March 2, 2008

December 30, 2007

We are back home and all is well, having left Mystic Moon in La Paz.   Fubar was great fun and I apologize for not getting the website updated sooner, but have just been preoccupied with other things. We enjoyed a great Thanksgiving and Christmas with our family!

Anyhow, between now and the middle of January when we go back to the boat, I hope to have everything updated.  AND, I have finally figured out the pictures thing and hope to add several galleries as well.  In the meantime, the log of October 2-7, 2007 is up, as is a photo gallery (woo-hoo!) Gallery-San Francisco to Catalina Island .  

We hope all of you had as wonderful a Holiday as we did and wish you a very happy New Year!!




October 6, 2007

We are currently in Cat Harbor on Catalina Island.  We're finally in the cruising mode and have been relaxing here for the last few days.  Buccaneer's Day is today, so we're going to do the short walk over to Two Harbors and see the craziness, some of which started last night.

Logs are up to date.....We've had some rather interesting times, not limited to, but including a boat that refused to round the corner at Pt. Conception and kept turning back north, which you'll find in this group September 13-21, 2007, and a dinghy that got so mad at the abuse she's taking that she tried to run away from home one night, which you'll find here September 22-October 1, 2007.  We have vowed to be kinder to our dinghy! :)

All is well, though, and in spite of everything, life is good.  We're headed ashore for rum in our finest pirate bandanas and eyepatches!  Aaaarrrgggg!!!!!



September 19, 2007

We are currently in Ventura.  We arrived on Saturday the15th and have been busy doing boat projects and catching up with fellow Seleners.  Val & Stan are here, of course, and Mark pulled in on Kasekuchen on Sunday.  Mark and his crew left today for home and Val & Stan and us are supposed to leave for the Channel Islands for several weeks of cruising tomorrow.  Weather seems iffy, though, so we may wait and leave on Saturday, instead.  It has been a little bit of a wild ride up until now, but we hope things will settle down once we reach the islands.

Logs are woefully behind.  If we don't leave tomorrow, will try and complete them then.  Otherwise, it'll be a couple of weeks until we have good internet (I think).  In the meantime, September 5-12, 2007 is up.  But, we are fine and all is good aboard Mystic Moon.  Josh is coming up for dinner tonight and we are looking forward to seeing him!



August 29, 2007


Oh, gosh..... where to begin....this summer has literally flown by!  Dave graduated and we all celebrated and high-fived through that.  We've been able to enjoy many of our friends from the Bay Area on our boat this summer that we've not been able to share the experience with before, so that has been especially wonderful for us!  Thanks to all of you who came aboard -- it was our honor and pleasure to share with you something of our new lifestyle.  And you guys rock (especially on the Bay in the afternoon  :)))

We've accomplished many boat projects, not the least of which was rearranging and reorganizing stuff.  It was so nice to be able to think things through for a change, instead of just cramming into available spaces.  Alright...ok..... fine.....we still are doing a little bit of cramming in the laz.....

We got Dave settled into CU, and he seems to really like it, already making friends and finding a fraternity to rush, oh.....and....yeah....registering for classes, too.  ;)  Ya just gotta love youth!

Josh is doing great.  He's back in LA doing an assignment for Universal, and it sounds like he's enjoying reconnecting with his USC buds, as well as working many hours.  We're particularly excited 'cause we'll get to see him as we head south!

Mom and Dad are here holding down our little fort.  Critters are aging and are more work, so we really, really appreciate that they're up to the task of caring for them.  Thanks, M&D!  You guys truly are The Best!!

As for us, we anticipate leaving the first part of next week -- see Current Plan for more details.  Logs should begin as we leave next week, for those of you interested.

We are, at last, on our way........




May 23, 2007

We arrived safely in San Francisco on May 9th.  What a trip it was!  Below is reprinted  a copy of an email I sent to the Selene owners group shortly after we'd arrived in Bodega Bay - it gives a bit of a synopsis of our journey....

***********
Hi fellow Seleners......
 
Just wanted to get off a quick note to let everyone know we are almost home.  We are docked in Bodega Bay, some  45 nm north of SF and will be leaving tomorrow AM to go through the Golden Gate on the afternoon slack tide.

It has been a heck of a trip!  In a very good way!!! 

