Sailing with Denis

Sailing with Denis was a joy and essential at times. He is a great helmsman, boat repair trouble shooter and easy to get along with. Here he is sailing in the sunset toward San Deigo.

On the hook at Catalina Island

We sailed to Catalina island and hung on the hook at catalina harbor. We took the dinghy ashore to walk across to Two Harbors (the town in this area of the island). We encountered flowering catus and wild winds blowing across this narrow isthmus. Two Harbor is a boaters town across Santa Monica Bay from Los Angeles. The mooring buoys are packed tight and you must pick up a bow and stern line. There is a general store with island prices and a pub with EXPENSIVE beer. We spent 2 nights in cat harbor on the quiet side of the island.

Marina Del Rey

We tied up to a slip at Marina Del Rey after being towed into the harbor. Air in the fuel kept our engine running inconsistently enough to be dangerous upon entering a tight harbor filled with boats sailing in on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
Arrival at Marina del Rey was intentional to meet with Signet Corp for repairs on our depth finder electronics, but now Rick worked on the fuel lines also. Sunny, warm and nice helpful boaters were found along with a good pub. Watched the sailing vessels come into the harbor in the evening under sail, wing and wing.
Again we all worked as a close knit team. We are glad to have Denis on board.

survived a gale

We spent 3 days in a gale off Cape Mendocino. We had 30 to 45 knot winds and 15 foot confused seas. We rode with the wind at our backs, the storm sail up, going 8 knots with waves riding up our back side. There is nothing like riding a 35,000 pound surf board, scared to death. Talaria was an amazing vessel keeping us safe. Rick and our GREAT crew member, Denis kept us on course trying to ride out the storm. We eventually cut across the seas to rest up in Bodega Bay. Grateful to tie up to a dock, have a shower and cold beer.

sailing out into the Pacific

Sailing in the Pacific ocean with 3 to 4 foot rollers and dolphins playing in the wake of the boat. This is a time to reflect on where we have been and where we are going. The dolphins seem to jump and dance in the waves.

Final week before we cast off the lines

It is less than one week before we sail into the Pacific Ocean. Passing the FCC ham radio operators license was one thing, now we must learn to use the radio effectively. Thankfully we have met a radio expert who is going to crew with us for the trip to CA. We are thankful for the additional crew, he needs offshore miles for a captain's license and hopefully he'll be able to teach us use the radio. We have been busy preparing Talaria for her offshore voyage. Still waiting for one essential part.

almost ready to go

January 2009 Rick had serious injuries snowboarding and we moved off the boat as it is difficult to use a wheelchair on a sailboat. He recovered miraculously and we moved back onto the boat in July 2009. Since then we have been getting ready to retire and sail offshore. This is more difficult than it sounds.

Rick retired from Boeing 4/29/2010, Deena retires 7/21/2010. We have spent every waking hour studying celestial navigation,use of SSB radio or preparing the boat for her voyage. We plan to leave the first week of August to sail south from the NW to California.