Though we were only briefly in Ventura and Marina del Rey, we were overwhelmed by the gracious, generous hospitality we received from everyone we met along the way. We arrived in the West Ventura Marina mid-afternoon on Monday. There were plenty of spaces available, and within minutes our neighbors complimented Dominic on his helmsmanship and Helios on her sporty new canvas work. This marina also had the most luxurious facilities we've enjoyed; the women's clubhouse had an anteroom with full-size, illuminated mirrors adorning three walls and ten shower stalls, each looking brand new and foot fungus free.

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We left Morro Bay at sunset on Thursday for the 15 hour sail through Point Conception to Santa Barbara. I felt a little trepidation heading out as Point Conception is known to be the windiest point the California shores and is often heralded as the Cape Horn of the West Coast. Thankfully, our spectacularly clear sunset was followed by a calm, peaceful night sail, and our greatest excitement was the night sky. I'm happy to report, especially after our Monterey to San Simeon passage, that Point Conception was graciously anticlimactic.

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After spending an easeful Tuesday at anchor in San Simeon, we left at 8:30 am on Wednesday for Morro Bay. My dad was at the helm and Dominic worked the windlass as we departed under crisp and sunny skies. 

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Tuesday morning, we departed Monterey at 1:20 am, and sailed 93.1 nautical miles over 14 hours to arrive in San Simeon at 3:50 pm. It was extreme, wearing, an exciting.We woke to early morning starry skies and had an easy departure from Monterey, as a chorus of reeking sea lions thick on the breakwater sent us off. We motored carefully around Point Pinos and out to three miles off shore. As we went, the wind built from the north west. We added the staysail to the double-reefed main, and Dominic rigged a preventer to the boom. The wind built as we sailed father south. By about 3 am, the wind was 25-30 knots apparent, with a steady six or seven knot boat speed.

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Saturday began with clear skies, plenty of sunshine, and a leisurely breakfast as we were docked in the Santa Cruz marina and had only a three hour motor ahead (we'd been underway for about six hours at a time the previous two days). Spirits were high. Our good friends Jen and Kevin Holz stopped by Friday night; they're expecting their first child, and we're heading out on our big adventure, so celebratory beverages were enjoyed in good cheer. We were freshly showered, well fed and the anticipation of sailing with more dolphin was very exciting in and of itself.

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Another dreamy day! We woke to a soft blanket of fog with a promising swath of sunshine on the southern horizon. We didn't have the winds we had yesterday, so we motored for about seven hours between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz. Conditions were comfortable and increasingly sunny throughout the day, providing excellent views of the California coast. The highlight was definitely the wild life we saw. Flurries of birds kept us entertained throughout the day, and as the clouds broke we spotted four whale spouts off the starboard bow. We didn't get close enough for a solid identification, but we saw some finning, some spinning, and a few tail fin silhouettes. We also crossed paths with a few hundred dolphin. It happened over the course of just a few minutes as Helios and the dolphin were headed opposite directions, but the boat was completely surrounded and a few stayed to play in our wake. We had a peaceful sunset docking in the Santa Cruz harbor, and are currently waiting for the pork tenderloin with roasted apples to come out of the oven. 

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Big day today! After six weeks of non-stop boat work, we finally departed from Alameda Marina Village for good. We crossed under the Golden Gate at 9:30 am and had better conditions than we had dared hope for: partly cloudy to clearing skies, calm seas, and wind to sail an easy beam reach to Half Moon Bay.

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Thought I'd share some of the crafting I've been finishing as we begin our final preparations for departure (a departure which, after six straight months of crafting, I'm feeling beyond ready for). Above is our newly completed mainsail cover! It has been the most challenging sewing project thus far. I made it from the Sailrite pattern, but managed to misjudge the depth of our sail and cut the the smaller pattern when the larger was really needed. Rest assured that the fault for this blunder lies entirely with inadequate measuring instructions. Even so, I may never forget the brutality of the moment when, after days of sewing sixteen foot seams in my ten foot cabin, the circumference of the material did not wrap entirely around the boom. The lesson from this experience being an adage that my dad wore proudly on a t-shirt throughout my childhood—measure twice, cut once.

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We had a fantastic first night at anchor in Richardson's Bay. The excuse for the adventure was to test some of Dominic's recent installations, but the highlight was definitely the spectacular sunset we enjoyed. Not such a bad view from the back porch!

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Dominic and I are stoked to be at the point where we are planning for our actual departure. We began seriously boat shopping and preparing for this trip in 2012, so we eagerly anticipate the moment when we stow the dock lines, head out the Golden Gate, and turn left.

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Chances are you've heard, but it has been a little rainy here in the Bay Area these last few days. The high winds coincided with Dominic's plans to install the solar panels on top of the bimini. We figured the storm force winds would be a fine opportunity to check the security of our mount.

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It's a special day in any girl's life when she buys her first outboard motor. I had my opportunity a few weeks ago while Dominic was making his final trip to China. Dominic had an idea of the style we needed (manual ignition, four stroke, short shaft, powerful enough to get over surf, light enough to get on and off the boat) and sent a few vendors my way. I did the comparison shopping and made a few attempts at negotiation. Then, during one of the first major down pours this winter, I drove up to San Rafael to pick up the newest motor in the growing Dolci flotilla.

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Let's talk about sails. When moving upwind, sails act like airplane wings generating lift to propel the boat forward. Downwind they act more like kites pulling the boat through the sea. Sails are pieces of fabric stitched together since the beginning of recorded history so humans could explore, trade, conquer and birth civilizations. Sails are highly complex, continuously changing, and a really personal choice every sailor has to make to fit the needs of their journey. Sails are a lot to talk about!

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We ended up getting really lucky with the picture for our business cards: while out sailing last Sunday, a good samaritan took this picture from a ferry as Helios cruised west of Angel Island heading south. He then got ahold of Dominic through Cruiser's Forum and sent the picture along. Many thanks to our new friend, Steven Zawalick!

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Our Sunday sail this weekend rocked on a few different levels and requires multiple posts  to really do it justice. Given the holiday this week, I thought I'd begin with an act of gratitude. Dominic and I have received an incredible amount of support from our family and friends as we've been planning our adventure, without which we probably wouldn't be going anywhere soon.

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The areas that are starred on these two images are the typical highlights of the Milk Run, and we'd be ecstatic to see as many as possible...

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If I had to pick two words to describe our sail this weekend they would be rigorous and friendtastic. Rigorous because of the weather—we were cruising the tail winds of the warm front that brought the Bay some much needed rain on Friday.

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Dominic and I are enjoying being at the point in our projects where Helios is ready for a day sail anytime.  This weekend, despite a drizzly Saturday, Sunday was crystal clear.

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On Sunday, Dominic and I had two of our favorite people on board Helios, our good friends Bob and Vanessa.

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Fleet Week always feels a bit like the Fourth of July, like summer has come back to make the middle of October shine. It has the same red, white and blue patriotic fervor, the same stickiness of sun block and picnic lunches, there are are enough boats for a parade, and all is followed by front row seats to a pretty incredible air show.

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