Merry Christmas...Let's Go Sailing!!

You all are the BEST! We wish our crew, your families and loved ones a very special Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year.

May calm seas, sunny days and good wind always be with you.

Love,

Tha capt & Admiral
Serenity Now

The Metamorphosis of a Sailor's Day

When the capt got out of bed today, there was a light drizzle and the sky was overcast and grey.  It was cold. Sarge, from the LAPD, emailed and said we could always reschedule our afternoon sail. Good thing we didn't cancel. The day turned out to be clear, warm with light winds from the SW; kind of like the butterfly emerging from a cocoon. Super day with a super cop.

VOLUME 1 IS ALMOST COMPLETE

The end of this year coincides with the completion of our first Serenity NOW sailing log. We literally ran out of pages in the book. Since 2003, our log revealed 421 day sails, 107 times at anchor, 57 passages to Santa Catalina Island and one 10 day voyage to Catalina, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz Islands. All totaled, approximately 11,500 nautical miles. Wow, what'a ride! We hope you were part of our eight year adventure and enjoyed it as much as we did.

When the capt was a youngster, he dreamed about flying around on a magic carpet. How cool would it be to fly anywhere you wanted to go. Serenity Now is the capt's magic carpet. She has taken us to places that most only dream about. What's better than an afternoon sail with friends or finding a secluded cove and dropping the anchor for a quiet evening or two?

VOLUME II is just beginning. What will fill it's pages? More day sails, more passages and voyages, more adventure? Only time will tell. We hope you'll be part of VOLUME II and share our journey .

"Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame, and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear. So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won't matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on in the end. It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

 So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?


What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got but what you gave. What will matter is not your success, but your significance. What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught. What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, or sacrifice that enriched, empowered, or encouraged others to emulate your example. What will matter is not your competence, but your character. What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone. What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you. What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom, and for what. Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice. Choose to live a life that matters." -Michael Josephson, Character Counts 


 L e t ' s     g o     s a i l i n g !

"Water, water, everywhere, but nor a drop to drink"

AND YOU WANT TO BE MY LATEX SALESMAN?

During our last return from Catalina, the automatic bilge pump went on. "We're taking on water!" Leaks in boats are not uncommon. Wise captains will tell you it's not a problem if you know where it's coming from and if it can be controlled. Within minutes we found the problem. The cockpit drain hose had broken off a plastic fitting and water was entering the boat from the stern. We plugged the hole, pumped the bilge dry and continued on our way home. Never a dull moment at sea.

This bronze fitting replaces the plastic one that failed

Repaired, in place and ready to go

Light Air Sailing

Like we always say, "Every day is different".  Our last two sails have been exactly that. Friday was a gennaker day in super light air and plenty of sunshine. Yesterday was even lighter. After dousing the headsail, we traveled to Danalina and anchored for the afternoon.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ADMIRAL

36 years ago on this day, the Admiral and capt entered into holy matrimony. And how did we celebrate this pious occasion? We went sailing!

 

4 Nights on Catalina Island

Two backcountry rangers joined the crew for a quick trip to the front side of Catalina. This video pretty much tells the story.

"Let's Go Sailing!"

With a mom-marathoner-mountaineer leading the way and calling out the mantra, the Santa Clarita crew met in Dana Point for an afternoon on Serenity Now. The day was clear, the company was grand and the sunset was spectacular. A wonderful rendezvous (a little French for my friends) with Mother Nature.

All photos courtesy of Geraldine

E Ticket Ride...Wet & Wild

Two saturdays in a row of awesome sailing conditions. The day began at Danalina where we dropped an early lunch hook and enjoyed our Subways. The wind was blowing from the south so we were able to sail in and out of the anchorage. The south wind, 18-22 knots, also brought a south wind chop as we reached along the coast toward San O. With a reefed main and full genny, our SOG stayed well above 7 knots the entire leg. Our return trip was much more civil as the wind decreased later in the afternoon. Wonderful day.

Saturday October 30, 2010

Heading out in 15 knots of wind with 50+ miles of visibility.

Looking back at the coast.

The Admiral bringing her home.

On a port tack heading for the barn.

Mother Nature was at her finest today as last night's rain brought blue skies, billowy clouds, sunshine and a consistent 15 knot wind. After a memorial for El Jeffe's aunt, the Admiral and the capt ventured out for an afternoon sail. Super day from start to finish.

"Start Me Up!"

Bill Steinriede "Steiny" 

1944 - 2010  R.I.P.

Seinfeld - Serenity Now Montage

Santa Cruz Island late summer 2010

Days Nine and Ten: Emerald Bay

Our plan was to spend friday night at Emerald and then, the next day, move east and spend our last night closer to home. Harbor John made us a deal we couldn't refuse so we spent two nights at Emerald. Saturday we hiked to Parsons and snorkeled, and topped off our fuel and water at the Isthmus and lobstered. Sunday, after scrambled eggs and lobster, we departed at 8:30 am  and arrived in DP at 2:45 pm.


10 days, 10 nights, 331 statute miles, 288 nautical miles...Wow, what'a ride!

Emerald Bay

West end of Catalina Island

Pasta marinara languisto

Scrambled eggs with wild lobster

Fresh spiny lobster with rice and potato salad. 

This pirate didn't follow the rules.

Day Eight: Homeward Bound

The Broker dropped his brother off at Scorpion Bay and we weighed anchor at 9:40 am bound for Catalina. We were headed for the front side of the island because we needed fuel and water. One hour on-one hour off, shifts worked fine and we arrived safely at Emerald Bay at 7:30 pm. Lobster season would begin in four and one half hours.

Day Seven: Flying The Gennaker To Smuggler's

Sailing to Smuggler's was another awesome sail day. It also meant we were coming to the end of our trip. We needed to be close to Scorpion Bay to drop off the Builder the next morning and be on the south side of the island to shorten our passage to Catalina. Anacapa Island provided a memorable sunrise from Smuggler's.

Approaching the southern side with Anacapa on the horizon.

Smuggler's land mark is an olive grove that can be seen from miles away.

Anacapa sunrise.

The Builder being shuttled to Scorpion on the "Rocket".

Day Six: Pelican Bay

We continued our circumnavigation of the island and on wednesday set the hooks at Pelican Bay. All of our anchorages so far required a bow and stern hook. We were entertained this evening by a most fantastic aquatic bio-luminescence light show as a school of sea lions frolicked and splashed within the bay. In the morning we found a trail that took us to Prisoner's Harbor. Four plus miles of diverse and very scenic country.

Days Four and Five: On To Fry's

We said goodbye to Fourney's and were on to our next stop. We traveled clock-wise around the island so now we got our first glimpse of the north side. A swell was running so we passed on several anchorages and the Painted Cave. When we came upon Fry's, we knew it was the place to drop our hook. Sadly, later in the day, we dropped El Jeffe off at Prisoner's so he could catch the Island Packer back to the mainland. We spent two restful nights at Fry's. The first day there it was a cooker.

Our first look at Fry's.

The Builder surfed at Chinese Harbor while we fished.

The fruit of our labor, Santa Cruz rockfish burritos.

95.2 degrees in the shade.

El Jeffe managing the bow anchor.