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In a few more minutes it will be midnight. In a few more hours, about 9 of them, I’ll be in Klamath Falls Oregon. On the Amtrak Train somewhere above Oakland headed due north. It’s going to be cold in Oregon, last time I saw snow fall was in Charelston SC. It snowed on the palm trees and a local told me it’s not normal. I’m exhausted, but figure this should be a fantastic time to write. I have plenty of time, and I can write about returning to Oregon after being on the road since summer of 2009. When I left Bend Oregon in my thousand dollar Jeep Wagoneer I had no idea I’d be returning via the California border on a choo choo train. Of course this was the basic ambition when I left, to enter into a state of travel with little known and nothing intent. I did have one big desire when I packed my bags two summers ago. That desire now floats in a muddy little slough, surrounded by Otters and man eating Sea Lions, just inside the breaking waves of the central Californian Pacific Ocean. How was that for a description of the piece of water my 1963 Pearson Triton floats upon. She’s old and beat up, but as tough as they come. The perfect boat for me to tear into, learn to work on, and eventually sail. I’m almost certain my first sail will be down the Pacific Coastline, around Baja, and into the Sea of Cortez. Wether this happens next fall, or the next fall, I’m not worried about it at the moment. These past few weeks I’ve become way to caught up in working on the boat, rushing myself through each project, stressing as if I have a deadline to meet. A few factors are to blame…. one being a leaky old boat with the onset of central California’s rainy season, and the other being my new found love of epoxy work. Epoxy is my archenemy when it comes to working on my boat. No doubt I need the stuff to make Selene seaworthy, but the stuff will make you blow smoke out of your mouth when your not holding a cigarette, setup in the pot at about ten dollars a minute, and rob you of your sleep as you sit up late at night in your van praying to the boat gods that your epoxy is hardening. I was telling Sally the other day, people are going to start walking past the boat and saying to eachother…. “is that guy making an offering to the portside of his sailboat?”, as i sit hunched over the gunwale begging for the epoxy to like me. Anyways, I’ve tried to desribe for you just how much the stuff stress me out. So, as I go to my moms place in Oregon for a few weeks I’m going to unwind. Focus on the fact that I left oregon to buy a sailboat in Florida and now have a georgous sloop in California. I’m one step closer to my dream of traveling on the wind and water. Plus, I made partner with Youtube, if you don’t know look it up, it’s a big deal to me…. something I’ve been working towards since I first started sharing videos with you all. Thanks everyone for your wonderfull support and involvment in this journey of mine, I enjoy having you along.
Pretty wild, I’m arriving in Kalamath Falls in a couple hours…. if you watch my first few video travel logs, I got stuck in Kalamath Falls when I first started this trip. I was broke and abosuletly terrified that I would never reach my sailboat. Even wilder is the fact that I ended up driving all the way around the outer edge of the United Sates to find my boat just a days drive from where I started. And even wilder than all that is I got my boat, having started out with 0 dollars, losing the jeep in florida, and now the van in monterey. I did it, I’m alfoat!!
she made it
Whelp, i did it… don’t really like the “I” part of that statement. There’s been way to many people involved. Thanks to the support from everyone, Selene is in her slip!
I’m exhausted. Didn’t sleep at all last night as I tossed and turned wondering wether or not my 1963 Pearson Triton was going to make it across the bay. The boat I just purchased and have never sailed on… which has loose rigging, old sails, and a cut off prop shaft. A boat which I now know and respect. Having just spent the past 6 hours motor sailing to Moss Landing from Monterey Marina.
I woke up at sunrise. Packed everything my mind thought would be useful. Got a car ride from Sally down to the boat ramp. Stood at the end of the ramp with Nora and asked a few fisherman for a ride to my sailboat, on the ball. Hitched a ride out to my sailboat from the second(!) fisherman I asked. Climbed on Selene. Climbed into the bowels of Selene. Drilled through the prop and shaft. Broke off the drill bit in the hole going through the prop/shaft. Wrapped the shaft with duck-tape, making sure the broken bit would stay in place, holding the prop and shaft. Hung the biggest jib aboard on the forestay. Rigged up some jib sheets. Miraculously got the outboard from the cabin sole, up into the cockpit, and hung on the stern bracket. Yelled at guy on the boat next to me for help untying from the ball. Started up the old 2 stroke. Chatted with the guy while the old 2 stroke yawned and stretched. Put her in gear and headed out into the bay.
Leaving Monterey Marina a small seal performed some acrobatics off the back of the boat. I figured he was sending me off… probably really just upset about missing out on the food that was growing under Selene.
It was the perfect day to be on the water. Clear skies, nice slow rolling waves, and light wind from the east. We motor sailed in a straight line all the way there. I write “We” meaning Nora, Myself, and Selene. It was an incredibly beautiful day. I’m still riding the high and rocking back and forth a bit as I lay in my van. So happy and thankful to have reached this point in my travels. Thank you all for the incredible support.
Get ready for lots of pictures as I begin tearing Selene apart and prepping her for the high seas!
Also, I should be getting on a consistent TUES, THURS, SAT, SUN schedule with the youtube video post.
See Ya!
labrador and her pearson triton
Looked at the sailboat yesterday. It’s not for me. I went down to the marina convinced this was the boat. Arrived early and took in the location, it seemed perfect. The marina showers where accessible, very big deal to me. Nora made friends with a sea otter, it was hands down the coolest wild life experience of my trip. The dog was out swimming in the harbor and a sea otter pops up 4 feet in front of her, both staring at each other. Nora swims toward the otter as it dives under her. She’s curious, sticks her head under water trying to find the otter. Otter pops up behind her, slaps the water. Nora flips around and swims right up to it, they bat at each other with paws and flippers. The sea otter dives under her again, popping up behind her and making more noise, nora flips around it disappears again. The game continued for a few minutes before the otter went back to eating barnacles from the bottom of a boat. It was one of the rare moments I didn’t have access to my camera, if i did the animals meeting would have never happened. The people at the marina were friendly, we talked and i enjoyed them. It appeared like the right place for me, and I knew the boat would be right for me. The environment was perfect, this had to be the place. I saw the boat, it was definitely a project. A 30′ cheoy lee sloop, a model I’ve liked for a long time. The owner showed up, he was drunk. I convinced myself he wasn’t, this was suppose to be my boat. We climbed aboard, he showed me around. Everything needed work, nothing was in working order. The only solid part of the boat was the cabin, which is the one part of the boat I would be tearing apart anyways. Still I used my mind to make this my boat, it had to be. I’m tired of driving around, ready to have a steady place. So what if the owner is drunk, that doesn’t mean he’s selling a bad boat. I sat there for hours trying hard to convince myself that this was the boat. The excuses and reasons piled, I left continuing my own mental persuasion. I should of been the guy selling the boat, not only was I sober, but i did a great job of creating the ideal buyers picture. Later that day I found a shower, it had been a while as usual. Amazing how hot water can change your entire outlook on life. I shut off the water and realized the boat wasn’t for me. I had fallen in love with an idea advertised on craigslist. I was ready to finish my adventures in the van and move onto something new. Thank goodness I gave it a prayer before showing up that day. I saw another ad on craigslist today. This time a Pearson Triton 28′ Sloop. I’ll let you know.
