Tag Archives: Ventura

Ventura to Mexico Recap

This is a recap I submitted to the Ventura Yacht Club’s, that they published in their newsletter, “The Forecast,” in its “Members on the Move” section. Leslie thought I should post it for all to read:

The Rigneys aboard their Tanaya 42, Kandu, made a soft start of their planned circumnavigation, taking full advantage of reciprocity to finish last minute items aboard Kandu.  They wonder if YELP should include reviews on the various yacht club showering facilities?  The clubs have been very accommodating, some more regulated than others.  Clubs visited in order of appearance: Del Rey, California, Alamitos Bay, Dana Point, Oceanside (Eric gave OYC his VYC presentation), Southwestern, San Diego, Silver Gate, Chula Vista, Coronado Cays, Navy (They honored reciprocity as well.  The Rigneys just needed a sponsor, which the Navy club provided), back to Silver Gate and Southwestern.  The new showering facilities at Silver Gate take first prize.

Ensenada brought the first international leg, and the boys responded well.  VYC members Bill Kohut and Joe Houska joined them for the border crossing. Eleven-year-old Trent was and remains bent on learning Spanish.  Bryce was mostly interested in skateboarding the streets and port of Ensenada, drinking Mexican Coke and drinking coconuts. Between Ventura and Puerto Vallarta, some problems arose aboard Kandu.  Debris from a dissolved inspection plate gasket blocked their fuel supply. The control unit of their windvane malfunctioned.  Hydraulic fluid leaked from the ram of their autopilot.  And the inside rigging of their extendable spinnaker pole gave way.  But nothing “mission critical” occurred that redundancy couldn’t circumvent.  The first overnight sails with watch schedules went well.  Thirteen-year-old Bryce has difficulty waking for the 10 p.m. to midnight watch, but is otherwise fine.  The confused seas, remnants of Hurricane Pam, didn’t make for comfortable initial crossings.  After two nights, Isla Cedros was their first landfall.  Then a surf stop at Isla Natividad on their way to Turtle Bay. Passage to Bahia Maria meant another two night sailing in confused seas.  Leslie questions going all the way to Easter Island, but will wait to see how the sail to the Galapagos goes this month.  They missed the Grey Whales in Mag Bay by a week (darn wind generator controller and fuel blockage!).  The four day passage to La Cruz, just outside Puerto Vallarta, provided two days of favorable seas and wind, which calmed to a day and half of low rpm motoring (tachometer quit, so they go by ear until Bill Kohut arrives with a new sender unit in a few days).  Bill Kohut is flying to meet them in Puerto Vallarta, bringing many requested parts and supplies.  Kandu is thoroughly shaken down and ready for her long upcoming passages: Galapagos, Easter Island (maybe), and French Polynesia.  Don’t forget to follow them on the website and subscribe to their blog feed at RigneysKandu.com.  It includes a map link that will track in real-time their passages.

Post script:  Easter Island and Pitcairn are off the list for now, due to time constraints surrounding our visa with French Polynesia. Maybe we’ll visit them on our return, after transiting the Panama Canal.  Today, April 30, after many false starts, we plan to leave the Puerto Vallarta area for the Galapagos.  It will take 15 days or more, before we arrive in Isla Isabela.

First Surf Lesson With Jeff Belzer

Jeff Belzer points out wave formations
Jeff Belzer points out wave formations

The first real surf lesson I had was a private lesson with my brother Trent at Ventura Point. The instructor’s name was Jeff Belzer, a very cool and nice guy. He is also very well known in Ventura because he has won a lot of surf competitions and he is owner of a surf school and conducts surf camps: Makos Surf Lessons. To start off the lesson, we watched the waves and evaluated the surf, looking for the best wave break as well as determining the best spot for surf that day. It took five minutes to decide where the waves looked best. The waves were okay there, but we decided to change our spot to a bit better location and parked in front of our chosen surf spot. After getting our wet suits on, we grabbed our boards and walked down to the beach and started our warm-ups. We stretched and did jumping jacks then, headed into the water by ourselves without Jeff so he could evaluate our skills from the beach.

Surfer's Point, Ventura, CA
Surfer’s Point, Ventura, CA

As Trent and I paddled into the water, the waves crashed into us since, at the time, we didn’t know how to duck dive; it was very hard to paddle out. When I pulled into my first wave, I attempted to stand up, but tumbled headfirst back into the ocean. Trent on the other hand successfully stood on his board. Being the older brother, I was embarrassed that my little brother bested me. But within a minute I successfully caught a wave. After about 15 minutes of surfing, Jeff signaled us back to shore to give us a lecture on how to improve our surfing. A couple things he suggested included to go down the line when surfing, pop up quickly onto the board, and above all, always keep your balance.

We headed back out, but this time Jeff joined us in the water and Trent and I both caught some great waves. After 45 minutes of instruction in the water using our sushi boards, we got to try out some spectacular epoxy short boards that Jeff had brought along. I loved using these shorter boards! Part of the lesson was to have Jeff help us figure out what kind of boards we should upgrade to.

Bryce surfs with dolphin
Bryce surfs with dolphin

When our sea time was up with Jeff, we met on shore and he gave us ideas of what the next step up for boards should be. Jeff suggested I get a wide 6ft 4” Roberts’s board, and make it wide. For my brother, he said the same but his board could be wide or skinny. Everyone liked the idea of epoxy boards since epoxy is stronger. Our boards living atop our boat Kandu, would likely fare better than fiberglass boards.

Thanking Jeff for all his time and great advice, I felt excited about how much I had learned. He gave us both great suggestions and pointers. I will always remember the advice that Jeff Belzer from Ventura Makos gave me.

Bryce with his Robert's 6'4" epoxy board at Surfer's Point, Ventura, CA
Bryce with his Robert’s 6’4″ epoxy board at Surfer’s Point, Ventura, CA

Following our lesson with Jeff, we bought 6ft 4” boards and surfed with them frequently to put our new information to the test. We loved the feeling of the new boards! But for us it wasn’t enough. Trent and I decided to buy new smaller boards with our own money. Again at Roberts’ work surf shop, we found two beautiful surfboards. Trent bought a 5ft 7” fiberglass board that had a flaming paint job on it. I bought a 5ft 6” fiberglass board, which was just plain white: a blank canvas to paint a red and blue lightening bolt. We brought them both home and a few days later we were floating on clouds in the ocean.

Trent on Rapoza Fire
Trent on Rapoza Fire
Bryce's Design Represents His Country and His Board Maker
Bryce’s Design Represents His Country and His Board Maker

The End!!!

Bryce Rigney

Giving Berth to Departure

Kandu's Ventura Docklines
Kandu’s Ventura Docklines

Leslie’s Thoughts About Leaving…

Now we’re ready to leave. It’s a little like having a baby; the mother is uncomfortable enough that she forgets to be afraid to go through with the birth, she just wants the baby out. In a similar fashion, I am no longer worried about missing my family and friends, not being quite enough prepared, or feeling trepidation for the unknowable future at sea. I’m psychologically ready to leave behind life as I’ve known it and face what is ahead just to get going on this long-awaited adventure.

Lately, in the dark early evenings walking down the dock to our boat, I’ve been looking up at the sky to see the constellation Orion clear as a bell shining down on me. Growing up, I remember only searching for the Big Dipper and Little Dipper, constellations of Earth’s northern hemisphere. But now I only have eyes for Orion, the warrior hunter constellation located on the celestial equator – thus visible throughout both hemispheres. Somehow he feels like a familiar friend that, during our travels, will become much more close. I wonder which other constellations I will stare at during night watches, what friends await me in the southern hemisphere. I have a fantastic app on my mobile phone that shows the constellations from every angle. I’m looking forward to studying them on calm nights. Maybe I should download information about them now while I still have access to the Internet.

I’m also looking forward to researching about the countries and sights we will soon be exploring…learning opportunities for the boys, as well as for Eric and me. I’m looking forward to learning and practicing more Spanish. I’m looking forward to sharing my love for language with Bryce and Trent, especially French. I’m looking forward to practicing my sailing skills, building upon the skills that I learned through last racing season’s Wet Wednesdays. I’m looking forward to living the dream that we have talked about and planned for during these last 25 years. It was 25 years ago this February 10th when Eric departed Ventura for the Marquesas Islands with brothers Nick, Curtis and Uncle Bill – 6 months after that when I joined the crew in Hawaii. Somehow this last year’s ups and downs led us here to this momentous turning point – departing again 25 years later – a year after we moved on the boat.

I’m looking forward to reading great literature, to treasure hunts, to meeting new people, to hiking, to fishing, and actually sailing too. I’m looking forward to living with even less, as crazy as that sounds.

Kandu and sunrise at Ventura Yacht Club
Kandu and sunrise at Ventura Yacht Club

So in a few days, after the rain passes, instead of severing the umbilical chord, we’re casting off our Ventura dock-lines…like true Vagabonds, carrying everything we could imaginably need…including 2 kitchen sinks!

Leslie Dennis Rigney

“Don’t Leave Me Hanging”

Frankenrine?
Tangenstein?

Last Thursday night having dinner at my cousin Pascale’s place, her husband Scott, an avid reader of the blog, bemoaned the recent lack of posts. “Black out,” he called it.  “Don’t leave me hanging,” he said, wanting to know what’s happened with the radio, the doctors, the waterline, etc.  Getting so close to departure, tasks are compressing. Arguably this post would be better broken into 10 separate posts so as not to overwhelm the time-constrained reader. Honestly, to delay this entry would be to compound the issue. I feel compelled to share these experiences as they happen, or risk that they’ll be buried by incoming experiences. It gives a sense of the density of our days as we prepare for departure.  So, for the time-pressed, I recommend this post be read in sections, revisited later as time becomes available. Here’s a not-so-brief update:

Upon meeting the sailing doctors and their sons at the yacht club that fortuitous Sunday breakfast, the doctors offered their expertise, volunteering to go through our medical books, our medical supplies, and to teach us how to suture. This eclectic family is down-to-earth and generous with their time, knowledge, and resources.  Understanding our pending departure schedule, they invited us to their home in the Ventura Keys that following Tuesday evening.  With their catamaran “Gone Native” docked outside their beautiful three-story home, Ryan and Wesley set Bryce and Trent up in the entertainment area to watch a movie, while Leslie and I got a higher level crash course in blue-water cruising first-aid.

Drs. Dave and Desi helping Leslie and Eric (photo Dina Pielaet)
Drs. Dave and Desi helping Leslie and Eric (photo Dina Pielaet)

After sorting through our ship’s library of medical books, describing the value they’d place on each, we were able to eliminate the largest, the Physician’s Desk Reference.  Other, smaller books in our library have similar information and are more pertinent to our circumstances of being in foreign ports.  Drs. Dave and Desiree “Desi” then looked at our medical kit.  Pleased with its size and organization, they immediately & generously augmented it with more, less readily available supplies.

Dr. Desi instructs suturing with Eric (photo Dina Pielaet)
Dr. Desi instructs suturing with Eric (photo Dina Pielaet)

Then we were off to suturing school (their kitchen counter and dining room table).  We learned on a persimmon and later on a tangerine how to inject Lidocaine into a laceration, numbing deeper and deeper the edges before sewing their skins back together, practicing how to keep and guard a sterile environment (breathing while working is okay, but talking introduces spittle).

Earlier that day, our media partners, Dina and Marc, and I spent the morning laying out our goals for the website, social media channels, and the video channel. We also discussed getting our circumstance into the hands of educators to use as a learning tool. That’s been more difficult than expected.  We’re all looking forward to the new website and logo that Dina’s developing.  They captured in photos and on video the medical discussion mentioned above.

Throughout the week, I worked on the SSB radio install.  Turning it on, I found significant interference and troubleshot it. To clean up and dress the wires, I tied the antenna wire between the antenna tuner and the antenna to other wires along the way. Not good. This turns the neighboring wire into an antenna as well, so I separated it.

