Did my first ever raft up in Mission Bay on the 16th and with a return on the 17th.
All week it has been very foggy here in SoCal. The fog would burn off inland around 10-ish, but would still hug the coast most of the day. I figure the raft up would be canceled due to the weather. However, when Saturday came, there was very little coastal fog and it looked to be a promising day.
The cruise stated with a captains meeting at the Yacht Club at 8 in the morning. We discussed the route, weather, and communications. We also paired up boats for the trip down. Point was to keep your buddy boat in sight so safety reasons. Unfortunately the skipper of my buddy boat fell in the water while working on his dinghy so his departure was delayed. I decided to go ahead and leave tagging along with a few other boats. Seas were flat with very little to no wind.
The trip down was marred at about 2 hours in when one of the boat's had engine problems. I was the closest so I stayed on station with the boat until a decision was made. They got the engine started but could not increase throttle. So when they were in gear they just idled along. Eventually they manually got the throttle to work and headed back to the marina. I resumed my course to Mission Bay several miles behind everyone else.
On the bay we rafted up with seven boats. I was the last boat on the starboard side of the raft. Three boats anchored but regardless, we spun around during the night. Didn't think that was possible with three anchors down. No stern anchors. (Lesson learned for me there)
Sunday's return trip had high swells and strong currents. My boat was rocking around so much I had to confine myself to the cockpit holding on to something (need a harness).
After passing La Jolla, the winds started to pick up but the swells were still high causing the mast to bob in and out of the wind. The seas finally calmed down for some really good sailing back up the coast.
Over all, it was a good experience for me. Going solo means more work on the boat but also means a lot of free time to think. I concluded I need a bigger boat LOL!
Marine life was abundant. One of the boats spotted whale plums but everyone saw the pods of dolphins. Such beautiful and graceful creatures. I feel so blessed whenever they visit my boat. Here is a short video of the dolphins visiting my boat:
All week it has been very foggy here in SoCal. The fog would burn off inland around 10-ish, but would still hug the coast most of the day. I figure the raft up would be canceled due to the weather. However, when Saturday came, there was very little coastal fog and it looked to be a promising day.
The cruise stated with a captains meeting at the Yacht Club at 8 in the morning. We discussed the route, weather, and communications. We also paired up boats for the trip down. Point was to keep your buddy boat in sight so safety reasons. Unfortunately the skipper of my buddy boat fell in the water while working on his dinghy so his departure was delayed. I decided to go ahead and leave tagging along with a few other boats. Seas were flat with very little to no wind.
The trip down was marred at about 2 hours in when one of the boat's had engine problems. I was the closest so I stayed on station with the boat until a decision was made. They got the engine started but could not increase throttle. So when they were in gear they just idled along. Eventually they manually got the throttle to work and headed back to the marina. I resumed my course to Mission Bay several miles behind everyone else.
On the bay we rafted up with seven boats. I was the last boat on the starboard side of the raft. Three boats anchored but regardless, we spun around during the night. Didn't think that was possible with three anchors down. No stern anchors. (Lesson learned for me there)
Sunday's return trip had high swells and strong currents. My boat was rocking around so much I had to confine myself to the cockpit holding on to something (need a harness).
After passing La Jolla, the winds started to pick up but the swells were still high causing the mast to bob in and out of the wind. The seas finally calmed down for some really good sailing back up the coast.
Over all, it was a good experience for me. Going solo means more work on the boat but also means a lot of free time to think. I concluded I need a bigger boat LOL!
Marine life was abundant. One of the boats spotted whale plums but everyone saw the pods of dolphins. Such beautiful and graceful creatures. I feel so blessed whenever they visit my boat. Here is a short video of the dolphins visiting my boat:
