The Best of Yosemite

One of the most beautiful places in the US!

A Golden Birthday

We have been sharing golden retrievers with our friends for over 30 years. Three of the four below are siblings. That's my wife Bridget in the back and Hana too. The siblings turned 2 today. They are such a joy! For her birthday, Hana and I sailed over to Clipper Cove for a romp on the beach. She loved it. Then we did a nice sail in 12-15 knot winds towards Angel Island. It was a great day! And a great dog!

Life is an Adventure!

I found this on Quora. A site where folks ask questions to the world and you get to answer them. I am a big believer in having dreams. And dreams lead to adventure! Read on. Life is supposed to be a series of adventures. It's impossible to understand the meaning of life without understanding that. We're all supposed to be explorers, pioneers, and treasure hunters of the soul. We're not supposed to be sleep walking through the world, caught in a routine, heads down and eyes closed to the possibilities that lie waiting all around us. This world is a dramatic arena, and each of our lives is supposed to show that in the best possible way. "Without adventure, civilization is in full decay." (Alfred North Whitehead) I've become convinced that we are here in this world to live a grand adventure consisting of a series of smaller adventures. We are here for discovery, growth, creative accomplishment, and loving fulfillment. Anything less is a waste of time. Whether your adventure is noisy and glamorous, or subtle and deep, whether it plays out on a global stage, or within the borders of your own neighborhood, whether it involves changing the world, or just improving yourself, an adventurous approach to life is a requirement for becoming the person you're capable of being, making your mark in the lives of others, and experiencing a sense of lasting fulfillment along the way. I choose the word 'adventure' carefully. It's more than just a journey that I have in mind, a process of travelling from point A to B. An adventure is an extended experience, frought with risk and reward, unpredictable twists, guaranteed obstacles, and surprising results. You can take a trip, launch out on a voyage, or undergo a journey fast asleep. But an adventure has to be experienced. Eyes wide open. In disbelief, terror, amazement, or bliss. It is an essentially existential endeavor, a foray of the heart, mind and senses that calls into play every aspect of your existence. The term 'adventure' is in a sense value neutral. An adventure can be frightening, or it can be great. It can cause pain, or produce joy. It can end badly or well. But you never experience an adventure unchanged. In fact, adventure is all about change. It's about growth. And growth is the core of life. Successful lives grow out of successful adventures. The adventure of your life is so important that it demands the best of your attention, and the most of your energies, on a daily basis, so that it can be lived well. The world's greatest literature attests in many ways to the paradigmatic importance of adventure in human life. In the Iliad and the Odessey, the ancient poet Homer spun tales of striking adventures that have reverberated down the centuries, capturing the interest of people in every subsequent time. In the book of Genesis, one of the foundational stories of the Bible, an account viewed as of crucial importance by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, presents Abram as a man suddenly called out of the comfort and security of his homeland for a new adventure, a journey that would eventually lead him to The Promised Land. Renamed Abraham, this adventurer is viewed as the original Father of faith, and as an individual through whom all the nations will eventually be blessed. "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go." (Hebrews 11:8, New Testament) The Buddha went on a quest. Mohammed lived an adventure. Moses, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Columbus, Gandhi, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Susan B. Anthony, Amelia Earhart, Martin Luther King - so many of the names that represent to us lives fully lived are those of adventurers, inventors, discoverers, liberators, creators, people who were not content to just measure out their days, but who threw themselves into a dynamic process of change for the sake of others as well as themselves. We're fascinated and inspired by mountain climbers, sailors on the open sea, serious rafters, hot air baloonists, scuba divers, spelunkers, astronauts, and pioneers of every kind. We admire those among us who are able to break out of their routines and take the risks involved in all discovery. And, in more subtle ways, we read with interest and satisfaction the stories to be found in great novels of character challenge, emotional learning, and personal growth. Adventures of exploration and conquest, as well as adventures of the heart, have dominated the human imagination at all times. Deep down we've somehow always known that life is meant to encompass challenging adventures, We've even suspected that human existence reaches its pinnacle in creative adventure, and yet this is an insight we too easily forget to apply to our own careers in this world. We might dream of fabulous adventures in our innermost thoughts, but thrown into an actual one, we often react with anxiety, aversion and fear. "When you¹re safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you¹re having an adventure you wish you were safe at home." (Thornton Wilder) We live in what could be the most adventure filled time of change in all of human history, but we have not been sufficiently prepared for living that adventure well. We don't deeply enough understand the necessity of personal adventure for the happiness and fulfillment that we all ultimately seek. We need new wisdom for our lives at a time like this. And wisdom is the philosopher's job.