Rewiring SSB radio antenna wire.
Rewiring SSB radio antenna wire.

That helped. We motored in the marina channel, away from the field of masts that normally surround Kandu, and that helped even more to reduce the radio frequency interference (RFI, aka, static). I can make out Hawaii’s time signal well enough for now, but I want to fix this noise thing before we leave.  There’s still some RFI, possibly due to dirty power. Instead of the circuit breaker panel, I need to connect the radio’s power wire directly to the battery, with a fuse in between.

Friday, prior to the evening’s meal, I performed my PowerPoint presentation before the Ventura Yacht Club members. The upstairs dinning area was packed, nearly standing room only. My ego tells me it was because they were interested in my awesome program, but it was most likely the evening’s menu and bar drink specials that brought them in. Uncle Bill and Auntie Annie showed up with several friends. The doctor family surprisingly showed up, having delayed their ski trip for better snow. I spoke for about 45 minutes, describing what we did to prepare Kandu for our trip: water, fuel, power, communications, and safety. It was well received. My favorite comment from club members was, “I didn’t know you were so funny.” I started off the presentation with, “We have already bought and installed the solutions I’m presenting to you tonight. There are many ways to solve these problems as most of you can contest. I’m only describing what choices we made. We’re about to leave, so if you have a better idea, keep it to yourself or cough up the money to pay for it.” The comment got a good laugh. After the presentation, a couple people suggested low-tech, affordable solutions for stopping smaller water intrusions: expanding foam insulation in a spray can and the wax used in a toilet ring. So I bought and stowed the two items the next day.

The doctors reminded us to provide them with a list of medical supplies on the boat, and those we thought we needed. We worked on putting the list together.

It rained Friday, Saturday, and cleared late Sunday morning as predicted.  That Sunday afternoon, the twins, Ryan and Wesley offered Gone Native as a chase boat to take Dina and Marc on a photo and video shoot outside Ventura Harbor.

Marc Brown shooting Kandu (photo Dina Pielaet)
Marc Brown shooting Kandu (photo Dina Pielaet)
Ryan Harris aboard Gone Native outside Ventura Harbor (photo Dina Pielaet)
Ryan Harris aboard Gone Native outside Ventura Harbor (photo Dina Pielaet)
Wesley Harris helms Gone Wild during photoshoot (photo Dina Pielaet)
Wesley Harris helms Gone Wild during photoshoot (photo Dina Pielaet)

The dark grey clouds of the parting rainstorm made for a dramatic backdrop. The calm silvery seas made the catamaran a steady platform. We got some great shots of the four of us sailing Kandu.

Kandu on the silvery water off Ventura Harbor (photo Dina Pielaet)
Kandu on the silvery water off Ventura Harbor (photo Dina Pielaet)

Once the radio issue was well enough resolved, on Wednesday, Bryce’s former 7th grade science teacher came to the boat to check out our skin diving and spearfishing equipment, and to give us some recommendations and pointers (pardon the pun) on how to free dive safely and longer on one breath. He got us all excited to condition our lungs to be able to hold our breath longer, swimming to depths greater than 35 feet.

Thursday morning, we packed up the Toyota Prius and drove up to Northern California to celebrate Leslie’s aunt’s 75th birthday with Leslie’s family and family friends. On the way up, we worked on the medical list, Leslie typing away on her laptop, accessing the internet via our phone’s data “hotspot.” Around 4 p.m., we stopped off in Santa Cruz to see Philip Lima at his media studio, a young family friend who happens to be a video drone specialist. We left him with our video drone and some parts he recommended to upgrade it. He kindly offered to install the upgrades before giving us a lesson on how to fly it on Sunday. Philip’s younger brother, Brandon was there too. He said he’d try to have his girlfriend, a training physician assistant, meet us on Sunday as well, to instruct us on how to administer an IV.

We arrived in Oakland late that Thursday evening. That weekend was Martin Luther King’s Birthday, a Federal holiday providing Monday off for schools, government offices, and some businesses.  During the drive up, we heard on the car radio that Oakland Police would be on high alert; all police officers were to be on duty, no time off granted. This was due to protests staged weeks earlier surrounding the acquittal of another light-skinned American police officer who killed another young unarmed dark-skinned American man.  The acquittal upset some East Bay Area residents enough to inspire them to shut down the busy freeway that passes through Oakland, a dangerous action for the protesters and an economically injurious action against the city.  Our family was not in Oakland for the actual MLK Monday holiday, but Friday and Saturday, we visited without incident many areas throughout Oakland. When hearing of turmoil in the foreign countries we’re visiting, it will likely be similar; the real danger, more isolated than the reported threat.  Not that we’re planning to visit any “hot” spots any time soon, if ever.

Friday, after touring Jack London Square, posing with his statue and the micro cabin he inhabited during his gold rush days in the Yukon, we lunched in Oakland’s Chinatown where they served hand-made noodles and delicious dumplings. I visited alone my aunt Marge, turning 86 soon. I missed her over Christmas. She’s in excellent health. I don’t know how long before we return and what her circumstances might be then, so I wanted to spend some time reminiscing about our family, how much she has meant to me, and telling her more about our plans. Her son was also very supportive of our adventure. I couldn’t help but think this may be the last time we see each other, but then again, her mother/my grandmother lived to 103!

Jack London stops to pose with kindred spirit, Eric Rigney
Jack London stops to pose with kindred spirit, Eric Rigney
Trent and Bryce note that Jack London lived by himself in a space equivalently shared by four of us!
Trent and Bryce note that Jack London lived by himself in a space equivalently shared by four of us!

Saturday, after spending time in the morning with previous LA neighbors visiting around Lake Merit, Leslie’s parents threw a great dinner party for Aunt Meg’s birthday. We got to see the family one more time before shoving off. “I thought you’d be long gone by now,” was the most common comment. “We did too,” was the start of our response, followed by our explanation of the delay.  Back when I worked at Sony, the professional electronics sales guys joked that Sony was an acronym for “Soon, Only Not Yet,” describing the company’s practice of delaying release of new products, presumably until they met the strict quality controls of the engineers.  News of a poorly operating device would be more costly than a delay in its release.

