Chapter 5

When Amy and Ernie got close, they let go of each others hand and when they saw us watching them, they had the good grace to look kind of sheepish.

I stood and said.

"Hi, you two. It looks like you had fun, come on board and tell us all about it."

"You are right, we did have a nice weekend. We went over to Ellensburg and sampled some of the wares available, it was too early in the season for the fruit and vegetables to be ready, they did have some that had been trucked in. We got some and visited some the specialty shops. We went on over to Spokane and stayed there for the night."

"We ate at an amazing restaurant called "The Onion" It was mostly a sports bar, they had many different kinds of beer, but their claim to fame was their amazing Onion Rings. Each ring was about 6" in diameter and 3" wide, made out of 2 or 3 ring segments still together It looked like they cored out the center of a giant Walla Walla sweet onion and fried them up in their own special batter. Plus they had their own hot spicy dipping sauce like I have never tasted before."

"Later on we walked along their beautiful river walk. The river goes through the center of the city and they have really made an effort to make it a show place. Hiking trails twist through huge boulders. There is a Kayak trail in the river too." Amy told us in a rush. Poor Ernie couldn't get a word in sideways."

Then it was Ernie's turn. "We found a really nice Victorian Bed and Breakfast north of the city a few miles. It wasn't an old house, it was just a couple of years old. It looked like the real thing,."

"Mom, are you going to tell us about your rooms?" Janey asked with a smirk on her face and a twinkle in her eye.

You could clearly see that Amy was slightly embarrassed by the bright red face that she was sporting, on her pale redhead complexion. Ernie squirmed a bit too. Both kept mum. Ernie did look at her and winked and took her hand.

"Ernie spent a lot of the time during the drive over and back telling me about cruising long distance on a sailboat."

To this point in their relationship Amy had not seen his sailboat, "Clair".

"It sounds so exciting to set out to go thousands of miles relying on just yourself and your boat and crew. I would love to go on a short cruise maybe up to Alaska or down the coast to The Sea of Cortez, Ernie has done them both. I think I would like to do it too." Amy said.

"That's interesting. I have been thinking along the same lines. We still have plenty of time to sail to Alaska while it is still warm enough to do it. You wouldn't want to wait too long. Winter comes early there. By the first of September, it starts getting real chilly. Baja, California would be a nice place to head for in early September, by the time you got down the coast very far, you would be out of the cool weather and enjoying warmer weather the further south you went."

"Which direction would you like to go on a first cruise, Dear?" Ernie said, addressing Amy.

"This is kind of sudden, but if we could do it, I would trust you to pick the correct destination for the season, either one would be fine for me. I would just like to go, the direction is not important to me. I am sure we would have fun in either way we went." Amy replied.

Now Janey and I were just sitting back watching this exchange between our two favorite people. It was clear that there had been a major shake up for both of them. I looked at Janey and took her hand and winked. She smiled back and gave my hand a squeeze.

As we listened to them, we were gradually drawn into the conversation. Discussing the pros and cons of both destinations. Being on the West Coast, our close by cruising grounds were somewhat limited by temperature. North was cooler most of the time than even Seattle, which makes sense. Since it was closing in on mid summer, our window of opportunity was rapidly getting smaller as we talked. A few days delay one way or another could make a major difference between a comfortable cruise and a cold cruise. My personal preference is warmth. I grew up in Iowa as did all my brothers. I always wondered why I was the only one left that had lived the majority of my life in that ice box during winter. I had gone through some brutal one like all Iowans. My brothers on the other hand had opted for warmer and greener pastures upon release from the military. Now after having lived here close to a year, I understood the attraction to having little or no snow.

I sat back and let them continue the discussion. When it was time to vote. I knew my choice would be the Sea of Cortez for a late summer to fall cruise, and so dear readers, that is finally what was decided by a unanimous vote. The ladies voted for warmth and sun and Ernie and I really didn't care. Now we came down to the logistics and that was going to be the sticky part, at least I thought so. I was getting tired and so I stood up and declared that I was going to bed and suggested that we finish or at least continue the discussion in the morning over breakfast and some hot coffee.

I reached for Janey's hand and asked. "Are you coming, Dear?" She stood and followed me down the companion way.

"Good night Amy, Good night Ernie, see you in the morning."

"Good night," they responded.

When I got into the cabin Janey closed the door and said. "Not yet I'm not." I gave her a quizzical look. "What?"

"I'm not cumming yet, but I intend to, Ha Ha." She laughed. I finally got the joke. I was just a little slow on the uptake there. In a short while we were in bed. To sleep? To Dream? Not a chance, at least not for a while.

Logistics ... Decisions, decisions, decisions...

Over the next couple of weeks all the decisions got made and all the solutions were implemented.

It was decided that we would head for the Sea of Cortez and spend the winter down there; all of us together on The Surprise.

Ernie had to go home and have Clair pulled out and prepared for storage on the hard. She needed some minor hull maintenance and that would be done first and then the entire boat would be winterized and kept in a secure storage lot till our return in the spring.

Janey and Amy were put in charge of stores. It was up to them to make sure we had enough food of the right kinds to sustain us for four to five months.

