Catalina Island

 Catalina Island hovers into sight.

 Towing Mr. Dingy

John in cruising mode

Brad and John left Oxnard and motored ALL  the way to Catalina. Spent a day on the eastside

Beautiful weather, except  there's no wind...

Ribbon Pt, Catalina West End

Catalina Harbor

Sunset

Pt. Loma, San Diego

San Diego Skyline

Wizard has arrived in San Diego!
Thanks to Brad Oblak for being "first mate" on this leg of the journey! And thanks for all the photos and updates along the way.

Monterey to San Luis Obispo

As ugly as it looks, the full dodger on the Wizard is pretty functional. Report from the "boys" on the passage from Monterey past Point Sur to San Luis Obispo is that the winds were still blowing 25 kn, but they didn't feel the weather! The total enclosure is protective and keeps out the elements. In fact, they haven't needed to put on any "foulies"(foul weather gear) because it's toasty warm inside the zipped up dodger!  I'm told the seas were less choppy on this 70 mile leg, winds were still strong coming from behind and the seas were covered with a beautiful phosphorescence! John says, the wind vane is the hardest working crew on board...a welcome relief that it tends the wheel as planned, since there are only two sharing the watches. Don MacNair  had to "jump ship" in Monterey due to previous commitments.

They stayed a day in Avila on mooring, sleeping, fixing and shopping... really? Shopping? Well, yes, someone HAD to have tortillas for grubb and the water maker needed a new line... so, into the dingy and out to the local market and hardware for supplies. Someone said, " boy, this sailing is a slow way to travel!"... and much more complicated when you are "cruising"... you can't just jump in a car and go get stuff...well, it's all about learning to move at a slower pace...

 Wizard  leaves Avila harbor this morning, Aug. 23. A high pressure has set in off the coast, so plans for a fair sail around Pt. Conception are anticipated:-)

San Francisco to Monterey

They made it!  John, Brad and Don aboard S/V Wizard have arrived safely in Monterey! The passage from Sausalito, San Francisco to Monterey in 17+ hours was a "wild ride" down the coast with choppy and confused seas, making the sailing uncomfortable, but doable, with 15-20kn winds gusting to 30kn at times, to clock 6.8kn SOG for most of the trip. The course set had them tacking west away from land to sail on a beam reach for a more comfortable ride using only the genoa sail.

Having three on board to share watches in this first "shake down"leg to San Diego was a smart decision. As everyone was new to the boat's motion, it was good to get a little down time off watch.  No one got seasick, but all felt a little queezy... it takes a few days to get the "sea legs". The only mishap was an unlatched V-berth hatch that someone forgot to close and water did come in to soak the bed! All systems worked as planned, the  chart plotter, the wind vane, water maker and inverter...these were all the  components added or upgraded for cruising and  John (skipper) wasn't sure how all would perform. He upgraded the electrical system with new inverter,  just days before launch as the old one had "pooped" out.

 

It's a funny story...this trip has taken almost a year of planning! We felt that it would take this long to get the boat "geared-up" and also to get the mind-set to pull away from the strings that attach you to your land based work/world... house, cars, pets, garden, work, work..and less work... sooo, here we are at this crossroads...the boat is ready, but are we?  Or  I should say ...am I?  More to come on this as I wean myself away from one lifestyle to assume another.... I plan to join the crew later in warmer climates of San Diego, but first must dissolve previous work commitments.

But, the real funny story was earlier, when John and crew were preparing to leave the Clipper Yacht Harbor, Sausalito... they had planned a midnight sail away on an ebb flow tide out the Golden Gate.  Our family came to say good-bye and have lunch at our favorite restaurant, FISH.  We watched as they prepped for departure, John stowing gear, Brad and Don plotting the course on the chart plotter. While standing in line for lunch order, I said, why don't you just go now, while you have daylight to see any dangers (i.e. large freighters in the shipping lanes)...well, they looked at each other and just decided to go right then!  So much for lunch!  We packed up the restaurant faire in to-go boxes for the men to eat later... the family waved good-bye from the docks and off they sailed at 1500 hrs instead of midnight!

It's Official!

It's official!  

We've signed up for the Baha Ha Ha!  What's that... you say?

 It's a cruisers rally from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  In it's 19th year, this popular event is put on by the bay area sailing magazine,  Latitude 38.  We decided that, as first time boat owners, embarking on such an adventure, it would be good to be part of a group of other like-minded folks... so, we signed up!  We are entry #46 on the growing list of participants from all over, choosing our home port San Francisco.

www.baja-haha.com/Alumni/2012Roster.html

The event starts in San Diego, Oct. 28....so there is much to learn in preparation for this two week sail down the coast to Cabo.  Captain John has been busy replacing, repairing and stocking...

organizing, testing the systems, teaching the new crew....busy, busy, Captain John!