In the last week (+ a few days) we have:  made 4 river bar crossings - one waiting at the Columbia River bar for the CG to open the bar for transit (oh yes! let's be the first one's across when they open the bar -- yippee!) & one at 9:45 at night before the moon had risen in literally pitch black conditions (& mercifully with a CG escort -- can't say enough about the CG these days!); been boarded by said CG for a safety inspection (so glad we got the nav light fixed Astoria);  stood night watches for the first time (at least for Roseanne & me), both in teams and individually;  been underway for over 40 hours nonstop, learning to cook and handle the spewing refer in seas; been escorted by dolphins surfing the swells and our bow wake, only to turn around and do it all over again for the sheer joy of it; seen a ! turtle ! (can anyone speak to sea turtles this far north??  We were all astounded to see him!); been as far out as 20 miles offshore, and as close as 5 miles offshore; experienced 10' swells, with the occasional 12 footer on our beam, and then on our stern, with 30 knot winds, gusting to 38-40 knots; and experienced lake-like conditions, with 0 knot winds, gusting to 2 knots.  Wow!!!  What an exhilirating ride it has been!!

May 3, 2007

We are here in Astoria, safely tied to the dock, and anticipate leaving tomorrow for Reedsport.  Another overnight passage, so we are checking weather carefully, but right now it looks really good for a smooth passage.  

The rendezvous was great - see April 24 - 29, 2007 logs for an update.  Our trip from Roche to Astoria was truly amazing - see the logs April 30-May 3, 2007 if you're interested in that.

Spirits on board are high (in spite of the Vista issue ;)) and times are good.  We're all looking forward to the next leg of our journey and will post as soon as we're able to get logs written and up.  Float plans are filed with Mom and Dad at home.

Fair winds and following seas!

April 24, 2007

We made it out of Sterling and to Roche Harbor, having arrived yesterday.  It's still pretty quiet here -- it's only us, JaDeDa, and the Molitors (on their new boat ) who arrived late this evening.  Have spent most of the week preparing the boat to go south.  Now, we are looking forward to enjoying the wonderful company of the other Selene owners in the next few days ahead.  Most folks are coming in tomorrow, so "let the games begin", as they say.  We are really looking forward to seeing everyone! 

Oh! And yes....new Logs are started for our trip to San Francisco.  I decided to start them with the Rendezvous fun, as that is such an integral part of our boating life.  With any luck, the physical journey starts May 1st.  (The spiritual one is already begun! ;))


April 17, 2007

Spring is here (at least in Northern California), so we have been spending time recently in New York and Northern Michigan, and are going back to Seattle on the 19th to pick up Mystic Moon..  What is wrong with these people, you ask??!  Would that I knew!!

Truth is, we've had an amazing winter.  We have been up to the boat numerous times, not only checking on her progress, but also have had the opportunity to do a couple of short cruises to visit friends in Puget Sound and let Mystic stretch her legs.  We've had the great pleasure of seeing the Dows, Tildens, Dobbes, Kleins, and many of our other friends in that area.  (And, an awesome pod of Orca in the middle of Puget Sound that we literally could not go around -- dead stop in the water and the whales were surrounding us for almost an hour!   Probably more interesting was watching the very small [`12'?] research vessel [skiff] watching and recording the happenings.)  What a delight -- we feel so very blessed to know these special people and be in this special place at this time of our lives!

We're also moving right along on the home front -- Dave has decided on the University of Colorado, so we can make plans for his next few years and look forward to seeing more of Craig and Jeanette.  Josh is doing really well in NY, inspite of the questionable weather.  He is doing a lot of traveling right now for his job and really likes that aspect.  We enjoyed the 'Back Forty' with Darrell and Sandy (thanks for arranging the 8" of snow for us, guys!).  Mom and Dad have been holding down the fort here while we try and pull things together, and they are literally awesome!

We're now headed up to Seattle on the 19th to pick up Mystic Moon and take her up to Roche Harbor for the Selene Rendezvous.  Check out Current Plan to read the whole story, but we'll be bringing her down here to San Francisco after the rendezvous to have her here, near home, before we set out this fall.  Life is so good....Blessings are many....and, with any luck, Logs will begin anew within the next few days......




November 8, 2006

Well, here it is, almost 3 months later, and I have been totally absorbed in our land-life and have distinctly let our logs/website suffer the awful fate of stagnation!  My apologies to those who care.  As I said, we have been very engrossed in our lives here.  We have just ended a great water polo season, with Dave having a terrific time.  He had some awesome moments, with some very exciting scores, and we thoroughly enjoyed watching the action in the pool!

Josh has gotten settled in New York and found a new place and roommate.  He's also settled into his job, and we are looking forward to getting all the details when he comes home to visit over Thanksgiving.

I was back up to the boat at the end of September, trying to learn the fine art of varnishing from Jaimie, the Varnishing Guru at Sterling.  She was very patient, and managed to give me some great advice in spite of my klutzy ways [what IS the secret to getting varnish out of your hair??], and I've heard the finished product looks quite good!  (Thanks, Jaimie....you're the best!  And there's a special place in Heaven waiting for saints like you!) 

