I'd like to share cruising stories with all of you. I haven't been on any ocean cruises in decades being land locked near Sin City, although Lake Mead is a great cruising spot with almost as much shoreline as California has coastline.
In 1977 we decided to sail Freedom from Santa Barbara to Frye's Harbor on Santa Cruz Island, about a 25 mile distance. We got the required permit. My wife Penny, who was seven months pregnant, and the best first mate ever and my buddy left SB a little later than we should have and encountered huge seas and gale force winds. My friend had a V25 and when he went down in one trough and I in the other I couldn't see the top of his mast which stands 29 ft off the deck. Waves broke over the cabin and the the bow would submerge. We were under doulble reefed main and storm jib. She stayed below deck and held on. We finally made it into Frye's soaked and a protected anchorage. I couldn't get my hook set and asked a commercial ab skipper if I could tie up. I rowed the anchor out and set it in the rocks. Now for the fun part. Go back a couple of days. Having Donald Duck feet, I had to order by deck sole canvas tennies from Vans. I went down to pick them up at the store. Instead of canvas they were blue suede leather. The store owner let me have them for the same price as canvas and we were all happy. Needless to say I got my feet wet anchoring and the blue suede dye turned my feet blue. It took about two weeks to wear off.
We traded some chow with the ab guys for some abs and had a feast. Fair winds...
In 1977 we decided to sail Freedom from Santa Barbara to Frye's Harbor on Santa Cruz Island, about a 25 mile distance. We got the required permit. My wife Penny, who was seven months pregnant, and the best first mate ever and my buddy left SB a little later than we should have and encountered huge seas and gale force winds. My friend had a V25 and when he went down in one trough and I in the other I couldn't see the top of his mast which stands 29 ft off the deck. Waves broke over the cabin and the the bow would submerge. We were under doulble reefed main and storm jib. She stayed below deck and held on. We finally made it into Frye's soaked and a protected anchorage. I couldn't get my hook set and asked a commercial ab skipper if I could tie up. I rowed the anchor out and set it in the rocks. Now for the fun part. Go back a couple of days. Having Donald Duck feet, I had to order by deck sole canvas tennies from Vans. I went down to pick them up at the store. Instead of canvas they were blue suede leather. The store owner let me have them for the same price as canvas and we were all happy. Needless to say I got my feet wet anchoring and the blue suede dye turned my feet blue. It took about two weeks to wear off.
We traded some chow with the ab guys for some abs and had a feast. Fair winds...
