Long Beach to Cost Rica

Sailing with Dummies (California to Texas, Day 6)

Sunday, June 14, 2009

by Mike

Today was “change the engine fuel filter” day. One of the few things I like doing worse that diesel fuel filter replacing is diesel engine oil changing. A few weeks ago I told Bob if he changed the oil, I’d change the fuel filters. That was when I was in Oklahoma, far from the reality of the engine rooms on the Minnow.

So I decided to bite the bullet and use the smooth sailing today for the messy task. We have three diesel engines on board. One in the right engine room attached to a propeller and two in the left engine room, one for a propeller and the other that runs a generator.

When a diesel filter is taken out and replaced with a new one it lets air in the fuel system. For some reason, the motor won’t run until all the air is bled out of the fuel lines. This involves loosening nuts and connectors and injectors while pumping diesel through the system, using first a hand pump and eventually the starter. It’s messy. It’s in cramped, uncomfortable quarters. And it puts me in a foul mood.

Getting out of the shower 15 minutes later I was in a pretty good mood, knowing it will be awhile before I have to do that again.

Fishing Report:

We caught a few flying fish on different parts of the boat overnight. They fly up in the air and the boat catches them. One time one flew in the living room window, which is about eight feet above the water.

None on rod and reel. Not even a bite!

 

Fine Arts:

We listened to some selections from Bob’s IPod today. Some of the noteworthy selections were War Pigs, The Messiah, a Haydn choral work that I can’t remember the name of, some Primus songs that I don’t want to know the name of, and Choctaw Bingo, one of my favs.

 

Fine Dining:

Blackened tuna steaks again today. It might take awhile to get tired of them.

Long Beach to Cost Rica

Sailing with Dummies (California to Texas, Day 6)

Sunday, June 14, 2009

by Mike

Today was “change the engine fuel filter” day. One of the few things I like doing worse that diesel fuel filter replacing is diesel engine oil changing. A few weeks ago I told Bob if he changed the oil, I’d change the fuel filters. That was when I was in Oklahoma, far from the reality of the engine rooms on the Minnow.

So I decided to bite the bullet and use the smooth sailing today for the messy task. We have three diesel engines on board. One in the right engine room attached to a propeller and two in the left engine room, one for a propeller and the other that runs a generator.

When a diesel filter is taken out and replaced with a new one it lets air in the fuel system. For some reason, the motor won’t run until all the air is bled out of the fuel lines. This involves loosening nuts and connectors and injectors while pumping diesel through the system, using first a hand pump and eventually the starter. It’s messy. It’s in cramped, uncomfortable quarters. And it puts me in a foul mood.

Getting out of the shower 15 minutes later I was in a pretty good mood, knowing it will be awhile before I have to do that again.

Fishing Report:

We caught a few flying fish on different parts of the boat overnight. They fly up in the air and the boat catches them. One time one flew in the living room window, which is about eight feet above the water.

None on rod and reel. Not even a bite!

 

Fine Arts:

We listened to some selections from Bob’s IPod today. Some of the noteworthy selections were War Pigs, The Messiah, a Haydn choral work that I can’t remember the name of, some Primus songs that I don’t want to know the name of, and Choctaw Bingo, one of my favs.

 

Fine Dining:

Blackened tuna steaks again today. It might take awhile to get tired of them.

Long Beach to Cost Rica

Sailing with Dummies (California to Texas, Day 5)

Saturday, June 13, 2009

by Mike

We continued sailing directly downwind today. The wind has picked up and we are going faster now. With several days of consistent wind, the waves have turned into a fairly large swell from behind. It gives the boat a little more motion, but it’s still a good ride.

The water temperature has started rising. From 67 in Long Beach to mid 70s. It should to go up to the mid 80s sometime in the next few days. On the ocean, the air temperature normally reflects the water temperature. That means it’s going to get hot soon. It’ll feel great for a couple of days. Then I’ll have to start griping about it.

Fishing Report:

Got to yell “fish on!” a few times, including one that was on the hook for 10 minutes but broke the line, but nothing boated.

 

Fine Arts:

Lots of piano and guitar with headphones. Nothing to write home about. Is this considered writing home?

 

Fine Dining:

Today I attempted to make bread in the breadmaker. Twice. Three hours later there was some of what my Mom would call “hard tack.” There was also some dry flour. The entire loaf – uh, finished mess, it didn’t merit the name loaf – was less than an inch tall. Not enough water (I thought I remembered the amounts).

