SHIPS LOG

"Gone With The Wind"

Date:8-27-06 10:20am                                                            Event: 1st Voyage to Mission Bay    Time at Sea: 1 Day 7:20HRS

(Missing events from early 2006 to be added in the future)

Date:9-01-05 7;50am                                                            Event: 1st Ocean Voyage (Catalina)    Time at Sea: 6 Days 17HRS 

(Catalina Island Voyage – September 9/1/05 to 9/7/2005   As told by First Mate, Anne)

Thursday 9/1/05

 Departed for Dana Pt @ 7:50 am went to “top off” fuel at fuel docks, (Shelter Island).  Got 6.7 gallons fuel, left fuel docks at 8:40 am, headed towards Dana Point.  Powered boat up coast, flat seas up to La Jolla, 1 mph winds. Wind picks up to 8/9 mph’s @ 2:00 pm.  Continued to power boat, not enough  wind to be under sail only.  Arrived into Dana Point Harbor 7:15 pm (just before sundown, very beautiful, however extremely windy!!!  Had  successful anchoring at north end of Dana Pt harbor, had to use both anchors, first time for us to use stern and bow anchors.  All went well, called Kim to announce safe arrival of our vessel into Dana Point Harbor at 8:00 pm.  Prepared dinner for us, grilled hamburgers and pork and beans. Very yummy for tired sailors!!!!  Total first leg of trip 72 nautical miles       

Went to sleep early, Lew first, (The Captain was very tired…..)  at 9:40 and Anne was right behind him at 9:55!!! Had great sleep.

Friday 9/2/05 

Departed Dana Point at 10:35, motored/sailed to Catalina Island arrived there at 5:15 pm.  Assigned our first mooring #W-20.  We had the most incredible view of the island, picture perfect!!!  Relaxed up on bow, had some Corona’s.  Went ashore on dinghy for a cocktail and snacks.  Returned back to ship at 10:15, went to sleep, tired again, long day for the sailors!!  

Saturday 9/3/05

Moved to a new mooring at 8:15 am, had to wait (patiently…)  for approximately 3 hours.  Lew had to anchor the boat during this time needed to use  200 feet of  chain. (This was a first)  Got reassigned to new mooring finally…. At 12:15, # H17, moored successfully (like pro’s) arrived at 12:45, stayed aboard and relaxed for the rest of the day!!!  Very enjoyable, relaxing afternoon, warm and lots to view.  Such as kayaks, beautiful ships, eagles and sunset).

Sunday 9/4/05

Stayed at assigned mooring, beautiful sunny day.  Took dinghy ashore, went for breakfast.  Walked around Catalina for a bit, stayed ashore for 2 ½ hours.  Returning to ship we ran out of fuel, we were towed by a very nice family of 5!!!  They dropped us off at the fuel dock, filled up there and returned back to boat at 1:00 pm.  Stayed aboard, relaxed for a while till 3:00.  Prepared to launch and return to Dana Point--- 3:30.  We got about 1 ½ hours off of Catalina, and the engine cut out 5:00 pm.  Decided to return to Catalina, sailed back and got assigned yet another mooring for the evening, H-7 – 7:00 pm.

Monday 9/5/05

 Launched to try again to return to Dana Point, left at 10:00 am went across at approximately 3.7 to 5.0 knots arrived at 6:30 pm to guest slip #10.  Extremely windy 18 to 22 miles per hour winds, we had our blanket hanging over the bimminey for sun protection, it blew right off the boat!!  Went for an excellent dinner at Ristorante Ferrantelli  to celebrate our successful crossing.  Returned to boat for a good nights sleep.

 Tuesday 9/6/05

Date:1-22-05 12:30am-5PM                                                       Event: Really moving to Newport    Time at Sea: 4 1/2 HRS 

Here we go again. Only this time it's just Anne and I. Can't say say I blame anyone for not wanting to get on this boat after all the problems experienced in the past But I think we are going to make it this time. During the week we have had various companies come and fix all our malfunctions including the repair to the head which should make for a more comfortable trip. The fuel tank has been completely pumped, washed and mopped clean. With the rebuilt jib sail we expected a good trip! Winds cooperated for most of the sail but since we were sailing uphill and running against daylight at this time of year we decided to motor the last hour and a half. We arrived at Newport at sunset and decided to take a guest slip until morning then motored over to the dock of Boathouse restaurant for dinner and call it a night.

