept heading closer and closer. The thing that surprised me was how long it took to actually get in. By 11am I finally came in through the rocky harbor entrance! I docked the boat at the harbor patrol extra dock and finally got to get a solid hour of rest!

Thanks for your comments!

If you like this content, be sure to share it and subscribe.

-Albie


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Sailing to San Diego Part V

"Before my eyes closed I noticed how beautiful it was sleeping under the stars out at sea! And then I fell alseep for a short while. All went dark in my mind and then I woke up about 15 minutes later to adjust the tiller slightly as the sails were making noise and the boat was slightly off course."

Many hours earlier however, I had been on a mission to sail into Mission Bay by evening time. But the wind had almost died and the current was against me. Besides this I didn't have an engine so that put me at the complete mercy of the wind.

Here's what happened: I was constantly watching the wind when after discovering the red harbor beacon, the wind decided to blow so slightly that I could barely feel its effects on the sails. Yet it was still there as the windex still held its true position. But the current now I believe was stronger than the wind and I sailed around for the whole hour realizing in time I was getting nowhere really fast!

 But I had been so excited that I had made my goal of getting to San Diego today and I was determined to get in that harbor so I kept hoping against hope that I was surely making at LEAST a little headway.

I tried staying awake for hours in my
quest. I remember nodding off many times. I would wake up trying to spy the red harbor beacon again and sometimes lose its excact position again and having to fight for five minutes or more to reclaim its position. By 2 am, my body was becoming quite cold - even with two jackets on. My body temperature was dropping as it does late at night and also I was exhausted.

 So I jumped down into the cabin and then into the V-birth to grab my sleeping bag and blanket and dragged it up into the cockpit. Also I  grabbed the smaller blue rectangular seat cushion as it was so perfect for me to lie on tonight. Then placing them out on the cockpit seat, I got in.

 Looking all around me I took notice of every boat out at sea. There was still a couple boats on the horizon shining their bright fishing spot lights out into the dark ocean night. But they were far away so they didn't bother me. It was then while thinking all about this that I decided it would be best to turn on my upper shroud deck light just for added safety besides my running lights, so other boats were sure to see me.

After doing this I hastly got back into the warmth of my brown sleeping bag and then pulled my daughters 'Sleeping Beauty' blanket up over my shoulders. Before my eyes closed I noticed how beautiful it was sleeping under the stars out at sea! 

And then I fell alseep for a short while. All went dark in my mind and then I woke up about 15 minutes later to adjust the tiller slightly as the sails were making noise and the boat was slightly off course. I took a look around me another time, then I went back to sleep. Thoughts of some boat crashing into me sometimes worried me. But the lonely sea was still just as lonely when I sat up in the sleeping bag and looked around.

And then I went back to sleep again. After a while and the boat and I had really not gone anywhere, so I hove to. I backed the jib sail on the opposite side and this made the boat go back and forth but not really forward. But as the wind was so slight it took a while for the boat to do anything!

This routine of waking up every fifteen minutes went on for at least a couple hours untill the sheer exhaustion had left me, but I was still tired.

And then suddenly the wind just died out completely. I could tell because the boat rocked and swayed in the three foot swells without the pressure of the mainsail or jib keeping the 'nose' of the boat tilted slightly into the waves and moving forward. Without the winds pressure, the waves just rocked me around any which way they liked!

And the waves were not tiny. There was a big swell running tonight and the waves were typically about three foot high - but not dangerous. So I got up out of the brown sleeping bag and hooked the boom up to the back stay. Now that it couldn't jump around from side to side with the boats motion and whack me in the head, I jumped up to the deck and took down the main sail so that it wouldn't flap around making noise and such. Then I went back to sleep. I continued to watch every fifteen minutes or so but I was very tired and only cast a seconds look for ships and then fell asleep again.

 So this time I must have slept longer for when I awoke I notced that the boat and I had drifted into the kelp bed.

