October 1, 2015

My old buddy Curt and his wife Mary are about to head south with the Baja Ha Ha and their first stop will be Cat Harbor.  Since it’s about time for my apparently annual cruise to Catalina, I thought I’d join them there for a little send-off.  So the week was spent getting provisions and prepping the boat for cruising.  Now I’m waiting for the weather to settle down and hoping I don’t come down with Carol’s cold.  I wanted to leave today, but it’s going to be windy and nasty, and tomorrow a little front is coming through.  (Besides, you NEVER start a cruise on a Friday!)  Maybe Saturday.

In the meantime, I’ve done a bit of reading on my radar problem, and the best bet is that the magnetron is shot.  While I don’t think I have the 2000-3000 hours of use they are normally good for, they can and do fail prematurely.  It’s a $470 part.  It would be easy to replace on a bench; halfway up the mast is a different story.  I’ll deal with it when I get back from my little cruise.