The second time I read the directions and painstakingly measured the ingredients. Then I started the three-hour process. About 30 minutes later I noticed the stirring paddle in the sink. Blah.  I put the paddle in and restarted the machine. The loaf, yes it could be considered a loaf, ended up concave on the top, but edible. The ¾” crust is kind of hard on the teeth. Would be good for teething, though. Amy, are you reading this?

Sunday, June 14, 2009, by Bob

Sunday, June 14, 2009, by Bob
2:06 a.m.

Wind: from the northwest at 20 knots
Waves: medium big
Water temperature: 78.9°F
Air temperature: 69.6°F
Sky clear, except for half a moon.

We are 200 miles north of Isla Socorro, and should arrive there Monday morning. Isla Socorro is an island about 300 miles off the
coast of Mexico, southwest of the tip of the Baja Peninsula. It's a nature preserve. We have no good reason to go there, which is
the best reason.

We have man overboard beacons on the boat. They are small plastic things about 2 inches square. If you carry one with you when you
fall off the boat, it sets off an alarm and marks your position on the GPS. That way, if Mike falls off I can snooze for a while
before I get up and go looking for him -- his position will be marked on the GPS. As long as it's not windy and there is no current,
it should be fine to wait a couple hours before I start the search.

Yesterday morning I was in the shower. I didn't have any hot water because we had not run the right engine or the generator for a
while. So I soaped up and was scrubbing, and had turned off the water for a bit because it was cold.

Then the man overboard alarm went off. I rinsed some soap off my face so I could see, and hollered for Mike. No answer. I went up to
the living room and hollered. No answer. I went outside and hollered. He was cleaning a fish on the steps, and the engine was
blocking the beacon signal. I went downstairs and rinsed. It was an albacore tuna -- the second 16 pound one in two days.

Today I got up and Mike was reeling in a BIG fish. But the line broke. Later today I reeled in a fish about 2/3 of the way to the
boat. It got off. Still later, I had one on for a few seconds when I was reeling in the lure. It got away. Tonight I was sitting
outside, and a fish jumped onto the boat at my feet. Finally I caught one! Who needs hooks?

Birds were flying around the boat this afternoon catching small fish. The birds (and probably the fish) go really fast, zipping down
in between the waves. It looks like a lot of fun. But not much fun for the fish.

Mike's been playing the guitar. I've been playing the piano an hour or two a day. I'm trying to learn Liszt's transcription of
Beethoven's 5th symphony. Liszt's hands were bigger than mine. We may have to extend the trip into a couple of circumnavigations
before I can learn it all.

We haven't seen a single pleasure boat since we left the U.S. We've been staying pretty far off the coast, even outside the shipping
lanes. I like it out here.

Yesterday I fixed the saltwater washdown pump. It had seaweed clogging up the intake hose, and then the pump threw a breaker. I
think that's because one of the motor brushes was a little corroded and wouldn't slide into the rotor to make good contact. Either
way, we now have a new pump. The pump is in the anchor locker, not a large space. I unhooked one of the hoses with pressure on it,
and it doused me thoroughly with seawater. I was stuck right next to it and couldn't even turn around. It was pretty funny.

Long Beach to Cost Rica

Sailing with Dummies (California to Texas, Day 4)

Tuesday, June 12, 2009

by Mike

We have decided to stop and explore Isla Socorro. This will add about 80 miles to our journey. It should also check us in with Mexican customs, making it easier for us to stop and get fuel if we want to. Which means that we might use the motor more often to go faster.

We started with a little more wind this morning. It’s coming from right behind us which means we have one sail off to the left and one off to the right (that’s called goosewinged). No fancy sailing tricks or anything. The wind is just plain blowing us across the water. In this setup we can go about 40-45% of the wind speed. If the wind is coming from the side we can go 50-60% of the wind speed (using fancy sailing tricks and stuff).

Going directly downwind is usually avoided by most sailors, especially monohull drivers. A monohull uses a heavy weight at the bottom of the boat (in the keel) to keep from tipping over when the wind pushes on the sails. In light wind a typical monohull will lean over maybe 10 degrees. In medium wind it will tilt 15-25 degrees. When the wind is coming directly from behind, with the sails goosewinged, a monohull will alternatively lean to the left and then back to the right as the driver or autopilot try to keep it in a straight line. Even in a light wind, this is a tiresome ride. And in a medium wind it gets downright unpleasant.

