October 28th
We had an uneventful sail from Monterey to the Channel Islands. Actually, given the reputation of sailing around Point Conception and its nasty conditions/ winds and the potential NE Santa Ana winds at this time of year, we are quite grateful to have had it be dead calm and clear. We motored nearly the whole way down. It took us two days; two overnight sails. We agreed to try watches on a four hour schedule. As it turned out, during the day light hours, we both were up and John tended to do most of the time at the wheel. I hand steered for about 2 hours while he napped. He took the wheel while I cooked. The girls managed to play independently, only occasionally coming to the cockpit for a breathe of air or to enjoy the sighting of whale, dolphin or sunfish. After dinner, we decided that I would take my "seasick cocktail" and head to the pilot berth for a four hour nap. At 11pm, I was feeling nausea, but I wanted to give John a break. I came up to the cockpit and took the helm. Within 15 minutes, I was filling my retching bowl. I had visions of the sail from Half Moon Bay to Monterey, when I had filled five bowls. However, strange as it might sound, after the dramatic eruption, I felt quite fine. A can of ginger ale by my side, a canister of pretzels, and I was ready to steer. Steering Encanto is still new for me; I realized how little we had sailed her before we left and how tight she steered under motor. I am certainly getting some arm muscle exercise. I encouraged John to go to sleep and I stayed at the helm.
Compass course 130 SE, the California coastline lie 10 miles to my starboard side and the shipping channel was 3 miles to my port side. Haltered to the steel lifelines, I could occasionally attach the auto-pilot (a bungee cord to the steering wheel-a very low tech solution, but viable) to the wheel and
gaze out the stern into the Milky Way. It was a spectacular night. I steered to Orion with his bow pointing the way.My mind wandered to the enchantment that intrigues astronomers. Dark skies and a galaxy of unknowns, now where is the planetary system-KPAX? I listened to tunes from Cowboy Junkies and sang my heart out.
"The sky as still as a spinning top,
shooting stars drop like burning words from above.
If I could just connect all these dots
The truth would tumble like a Cynic vexed by love.
And yet people keep saying
I'm miles from my home,
Miles from my home."When the Captain came up for his watch, "Not much to report, sighting of a cruise ship, cargo ship and a sailboat going north". At our back was a sailboat heading south, but quite far from us, closer to the coast than we prefer. John reminded me to error to the west, rather head towards Hawaii than the rocks. The girls sleep comfortably in their bunks.
The Captain's watch became 6 hours long, as I forgot to set the alarm as I slept until dawn. The benefit for him was he was able to watch sunrise. He looked more tired than he felt, but I noticed it didn't take him long to settle into a deep sleep. Luckily, he keep one eye open and watch from the pilot berth to the GPS and see how well I'm tracking an the boat without rising from pilot berth. Great to have good vision and everything set up so well that the Captain is always tuned into the crew. The pilot berth will fit anyone 6'10".
The morning was clear and again, calm. As we passed San Simeon, we needed to decide if we were going to stop into Port San Luis or keep going for another night. We were still motoring and the prospect of getting to the Channel Islands National Park, with its warmer weather and beautiful anchorages among the seven islands? Thinking forward, we were encouraged to keep going.
During the day shift we had shared our thoughts and feelings of the last month. John still held some doubts about the voyage and after I fell sick the night before, he really wondered if we should go find that patch of lawn and give it all up. I, on the other hand, felt too invested in this journey to give up. I don't have as many doubts, could be naïveté but, more likely it is just that the alternative of a day desk job and living in the suburb is not an attractive alternative to me at this time in my life. In any case, we had a familiar and wonderful time, sitting in the cockpit out in the middle of the ocean, talking, sharing and supporting each other. Connecting and conversing without those "business like tones or those romantic overtures, reminded us of why we enjoy each other's company. After all the months, actually years, of often independent focus on the preparations for the journey and our mutual commitment to the dream, we felt a bit in awe that we were actually living the dream.
Nightfall meant another night of stew and rice. "What's for dinner?" "Stew" " Oh, ok" said the girls. "Can we have a bag of M & M's to go with 'em?" Simple meals that stick to our guts are what we needed, and for me that meant a large pot of rice, my comfort food. We returned to our watch schedule. I retired to the pilot berth. The girls played a game of Oceanopoly and nibbled on M & M's. We find ourselves surprised and pleased with the enthusiasm and ease to which the girls are adjusting to the lifestyle. They seem to just flow with the routine, getting ready for bed and keeping their rooms tidy while under sail is no big deal.
I can report, that with over 500 books, 150 beany babies, 100 DVDs and a cabinet of games, we've had no propelling "stuff" while under sail. This was a big concern of the Captain. "It is not safe to have all this "stuff" on board, not to mention what the weigh will do to the speed of the boat." The bookshelves built by Job & Huib and the bungee cords are doing their job well. Huib would be pleased to know that my custom shoe closet, now holds 21 pairs of shoes. Yes, I'm still buying shoes; an addiction that has changed only slightly, from Ferragamo's to Teva's. We are secure within the boat and happy with our "stuff" and the boat's performance...well, it ain't to shabby to be getting 8 knots on a downwind sail of the California coast with full jib and main sail.
John came on watch at 3am. I felt so good, that the four hour watch seemed SHORT!!! Ah, the miracles of drug, were working!!! John had a spectacular night of bow watching with the dolphins that swam along side Encanto. As the dolphins darted and played, they created green phosphorous streaks of light, shooting in and out of the darkness among the ocean waves. John wondered if he should wake the girls, but he resisted. There will be a next time. By dawn we were within an hour of San Miguel Island, the first of the seven Channel Islands National Park.