October 14, Monday
0930 Although I had planned to wait for the wind, I wanted to get going so I fit the Torqeedo and powered from the dock at 0930. Blue sky. No wind.
As we entered the Mission Bay entrance channel the surface was lightly ruffled and I raised the mainsail. While doing so one of the reef lines caught under the tiller, lifting it and somehow breaking off the plastic tip that goes over the tiller pin. It may have hit the boom. I hand steered for a few minutes, then ducked below to get another tiller pilot.
We entered the ocean at 1000. Beside us was one of the trawlers that feed the bait barge and a big sport fishing boat. When the turbulence from their wakes quieted, I removed the Torqeedo and raised the jib. The wind is still a bit south of west and no more than 4 or 5 knots. We are sailing at 4 to 5 on a port tack in the general direction of Catalina 60 miles ahead. I don’t plan to stop there, but may sail around the island. Sky blue with only a few wisps of cloud on the western horizon. The sea gently undulating and almost flat.
1300 The wind has veered and increased a knot or two and we are now sailing 330º at 4.8 knots in 5 or 6 knits of wind. The sea is blue and glistening and GANNET is moving smoothly, heeled 5º-10º.
While none are close, there are always three our four other boats or ships visible.
The tip of the tiller arm screws into place. The one that broke was on a tiller pilot I bought this year, so I transferred the tip from my oldest pilot, dating from 2015, that I suspect is about to fail to the newer one.
1430 We are ten miles offshore and at last have open ocean free of boats and ships ahead of us.
An hour ago a Navy ship was dead in the water directly in our path. I wanted to give her a wide berth, so fell off 20º, but as we neared she steamed slowly ahead, so I came up again and passed her astern. She is still visible inshore.
A clear day. I can see probably fifty or more miles of coast, from Point Loma to the south to Dana Point to the north.
I topped up the Torqeedo battery. It was at 85% when I turned it off. I had powered a little more than a mile, so this is consistent with a range of about 7 miles.
I also changed the Yellowbrick to transmit updates every four hours rather than six.
We continue making 5 knots on 330-335º and will converge with the land between Newport Beach and Long Beach. I will tack offshore before sunset.
1700 As sunset nears we are making 5 knots around 345-350º 8.5 miles off Oceanside. We’ve sailed 28 miles since leaving the Mission Bay entrance channel. Heading us, as expected, the wind now has GANNET converging with the shore somewhere between San Clemente and Laguna Beach, 12-15 miles ahead. I put a couple of rolls in the jib because we were heeled more than 20º.
I have been listening to music and sipping Plymouth gin and will again after writing this, but I don’t know about sailing no where in particular. I like seeing the water flow by. I like the little boat motion underway. But... I am not sure what the ‘but’ is. I’ll give it more time.`
1820. Tacked and now sailing in dying wind 225º. I don’t know that anyone else will understand, but this is not me. I have furled the jib. The wind is dying as expected with the setting sun. I will head back in tomorrow.
October 15, Tuesday
0700 I furled the jib and let us sail south under main alone until 0400. There were always lights of boats or ships visible. One with bright yellow lights was west of us most of the night. At 0400 we were 20 miles due west of the Mission Bay channel. I turned east. The wind went very light and the main began to fill and collapse on inch high wavelets. I tied a preventer to the boom. When I woke a few minutes ago I set the jib. We’re making 3 knots on a close reach beneath coastal cloud 13 miles off the channel entrance. A boat is visible to the south.
1200 I docked a half hour ago to find a huge sea lion dropping on the end of the dock. Obviously someone was pleased with our absence. The hose is now reachable from the deck. I am prepared to defend my turf.
The wind rose to 8 knots this morning and we had the best sailing of our brief jaunt, making 5 and 6 knots on a beam reach under jib and main.
I lowered the main a half mile off the channel entrance and deeply furled the jib once we were in the channel while I fit the Torqeedo to power into Quivira Basin.
I found myself first thinking that this was a failed experiment, but on further reflection it was not. It successfully reaffirmed something I already knew: sailing no where in particular is not for me.
One failure was that I shot a video with a new camera only to discover that its default format is not recognized by my iPad. I believe I have changed that to a format that is.
I am still trying to figure out this third part of my life.