A catamaran, or multihull, uses a wide base to keep from tipping over when the wind pushes on the sails. In a light or medium wind, The Minnow doesn’t tilt at all. It has 43,000 pounds holding both hulls down firmly on the water. In a heavy wind from the side it might tilt a degree or two, but it’s not noticeable. When the wind is coming directly behind, goosewinged, it will yaw back and forth slightly and slowly as the autopilot continually corrects the course (we almost never steer by hand). There is no discernable tilt either way.

Going downwind in The Minnow is relaxing. The swells creep up from behind and disappear underneath the boat. In a 17-knot wind with the boat moving at 8 knots, the air moving over the boat is a gentle 9-knot breeze. A mild back and forth motion occurs every 8-10 seconds;

left ……… then right ……… left again ……… almost like the boat is alive and breathing easily. Great reading conditions – but can be a slight challenge staying awake.

Fishing Report:

Ho hum … another day, another tuna. This time a nine-pounder. We think it was a bigeye, but it might have been a yellowfin.

 

Fine Arts:

The sky after sunset was brilliant. Bob took a picture.

 

Fine Dining:

Feeling it was time to get back to food basics, I started the day with bacon and eggs. And Coke Zero. And then iced tea.  And then another Coke Zero. Sometimes I have a drinking problem in the wee hours of the morning. Eventually I turned back to salad, fruit, and tuna sashimi. Oh, and I cleaned up the leftover oatmeal cookies. For the sake of my health.

Friday night we ate in style. Chef salad, baked potatoes, and tuna ala New Orleans. All on paper plates. And unlimited iced tea served in plastic. Style!

Long Beach to Cost Rica

Long Beach to Cost Rica

Sailing with Dummies (California to Texas, Day 3)

Tuesday, June 11, 2009

by Mike

Our second full day on the ocean featured small waves, light winds, nice temperatures (60s), and partly cloudy skies. Same as yesterday.

Fishing Report:

One bite. One fish. Sixteen-pound albacore tuna. Same as yesterday.

This could be habit-forming.

Fine Arts:

We have been mostly “art free” on the boat so far. No movies. Almost all of the music on the boat has been played by Bob and me. I’m pretty sure that doesn’t count as art. Does reading books count as art?

 

Fine Dining:

It’s been cold when I get up in the morning (before dawn). Makes me want to cook something in the oven. Today it was cookies. In order to make them healthy, I added lots of oatmeal. They were “fine.” Also “fine” was the sashimi for lunch. All the chilled raw tuna chunks we could eat along with all the wasabi we could eat. 

I’m still eating salads and fruit, too. To be a health nut (see oatmeal above). I like the salads but looking forward to the day we run out of fruit. My luck we’ll run out of salad stuff and the fruit will last the entire trip.

Long Beach to Cost Rica

Long Beach to Cost Rica

Sailing with Dummies (California to Texas, Day 2)

Tuesday, June 10, 2009

by Mike

Our first full day on the ocean featured small waves, light winds, nice temperatures (60s), and partly cloudy skies. Very comfortable.

We are staying about 30-50 miles off shore as we go south. There were quite a few ships (maybe 25?) passing us going both ways. Most are closer to shore than us. Didn’t see any smaller boats.

To get to Costa Rica without stopping for fuel we have to sail (without running a motor) several days. The light wind is predicted to lessen in the next few days. That means we’re sailing kind of slow so we can use the motor in the weaker winds. If we happen to run out of diesel we can stop in Acapulco or somewhere and get fuel. But we prefer to skip those stops since they might take an extra day or two for customs.

Fishing Report:

The water temperature is 68 degrees. I think that’s kind of cold for dolphin fish, but it seems like there should be some other kinds of fish out there. All morning no bites. Afternoon, no bites. Finally in the evening Bob reeled in a 16-pound albacore tuna.

Fine Arts:

Nothing special today. More guitar wailing. Aida on the stereo. Bob dragged out the piano late and started on some of our new piano books.

 

Fine Dining:

Our first day away from drive-thrus and we survived! The menu included cinnamon rolls, salads, French bread, apples, bananas, and cookies. Boring until Bob caught a fish. Then we had blackened tuna steaks. Fresh and tasty!

