Visiting Catalina



Leaving the Harbor at Avalon.

Well today was another great day in paradise. We started the day in Avalon on Santa Catalina Island. This was our brief tune-up cruise with Web and Ross, representing a little unfinished business from the 2009 race when we ran out of time to make this stopover.

This was a an important trip for us this time around as it gave a chance to see how the new Autohelm responded. The tiller fitted Autohelm now known as "Billy the Stick" guided us flawlessly and effortlessly in a 22 knot breeze on a close reach without incident. There is a series of manouevers required for the helm to 'autolearn' which requires a sequence of abrupt manourvers. Recognizing that this would have looked like a drunken sailor we soon all felt comfortable and at home with our new crewmate.

On the return trip this morning the wind was much lighter and with big sloppy waves the autohelm had a bit more difficulty finding its way. Slight adjustments to the tiller's response time and 'the Stick' was sailing like a pro again.

This evening we said thanks to our tuneup crew Web and Roscoe. We have had a great deal of fun this past couple of days and it is very clear how much they have helped us get the boat together. There have been quite a few conversations about figuring out how to bring these guys with us. Thanks for the help guys! We hope you have a safe journey back up the highway.

Webster ordered the 'petite' prime rib -- only 16 oz. a full portion is 24 oz.

Autohelm

Installing the Autohelm

A big piece of the race prep is getting the autohelm installed. After an extended 'planning' period we got to work on the installation. Web is the master plumber and made sure that all the plumbing worked out. We haven't sparked the new unit up yet but we remain confident.

Touching up the Foils

Touching up the bottom paint

Roscoe has taken the time for a little light fairing and repainting the keel and rudder. Although generally in good shape these are much better now. There has been considerable discussion about cutting the keel bulb off but we have decided not to do that this weekend. Web is quite keen of lifting the keel during the race.

Sunday at the SeaPort Boatyard

As each day starts, management assigns tasks for all the workers.

Seaport is the name of the hotel we are staying at. It is a lovely place built in about the 1960's. It must have been well built because there haven't been any renovations since it was new. The boys were in bed by 10:00 last night after a hard day and very little disturbance from the normal Saturday night crowd that comes home around 2:30.

Boat Prep in Long Beach

If you need some water, send an electrician...

So today was the first day of the boat prep in California. Web found a handy water supply with sufficient pressure to wash the dust off the boat. This is not a small matter because the boat has been pulled through the Mexican outback for 1000 miles on the way back from Cabo. Once that job was done we waxed the boat sides and Roscoe prepped a couple of scratches on the keel bulb and trapdoor for the outboard. Everyone is feeling pretty good about the way the boat looks and we are amazed at how ready the boat is for an offshore race.

On the inside we sponged out the haylon residue and even cleaned out under sink and nav station. This included some Kung Pow Chicken from 2003...

All this got done even with a touch of hte 'Fish Bowl' Flu. We are not sure, but we think we might have caught something from the large beverages called 'Hurricanes'. One of the great things about the hotel location is that we can walk home.

Preplanning Meeting -- Beer at Earls

Greg at the helm heading for Cabo in 2010.

Just off to Earls to meet with the boys to talk about sailing and prep for the trip to California to get the boat ready for Transpac 2011. After some deliberation, we have settled on the watch system for the race. Greg and I have decided we are going to use the 3 hours on, 6 hours off system. This will allow each of us to get enough sleep to be well rounded throughout the whole race.