2010 Greatest Hits

Another year has come and gone and we're still afloat. Last year, we made a list of things we hoped to accomplish in 2010, and here it is:

*New Wind Generator
*New Lazarette Cover
*Propane System w/ New Grill
*New Anchor, Chain and Windlass
*New Foam and Covers for V-Berth
*Covers for Cockpit Cushions
*New Sails (Roller Furling and Main)
*Chartplotter, Depthfinder, Radar, Autopilot (Raymarine C70)
*Raise Boom
*Dodger/Bimini

The first four items were checked off the list in 2010 (minus the windlass).  The other items either lost priority or were overtaken by opportunity. Here is the complete list of our 2010 accomplishments:

*Found & Reattached Lazarette Cover
*Propane System w/ New Grill
*Freezer
*LED Spreader Lights (Ben also installed LED navigation lights which I failed to blog about)
*Coast Guard Vessel Safety Check
*Anchor, Bow Roller & Chain (I never blogged about the chain)
*Livingston Dinghy
*Carburetor, Choke and Head Gasket for the Atomic 4
*Honeywell Gas Generator
*Wind Generator
*Wind Vane (We got a wind vane but never installed it, so I never blogged about it)

The Livingston was sold a month or so after Ben fixed it up. Earlier this week, Ben sold the Wind Generator and the Wind Vane. Sometimes less is more, and we're reminded of that lesson on a daily basis.

This year we were lucky enough to do a bit of traveling during our downtime. We only sailed three times (ouch!) but we also traveled by car and plane. Here is a recap of our travels:

*San Francisco, (SF2, SF3)
*Joshua Tree
*Sailing the Bay
*Las Vegas
*Sailing Glorietta Bay
*Costa Rica, (CR2, CR3, CR4, CR5, CR6)
*Michigan
*Sailing Mission Bay, (MB2)
*Julian, CA

Our list of things we hope to accomplish in 2011 is a short list. If we can check the first one off quickly, the second item will most likely be a breeze to accomplish:

*Get an auto-tiller
*Sail more!!

Big Bay Balloon Parade

Today is the Big Bay Balloon Parade. We happened by the balloons on our way to coffee this morning. The parade starts in about a half hour so we'll no doubt bump into the balloons again on our way back to the boat. Here are a few pictures:

Go Away!!

I keep wanting to write something profound but I can't find the words. Many transplants living here in San Diego chose San Diego in order to escape bad weather elsewhere. I live here for the same reason. This winter has undermined my reasoning. Let's face it... this entire year has been a disappointment as far as weather goes. Ben and I spent time in Costa Rica this summer in order to avoid June Gloom. When we got back to San Diego the sun never came out, so we took off on a road trip to Michigan with the hopes that summer would greet us on our return to San Diego. No such luck. We did enjoy a beautiful Indian Summer for a few weeks in October and November. But this winter has been anything but pleasant. Last week it rained for something like 5 days straight. Worse than the torrential rains were the howling winds. We laid awake at least one entire night grappling with our faith in the chains that bind us to our mooring. I am not a religious person, but I would liken my faith in the boat and the mooring to anyone's faith in God (with one huge difference being the actual tangible boat and mooring). I'll admit after last Wednesday night, I was second-guessing, once again, my ability to live on - or sail - a boat. But eventually the sun always comes out (not always accompanied by warm temperatures) and the memories of sleepless nights fall by the wayside. I find myself a little bit stronger and I can laugh about the adventure. Until the next storm (read: today). 

Christmas Spirit

The San Diego Bay Parade of Lights was last night (and next Sunday night, too). The parade was pretty low key this time around, probably due to what happened last year. We rowed out to the end of the mooring field and hooked on to an empty ball to enjoy the show. We were joined by Markitos and Christy toward the end of the parade. As always, it's difficult to get nighttime pictures from a floating dinghy. Here are a few of the better shots.

December Morning

Lately, all I can muster up are a few pictures of the sunrise, or lack thereof. Starting next week, I'll be on vacation for a month, so hopefully I'll find some inspiration to write. The weather today is supposed to be in the mid- to high-70's and we're already off to a good start! The Parade of Lights is tonight and again next Sunday so we're looking forward rowing out to the end of the mooring field to watch. If we get any good pictures, I'll be sure to share them.    

Waiting for the Sun

Every morning, a different view...

Fog where the skyline used to be

Ben heading off to work

Anomaly

Imagine my surprise when I mozied down the dock this morning and spotted a dinghy flipped upside down, hanging off the stern of another dinghy. Then imagine my "Oh shit!" moment when I realized it was Ben's dinghy that was flipped, outboard motor dangling upside down in the water. I'll admit I panicked a bit. I ran down and hopped into Eddie's dinghy and tried with all my might (well, what little might I do have), but to no avail. There was no way I could flip that thing back over by myself. I rowed home in a frenzy, called Ben at school (you know, cuz I figured I might as well panic him, too!) and told him what happened. Then as any good girlfriend would do, I grabbed my camera and headed back to the dock. Snapped a few shots. Tried fruitlessly to flip the thing over again (I swear I could have succeeded if only there wasn't a motor on the back!) and a few minutes later, like clockwork, Paul came pedaling down the dock and saved the day. What I can't figure out is how in the world did this happen?

Anyone with information on this crime is encouraged to contact s/v Mother Culture.
There are three ways to leave a tip:
1) Leave an anonymous comment on this blog
2) Give us a call or drop us an email
3) Let us know when we see you on the dock
;)

Winter Horizon

As the days grow shorter and colder, I seem to catch more sunrises than sunsets. We're patiently awaiting the arrival of December 22.