Cruise to Cat Harbor: Part I

The Saturday night before I left Ventura, there was a TV crew out in the field next to the marina taping a segment of a reality show called "Bad Girls of Miami."  Idiocy, but interesting to watch the process.  I was able to sneak a few pics before I got caught.

The sail to Paradise Cove was great, with just enough wind to move the boat right along.  It was a bit much to try to get the main down and stowed singlehanded without lazy jacks, though. It wasn't pretty, but I got it done eventually and got anchored for the night.  Virtually no wind the next day, so I had to motor to Cat Harbor with just the main up for stability.  Other than that, a nice, warm, pleasant passage.  The pictures pretty much tell the story.  I shot and posted a few video bits this time, so let me know if you think it's worthwhile.  I had some uploading issues out at anchor with a longer video segment entering Cat Harbor, but I'll try again, so check back.

September 19, 2013

Again the week was primarily devoted to cruise preparation: checking the sails and furling gear, topping up batteries, checking the stuffing box, provisioning etc.  I did take care of a few minor projects, some planned, some not.  I installed the magnesium anode for the waterheater and reworked the drain hose for the sink in the aft head, which was not draining.

Visits from my old high school buddy Steve as well as Carol forced me to curb my ambition and have a bit of fun.  Steve, my friend John and I hit the boaters swap meet on Saturday.  And Carol, John, his 'friend' Susan and I had a nice afternoon at the Aloha Beach Festival at the Ventura strand on Sunday.  Fun sure can be exhausting when you're not used to it!

September 13, 2013

The week was devoted to getting the boat ready for the next cruise and visitors this weekend:  tidying up the dinghy, pressure washing, getting the awning ready for use, filling the propane tank, etc., etc., etc.  I also did a little research on curing the problem of a sulpher odor coming from the boat's hot water.  Turns out that can be caused by corrosion in the hot water heater.  The cure is to replace the drain faucet with a magnesium anode.  I've ordered one, so check back later to see if it worked.

Spent last weekend in LA with Carol.  We saw a couple of pretty cool installations at the LA County Art Museum and had a fancy lunch in the museum restaurant.  Nice plantscape too.