So I carefully put on my life jacket and got a flashlight and an oar and put them and the large ropes into the dinghy. I then attached the two ropes together and attached the new larger rope securely to the boat by way of the back cleat. Then un-attaching the line that held the dinghy to the boat I pushed the dinghy and myself away from the boat out over the big three foot swells. Even in the kelp the waves were substantial.

The dinghy just rode them 'matter of fact' like but it was more of a serious matter for me because about a month ago I had tipped the dinghy upside down and had to swim back to my sailboat. But getting back to the big swells - the previous reasons though, for tipping the dinghy, were nonexistent tonight so in that I was glad and when I got out to where the dinghy finally stretched the rope taught and was at a place to tow the sailboat, I paddled harder trying to manually pull the boat out of the kelp.

It was kind of hard and at first all I managed to do was row in circles! With the weight of the sailboat pulling hard against any forward motion, I was getting frustrated. At last though, I figured out that if I paddled at a steady pace first on one side and then the other, the sailboat began to move.
I got the boat a certain distance with great struggle and effort. After half an hour I was truly worn out and had only pulled the sailboat half way out of the kelp. I gave up at that point and knew that I was going to either have to try again later or wait till the wind came out for more power. So I returned to my sailboat.

 As I pulled myself in with the connector rope, the distant lights off of Mission Bay and Point Loma helped illuminate the dark night sky and the dark black ocean. Each wave was illuminated on its hump as it rolled inward toward shore.

When I got back, I wanted to go to sleep but I was partly fascinated by the boats slow movement with the tide and partly worried to see exactly how far and at what speed I was traveling through the kelp bed. At first it appeared as though I was not moving at all. But after a few minutes I saw that this was not true and that I was indeed moving very slowly.

I realized that the kelp was kind of good and bad. It kept you in but it also kind-of held you still so you wouldn't drift much. So I was kind of thankful. I must have sat there watching my slow movement through the kelp for at least half an hour. By that time I knew that I would have some time to rest, but at some point the boat would get too close to the shore.

I attempted an experiment and threw out a bucket on a rope as far as I could toss it. I wanted to see if the pressure on the bucket caused any further reduction of drift. But I couldn't see any real difference so I brought it in. Then I decided to sleep in the V-birth on my bed instead of out in the cockpit as I was extremely tired by this point having been awake now for an hour and a half at least. Also I was not in danger of hitting anyone or vise-versus inside the kelp bed.

The next morning before the sun had fully risen, I tried to reach down over the side of the stern and unwrap all the kelp that had worked its way around my rudder. I knew that the keel probably had a bunch of it too but there was little I could do about it. When the wind came up around 9 am or so I sailed very happily out of the kelp. I was surprised how easily I did so and realized that this would not be the case if I was a motor boat!

I thought I saw the entrance to Mission Bay, so I headed straight for it. But alas, as I entered that area I saw that it was a beach instead of the harbor entrance and that the entrance was just on the other side of this sea wall!

 I saw that I still had time to cut across and get to the other side without tacking - so I did just that. In hindsight it might have been a little impulsive though because just as I was cutting across the sea wall, a huge breaking wave hit my boat broadsides and knocked me and the boat for a major roll. Even though I've been out in huge ocean waves during storms and gales, I've never been hit by a breaking wave like that before.Thankfully it just have me a big shock but the boat handled it quite well!

Soon I had got over the shock and was heading into the harbor entrance. I called the Harbor Master on my VHS and they told me a good place to anchor.

Soon I was dropping the anchor in about 20 feet of clear water from the beach. I had found a place that was away from the other boats and in no danger of swinging near them. Dropping the stern anchor too - just in case helped give me peace of mind. I was finally here! I immediately gave my wife a call and went down into the cabin to relax a little.


 Come visit my blog next week to see what adventure I had next leaving San Diego and then heading back up to Los Angeles once more!

Thanks for your comments!

If you like this content, be sure to share it and subscribe.

-Albie

http://SailingWithAlbie.blogspot.com

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