The Gorilla Strikes

Back in the early 90's (I was about 32), I was working at an event company and a call came in. A woman was asking about having someone in a gorilla suit come out and entertain at her daughters 16th birthday party. I asked her to hold while I called the costume shop to make sure they had a suit available. I got back to the Mom and told her $500 for an hour of mayham! The next day I rented the suit and headed to the party. Now this was something I had never done. We are usually coordinatining large corporate events. But what the heck, let's have some fun. I burst into the party of 20 girls all shrieking and jumping up and down. Most were cheerleaders I was to find out, and very cute. I had my boom box blasting "They say it's your birthday" by the Beatles. Then we went into a bunch of fun dance tunes. The girls loved it and I was having a ball. As I was leaving, the birthday girl is saying goodby and thanking me. She asks me to take off my head gear so she can see my face. She says, "Oh you are so cute, I am going to have you come back for my 21st birthday and have you strip!" That was a nice complement! So I had that to look forward to!! Afterwards, I took the gorilla suit to a Grateful Dead show at Shoreline. I got a huge response from the crowd. Especially the ones tripped out on LSD. They thought I was the real deal and had escaped from the zoo!

Big Yachts in Sardinia

*(&^II February sailing on the bay has been spectacular with 10-15 knot breezes. We are in the middle of an unprecidented drought in California, however, the weather is down right amazing. Today will see low 70's on the water. Too cold to swim at with the bay at 54 degrees. Heading for an overnight on the island with Hana (the dog!) and some good winds expected Saturday. Bon Voyage! Also planning to spread some of my late great Mom's ashes, Evelyn.

Trip Report: Sea of Cortez, Mexico

La Paz Sailing Adventure January 2022 John, Arnie, Barry and Geoff joined me for a charter out of La Paz. Dream Yacht Charter supplied us with a 40’ cat for week in the islands. We spent a night in La Paz and provisioned the next day. At l2 we arrived at the base at Costa Baja Marina and prepared for departure. At 2pm we were off to Espiratu Santos. I went down to take a nap and a few hours later we were anchored in a huge bay with one other boat. I prepared dinner and we cheered our arrival to this beautiful location. Barry provided a sound track of Pink Floyd and we retired to the bow for a gourgous evening of looking at the stars and milky way. On Tuesday we were up early for breakfast and a snorkel. We moved to another smaller bay and enjoyed the 70 degree water and some cool fish. Lunch took us up to Isla Partida and the clear waters of the Sea of Cortez. We finished the day with a bocce game on the beach and a lot of laughs. Arnie prepared a shrimp dinner that was out of sight. Our destination on Wednesday was 19 miles north to Isla San Francisco. We arrived at lunch time and proceed to relax a bit. At this point we had mostly motored north. The winds were up so we went for a 2 hour afternoon sail. After returning to SF, we went for a snorkel with millions of fish next to the rocky wall. Very impressive. Arnie went for a paddle and said it was his best in years. A few miles north was another island with a mangrove sanctuary. John and I stayed on the boat as it would have been a tight fit with the five of us in the zodiac. The boys were gone for about 2 hours and they had a great time motoring in waterways. After lunch, we decided to pick up anchor and go sailing. It was glorious. We returned to SF once more as the winds were over 25 at that time. The next morning we took off early for San Evaristo. A small fishing village 30 miles to the north. The winds were in the high 20’s so we motored into the storm. We made it and headed to dinner at a small restaurant. Retired early and slept well. The best day of sailing was upon us. On Saturday we saw winds in the 30’s blowing in towards the south. We had a fantastic down wind sail back to Santos. 4 hours of 5-7 knots and effortless sailing. We ended up in a beautiful bay and more snorkeling. We played a round of Liar’s Dice and called it a night after another great meal. Sunday we were up early for one last snorkel and some hammock time in the bow. We had luch at a busy beach with lots of tourist boats. Then it was time to head home and back towards the base. Dinner was a lot of leftovers. We turned the boat in the next morning and said good by to La Paz. We had an amazing week of fun with great friends and weather! The boat exceeded our expectations. We are very happy sailors!