Date:1-15-05 1:30am-6PM                                                       Event: Moving to Newport                 Time at Sea: 4 1/2 HRS

  With the help of my friend Dana Vincent, his wife Leticia, Anne and I proceeded to relocate our boat to Newport Harbor. Unfortunately "Gone with the Wind" had other ideas. Shortly after departing Dana Point the Wind dropped to 1 mile per hour and we need to motor if we were going to beat the sunset to Newport. Things went well for the first ten minutes then our fuel tank decided to argue the idea of leaving Dana Point. Shortly past the bluffs the engine stalls due to water in the fuel tank....more to come

Date:12-18-04     7:00pm-10PM                                                   Event: Parade of Lights                        MERRY CHRISTMAS       

   Although our boat wasn't sea worthy yet it didn't stop us from participating and enjoying the annual "Parade of Lights" at Dana Point Harbor. We invited some of our closest friends join us in an evening of decorating our boat and cruising  the harbor while the by standers on the shore enjoyed all the colorful displays of the boats going by. It was a great way to spend time with our friends a new experience for us all. Of course the evening wouldn't be complete without a couple of glitches but thanks to Kim Lang for her decorating genius on the lights, Jim and Ben Hofmann for the emergency light repair and Nick and Tarl for their keen navigational skills from the bow, the evening turned out great!

Date:11-7-04 9:30am-12AM                                                       Event: Return from San Diego         Time at Sea: 15 1/2 HRS

After experiencing multiple equipment failures, the worst storms to hit San Diego in 100 years and countless days stranded in various marines, it was time to head home...more to come...

        High speed DSL recommended..35 MB download

Date:10-27-04 8:30am-9PM                                                       Event: Heading for the Baja Ha Ha    Time at Sea: 12 1/2 HRS

Well the time has come to head south to prepare for the start of the annual race from San Diego, Ca to Cabo San Lucus, B.C. Mexico...

(Below is the ships log of this adventure from the first mate Dana Vincent...)

10-23-04 Saturday
0130
After talking about it for awhile, we decided to go for it and cast off for San Diego! It’s 0130 hours, Saturday morning.
Finally, after getting everything ready to go, we cast off at 0230 hours. Wind nil in harbor; 11 knots off the point; main wasn’t rising properly; auto wasn’t responding properly, knot meter not working. We decided not to go but to return to the slip. Got back to slip at 0430 hours and instantly fell asleep.


0930
Awake! Made coffee in new pot. Great! Cast off at 1030; headed towards San Diego. 3.0 average wind speed. Released main for stability, engine at 2200 rpm, approx. 6.5 SOG, set heading for 117 degrees, plotted DR for a check at 1230 hours.
1230
DR was .5 miles off which could be accounted for by changing course to avoid kelp-seaweed beds. Draining dink by steering hard to starboard.

1250
Set 2nd DR. Took a few pix off-shore; we’ll eat cold cereal now.

2200
Engine acted up again, starving. We’re thinking it’s fuel filter, probably hasn’t been changed in awhile. Beautiful night coming in, Coronado Bridge all lit up, beautiful!
We slide into end of G Dock, a 30’ space and hang out about 10’. We’re starving ! Called a cab and took it to Denny’s off E Street once we found all the restaurants near the marina were closed. We ate everything on our plates! Both of us! 2 cups coffee and a large glass of low-fat milk milk-iced! Included! Tasted great! Went back to boat and immediately hit the sack. Fell asleep instantly again!

Sunday, Oct. 24, 2004
Got up early and ran down source for fuel filters. This was on Shelter
Island Fuel Dock. Took cab (driver was Xavier who lived in Tijuana)
over to Shelter Island. On the way, we discussed yesterdays 360 GWTW did
when the autopilot went berserk. Amazingly it was a tiny set screw that
gotten loose.
I spoke some Spanish with Xavier. We had a fun cab ride! He waited in
the lot while we got the fuel filters. Wouldn't you know it? Two big
boats were taking on fuel and one had had a fuel leak. It looked like a
Chinese Fire Drill with everyone running around....Finally found someone
to help us find the correct filter.  Probably 20 to 30 minute delay. We
then had Xavier take us to Cabrillo Isle Marina. After he left, we
discovered we'd left the filters we so badly needed in the cab! We called
him and asked that he leave them at West Marine in Chula Vista as he was
going off duty pretty soon.
I checked in at the Baja Ha Ha table and got our stuff. The Captain's
Meeting was interesting. Weather was so-so but in a few days, they said,
San Diego would get worse. Off Mag. Bay, expect sloppy seas and 18 mph
winds or more. Running seas.
We ate and got a cab back to West Marine in Chula Vita. We picked up a
small fuel can and went to the Shell station at L Street and Broadway
for diesel. Then back to the Marina. After a stiff drink, we replaced
the filter and ran the engine which appeared to be just fine.
We High Fived each other for our hard work and determination.
Richard came by and we talked to him. Finally, Kim, his girlfriend,
stopped by bringing several bottles of wine.
Chuck, my friend from I Dock, came by. Richard went to get some smoked
salmon he had so for dinner we had Jackson Brown songs, crackers,
smoked salmon and whatever drinks were available which included a lot of
wine!