Ernie and I were responsible for making sure all ships systems were checked and double-checked and replaced if they were found wanting. The standing rigging was lowered down by crane and put on saw horses so we could get an up close and personal look at all the connections, sheaves, and shrouds. Parts of the wiring harness were showing some wear, so we pulled it and fished new cables back through the mast. We added additional spreader lights and down-pointing deck lights. We also added strobe lights on the mast and spreader arms. These could be switched on independently, either in white or red as the need arose. We replace all the bulbs in the cabin and the running lights.

All the lines were inspected for wear and replaced as we thought it was prudent to start with all new lines. The rear jib stay's roller furler was the oldest and so we changed it too.

Departure...

Finally about mid week of the last week of October, all was ready for departure. Sam and Jim were invited down for a per-departure BBQ. No outdoor grilling was allowed in the Marina, so we sailed out into the middle of Commencement Bay, heaved to and had our picnic.

The ladies had done a remarkable job of purchasing, labeling and storing all the stores that we would need. They had made a storage log book, so any needed item could be cross referenced and located with a minimum of fuss. We dipped into the stores for this first official meal on our boat. We were going to depart the next morning with the rising of the Sun.

We all had a little bit much to drink and we were back in the slip early where Jim and Sam bid us fair winds and smooth seas before they left.

Early the next morning, Ernie and I were on deck getting ready to get under way. While we were topside, Janey was up making coffee and some toast. She had it ready when we were ready to cast off. Before we did so, I asked all to assemble in the Pilot House and took my camera and mounted it on small tripod, activated the automatic shutter and we snapped one picture for the Cruise Log Book. We made the first entry in the Sailing Log.

06:15 "Departed Tacoma Marina bound for Mexico." We were on our way...

We planned for an uninterrupted transit down the West Coast of America. We rounded the Cape Flattery Rocks and headed offshore. We stood well off the coast to give us room for maneuvering. Our first day was memorable sailing; the weather was cool, the wind was directly on the beam. We sailed for hours on a beam reach. The Surprise seemed to like that kind of sailing. She rode through shallow swells and some bigger waves with ease. By nightfall, we had all recovered our sea legs and were tired from the first day out.

Ernie elected to take the first watch and Amy stayed up to sit with him. She came to wake me for my watch, and Janey came up with me. At this rate, no one was going to get a full nights sleep. Oh' well, the newness would soon wear off, we would all be tired tomorrow.

We took a position in the morning. In the past 24 hours we had made right at 120 nautical miles. If we averaged 100 miles a day, it would take up approximately 25 days or so to make the trip. That is if conditions continued to be ideal as they were the first 2 days. Of course, sailing is a mode of transportation that cannot rely on conditions remaining static. The sea is very unpredictable. We were going to stand off shore a good 100 to 200 miles just to give us room in case we ran into rough weather and were pushed toward the shore to our East.

The days passed one after another; we settled into a comfortable routine. Janey and I were on watch together most of the time. We then were relieved by Amy and Ernie. We would each take our turn at the helm and the instruments. The other would then generally nap on the locker settee that I had installed in the pilothouse, or fix food or drinks while the boat kept going. We talked constantly about our feelings and desires, we told each other most of our deep dark secrets that many couples never discuss. Our relationship and love deepened the further south we went.

Ten days out, we hit our first real storm. The winds started picking up they were blowing 35-50 knots. We were running with all sails down and just a storm jib for directional stability. Ernie deployed a drogue chute off the stern to slow our progress and drift across the surface. The storm jib kept us pointed into the wind. Luckily the seas were coming directly at us from the West. We took them with the bow and The Surprise rode up and over the waves as they came on one after the other. All of a sudden the jib fore stay and the roller furler were carried away by the wind. A fitting had parted at the base plate on the bow and the jib and fore stay with the roller furler were snapping about like a bull whip, still attached to the mast head. Luckily it had wrapped itself around the rear fore stay roller furler and thus became less of a hazard. Ernie went forward with a boat hook and managed to snag the fore stay and get it under control without doing damage to himself or the boat. It was tense there for a while. Being out on a rolling pitching deck in these kind of conditions was never good.

After about 8 hours of being tossed like a leaf in a storm drain, the wind started to slow down. We all heaved a collective sigh of relief. We had all been on deck in the pilothouse during the storm. No one had even tried to rest. Once The Surprise was back on course and headed south again. Ernie and I went forward to inspect the damage. It turned out to be a simple fix. The horseshoe clevis on the end of the fore stay is under spring tension from the metal itself. You have to depress the legs of the clevis and insert the clevis pin into the opposite side and give it a half turn and it locks into a slot. Evidently the small pin had corroded off and the clevis pin had backed itself out with all the shaking of the storm. We made the repairs and were back in the Pilot House in an hour. No other damage was apparent and we pulled the canvas out and set sail on down the coast like we meant it.

The really interesting part about the whole storm incident was that no one panicked or became frightened. The ladies and I were now hardened veterans of our first Pacific Storm.