Stuck in Mexico

We had a marvalous week sailing the islands off La Paz in the Sea of Cortez. Our chartered cat worked well for the 5 crew. Unfortunatly, after taking our covid tests to re-enter the US, 3 of the 5 have covid. We are in a hotel in Cabo isolating for the next 5 days. We hope to depart Sunday after receiving clearance from a local doctor. The weather is nice but we really can't enjoy it.

Big Upgrade on Aquarius!

I purchased our Jeanneau 40 back in October 2017. We had issues with the anchor as the socket the remote plugs into was corroded. It always worked but the connection was very iffy. The last 8 months it did not work at all. I asked my engineer friend to give me a hand. He mentioned we should consider a Bluetooth controller. I had always joked about that with guests and today we hooked it up and voila! I am soooo happy! I have been doing the raising manually and getting my hands muddy each time is not my cup tea! Picked up the remote for $20.

Nazare Goes Huge!

2022!

I have much to be thankful for and look forward to this coming year. In January we head off for a week long charter to La Paz, MX. Boyz trip on a fine cat to the islands off La Paz. We did a side trip here on our voyage to Mexico in 2019. Incredible islands and La Paz is a very cool town. Then in April we head to the Caribbean. A week in a home in St. John's and then a week on a 60' cat with a captain and chef. That is gonna be a hoot with old friends from the bay area. Bridget is joining us. She hates sailing unless the water is 80 and a chef is cooking! Later in the year we are off to Africa on safari! We hope! Depends on the state of the pandemic. Then lots of sails aboard Aquarius here on our bay in San Francisco. Currently going out 2-3 times a week with an overnight here and there. Yesterday had a great sail to the city in 15-20 knot south winds. Very nice, just me an Hana (2 year old golden). It's going to be another year to relish and savor even given our sad state of health across the land.

Surf Pic of the Year!

Peter Mel at Maverick's in Half Moon Bay, CA. January 2021 Click the pic for a bigger view.

Reflections on the year: 2021

Started the year with some great winter sails. I love "winter". Temps 55, sunny and warm, winds 12-15. A nice break from the constant 25-30 we get from April to Late September. Our 1 year old pup, Hana is a joy on the boat. We head to the islands most days and swim to the beach for a romp in the sand. We took out Hana's siblings and our friends several times and the dogs are becoming great swimmers. One day we showed up at Clipper Cove and Hana's sister was on the beach. As soon as we got within 500 yards, Hana could smell and see her on the beach. We anchored and Hana swam to the beach and the dogs went nuts. We sailed to 3 baseball games over the summer and the Giants were on fire. Took out a bunch of friends as usual for day sails. Signed up two new partners, one in March and one in October. We have a total of 4. We had the engine looked over in late March and it took a while to get the heat exchanger installed. It all worked out and she is purring like a large lion. We had lots of sailing in 30 plus knots this summer. Took out my guy friends for a weekend of sails in June with great success and dinner aboard. Got a request from my old friend Yvonne and we took out a bunch of her friends for an afternoon sail out of Sam's. Had a great couple of days with my friend Dave and we stayed over in Sausalito for the night. Next day we were up early to bike around Angel Island. What a beautiful ride with a 360 tour of the SF Bay. We are in a rainy period as the holidays arrive. I have one more over night coming up before the New Year with Frank and Andy. I figure I was on the water about 100 days plus this year! Here's to a great 2022! Here is a video blogger I watch every now and then.

Mike Plant's Old Boat

You may know the Mike Plant story of a young man wanting to challenge the best in an around the world race called the Vendee Globe.  His original boat has been sitting in a front yard for 25 years and is now being turned into a family cruiser. They are documenting the redo on the boat for our pleasure.

