I'se The B'y That Fixes the Ship...

We're finally back together at Pillar Point Harbour in Half Moon Bay, California. The harbor is south of San Francisco and used to be a hub of salmon fishing vessels that would frequent the waters until the government put a stop on the overfishing. Now there's the two extremes...old delapidated fishing boats with fishermen anxious to tell their tales of the high seas, and mixed between are the cruising sailboats- maintained and loved, and tugging at their lines. Each cruising boat has a fun aura around them- the feeling of anxious adventurers, waiting until the day their dreams can begin...!

My days have been a good mix of exploring the coast and staying at home with Nanu and doing what I can to ready her for her downwind voyage. I've been everything from the chick handing Eric his crescent wrench or Phillips screwdriver to the surf addict to the boss of the galley. I've become re-acquainted with the small cooking space and would give Martha Stewart a run for her money if she ever took up cooking on a small vessel! All in all, it's a real ball to see what a mixture of broilers, frying pans and pressure cookers can make!

Eric has been busy with the sailing integrity of Nanu, from reinforcing her mast base and rigging, to ensuring that the electrical wiring from mast head to bilge pump is working well. Nanu's got a new mast step and brand new fiberglass between her compression post and the step. In a few days we'll be duct taping the original glass windows and taking a hammer to them- an easy window removal practice so we can replace them with new Lexan plastic windows.

The pictures do no justice to the amount of time, frustration and feeling of accomplishment that we've been rollercoasting through in a regular basis. We keep telling each other, "only a few more days, and we'll powered by wind." Now we're down to the nitty gritty of late-night work on Nanu's mast and planning on big smiles on the horizon.