Compared to the storm, the balance of the trip was uneventful. Days of long quiet sailing. Time to read, time to hold each other. Time to be quiet and alone if you wanted too. Janey and I spent a lot of time together in the cabin learning about each other physically. We had hours of love making with no interruptions. It was so soothing. After a while most of the walls came down, you know the ones that we all have that keep others at a safe distance. It is truly exhilarating to let your guard down and be completely accepted. I had never known that feeling.

Cabo...

We rounded the southern end of Baja California and headed for Cabo. We had made arrangements in advance for a slip for a month as least, perhaps longer. It would be a good place to range out from. We would use is as a base of operations for the month and then move north to explore further up the Sea of Cortez. There were already a lot of sailboats there from up north. Quite a few made it their permanent home. Most were Norte Americanos. We fit right in and were welcomed. Since we were the new kids on the block, We were feted and wined and dined in fine style. Once we had met our nearest neighbors and gotten comfortable, we reciprocated by inviting them to feast on Amy's good old fashioned American cuisine. She was a dynamite cook.

Diving The Sea of Cortez...

We spent a couple of weeks just getting rested up from the trip down. We were exploring the town and the surrounding country side. Janey and I took off one day to go for a walk up in the hills and be alone.

"Mike, what would you like to do next?" she asked me.

"I would like to sail north and find some shallower parts closer to shore and do some snorkeling and may be some diving."

One of the things that Ernie and I had both agreed that was absolutely necessary to have on the Surprise was a complete set of dive gear for at least 4 divers and to also have our own dive compressor. It had been one of the first things we had installed when we decided to go south for winter. Ernie had been in Marine Recon, and had learned to dive through the Corps. Over the years, he had become a Master Diver and I had learned prior to going on a trip to Cancun with my now Ex-wife that I had won as a sales promotion. I didn't have anywhere near the experience that Ernie had. We just did it, because we wanted to and never bothered to discuss it with Janey or Amy. It was just some extra gear.

"Do you know how to dive. Janey?" I asked her.

"No, I can barely swim. I never had time to take lessons and Mom and Dad were into camping, but not into swimming. We would go to lakes in Missouri and only wade along the edge or in the creeks. Is it hard to learn to swim?"

"No, probably be a little challenging at your advanced age. Ha Ha!!" With that she punched me and sat down on my lap and proceeded to tickle me.

"You will teach me to swim, won't you?" she asked.

"No, that would probably be better if Ernie taught you. Do you think Amy would like to learn too?" I asked.

"Where would we go to learn?"

"We could go north till we found a quite cove along the coast, anchor out a ways and take the dinghy in and you could start your lessons in the shallows off the beach, how would that be?"

"I'm willing to try, no guarantees though."

"I am certain, that you won't have any problems. He has already taught you to sail."

We went for a walk around the marina and stopped to chat with anyone who happened to be up on deck on their boat. As we walked, we happened to stop and look at a beautiful navy blue Island Packet Cutter. It was gorgeous. As we stood there looking at it, the owners came up from below deck.

"Can I help you?" the man asked.

We walked down the side finger dock to his safety line gate and I said. "Hi, my name is Mike and this is Janey. We were just admiring your beautiful boat."

"Oh, no worries, Mate. Come aboard if you've a mind to. This is me wife Alice and I'm Ted. Where are you folks from?" he asked.

"We are from Washington State," was my reply. "We just got in a few days ago."

"Well, don't just stand there come on aboard; the suns below the yard arm somewhere, let's have a drink."

I stepped over the coaming and into the cockpit and turned to help Janey over. Alice stepped forward and took her hand from me.

"Come on Dear, let's leave these two up here and you and I can go down below and make some drinks and get acquainted. I'm Alice." And with that they disappeared down below.

"Well, how are you Mike, we saw you come in the other day. That is sure a beautiful boat you have. What is it?"

I told him and we sat and started to visit. Ted and Alice were from Cape Town, South Africa. They were on a two to three year around-the-world cruise and were only a quarter of the way done. They wanted to see America and had just come from spending the previous winter in the Florida Keys and had come down through the Panama Canal and were working their way up the west coast. They were going to winter here in Cabo and then move on to the States early in the spring and see some distant family and then head around the northern route of the Pacific Rim and back down through the South Sea Islands and then home after they made a stop in Australia. They were loosely following the route of Joshua Slocum, the man who is credited with the first single handed circumnavigation of the globe.

"We really are not following too close to his route; just going in the same general direction. He went down through the Straits of Magellan. We decided to skip that route and take a shortcut through the Panama Canal. We are taking our time. We initially thought two years would do it, but it is beginning to look like possibly three or more. We don't really care, all the kids are raised and on their own and if they want to see us, they fly to wherever we are at the time."

"So Mike, what are you guys up to?"

"Well, Ted, there are four of us and we decided to get out of the dripping wet of the Pacific Northwest. Ernie, a friend of mine from my Marine Corps days, and Amy, Janey's mother, are the other pair. Ernie has his own boat and left it in Port Townsend. He is a much more experienced sailor than I am. He has made several cruises to the South Seas. I am a little above a novice but not by much. Janey and Amy are complete newbies and are acting as both working crew and decorative ballast." I laughed.