Long Beach to Cost Rica

Long Beach to Cost Rica

Sailing with Dummies (California to Texas, Day 2)

Tuesday, June 10, 2009

by Mike

Our first full day on the ocean featured small waves, light winds, nice temperatures (60s), and partly cloudy skies. Very comfortable.

We are staying about 30-50 miles off shore as we go south. There were quite a few ships (maybe 25?) passing us going both ways. Most are closer to shore than us. Didn’t see any smaller boats.

To get to Costa Rica without stopping for fuel we have to sail (without running a motor) several days. The light wind is predicted to lessen in the next few days. That means we’re sailing kind of slow so we can use the motor in the weaker winds. If we happen to run out of diesel we can stop in Acapulco or somewhere and get fuel. But we prefer to skip those stops since they might take an extra day or two for customs.

Fishing Report:

The water temperature is 68 degrees. I think that’s kind of cold for dolphin fish, but it seems like there should be some other kinds of fish out there. All morning no bites. Afternoon, no bites. Finally in the evening Bob reeled in a 16-pound albacore tuna.

Fine Arts:

Nothing special today. More guitar wailing. Aida on the stereo. Bob dragged out the piano late and started on some of our new piano books.

 

Fine Dining:

Our first day away from drive-thrus and we survived! The menu included cinnamon rolls, salads, French bread, apples, bananas, and cookies. Boring until Bob caught a fish. Then we had blackened tuna steaks. Fresh and tasty!

Long Beach to Cost Rica

Long Beach to Cost Rica

Sailing with Dummies (California to Texas, Day 1)

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

by Mike

Bob and I finished up shopping, piddling, and repairing stuff around noon today and headed for the fuel dock. We topped off the fuel tanks and filled about 15 five-gallon jugs with extra diesel. We untied the dock lines, put all the bumpers and ropes away, and headed out to sea.

Leaving the Long Beach area we had to weave around some ships at anchor and quite a few oil platforms. I didn’t realize there were so many oil platforms off the shore of California. We were motoring into the wind. By 2:00pm we were still motoring but had the sails up.

After a couple of hours we neared Catalina Island. There was a big cruise ship there; I think it was Carnival. Who knew Carnival went to Catalina Island? Doesn’t seem like much of a destination to me. Close to the island we had about 30 minutes of cellular service. As soon as the ship (and the town) disappeared around the corner of the island, so did our cell service. Most likely, that will be our last cell service until Costa Rica – which means no pictures for this here blog until then.

Just past Catalina Island the wind improved and we sped from 6-7 knots with a motor to over 10 knots with sails only. San Clemente Island screwed up the wind some and we slowed to 9 knots. In case you forgot, a knot (nautical mile per hour) is a little faster than a regular mph (statute mile per hour). For example, 7 knots = 8 mph.

Fishing Report:

The fishing poles were still in good order after months of storage. Some of the fishing hooks were not. A couple of the great big fishing hooks had rusted so badly that the tip was as blunt as a fork tine, and the barb was essentially rusted away. I replaced the bad hooks with new ones and we fished from mid-afternoon until dark. No bites.

Fine Arts:

On a trip like this it’s helpful to keep in touch with some of the finer things in life. Like fine music and fine art. For the first time in my boating experience I brought a guitar with me. Electric. I also brought headphones and an electronic effects box. Today I played. When you combine enough electronic distortion with my imagination, I’m pretty good!

Bob thinks it’s pretty good that I used headphones.

 

Fine Dining:

It’s hard to top McDonald’s for breakfast and Jack in the Box for lunch. But Bob offered to build (I prefer the term cook but Bob was in charge) a sandwich for supper. It was good. Mmm. I was just finishing up when Bob mentioned that he was trying to use up the old meat. Hmm.

Taking the Minnow to Texas

Bob failed to mention that he took the boat to Long Beach and left it parked at the Alamitos Bay Marina for most of a month.

Today the Minnow will head south through Panama for a journey to Texas. It should take about a month. Bob and I have spent a few days repairing and provisioning and are finally ready to go. We'll pick up Fullerton (he's a slow learner) in Costa Rica and head onto Panama.

Nothing interesting to report at this time. Although there almost was. When I raised Bob up the mast this morning for inspection, I had a real hankering to leave him there for a day or two.