Sunday morning, we said our good-byes to Leslie’s parents, with a promise to meet up in San Diego. Later that morning, we met up as planned at Brandon and Philip’s parent’s ranch house with its spectacular 360o view of Watsonville valleys.

Morning view from S&P Ranch in Watsonville, CA
Morning view from S&P Ranch in Watsonville, CA

Brandon’s girlfriend, Marisela had prepared a makeshift IV school. After twice watching on the big screen television a YouTube video demonstrating the procedure, we practiced on a rolled up towel that Marisela had prepared.  Then it came time for the real thing. With Marisela over my shoulder, I prepared everything for a sterile IV insertion into Leslie’s arm. Not feeling confident in finding Leslie’s vein in her inside elbow joint, I asked if I could go where I could plainly see them, on her hand. Marisela said that the hand is the most painful area to try, but Leslie said go for it. After two failed attempts, no longer wishing to subject Leslie to further pain, I set up the tourniquet for the mid arm. I got the vein, but pulling the needle out while leaving the catheter in, I hadn’t applied enough pressure on the vein above the catheter to prevent Leslie’s dark red blood from oozing out of her arm. Bryce, videoing the procedure, looked uneasy.  With encouragement from Marisela, I applied more pressure, finished the set up, and wiped up the blood. After a minute of thumbs-up pictures, we worked on removing the IV.

On the third attempt, Eric successfully inserts IV into Leslie (photo Paulette Lima)
On the third attempt, Eric successfully inserts IV into Leslie (photo Paulette Lima)

Then it was Leslie’s turn to practice on me. My veins are apparent, so Leslie went straight for the most prominent one on my forearm. Just before insertion, in walked our doctor friend, Dr. Dave Harris, and his son, Ryan; they had just driven up from Ventura to participate in our drone flying lesson. With a full audience, Leslie expertly inserted the needle, applied pressure to the catheter, and removed the needle, holding the catheter in place in my vein. Not a drop of blood escaped. Properly taped up, we took our pictures, removed the IV, and thanked Marisela profusely.

Leslie inserts into Eric an IV like a pro (photo Paulette Lima)
Leslie inserts into Eric an IV like a pro (photo Paulette Lima)

As Marisela rushed off to bake a cake for her sister’s birthday, we headed outside to learn the basics of drone flying from Philip.  He brought two of his own copters plus the one he rebuilt with upgrades for us. Carefully, he provided detailed instruction on how to prepare for flight, how he configured our radio controller, and how the different controls work. He explained the upgraded “telemetric” data visible in the drone’s camera monitor, which let’s us know what’s happening with the drone’s systems (its location, altitude, our location, power, etc.).

Brandon Lima, Rigneys, and Harrises get quadcopter flying lesson from Phillip Lima (photo Paulette Lima)
Brandon Lima watches as the Rigneys and the Harrises get quadcopter flying lesson from brother, Philip Lima (photo Paulette Lima)

He demonstrated the most basic flight skills: take off, forward, backward, side-to-side, and landing. He then showed us more advanced moves, counseling that we should first fly the craft 10 times without the camera in a safe open area with soft landing terrain, until we could fly it comfortably in a figure eight pattern.  Once achieved, then fly 10 times with the camera, incorporating the figure eight, before setting off to fly in less open areas. After we each took a turn flying our drone, Philip brought out his new “toy,” DJI’s new quadcopter, Inspire. So modern and “James Bond” looking, auto retracting landing gear and all. He flew it far away into the valley, beyond sight, and back, effortlessly capturing great 4k images along the way. Philip made phenomenal image capturing look easy.  “You’ve just got to do it a lot,” he advised. Before we left the Lima family, I asked if we could see some of Philip’s aerial videography to give us all a frame of reference as to what “good” looks like: Santa Cruz coastline, Capitola pier and riverside, Big Sur coastline and bridge, and both ski-chair and wakeboard professionals pulled behind a ski boat on a lake. We all left in awe, inspired to capture our own spectacular imagery. Our cars packed, we said our thank you’s and farewell’s, and drove back the 5 hours to Ventura. In terms of learning valuable skills rarely attained by average cruisers, Sunday ranks as one of the most amazing days ever. Leslie and I love learning this stuff, one of the favorite aspects of the trip.

On the way back to Ventura, we further refined our medical list, a consolidation of recommended items from two different marine medical how-to books, and of supplies already accumulated. From the car, we were able to email it to our doctor friends. Later that week, Leslie honed the list with Dr. Desi, who wrote us the prescriptions necessary to fulfill the list. Off to Costco Leslie went. A day or two later, Dr. Dave and Dr. Desi came by Kandu to instruct us on proper use of the more temperamental of the medications–another great learning session. Epinephrine, the medication used to abate anaphylactic shock, a dramatic and possibly deadly allergic reaction to things like peanuts, bee stings, shellfish, and whatever else, is one that’s dose must be carefully considered. Too much epinephrine (adrenaline) can over-stress a person’s heart and arteries with potentially lethal consequences. “Do no harm,” cautioned Dr. Desi.

On Monday, we arranged the equipment acquired over the weekend, and ordered from Amazon more parts and accessories for our GoPro cameras. Trent, Bryce, and I finished consolidating and environmentally protecting (earthquake, flood) all of our personal items into the one storage unit where our affects now reside. Over the past months, we reduced our storage needs from four units to one. To be clear, we haven’t whittled our possessions down to monk-like austerity.  With what we’ve retained, we could furnish a small home with little missing.  Still, this day’s culmination represented a significant milestone, bringing great relief. Leslie reposted our ads to sell our minivan, lowering the price.