John

... two sailing buddies, Don MacNair and Brad Oblak are joining the first leg to Monterey. Brad is an old high school friend, landlocked in Kansas, but has a passion for sailing and is a test pilot. He will be valuable when charting the course. Don a longtime friend from Kenwood and Landscape Architect, also has "adventure in his blood" and is looking for another...

Brad and Don

... the Wizard before we piled a bunch of gear all over her ...

...and 1 year later, laden with containers, gear and stuff...she really looks like a cruiser now! Kinda   looks like the Beverly Hillbillie's boat or the African Queen...wonder if we'll really need all this?

Don

First mate, Sue...poses with the Kenwood Press, a local newspaper, hoping to WIN the photo contest!

Sue

...and then, we say good-bye...

as they sail away out under the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge at 1500 hours (3:00pm)...

 ... fair winds sailors!

Sailing in Sausalito

 3/10/12
Today was a great day sailing!
Winds were moderate, mostly 15-20 knots, enough to reef the mainsail. I was at the helm all day, while John trimmed the sails. This was our first time sailing the boat by ourselves. Usually, owe invite a friend or two to help with boat handling, but today it was just us. I'm glad, because I learned a lot. I learned NOT to sail by the instruments, but to feel the wind as it fills the sails and powers the boat. We are both learning about the Wizard and her motion under sail. We are pleased with her speed and how she glides through the water and is very responsive.

The weather was partly cloudy at the first and winds increased with looming weather. I got cold and realized that weather changes quickly in the bay, so always being prepared, I donned my beautiful red foul-weather jacket, to cut the chill, but too late...even though it was sunny, I shivered most of the day. I look forward to warmer sailing waters!

The Wizard

Our boat is named Wizard. She came to us with that name and it seemed kinda fun, so we kept it. Anyway, we heard it's bad luck to change a boat's name! (Since, we're new boat owners, we didn't want to upset the"boat gods".) We heard the name comes from a 70's comic character, the 'Wizard of I'd, who spoofed on human nature..but, I like the magical, whimsical Wizard name...and so, the name of our blog, Off to Sea, the Wizard...

Wizard is a 40 ft  Dennis Choate designed IOR 2 ton racer modified to be a cruiser by the previous owner who sailed her down the coast from Portland Oregon. By cruiser I mean, she's equipped with a water maker, two solar panels, a wind generator, auto pilot and furling jib and other added systems not common on a racing boat  including a fully canvassed hard top dodger. We can't wait to test all this equipment on our cruise "down the yellow brick road" and beyond to the South Pacific next year!

Day on the boat...

12/15/11

Day on the boat…cold, wet winter day doing  nothin’ really.. .just puttin’ around trying to finish some of the projects on our “list”. John’s concern is connecting the wind generator.  My project is  less essential, yet just as important… how to make the inside of the boat more “cozy”.

I’m deciding where a privacy curtain will be in the aft double berth. Not that there is ANY real privacy on a boat, but just having a curtain to close off the sleeping area to designate a private space is needed. So, I’m using a lightweight fabric attached with Velcro webbing to the boat hull to create a curtained bedroom. This is a temporary solution to see if I like the curtain idea.

Wish I had a stateroom.... I’ve envied over the interiors of other larger boats that have a separate cabin, private with lots of storage and a door that closes but, I’ll have to "make do" with what I have….Something I know how to do, as I’ve learned to make do with my of husband of 35 years! Ha-Ha.

On that subect, there will be a whole lot of COMPROMISING living on a sailboat! The space alone, or rather lack of space, requires deep thinking on what is really necessary to have aboard. Obviously, 6 pairs of jeans and 10 pairs of shoes are NOT necessary on a South Pacific cruise. In fact, most of the timthe loathing will be optional! The personal articles needed on a boat are few, making way for the more important items; spare engine parts, extra pumps, head gaskets and two "what-ya-ma-call-it's".

Shelving, storage bins and hammocks are neatly arranged to hold the gear and personal items planning for easy access. The galley (kitchen) area also needs efficient, easy storage for spices, cooking utensils and food.

I won’t truly know where to put all these things until I actually live aboard.  The natural flow of life’s essentials will dictate what I need on board and where to store everything!