A short note on a couple of technical things So far, every
place we have stopped, we have found free
wireless internet (WiFi) access. As a matter of fact, in Santa Barbara,
if we
went to a restaurant called “Sambo’s”, and used their free WiFi, they
took
$5.00 off of our bill. So, that is how we are keeping up with our email
and web
page. NOTE, I spoke to soon! We just got to Ventura and cannot find any
free
WiFi. Also, none in the Channel Islands or Dana Point.
Another interesting note is all of the different food stores
we are getting to explore. We were at the store in Santa Barbara, and
found
“Grapples”. They look like an apple, but taste like grapes! It’s GREAT
to
explore at a leisurely pace! Here in Ventura, we are about to attend a
Greek
restaurant with a belly dancing show. What fun!
Now, on to our prop shaft problem from the last report. As
we were putting the system back together, I asked for the tech to do an
alignment of the prop shaft and motor. An alignment is one of the very
few
things that I have not done myself. I never felt that it was something
I had
the knowledge to do. So, back in the Bay area I had the system aligned
twice
(about 6 months apart). You would think it would be close wouldn’t you?
I
wasted my money in the bay area!
The first thing the local tech did was to
remove the flex
coupling, something neither of the bay area techs did! Once it was out,
we
tried to link the system up. It was over ¼ inch off!!!! Normally
you get it to
within 30 thousands of an inch. So it took about an hour to get it in
alignment
to about 25 thousands. We then put the flex coupling back in. It now
runs a lot
smoother. I think that this was one of the factors that made the system
fail
early. I had the tech talk me through doing it myself, so I will take
care of
it from now on.
Back on to our trip notes.
Greg –
Those of you, who know me/us, know how much we love good
food! So I thought I would say a few words here about discoveries we
have made
along the way. One of the going away gifts we received was “Grilling
Spice”
(THANKS Ken!) made by Williams Sonoma. This is great stuff! Jill has
been
getting pork loin roasts, chops, & chicken and we have used it on
all of it
with GREAT results. At anchor, all the boats around us do some serious
“ground
hogging” out of the hatches when Jill is cooking!
We have also found a few great places to eat.
If you are in Monterey, stop at “Rosine’s Restaurant! It’s
on the main street and serves a very good meal at a reasonable price.
BUT, what
stands out is the desert cake. We had dinner and decide to split a
piece carrot
cake. I swear, it was the size of a small car! We had to take turns
carrying it
back to the boat. And it was delicious!! All four times we had it. And
remember, this was ONE SLICE, NOT the whole cake!
If you are in, or even close to Morro Bay, and want an
elegant dinner, stop at “Windows on the Water” (699 Embarcadero No. 7,
Morro
Bay, Ca. 93442, 805-772-0677). So far this is the best restaurant we
have eaten
at in the last 10 years! They serve a great Abalone. The food, every
item, is
an art sculpture in presentation, and, a delight to the pallet. I kid
you not,
this is a place worth the drive!! The price was not low, but worth
every penny.
We were not dressed up (do we ever do that, NO) but we were treated as
if we
were in a tux and evening gown! I can’t say enough good things about
this
Restaurant! A hint, we had a Tiramisu for dessert, it came in a
chocolate
sculpted coffee cup and was the best we have ever had. When we
finished, only a
bare plate
remained!
Now, if you find yourself near Ventura Harbor, and are
looking for a FUN family time, with entertainment, stop at “The Greek
at the
Harbor”. The food was great at a very reasonable price. Belly dancing
was fun
to watch (Jill let me put $1 in her waist band GRIN). If you can make
it, the
Saganaki was WONDERFUL!
Now on to the traveling.
We had a very nice trip from Santa Barbara to Ventura on
November 11. We had calm winds and sea. We had the treat of a pod of
dolphins
play with us for about a half of an hour. Greg took some video. At one
time
there was 4 to 6 all playing in our bow wave all at the same time. It’s
a
wonder how they can move so fast, so close together without bumping
each other.
What a gift this was!!
We then moved on to Channel Islands Harbor. It’s a very nice
place to spend a few days. Stores are close by and the slip rental was
very
reasonable. We had the good fortune to meet up with some friends here
that we
thought we out of town. We spend some very
special time catching up on news. We
also met up with two other boats that we had met in Monterey and Morro
Bay. They decided to sail out to Santa
Cruz Island and we stayed behind to visit our friends. About midnight,
the Santa Ana wind came up
and they woke up in the middle of a gale on a lee shore. They all made
it out of there and did not
get back to Channel Islands until morning. One
other boat was lost as it was smashed on shore. The
family was air lifted off the
island. This is a reminder to all
boaters to always be vigilant and pay attention to wind and wave. We
are all
responsible for our own safety
out here, as in these conditions, you cannot expect any help.
We had our first potluck with our boat friends. Mary,
aboard s/v Fandango, made a delicious grilling sauce for grilled port
tenderloin.
Recipe below if you would like to try
it. This potluck was our last evening
at the Channel Islands. We then made an overnight passage to Dana
Point.
Peanut Sauce
¾ C water
½ C peanut butter
2 cloves minced garlic
½ tea. curry powder, or to taste
1 Tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan and heat until
thickened. This is a generous amount
for up to 1 ½ # of pork.
This can
be
brushed on the meat while it is grilling. It
may be served hot or cold.
We had an uneventful trip to Dana Point. The
winds were light, and we had to motor
sail most of the way. It feels about 10
degrees warmer here!! We are having
wonderful weather. They have a replica
of the ship Pilgrim here. That is the
ship Richard Henry Dana sailed all along this coast. We are
reading Two Years Before the Mast as we travel.
Our first night
here, we started hearing a sound like scratching or chewing coming from
deep in
our food lockers or aft cabin. We opened cabinets and checked under
floorboards
and could find no evidence of an intruder. We
were sure we had picked up a mouse or rat from the last
marina. We
were ready to get some dry ice and gas the boat! As we were determining
what to
do to treat the boat for mice, local boaters told us that it is a local
phenomena here possibly small creatures outside the boat!
We met a friend here and we were able to spend Thanksgiving
with his family. We had a wonderful
time. We emailed our son Aaron who is
still in Asia. He wrote back that he
had forgotten that it was Thanksgiving. Now
that’s a vacation!!!
There is good food here and a West Marine store nearby so we
are using the nice weather to finish a few of the projects that we had
saved
for later.
It is so surprising to us that it has become so difficult to
find email connections and wifi as we move further south. I’m not
talking about a foreign country now,
I’m talking about Southern California! We
were spoiled in Northern California. They
say it is because here everyone is out surfing waves,
dude. Before
you say “just go to Starbucks, they’re on every corner”, try walking to
one
when you need it! NOT ONE TO BE SEEN!
We had dinner here at the Dana Point Yacht Club and are they
ever a nice group of people. There is a
very active boating community here.
We will be here until the end of the month-a few more days,
and then will head for San Diego.
To all you boaters who left Northern Cal about the same time
that we did, hoping you are polishing up your Spanish and scoping out
the good
stuff for our arrival. Yes, we promise,
we will be there. Hope you are having
as good a time as we are.
Our last Position
When we send an E-Mail from Guenevere, our system automatically reports
our latest position. If we have sent an email with the last day or so,
you can call us up on a map and see where we are! To do this just click
on the a link I have placed below...
Position
Report - Where we are now
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