Tuesday, I focused on the ground tackle (anchors, chain, and ropes) ordering new chain and nylon rode (anchor rope) for our secondary bow anchor and our stern anchor. Wednesday, we brought from the secondary storage unit all the Kandu stuff we were still storing, loading up the cockpit. Thursday and Friday were spent finding places to stow all that stuff.

Kandu's cockpit filled with stuff to stow.
Kandu’s cockpit filled with stuff to stow.

Waterline update: I learned yesterday that every inch of a Tayana 42’s (Kandu’s make and model) waterline depth represents 1474 lbs of added weight. Since loading up, Kandu’s waterline has risen about 3.5 inches, the equivalent of 5200 lbs. That’s 1500 lbs. more than the Toyota Sienna we’re trying to sell! The good news is we’ve balanced our load so that our waterline is level, and we have 1.5-2.0 inches to spare, a decent margin for keeping most of the barnacles off. The soon-to-arrive anchor chain and rode will level us off just fine, with adequate waterline to spare—another great stress reliever.

Today, Joseph Paravia from Horizon, who with his wife, Marcy recently completed a 1.5 global circumnavigation and just happens to be four boats down from our slip, showed me how to send and receive email over radio, and how to download weather faxes and GRIB files as well. In the process I refined what needed to be done to get our SSB/HF radio capable of supporting these important functions. By the end of the day, I had a ‘simple’ list: move the radio’s power wire to a cleaner source, configure the laptop’s COM ports (learning curve) so I can remotely control the radio, and get the radio to see the GPS (a setting in the GPS that Gary from Dockside Radio told me about solved this problem).  I’m getting close to having that radio work for us.

Leslie lowered the price on the van even further, almost half of our first sale price.  As they say, “you can price to keep, or price to sell.”  Over the past three days, I have been getting the boys up at 6 am to surf at dawn.  They love it.  Afterwards, they helps us get things done, or do their school work.

Ventura Marina dawns
Ventura Marina dawns

So tomorrow, I’ll work on the radio list. And if I have time, I’ll install the anchor chain and rode. I then need to sort through our navigational paper charts, the last of the big tasks that must be performed in Ventura.

We’re knocking off tasks, getting close to departure, hoping to leave Ventura this coming weekend (my 55th birthday is Friday), yet anything can happen to delay it, still probably only for a few days to at most a week. Oddly, I’m not excited yet. I won’t allow myself the pleasure until the big things are done, vegetables before dessert. When that day comes, I have a cigar that my friend, Juan Cruz offered me from his country of origin, Dominican Republic. I rarely smoke, but somehow, seeing all those movies and television shows growing up, smoking that cigar seems an appropriate way to punctuate one of the most significant days of my life. The brandy won’t be so bad either. Cheers (soon, only not yet) . . . .

Eric Rigney

My Last Day at Cabrillo Middle School–Trent

Trent Rigney outside Cabrillo Middle School
Trent Rigney outside Cabrillo Middle School

I had my last day of school yesterday, Tuesday, December 16, 2014. From now on I will be home schooled or boat schooled. I left on a Tuesday. On Monday, my second to last day, I didn’t feel badly, but at the end of school on my last day, I felt really bad because right when I was leaving, some kids from class gave me notes like, “I will miss you.” Not everybody gave me a note, but everybody said goodbye. Ms. Myers, my English teacher, didn’t get to say goodbye because she was not present on my last day of school. It felt both good and really sad to say goodbye to my teachers and friends. But fortunately I collected a whole bunch of my friends’ phone numbers. I think I’ll miss my music at school because we just got to the good part of learning new music. I already really miss my friends because I might not see them until we are possibly 15 or older. I don’t think I’ll miss the schoolwork. I didn’t like most of the homework.

I have gone to four different schools since starting kindergarten – two schools in Los Angeles and two schools in Ventura. The difference between school in Los Angeles and Ventura is that every one in Ventura talks about the ocean. In LA nobody really talks about surfing or even the water. In Ventura I think the schools are better because in LA, I went to a German school and I had to study extra at Kumon. Maybe it was because the teachers taught in German and I could not understand. In Ventura the lessons were taught in English. I don’t know if LA middle schools are better because I never went to middle school in LA, but I really liked middle school in Ventura. Now I’m going to be boat schooled, and we’ll be in many different cities. I’m excited to be boat schooled by my parents, but I will always remember my days at school, the many things I learned, and especially the teachers and friends I met.

Trent Rigney

Cabrillo Middle School, Home of the Mariners

This morning, Leslie notified Cabrillo Middle School that this coming Tuesday would be Bryce and Trent’s last day in school.  We preferred they stay in school until next Friday, the last day before winter break, but the boys chose Tuesday.  Maybe by leaving mid-week, the boys show their classmate that they really are leaving on the trip.  Before rushing off to school, we provided them letters to give their teachers, explaining what we’re doing, hoping to enlist one or more of them to connect their classrooms with our adventure.  We affixed our boat’s postcard to each letter as well.  Cabrillo Middle School, Home of the Mariners has been a good experience for the boys, a school for our mariners.  Leslie and I are grateful to have had them attend a near-by public school that is safe, clean, caring, and offers terrific extra-circular activities.  Bryce particularly enjoyed woodshop and Trent enjoyed band, rare opportunities for a middle-schooler in California these days.

Here’s a copy of the letter:

Last Day of School: Tuesday, December 17, 2014

Bryce and Trent are leaving soon with us aboard our 42-foot sailboat, Kandu, to begin our family’s circumnavigation. More than sailing, we intend to immerse ourselves in the various cultures along the way. Were we to sail non-stop, we’d be done in less than a year. We anticipate being gone for 5 years, plus or minus a couple years, depending on how much fun we’re having and finances.

Our intention is to share the experience through our website blog and video channel, supported by Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. We plan to demonstrate cultural diversity, what other kids do for fun, what they eat after school, what their school and home lives are like; as well as the math and science associated with our self-contained nautical lifestyle. Bryce and Trent are surfers and we intend for them to chronicle their experiences, what they learn from kids of other cultures, what surfing requires of them, obstacles they overcome, posting on the blog and producing videos.

