First Storm

All the Baja-Haha sailors were warned of a storm 2 days away with large swells and up to 25 knots of wind. The majority of the race planned to take refuge in the many harbors along the coast and that only the hardiest of sailors were advised by the Baja Haha committee to continue. Bret turned to me and asked, “How rugged can sailors possibly be?” I responded, “Let’s find out.” as we headed out to sea leaving the majority of the fleet to cruise the coastline. The first day was bliss with smooth sailing and our first fish caught while trolling. A beautiful 5 pound Mahi Mahi from a blue feather provided some sushi and good protein dinner. The storm kicked up around 3pm the following day with winds and swells lifting. We would later find out later our fisherman friends at home in San Pedro did not leave the harbor under these conditions. A little nervous at testing our skills in our first storm, Bret and I decided to stick together. Without the luxury of an autopilot, one person had to man the helm while the other attempted to get some sleep. In a storm with 20ft swells and up to 30 knots of wind, we could not afford to leave the helm for even a few seconds to awake the other down in the cabin. The result, on person captained 1 hour shifts while the other lay tethered to a cleat attempting to sleep with the occasional wave crashing over the gunnels. Makai was stationed in the cabin surrounded by pile of blankets pillows trying unsuccessfully to dodge books and other parcels flying around. During the climax of the storm and over the roaring winds, I heard clawing and whimpering in the cabin. Makai had climbed the three large steps to the kitchen counter and was perched at the door come outside. As Bret granted her this wish, she took off for the bow to her “poop mat.” Luckily, Bret caught up to with a rope to keep her on the boat. We experienced an accidental jibe which ripped the bracket holding the boom to the boat. I kicked Bret awake and I proceeded to lasso the wiping boom and take down the mainsail in 20+ and knots of wind. We rode out the storm with minimal damage and arrived safely in Turtle bay on the Thursday evening October 30^th. Tuning into the radio, we discovered others had not been as fortunate. One sailboat was struck by a whale during the storm and sank as their wet and cold crew was saved by the coastguard. Another boat issued a distress call after running into a crab pot that entangled the prop and rudder. Close to the harbor, they managed to limp their way in. It is now Friday morning. Makai is desperately seeking firm ground to step on and we have a beach party with the other boats to attend. We will depart for Santa Bajia on Saturday afternoon. It is a shorter leg we are all looking forward to.

Baja-Haha

Our adventure began before we left the US. On our way down to San Diego from San Pedro, we experienced thick fog through the night with visibility at about 200ft at times. We slowly sailed along unaware of what lie ahead except for the GPS map showing where land is present. Escaping the fog the next morning, we encountered another trial. On the phone distracted and in between a helmsman transition, the Broken Compass kissed a shoal and came to an abrupt hault in the San Diego Bay. Ingenuity and our oversized 'rescue' dighy named Firefox heeled us back to the safety of the channel. Luckily, the bottom was sand and it was merely a practice in problem solving. One port harbor down, lots to go!

We are setting sail out of the bay this morning as I write this. Chad is washing down the deck to 'pretty her up' for the departure parade. Makai seems anxious, apparently sensing something new is on the horizon... or she may just be waiting for breakfast. Either way, we are all excited and feel ready for the rough seas and 350 nm initial leg of the Baja-Haha.

Two steps forward...

Currently surrounded by an inverter, batt monitor, alternator, 3 disconnected batteries, and half a pot of Idahoan mashed potatoes, we have been tying up loose ends in the last week before we head off to San Diego. Waiting for updated passports to come back in the mail, vaccinations/drugs, saying goodbyes, putting junk in storage, testing equipment, and adding final touches to the boat has taken up most of our time. Makai just got her puppy vaccination pack #1, but will have to wait till Mexico to get #2 and rabies shots. 'Broken Compass' name was sealed on the back of the boat yesterday, and we started the tedious process of tying cones to our braided line for our 'save me' Jordan Series Drogue.

Today Chad went up the mast to attach a new wind vane onto the VHF antenna. Hanging 60 ft in the air, he demanded I send a camera up on the halyard since it was a "beautiful sunset view." Having climbing experience, we know the value of checking all harness buckles and knots. We forewent the same scrutiny with the knot holding the bucket to Chad's harness, which took the long fall from the mast top to the dock and into the drink.

Lost items: our last digital camera, VHF antenna, and our brand new wind vane.

Tomorrow's projects: buy new camera, VHF antenna, wind vane, and send myself up the mast to reattempt installation.

Compliments of the iPhone, here's a picture of Makai hard at work on the battery bank

California Sunset

To articulate the past weekend in a few paragraphs will be difficult.

On Thursday we sailed down to Mission Bay with Chris Pike and Troy Grasinger, two guys Chad worked with at Union Bank of California. The 19 hour sail went well, and early morning porpoises and pilot whales made for some good sightseeing.

We met up with friends in Pacific Beach to relax, hang out on the beach, and watch an upcoming band Inside Switch (www.myspace.com/insideswitch) record their first album. We left San Diego Saturday evening with a crew of 7: Myself, Chad, Patrick Tell, Christina Damiano, Sejal Patel, Tony Crowell, and Nate Barnard. Sejal and Christina whipped up some amazing chicken stirfry, Nate and Tony kept watch like nighthawks, and Patrick crewed like a seasoned sailor. We arrived in Emerald Bay at 8am for breakfast on the boat and dighy assembly.

Todd Miller telescoped the crew's arrival from his castle overlooking Emerald Bay. We breached the shoreline at noon. In true Miller form, the beach was lined with activities and beverages. Joselyn Miller introduced Makai to her new best friend, a 3 month old english bull dog named Twiggy. The two battled tit for tat the entire afternoon as we reunited with old fishing friends from an Annual Sea of Cortez trip that Joselyn's father had chartered for almost two decades. A short sail partially convinced the elite athletes and adventures of Southern Californina we are ready for our voyage. The evening continued with a feast and toasts of farewell and blessings up at the castle. Armed with platnum patron and a dighy of 7 (including Makai) we shoved off for the Broken compass at 9pm. The darkness cloaked a small breaker on the way out which nearly swamped the tender and crew. Wet, cold and exhausted the crew pulled anchor and endured the 6 hour trip back to San Pedro.

We couldn't have imagined a better weekend.

Towards the Sea

Preparations have been going well. Jimmy, owner of Jimmy G patios in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has helped reinforce the foredeck and is now working with Chad to build out an icebox. All major changes will be complete by the end of the week for our final practice sail down to San Diego and back.


More importantly, Chad and I made a big decision this week. Against all local sailor advice forbidding the presence of a female as part of the crew, we decided some estrogen on board would probably be a good idea. Last night we went out and interviewed 5 females. Characteristically, we administered tests of strength, agility, intelligence, and personality. The girl meeting the rigorous trials is hypercompetitive, blue eyed and carries herself with confidence. Her name is Makai, Hawaiian for ‘towards the sea’.


Here’s a picture of our new crew member after her first night on the Broken Compass: