It is great to be back on Roxia after almost 4 weeks away. While land based I was able to work on a few projects in my shop. I wanted a teak handle and mount for the anchor windlass bar, a drawer divider for our new silverware and a couple of little items that are just easier to make in my shop. I also gathered up a bunch of gear to ship down the the marina in Ventura. I needed some warmer clothes, our Gumby suits are now on board, more LED lights to complete the change over and a new Smart Plug inlet and cord set.

It took a bit of time to put things away but we decided to leave the evening when we arrived because we found out that Santa Barbara would have a place for us that we could stay through Fourth of July. As we were going through our tests I found the generator would not start. It was 1830 and we wanted to be in Santa Barbara around dusk so we decided to check it out once we arrived. The 2 ½ hour trip was uneventful and we approached the entrance around 2100. I checked in with he harbor master, we got secured and called it a night after the long travel day from Seattle.

After checking in with the NOG (Nordhavn Owners Group) I determined it was the starter motor for the gen. Of course it was 24 volt so not in stock anywhere but Seattle. I had one shipped to Santa Barbara and decided to stay. The fireworks show was spectacular. If you are ever near Santa Barbara around the Fourth it is a must see.

This was one of the best firework shows ever!

Santa Barbara is a great marina if you can get in

Repairs went well other than the new starter case was slightly thicker and one mounting bolt was too short. It was a 10 by 1.5 metric bolt and I needed 35mm long. I found Santa Barbara Fasteners only a mile or so from the marina. A short walk on a Friday afternoon would do me good. I wish I had a bike. That is going on the list.

The starter was a mess when I took it apart

We were supposed to meet friends in Sausalito on July 10 but that wasn’t going to happen. Brad and Jane Brown flew into Sonoma, rented a car and drove to SB. The weather on the coast for the next few days promised to be great so we headed north. We stopped in Avila Beach (San Luis Obispo), San Simeon and Monterey. Avila Beach was the biggest surprise with a calm anchorage, cute town and fun shopping. We especially liked watching all the kids on the beach doing lifeguard training. They were as young as 10 up through high school. They were doing running, swimming and paddling drills. Great exercise and it looked like they were having a great time.

Avila Beach

Monterey had some fog but we still managed to go for walks and see the sights of Cannery Row. The browns headed back which left Emmy and I with a couple days before we would head to Sausalito. Em rented a bike and we went down the bike trail. I went by Hopkins Marine Station where I spent some time while at Stanford helping friends with experiments. It gave me a chance to dive while helping out. We kayaked from Monterey Marina up to Hopkins passing by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row. A highlight of the kayak trip was when we stopped in the kelp bed outside of the aquarium and saw 16 sea otters laying on their backs in the kelp taking a break.

Monterey pier and “Test Torpeedo”

These fenders keep the sea otters from using the bow to crack open shellfish

More later…