Monday, Oct. 25, 2004

We got up around 7:30 or so and started getting ready to go to Ensenada
with the rest of the Baja Ha Ha fleet. I'd checked in at Roll Call
while Lew was showering. I informed them that a boat change had been made
between Gladys Erzella and Gone with the Wind. Also, that after
midnight we were not going to be on Tuesdays Roll Call as we were only going
as far as Ensenada because of time limitations and scheduling.
Everything was fine.
We departed Chula Vista full of excitement as we headed out of the
marina.
In the narrow channel just south of the bridge, the engine stuttered
and coughed once again. This time it was worse than before. We made it
under the bridge. Across from the 10th Street dock, the engine died
completely. We were adrift in the main channel when a large warship entered
the bay. Lew tried to hail them on the radio but to no avail. We
hurriedly raised the main enough to pick up a wee bit of a breeze and
eventually managed to slip over near the Laurel St, landing. By this time even
the engine wouldn't crank over and we Lew thought it might be frozen
up.  I tried to calm his fears on that point as I didn't really think the
engine itself was damaged. It was something else that was causing the
problems; maybe several something elses!
We tacked back and forth after first getting a slip at the Sheraton
which we changed to the Cabrillo Isle Marina on Harbor Island.
Lew kept working on the starter while I steered us around in circles
with what little wind there was at the time.  Finally, he engine
sputtered to life and although we couldn't give her any fuel, we had just
enough speed to steer her. We went to an end tie, Dock A at Cabrillo. 
We met Scott at the marina office. he said he would help us out. He had
a 40' trawler with two 480 hp engines on board and was familiar with
diesels.
He needed to change out the first or primary water separator and some
intake cooling hose.
Bob Simons finally called me and I told him what had happened.
Apparently, the sudden 360 turn coming down Saturday had stirred up the
fuel and the crud had taken out the filters.
Bob told us we have to polish what fuel we had in the tanks before
starting the engine up again.
We tried to find someone to do this but for one reason or another we
couldn't. The best shot we had was the following day, Tuesday, maybe, in
the late afternoon, maybe.

So while Scott worked on the engine, Bob, Lew and I went to lunch.
From there we went to the Seabreeze store and finally back to the boat.
Scott was till working on the engine.
Only about an hour to go so he said he'd finish it up Tuesday morning.
Of course by this time, the Baja fleet had already departed off Pt.
Zuniga at around 11:30 or so.  We had missed even being anywhere near the
starting line.
Lew and I started to watch Pirates of the Caribbean but after 30
minutes or so, I went to bed. It had been a long, exhausting day... and we
hadn't even left San Diego Bay yet! More to come....

Date:10-4-04  9:30am-3PM                                                          Event: Return From Oceanside           Time at Sea: 5 1/2 HRS

The weather did not cooperate with us as it did on the way to Oceanside. The was about 1/2 kt winds that caused us to have to motor about 2 hours before we raised both sails when the winds increased to 3 kts. The sails and the motor help us get to 5.5 kts but our SOG was reduced to 4.5 kts due to currents. As we approached the Dana Point Harbor and aligned the boat into the wind to drop the mail sail, we experienced our first emergency situation. Before dropping the sail I attempted to start the engine, No Juice! I immediately abandoned the dropping of the sails and headed back to sea. Anne took the helm while I went below to address the problem. After checking all connections at the engine starter and batteries, I switched the house battery power to the started with no results. I called the previous mechanic and he suggested getting towed in by the coast guard. As a last resort, recalling a similar situation with the diesel engines in semi trucks, I took a winch handle and tapped on the starter solenoid while Anne turned the key and .....VOOOM...it started! And that was enough boating for this weekend