Our family is aligned with a couple studies and a volunteer program: collecting seawater samples to measure micro-plastic levels, measuring plankton densities, and delivering needed supplies to remote communities. For the American Numismatic Association’s educational branch, we will collect coins for their museum and share our traveling experience with their youth charters.

Our website is shaping up, and will include a map that tracks our current location. We will be able to send and receive text via satellite and email via high frequency radio. In ports with WiFi, we will be able to Skype or Facetime live, connecting classrooms of different cultures with each other, to share how they live, what they do at school. Our first destinations include Baja Mexico (fishing villages) and Puerto Vallarta, then Galapagos (Isabela Island), then Easter Island, then Pitcairn, then French Polynesia (Gambier, Marquesas, Tuamotus, Society) where we hope to stay for up to year (if we receive our one-year extended stay visa next month).

For school, we’ve purchased some home-school programs in math, English, and science. The boys will be participating in the process of navigating and maintaining our home afloat, where we must repair nearly everything ourselves, including our watermaker. They will learn how to relate to other cultures and environments, what each demands. Where possible, they will be introduced into classrooms of the regions we visit, attending for weeks or months at a time.

We cannot know what will happen, when, or where we will go until we get there. Circumstances of weather and life will drive much of what happens. If you’re interesting in learning more or ways to incorporate our trip within your classroom, please contact me.  And of course, we hope you’ll follow along at: RigneysKandu.Com.

Eric Rigney

 

Bryce's School Year Ends
Bryce, last June, at the end of his seventh grade year.
Kandu's postcard
              Kandu’s postcard

Aquarian Rite & the Struggles with Reverse Osmosis

AquariusLearning that reverse osmosis (RO) systems require a regular “feeding,”  every three to five days, whereby freshwater must either be made or flushed through the system, we would wait nearly a year after installing it before we would commission the unit into service.

Read the blog post titled, RO 101 and see the video to learn more about the RO process itself.

Cruise RO Water and Power, the purveyor of the RO system we selected for Kandu, is owned and operated by dollar-conscious, easily accessible cruisers. They’ve assembled their robust AC solution using off-the-shelf parts and supplies, not the more expensive (either way, it’s expensive) proprietary solutions common within the marine desalinator marketplace. If the cruiser includes the cost of a new gas-powered Honda generator, with the SM-30 model, she winds up with a Cruise RO system that has built-in redundancy and makes four times as much water for the same price as more popular options–30 gallons an hour, “Beast!” as thirteen-year-old Bryce is fond of saying.  Cruise RO achieves this by configuring dual 40″ long membrane filters, a size much bigger than the typical compact stand-alone units offer.  If one membrane fails, the operator can by-pass it and still get 20 gal/hr from the remaining membrane.  For boats lacking space, and they all do, this may not be an option.  But for those that do, a full tank of gas (0.95 gal) in a Honda EU2000i is suppose to produce about 150 gal. of water: a fair trade we feel for stinking up the environment. Additionally, Rich and Charlie of Cruise RO, the guys who run it, speak in laymen terms, a service I very much depended on to install and commission our unit.

To commission the unit, I wondered about the quality of seawater I could safely process.  I considered anchoring off Santa Cruz Island where the seawater is much cleaner than in the marina where Kandu is moored.  Oil can ruin an RO membrane and I would occasionally notice the sheen of oil in the marina’s surface.  After discussing my concerns with Rich and with other cruisers with extensive marine RO water-making experience, I was assured that the marina’s water would not be a problem.  They had all successfully made water under far worse conditions, explaining that because oil floats and Kandu’s seawater is drawn several feet below the surface, I wouldn’t have a problem–“It is what it’s for,” was the expression I heard time and again.

The commissioning process is clearly laid out in the user manual with color pictures and all.  Even though it’s simple, I was nervous. I didn’t want to make a misstep that would cost a lot of time and money to rectify.  Plus with all the first-time noises, it was a little nerve-racking.  So after reading and re-reading the commissioning process (as technician in the post production world from where I came, I learned early on that the difference between a technician and an end-user is that the technician read the user manual), I called Rich to make sure he’d be available in case I needed his help.  With him at the ready, I proceeded with the commissioning process.  Under the din of noise generated by the two pumps and the excess brine water pouring into the cockpit drain, I checked all the plumbing and electrical, all the pumps, all the filters, opened and closed the necessary valves, bled the air out of the system, pressed on and off the pumps’ power switches, and carefully turned up the high-pressure knob as bubbles percolated for the first time within the flow meter.  I felt every bit like Dr. Frankenstein, bringing my monster to life.

Once commissioned and with Rich’s phoned thumbs-up, I was ready to make water.

Here’s a video of my first water-making experience:

As the first trickles of water poured from the sample spigot and into the sink, I got excited. Using the total dissolved solids (TDS) meter provided, I collected in a clear plastic cup some of the “product” water to measure the parts per million (ppm) of salt and solids in solution. The water coming from the desalinator started off salty but soon came fresh. Less than 500 ppm is considered acceptable quality drinking water, less than 300 ppm is considered normal tap water, and less then 100 is considered soft.  When the meter reads <500, you’re suppose to switch the water over to the boat’s tanks as it won’t be long before it’s producing water <300ppm. But being that it was the first time making water, I wanted to taste it. In no time, the meter read 114, so I tossed it and eagerly poured more of the clear manmade life-sustaining nectar into the cup . . . and cautiously tasted it. “Wow,” it was hands down the best tasting water I’d ever had. Like Tom Hanks in “Cast-away” after making fire for the first time, I thumped my chest, proclaiming, “I MADE water! I made that!” It felt especially apropos considering I’m an Aquarian, a water bearer bearing water. “I, Aquarian skipper of Kandu, bring you water!” It wasn’t long before I was able to pour a taste for Leslie and the boys.  All gave a thumbs-up. Making water for the first time, although nerve racking at first, ended up very gratifying.

Thanks again to Rich and Charlie of Cruise RO Water and Power.

The Loud Family?