We are leaving tomorrow to go back up to Mystic Moon.  We are working to finalize our next outfitting with Brad  (I'd say "last" outfitting, but....well...don't want to jinx it), and also want to visit and catch up with our Washington/Canada friends.  We hope to see the Kleins, Tildens, Dows, and Dobbes, and generally reconnect with all that we love about that area.  (HOW many inches of rain did they get in the last few days??!)  We have made some decisions about the next steps in our cruising, so check out Current Plan if you are curious.

In the meantime, I am horribly embarrassed to even address the issue of pictures, or the lack thereof.  I won't bore you with my excuses, the most distressing of which was the crashing of our laptop, which held all the files.  We have since sent the hard drive out to have it recaptured, but have had no luck thus far.  The next step is to send it to a "clean room" in Silicon Valley and hopefully, they can tease out the information there.  Aaarrrrggggg!!!  Always back up your files right away (101, yes????  Sheesh!!!!  We KNOW better!  Aaarrrrgggggg!)

So, after these few months, it only took a couple of paragraphs to bring you back up to date :).  If the weather cooperates and we are able to cruise Puget Sound, we'll include some brief logs about those journeys.  Otherwise, we'll be speaking to our "final" (haha) outfitting and what's being done there.  And if we ever get access to our pictures......well.....oh, hell......never mind! 


August 23, 2006

We arrived back home in Pleasanton on August 20th, having left Mystic Moon in Seattle.  After unexpectedly having to go to Seattle on the 18th, we spent a very full day the next day cleaning her and preparing her to sit idle for a while.  It is good to be home, but it's hard to be away from the boat.  I've woken up the last few mornings thinking I was still aboard, then realizing I was back at home.  It's gonna take a few days to regroup and get the land legs back!

Written Logs are complete, although I still have to post the pictures.  I'm thinking it'll take me another week or so to get them up.  Also, I want to post some sort of epilogue with our thoughts about cruising in general and cruising Alaska specifically, so check back if you're interested. We're still contemplating what comes next, so as soon as we make any decisions, we'll post that, too.

Thanks to all of you who have emailed or otherwise spoken to our travels and logs - everyone needs encouragement from time to time, and it does not go unappreciated!  We've also made many new friends this summer, and it is with great anticipation that we look forward to the times ahead! 

August 11, 2006

We are here in Sullivan Bay, having arrived yesterday.  Today we are finishing up our internet business, then heading to Pierre's to meet up with the other Selenes for a couple of days.  After that, it's on down south to Friday Harbor.

This past week has been our culinary week - those of you who know the Kleins know of what I speak!  We've also had the good fortune to be in several moorages with Gary and Jeanette from Voyager, and have very much enjoyed getting to know them.

Logs are mostly up to date - I'm just a couple of days behind, but will catch up as we make our way south.  We're still in search of sun, but have had a few sunny days, at last!

August 1, 2006

We are back in Canada, having checked in at Prince Rupert.  Mom and Dad left this morning to go back to Pleasanton.  We don't have boat internet, but have found a pub with good service.  We had just a wonderful time with Mom and Dad, and hopefully their return will be easier than their trip in.

Bob and Cheryl Klein on Kasekuchen joined us a couple of days ago, and we plan to buddy boat for a while.  It's hard to believe we only have 3 weeks left til we have to be home - the time has flown!

I've downloaded emails, but will have to respond while on board and will send them at our next available internet.  We've got to still hit the store before it gets too late, and we're off tomorrow on our southbound track - not sure where yet, we are sort of playing it by ear, but hope to make the rally at Pierre's on the 10th or 11th.

And, Yay!  Logs are up to date.


July 22, 2006

We are currently in Wrangell, having sent Craig and Jeanette on their way today and are awaiting my parents.  Weather has been an issue - it is very foggy with low clouds and rain, and the McGees had to take the ferry out this afternoon in order to make a flight in Juneau tomorrow.  Mom and Dad have had a heck of a day, finally taking a flight to Ketchikan from Juneau and plan to catch the ferry from there tomorrow in order to arrive here in Wrangell.  Apparently, it's not that uncommon in this area to have such delays, so if you come this way, plan accordingly.

We have had an astounding week of wildlife viewing. Check out the July 18-25,2006 logs if you're interested. 

Communication continues to be frustrating, although our best mode here in Wrangell has surprisingly proven to be internet.  It's been very dependable, while the cellphone service has been pretty much nonexistant, and the sat phone iffy at best.  Go figure. 