Date:10-3-04 2pm-6:30PM                                                          Event: Oceanside Voyage                   Time at Sea: 4 1/2 HRS

Anne and I decided to hoist sails and head out to sea to practice navigation and instrument controls. My main focus was going to be on the radar system while Anne became familiar with the helm instruments including the wind indicator, autopilot, MOB procedures and compass functions. As we left the port we soon realized why their were so many boats out. As I turned into the wind with just the mainsail up the boat took a hard 30% liss to the left, hard enough to cause me to release the main boom to stabilize the ship. What a ride!! After trimming the ship to a comfortable ride, we were underway at about 6.5-7 kts. With this great wind we decided to plot a course to Oceanside and spend the night. Being the first time entering a strange harbor, I used the radio to get instruction from the Oceanside Harbor Master who allow us a slip to park while we signed in and then assigned us an overnight slip. We ate at Jolly Rodgers (great Mahi Mahi) and then sat on the ship while we enjoyed the music of a reggae band that cruised the harbor while they played. All in all what I call a great day!!

 

Date:10-2-04 11am-4:30PM                                                         Event: Docking Practice                       Time at Sea: 5 1/2 HRS

We arrived at the boat Friday night and slept to 9:30 Saturday morning. After motoring into the mouth of the port and back, we then practiced the routine functions and maintenance that is a regular part of owning a boat. Fueling and performing a pump out. The biggest part of this is maneuvering the vessel through traffic and up to the docks for these function. This was the first time I would be performing a side docking. Both times were made quit easy because of my First Mate jumping onto the docks and handling the dock lines. Afterwards we practiced multiple docking into the very tight slip the boat is currently docked at. All went well and we fell very comfortable with handling the vessel.
 

Date:9-27-04 12pm-4:30PM                                                         Event: Docking Practice                         Time at Sea: 4 1/2 HRS

Now alone, Anne and I enjoyed working around the boat setting up the galley and interior of the boat and then decided to get some more practice. 

 

Date:9-26-04 1pm-6:30PM                                                          Event: Maiden Voyage                        Time at Sea: 6 1/2 HRS

       We all sleep on the ship last night and prepared for the "maiden voyage" scheduled for the next morning. We were finally ready to go in the afternoon. We decided to head for Newport Beach So Ben and Nick can see the beach, Corona Del Mar Beach, were they have spent many weekends swimming from the time they were 5 years old. The Winds cooperated half way there but then died causing the use of the motor. I spent my time becoming familiar with chart plotter and other instruments. We we arrived at the Harbor we launched the Dinghy so Ben and Nick could explore the area of the beach. This adventure was cut short when the dinghy ran out of gas and the boys were set adrift and the tide was pushing they to the rocky jetty. Anne and I performed the rescue mission and got them back aboard safely. The return was motor all the due to low winds and time factors. Ben had some time at the helm and did a great job navigating into Dana Point Harbor. After everyone went home Anne and I spent some quiet time making dinner on the bar-b-queue and enjoying the surroundings.

Date:9-25-04 2pm-5:30PM                                                          Event: Sailing Lesson                            Time at Sea: 3 1/2 HRS

All Later in the day we meet the owners of "Moriah Mist" Morrie And Cathie Willkie, a sister ship to "Gone with the Wind." Morey and his son, Brian, took us our of the harbor and assisted and directed in the basic operations of the Hunter 376. Ben Hofmann and Nick were instructed on the operations of all sails and rigging while I addressed the navigation and instrumentation. Anne learned both departure and arrival routines Thanks to Morey and his family for the invaluable information for sailing our new boat.

Date:9-25-04                                                                       Event: SeaTrials                                     Time at Sea: 1 1/2 HRS

Bruce from Heritage Yacht Brokers met myself, Anne Marie, Jim Williams of Dick Simon Marine and Jerry Wetzler of Dana Marine Yacht Survey for the sea trial. The ship was taken out of Dana Point Harbor about 4 miles while the engine was tested at 2800 RPM for a period of 35 minutes. all sails and riggings were then raised, operated and then lowered without incident. All gauges were checked along with all navigation equipment. Jerry Wetzler, other then a few minor items, gave the ship a 10 out of 10m rating for a ship her age.