Kandu at Ventura West Marina
Kandu at Ventura West Marina

Many types live aboard their boats, of varying sailing ability and experience. An odd thing about boat owners: live-aboards or otherwise, most infrequently, and some never, take their boats out for a sail or a motor.  Rare is the sailor who leaves the dock monthly.  This includes Kandu.  We went nearly 2 years without leaving the dock.  Too few untie their dock lines. Live-aboards with extensive cruising are rare in a marina because they are typically sailing the blue yonder, or they’ve moved land-bound.  Far more boats capable of cruising the world sit tied to a dock than sail the seas.   As live-aboards in a marina, households (or perhaps more appropriately, “boat holds”) live nearly side-by-side, closer than mobile homes in a mobile home park.  With many live-aboards being retirees, marinas in some measure take on the feel of an adult community.  As such, we appreciate that many prefer children be “seen and not heard.”  Non-liveaboards still working, having worked all week, like to spend a weekend sleeping in on their boats, bathed in seaside sounds while gently rocking.  They don’t want to awake to kids playing near, and certainly not on, their boats.  For this reason, some marina’s don’t allow live-aboards with children or large pets.  Kids wake up early, either for school or for play.  Fortunately, Ventura West Marina (VWM), where we’ve lived for nearly a year, allows both.

To offer a little more privacy, VWM staggers non-live-aboard boats between live-aboards.   When in September we gave our required 30-day notice of departure based on our intention to leave with the Baja Ha-ha Cruiser’s Rally in late October, we gave up access to the live-aboard slip we’d occupied until then.  In an effort to help us find a temporary home, the marina management asked and received permission to place us in-between two live-aboard boats.

Something of which some sailors may not be fully aware.  A crew in final preparation for a multi-year long-distance voyage, as compared against a typical marina-bound boat, is significantly more active.  From morning and into the evening, we are in and out of our boat, bringing on equipment, testing it, modifying it, and testing it again–add to the mix two active boys–et voila, ruckus aplenty. As compared to a more mature, perhaps sedentary neighbor, we are considerably more animated and thus relatively “loud.”

After only two weeks of this temporary arrangement, marina management informed us that one boat left the marina because of our higher noise generation and the boys’ handling of their boats, with even more boat owners threatening to give notice.   “Noisy children” was the main reason given for the complaints.  Ironically, none of them spoke to us directly about their issues, chosing instead to have others speak for them.  Now, we’re not up too late.  We’re in bed by 9:30 p.m. and up around 6:30 a.m. (I’ve been waking up around 4:30 and working on the computer).  To abate the exodus, management moved us to another location, a slip with only one adjacent live-aboard, someone younger than me.  When asked by other live-aboards why it was that we were moving so much, we’d tell them, “‘Cause we’ve been told we’re too loud.”  They laugh and say we’re not.  Some say they’re louder than us.  But none of these people live directly adjacent to us or others for that matter.  We hoped that management’s plan would work.  After the first weekend, two days spent working with the boys, doing such things as filling water tanks, sorting sandpaper by grade, and showing them how to repair a polyethylene kayak (welding a narrow plastic rod to close small holes), hacksawing bolts of a Secchi disk (a device to measure phyto-plankton density), management notified us that they had received yet another noise complaint; this time from our new and only neighbor.  Previously it took two weeks to have someone complain.  This time it curiously only took two days.  Although only feet away from each others “doors,” and having seen our new neighbor several times enter and exit his boat, he like the others, preferred to make his concerns known to “the office.”

Although for some über sailors it may be easy to prepare a twenty-eight year-old, 42-foot sailboat for a five-year circumnavigation with one’s family; and during the final two weeks of preparation have no one walk in and out of the boat, or talk or use tools, . . . for me, with or without a teenager and a pre-teen as crew, it is not.  Understanding the unusual nature of our circumstances, we appreciate how the more typical, less-active of our live-aboard neighbors could be easily annoyed by our higher than normal activity.  We are saddened that our neighbors find it difficult to appreciate our circumstances, that they feel uneasy discussing their concerns with us, electing instead to approach us through management.  Management says we must leave their marina by November 30, the Sunday following Thanksgiving.  Fortunately the Ventura Yacht Club is ready to receive us then, and another marina in Marina Del Rey after that.  Some adventures start with a whimper, others with a shout.  I suppose ours is starting with the preverbial door hitting us on the way out.  It’s all good, for Leslie and I are making terrific progress, while Trent and Bryce find great ways to enjoy their time in pictoresque Ventura.

Post Script:

Several days before the required Nov. 30 departure, Ventura West Marina management offered and we accepted to stay in a newly vacated live-aboard slip, through the date of our choosing–Dec. 20th.  On this, our national day of Thanksgiving, we are grateful for their thoughtfulness and the convenience it provides our family and effort.

Trent, Sunday evening, enjoying a little twilight bodyboarding after working on Kandu. Bryce catching waves in the distance.
Trent, Sunday evening, enjoying a little twilight bodyboarding after working on Kandu. Bryce catching waves in the distance.

Stocking Their Quiver

Surfers in Ventura, and probably elsewhere, use the word ‘quiver’ to denote the group of surfboards that a surfer owns.  It’s not unusual for avid surfers to stock a dozen or more boards in their quiver.  Some have 50 or more and drive large cargo vans.  Waves at each location differ from waves at other locations, at any given time, the particular waves at a given location differ depending on weather and sea conditions.  This phenomenon of uniqueness, of only-here-only-now, is what makes surfing so compelling to many surfers: every location is unique and no wave is the same as another.  This characteristic is something Robert Weiner, the acclaimed surfboard maker, expressed to us when we purchased two more of his world-renowned surfboards.  Bryce and Trent’s surfing abilities have improved over the fall, causing them to want smaller, 5’6″-7″ boards.  Smaller boards are more maneuverable than larger, but also less stable.  They are easier to duck dive under waves, but not as fast to paddle.  Robert warned the boys to not be discouraged by the difficulty they would experience as they learn to control these shorter boards.  He said, if they give up, they miss the opportunity to enjoy surfing even more than they already do.

