The South Wind Doth Blow…

…and SV Terikah shall stay put in San Diego one more week! 

The prevailing wind and waves along this coast to Mexico are from the North, which makes for a lovely downwind sail and comfortable seas.  Winds from the south can turn into an uncomfortable bash – not the way we want to start this voyage.  A few more projects needed doing and a few more spare parts needed buying, so we are viewing these winds as a gift of a bit more time.  We all sighed an audible breath of relief with this extra week; except for Calder, who is ready to use his Mexican fishing license the minute we cross that water border!  Thankfully, Sun Harbor Marina found us another slip for a bit longer and we didn’t have to move too far.

We have filled the last two weeks with projects, fun, a Pacific Ocean outing, and new cruising friends.

Our boat insurance extended; we were finally allowed out of San Diego Bay to dip our toes into the great Pacific!  My cousin Ty and his wife Laura visited us for our trip north to Mission Bay, where we tested our systems (coolant leak, dead anchor light, and batteries not fully charging were discovered), ate churros with ice cream, enjoyed cockpit cribbage, and played mini-golf.

Chris installed a small fan in our fridge to move air around and decrease the condensation, which is working splendidly!  He also replaced one of the automatic charge relays that packed it in, updated the PFD (Personal Flotation Device) cartridges, enjoyed his favorite poke nachos in San Diego, installed a sea rail on our stovetop to prevent pots of boiling food from flying, and installed man overboard alarms in our PFD’s.  I finalized the emergency ditch bag and finished provisioning, labeling, stowing and cataloging all the food on board.  Calder has been diligently waxing the boat. 

The boat is getting tidy and mildew is being battled, one locker at a time.  Our battery system was tidied up and all checked out.  The dinghy engine is no longer leaking, check!  Our rigging was also checked, good and ready to go!  These are our victories.  School, led by myself, continues most weekday mornings.  A lesson on aerodynamics and the Bernoulli Principle was supplemented by a trip to the Air & Space Museum this week.  I’ve been enjoying (in some sick way) my morning Algebra with Calder. 

We have connected with some “Kid Boats,” which are cruising families with kids of all ages that connect for play and comradery, other west coat boats on their way south to Mexico this season.  The kids can play, while the adults connect, brainstorm boat issues and discuss the weather and destinations.  A picnic day with some families was “the best day in San Diego yet” per Calder and Cora, as they played hard for 4 hours. 

We are thankful for this new community and plan to “bungee-boat” with many of them for this season, as the boats bungee forward and connect at different speeds in different locales along the way.  We’ve also connected with local friends, old and new. 

Today was a trifecta of three projects that went well.  First, Chris fixed an electrical issue with our anchoring light…at the top of the mast.  Second, our liferaft is now securely fastened to the back rail with a new mount welded in place.  And third, the change of a couple specific O-rings on our starboard Volvo engine seems to have solved our coolant leak (fingers crossed). 

Tonight, as I write this, I have chicken fajitas cooking in the Instant Pot, Chris celebrating his engine success with a Stone Tangerine IPA, and am listening to the kids playing their instruments; life is good.  Our new departure date is Tuesday, November 21 and we have a confirmed slip in Ensenada, Mexico for five nights. We hope to have our next update from Mexico in a week or two, but also understand that we don’t sail according to dates on the calendar, but rather when the weather and destination and crew are in alignment.  Adios amigos- until Mexico!