And the beat goes on

This morning we officially moved off Pau Hana and handed over the bow lines to Cameron & Gina from San Francisco. We're excited for them and eager to watch the further adventures of our much loved sloop, soon to be rechristened Joshua. Pretty awesome name for a boat that will go far. 

For now, we're getting a van, trying to make a plan, and as usual, avoiding trouble with the man. Pau Hana clear.

Winding down in Sausalito

We've had a good couple weeks in the bay area riding bikes, eating too well and catching up on sleep. We also got to catch up with Amy Frykman and Dan Brekken last week, 2 friends that we hadn't seen in a long time.

Pau Hana now is officially for sale. There's been a lot of interest and we expect to have a sale finalized by the end of the month. They say the happiest days in a sailors' life are the day you buy your boat and the day you sell it.... but I don't think I'll be really happy until I'm restocked in the van and mountain bike department. There will be some transition from a floating party to a rolling one. Here's a few pics from the ad:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/153633655@N04/albums/72157682455841795

My parents visited from Minnesota this week. We went sailing when it was a bit too windy and ate some ridiculously good food. I'm sure they enjoyed the last 3 years of aiding and abetting: delivering winches to the Caribbean, carting home winter gear, bringing our road bikes from NZ to MN, manufacturing a custom gooseneck toggle, and finally, bringing our road bikes from MN to CA (packed with some cookies, too.) Thanks for all the help!!

Clipper Yacht Harbor, Sausalito

Troopers, one and all

Muir Woods

Sofa King Bueno

We made landfall last night in San Francisco Bay. 19 days out from Honolulu, myriad conditions. Lots of upwind work, some perfect spinnaker conditions and an awesome wildlife bonanza greeted us on our approach to the Golden Gate. We saw breeching humpback whales, sea lions, dolphins and a multitude of sea birds come by to say hi. We're headed to Pier 39 today to tie up to a dock and find some food that does not include lentils.

2 1/2 years, 22,000 nm, 44 ports of call... time for a glass of wine and a big nap.

Self explanatory

Pizza and Beer...

[pos]37 45n 124 09w
[sp]6.1 kts
[h]090*T
[w]N 12 kt
[s]Good progress this morning as we race to catch the afternoon flood into San Francisco Bay. We struggled through the night to keep the rig and vane in balance as we entered the coastal weather. The fog feels almost like drizzle. We're going to have to run the engine this morning as the clouds have prevented any solar charging. Plenty of fuel left and we're within helicopter range. It seems as though we're going to make it. Our heater is keeping the cabin cozy. Our current plan is to anchor in Richardson Bay off of Sausalito tonight since we'll be arriving in the dark. The pizza and beer will have to wait one more day.

Morning coffee at hull speed

[pos]37 52n 126 55w
[sp]7.1 kts
[h]090*T
[w]NNE 18 kt
[s]Drag race to the east. Yesterday's longitude looks to have been an error. We shook out the second reef at sunrise and are absolutely ripping towards the coast. The computer is strapped to the desk. The wind is forecasted to go light during the day so I should have a chance to comb my hair before our arrival. 210 nm to the bridge.

Nice guys finish last

[pos]37 52n 125 55w
[sp]6.5 kts
[h]090*T
[w]NNE 18 kt
[s]Wind Veered N putting us on a fast reach to the east. Grey and cold. 2000 miles of ocean behind us. 350 to go. Whomever adheres to "Gentlemen never sail to weather" will never arrive in California. Unless they were born in Alaska I suppose. Luckily I'm no gentleman.

Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.

[pos]37 54n 132 39w
[sp]5.5 kts
[h]100*T
[w]NE 18 kt
[s]Close reach in lumpy seas and foggy and squally. Challenging to find the smooth line. We are definitely crossing a main shipping lane between Japan and Long Beach. For any of you cheapskate nerds that are reading this, the Digital Yacht NMEA to USB cable is worth every penny. It routes our AIS data to our laptop where we can easily see the closest point of approach of multiple ships at one time. We haven't had to change course for a ship yet. Prior to this gadget, we would have been a lot less informed and wasted a lot of time and worry out here in the lumps.
480 miles to go. ETA morning the 25th.