Robert advised Bryce and Trent on their choice of some great used five-finned boards (with five fin boxes at the tail end of the board, surfers have many fin configuration options to choose from, depending on the type of surfing they want to do).  Trent picked out the Get-Up G board recently surfed by professional 16-year-old surfer, Nolan Rapoza.  Bryce picked out a similar shaped board, a Black Punt, one inch shorter and tad thicker than Trent’s, but no art work. Robert taught Trent how to peel off the stickers Trent wanted removed and how to clean up the left over adhesive with Goof Off.  He then instructed Bryce how to prepare and paint his board, if that’s what he wanted.  He even offered to paint it for him if he wanted.  It’s apparent that Robert wants children and their parents to be excited and comfortable with surfing.  He wants surfing to be a positive experience in a teenager’s development.  With all of Robert’s hands-on help, Bryce asked if it might be fair to state that Robert was sponsoring him.  In response, Robert said that ‘because they only surf Roberts boards, and that he helped them with their boards, they now represent his shop, and as such are responsible for making his brand look good by treating other surfers with courtesy and kindness.’  The boys nodded approvingly.  He told them that their upcoming sailing adventure would bring them great wisdom and awareness of the world and other people.  He wants from the boys a full report of the best surf spots when they return.  I asked if he’d mark up a map for us, letting us know some of the great surf spots that he knew of around the world.  He graciously agreed and we returned home to show mom the new boards we just bought.

Although we don’t have a lot of space on the boat, Leslie and I feel the boys’ passion for surfing warrants the effort to find a way to transport the boards.  Besides being physically demanding, surfing might inspire the boys to seek out remote beaches around the world, an adventure for the whole family, and provide them instant entree into surfing communities that exist locally, all around the world.

The next day, Bryce drew a design on paper for his board.  I read an article on the Internet and went off to buy the supplies.  We found them all at Michael’s craft store and headed back to the boat to prep and paint his board. It took nearly all day, but the board turned out great.  We just need to add three layers of clear coat to finish the job and we plan to do that today.  Working with Bryce to make his vision of what he wanted his board to be allowed me to take time away from working on Kandu.  Painting the surfboard provided a great excuse to work with my son and show him how to paint something, a skill he will soon need for Kandu.  Painting a surfboard is something I would have never imagined doing, and wouldn’t have done had it not been for the excitement and desire Bryce so earnestly expressed.  His eye for color and design impresses me.

While I taped up Bryce’s design on his board, Trent practiced duck diving his new board in the marina in front of Kandu.  He loved how much easier it was than with his first board.  The last few weeks of surfing brought large waves.  Not able to duck dive his large board because it’s too buoyant for his weight, the surf beat Trent up, concerning him that he may drown.  He wanted a smaller board that he could duck dive under the waves.  It was Trent who first wanted to add a smaller board to his quiver (well, one board may not qualify as a quiver, but anyway . . . ).  So after an hour of practice, Trent was ready to try his skill.  We reminded him of Robert’s warning, to not be discouraged if surfing the new board wasn’t fun at first, and off he went to Mondo’s Beach, the Waikiki of Ventura.  The waves were not large, but Trent’s desire to master his board was.  On his first wave, he popped up and away he went, turning and maneuvering like he’d had it for months.  Trent’s athletic abilities impress me.  His ability to put into effect the training he receives is remarkable.

The boys want Leslie and I to surf too, so I guess we’ll find some room to bring our long soft-top beginner board too as the Kandu family prepares to stock a quiver of memories.

Bryce's Design Represents His Country and His Board Maker
Bryce’s Design Represents His Country and His Board Maker
Trent on Rapoza Fire
Trent on Rapoza Fire
Made for Nolan Rapoza by Robert Weiner
Made for Nolan Rapoza by Robert Weiner
Robert Weiner on his board before selling it to Bryce
Robert Weiner on his board before selling it to Bryce, Bryce’s first board.

 

The (805) Perspective

When asked or given, Venturians don’t include the area code with their phone numbers.  Whether home, mobile, or business; people in Ventura assume “805” is a person’s area code.  Some trucks don’t include it across their painted sides (unless they work in Los Angeles County too).  When asking for your number, store clerks start over if you offer an area code first.  In greater Los Angeles, an area code is expected as part of any phone number.  Angelinos are a little curious if it’s not 310, 818, or 323; and nostalgic when it’s 213.  If they hear an area code that’s not familiar, and the circumstance isn’t obvious, like talking to someone from Santa Barbara (805), Orange County (714), San Francisco Bay Area (415, 510), or New York (212), they might ask about the area code.  Perhaps the caller “immigrated” to Los Angeles from somewhere else in the US or Canada.  It could be an interesting story.  Of course between ever-multiplying area codes cropping up, various telephone plan schemes, and various other common possibilities, there may not be an interesting story.  In any case, if a caller doesn’t offer the area code when providing their number; in LA, it’s considered . . . well—“provincial.”  Angelinos think, “Isn’t it quaint that people live in a world where there’s only one area code, one common identifier.”  In Ventura, it seems the only place it’s declared is on one of their locally brewed beers.  If a person’s area code isn’t 805 and a Venturian hears an LA-based area code declared, he or she may feel a little sorry for the person, for the stressful urban life with which any Angelino must contend.  Moving from Los Angeles to Ventura, with my LA transplant mobile number, I’m learning to begin with the phrase, “Area code 310 . . .” before offering the rest of my phone number.  As we sail Kandu away from Ventura and into other countries, we won’t often have a phone number to offer.  Whether Venturian, Angelino, or simply American; one might think, how quaint or how cut off it is to not have a phone number or to have one from another country.  When that happens, when giving our number, we’ll be sure to include the country code along with however many digits their phone numbers have.  Contrarily, we won’t expect our American friends, Venturians and Angelinos alike, to automatically include their country code as part of their phone number, because we already know it, or perhaps because, . . . well, dare I say—provincial?

Area Code Beer
Area Code Beer