Thursday, September 14, 2006

Not quite laying around in Santa Barbara

9-14-06 Thursday - The past week has found us working harder in retirement than we worked when we were working. When we left Santa Cruz, the project list was by no means completed and since sailing a bit, we realized that we have devoted too much time to the ship's systems and not enough to the basic sailing systems. So we have been rebuilding the spinnaker pole system and refining preventers, pole controls, etc. (non-sailers, please endure). We also relocated the autopilot compass so that charging the batteries does not throw us 60 degrees off course. I can report a success in that department and as soon as Andrea gets back from the store, we are going to go out and recalibrate the compass in it's new location.

We have also been working on our communications. Normally, we have used Wi-fi subscriptions in whatever harbor we visited, but you are reading this courtesy of our cell phone. Since it has unlimited internet connections, I got a little program called PDAnet that allows me to use the cell phone connected to our laptop to write this stuff. Also, we got our connection to Sailmail working. That is an email connection using our High Seas radio so that we can write to you from the middle of oceans (assuming that we don't have other things to do).

We are well and happy - hope you are the same. After we get done taking Isaac and the grandkids to Santa Cruz Island this weekend we will spend maybe another week here in Santa Barbara and then start migrating down the coast to Ventura, Catalina, LA, Catalina, Newport Beach and finally San Diego. We have a slip for the month of October in SD so that we can fly back to Carolina for our son's wedding. Hugs to all.

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