We hope to leave tomorrow, if Mom and Dad get in, and I think Prince Rupert will be our next port where we'll have internet. We're on our southbound track now and will be working our way home during the next month.  In the meantime, Anan Bear Preserve, Behm Canal, whales, salmon, and perhaps some cruising with the Kleins are on the agenda. Life continues to be good.



July 16, 2006

What a difference a week makes!  We are currently in Sitka and have had a wonderful week with Craig and Jeanette aboard.  We have seen more whales and Orca than we could count, brown bears every night but one, and caught big King salmon.  It has been awesome, literally, and we are remembering why we go through the pains of boat ownership.  We leave tomorrow to work our way to Wrangell and will be out of touch til then.  Hot springs, more fish, more wildlife viewing, and kayaking are on the short list. :) .  I'm still trying to catch up on emails - please be patient.  My plan is to respond to all, even if it is the end of August before I finish.  Thanks again to all of you for your good wishes - they have helped immensely!



July 10, 2006

The last week is just a blur -- it has been crazy!  The mast and Brad both arrived on the same day, and we have spent the time making boat repairs, as well as putting up the new mast.  We cannot say enough about how great Brad has been!!  He has worked nonstop to get us up and running again.  Brad, we are forever grateful, as you know :) !  You are the Best!! 

We are leaving today to work our way towards Sitka, with Craig and Jeanette who arrived the day before yesterday.  At the moment, everything is working and we're even able to make water and raise and lower the dinghy, not to mention we have both heads functioning.  The sun has come out and we are literally about to loose the lines and be back on our way.  Woo-hoo!!

I have not had time to work on logs or pics, but will try and get the updates done before we arrive in Sitka, and hopefully post then.  To those that I owe emails to, please forgive the delays -- there has just not been enough hours in the day, but will get back to you eventually.  Wish us luck!



July 4, 2006

We are currently in Juneau awaiting boat repairs.  Please see the Logs for the details -- I just don't have the strength to go through it all again.  It has been a real mixed bag of really high highs and very low lows.  Suffice it to say, that within the span of just a handful of days, we have had a head stop working, an inverter go out, the watermaker stop making water, and the real straw that broke the camel's back (literally), a failure in our mast stay system causing a dismasting while raising the dinghy.  We are awaiting a new mast here and effecting repairs as we are able, when parts arrive.  We don't know when we'll be back out cruising, but will keep you posted as we have really good internet here in Harris Harbor.  Who knows....maybe I'll even figure out how to load the pictures easily onto the site.  In the meantime, anyone know of a good exorcist who works on boats?????


June 24, 2006

We're in Petersburg and Darrell and Sandy have joined us here.  Dave left this morning to go back to California, but we really enjoyed having him with us. 

We continue to have problems loading pictures and I just haven't had time to deal with it yet.  When we checked the website here, it was totally kerflunked and I had to work at restoring it, which I did accomplish after several operator errors (sheesh!).  I did get the new Logs put on, at least.

Tomorrow we leave to go to Baird Glacier and Tracy Arm and work our way towards Sitka.  It will most likely be another two weeks before we have email again.  Perhaps in that time I can get our pictures organized and up on site (we have taken over 600 pictures so far!).
 
And on the really plus side, it has finally stopped raining (sorry D!) and the sun is shining on the snow covering the tops of the mountains in the distance.



June 18, 2006

We made it!!  We're in Alaska!!  We're tied up to the dock in Ketchikan as I update this.  We have been without cellphone service and internet since Sullivan Bay, the 5th of June. In many of the fiords, satellite phone didn't even work well. Finally, we have wireless here on the boat and I'm able to post the Logs.

Pictures are being added to the logs over the next couple of days.  Please be patient, and feel free to check back if you're interested.

It has been a wonderful 3+ weeks of cruising and we've only just begun!  We've come 811 nm (yeah, ok, we didn't do the straightest route, but we had a blast!)  Dave comes in a couple of days, so we'll be here in Ketchikan til then, then we're back out.  Life is good. 



May 2, 2006


We are madly beginning our "May Dash" of Youngblood events-- even more so this year..... we're headed to Josh's graduation from USC (woo-hoo!) next week and will celebrate John's B-day on the Grad Day of May 12th---what better birthday present could there be?!  Mom's Day is the day we bring all his stuff (& him for a short time) home for the summer, and as an added delight, Kathy's Mom & Dad will be with us too.  May 20th brings our 30th Anniversary and May 21st brings Josh's 22'nd birthday.  May 23rd is departure date for us to head to Mystic Moon and points North.  (Do I sense a sort of symmetry here?) 

And, oh yeah, there is one other YB who has a bday on the 2nd of June who remains a bit cranky, but shall remain nameless......