 

 

A Trip Back in Time...Galapagos

We finally made it to the islands!  I had planned to sail there in 2019.  Didn't happen, voyaged to Mexico instead.   We had planned the trip with friends for 2020.  Nope, covid.  Finally made and it was a trip to savoir.  We flew from Ecuador to the islands and jumped on Evolution (an old whaling ship turned into a beautiful passenger yacht).  With 31 passengers and 20 some crew, we were off an an adventure of a lifetime.  November is a perfect time to visit.  Daytime temps rarely hit the mid 70's.  The ship was outfitted well with zodiacs ready to take us to the islands for hiking and snorkeling.  We took 8 friends with us and we were all friends of 30+ years.  We spent our days with our guides who were well versed in the flora and the fauna of this storied archipelago.   The beauty of the islands is that for most of the creatures, there are no predators so the animals are not afraid of you.  We saw many species of birds including the blue footed boobies.  The snorkeling was magnificent as we are in the middle of nowhere (about 650 miles off the coast).  Sharks, sea turtles, millions of fish,  iguanas and seals everywhere.  On our last day we headed up into the hills and visited the giant tortoises.  120 years old and 500 pounds some of them.  We spent a week on the water and visited about 5 islands.  Everyone in our group had a splendid time and we would highly recommend this group for a tour.  https://www.quasarex.com/galapagos/mv-evolution

Click any pic for a better view:

Burning Delight

 

An amazing Burning Man exhibit. If you look closely, you can see some Burners in the reflections.  My three voyages to the playa have been life enhancing!  We had an amazing set up of tents and screens to keep a good portion of the dust to a minimum.  Inside we had seating for 30 at several long tables, a kitchen, and an area to relax with couches for a comfy vibe.  The piece de la resistance was the Bioluminescent Slug, our art car!    We had a flatbed truck turned into a 2 floor disco with a kick ass DJ system.  The design was brilliant.  PVC pipe supported a fabric skin that along with the lighting and sound made this art car a head turner.  Comfortably we could accommodate 30 people on the two floors.  We had as many as forty five!  Our gift to the playa was free rides on the slug.  We also did a wedding in an outdoor chapel and drove the bridal party to a dance tent after the nuptials.  Some of the creative exhibits were mindblowing.  And some were so simple.  One guy who came thru our camp sat down with a bag of coconuts and commenced to break them open so we could drink the milk.  Another guy brought a half pound of cocaine which he shared with who ever wanted some.  No wonder the parties went all night!  The first time you enter the playa at night, your whole concept of life will change.  It is amazing to say the least.  Thank-you Burning Man and a big hug to my camp mates at High Maintenance.

Skinny Dipper Almost Sinks

 

Galapagos Adventure

Bridget and I are off the Ecuador for a week long trip to the islands of Darwin fame.   We are taking 4 other couples along for the ride.  Be looking for some pics after the 20th of this month.  Bon voyage!

Halloween is Upon Us!

 

Over the Edge - Surf Movie

Streaming everywhere!

Chasing the Dream

You get a lot of time to think when you are alone at sea on a small boat, with few distractions but the water rushing by, and the stars at night, standing on deck alone and insignificant on the wide ocean, naked, peeing into the full moon... The downhill run to Papeete is a classic one, sailing right into the southern cross, It took 8 days to sail from the Marquesas to Tahiti, and in that time I experienced every emotion in the rainbow, from sheer terror, to sadness, to un-controllable mirth. I purged every dark corner of my mind, with nowhere to run from the truth, and came away cleansed, lighter, and much much stronger.

I realise now that I have shed almost all my fears. I am not afraid of dying, and I am not afraid of being alone. Actually, my life is wonderfully streamlined when I am left to my own devises. I am not afraid of being judged. I am not afraid of what I do or don't have. My idea of success is not based on money, but rather on the ability to wake up and say "yes, let's go to the waterfall today". The idea that freedom IS the end goal, and that money is just a means to that end, and that if you are not careful to make the distinction, the chasing of money can actually take away from that freedom--the means becomes the end. By that measure, my life so far has been a smashing success, and the only thing that scares me anymore is letting this crazy, beautiful life pass me by. No matter how hard I try, I will only have a fraction of the adventures I would like to. I will only see so many sunsets, I will only hold so many beautiful women in my arms.

Saying yes becomes more urgent as we get older, yet harder and harder to say. Life thunders by, and dreams are crushed beneath the wheels of time. I find that not being afraid is a tremendous freedom in itself. I will remember to say yes, more than just 'whenever possible', for it is at these times when I am most alive.

Who said, our greatest fear is not that we are weak, but that we are powerful beyond measure?' That hits the nail on the head. I don't know where this crazy, stormy, leaky boat of a life is headed, but I sure know that its beautiful out here under these stars with dolphins chasing my stern...