Day 512 & 513 What a difference a few miles make!

The wharf at Avila Beach.  We tied our dingy up under it and walked up the stairs to the deck.
Looking toward the beach from the wharf.
Other boats anchored  in the harbor at Port San Luis(just to the west of Avila Beach.
The south point of Avila Beach.
The south end of the beach.  The surf rolls in and there are kids out with their boogy boards.
Looking back out at the anchorage from the beach.
Lots of swimmers and sun bathers.
Finally Point Conception is getting passed!!  That's the light house on the cliffs.

We took off for Santa Barbara on Thursday late morning.  We finally upped the anchor about 1030 and took off following Nereid as we headed east.  Yes, that's right--East!!!  We will start heading south in a while but for now, we were heading east to  Santa Barbara.

Being south of Point Conception, everything has changed.  Suddenly the winds are calmer and the seas are flatter.  The forecast for the future is for winds of about 6 to 10 knots and sea swells of 2 to 3 feet--not meters every 18 seconds instead of every 8 seconds.  It's almost flat out there.  I don't know what or why it happens once you get south of Point Conception, but it does.  We had to motor all the way to Santa Barbara since there was just about no wind.  We were surprised how much oil we saw just floating along in the water.  We remembered seeing it over 20 years ago as we played in the water while we drove up the shore along Highway 1.   The temperature was down right balmy--shorts were the order of the day.  No longer in three layers of clothes.  We're free!!!  

We dropped anchor to the right side of the Stearns Wharf (34 24.569N  119 40.618W just after 1700 in choppy swells.   The harbor is divided into sections.  To the west is the marina(Nereid spent the night there).  Then comes Stearn's Wharf jutting out into the bay.  Next, 300 feet of "free" space.  No one is allowed to anchor there.  To the east of that is fair game.  Anchor where ever you want and lots of boats do.  It's free and unregulated.  Most of the boats look like they have been here for years with no one ever coming on board to check them.  One has even lost his mast over the side.  It is just dangling in the water with the boom still attached!  To the east of that are boats on moorings and that finishes out the harbor.  The marina is loaded with hundreds of boats both commercial as well as pleasure craft(sail and power).

Thursday night was pure madness.  Once the winds dropped, the swells took over the harbor and we rocked and rolled all night long.  We finally changed position in bed and slept 90 degrees off from what we normally do so we didn't get thrown around.  Our heads were at the stern instead of the starboard side.  Our feet dangled over the edge of the mattress, but at least we got some(though not much) sleep.

Today, we rented another car from Enterprise and with George and Celeste from Nereid, we took off on another mini economic stimulus for Santa Barbara.  West Marine--replacement parts and supplies.  Petco-- the kids need some food.  Costco--of course and the Home Depot for some "Cable Cuffs".  These are like large(comes in three sizes) zip ties except that they are made of plastic and can be reused.   Neat gadget to have on board for long electric cords or hoses that need tying.  We will be hitting the grocery store tomorrow before returning the car.

Our next stop is the Channel Island.  Santa Cruz in particular.  We found out Thursday that a permit is needed to land and walk through the Nature Conservancy District.  I filled in the application form but was advised that it takes up to ten days to get the permit.  The Nature Conservancy District controls about 70% of the island so we may be limited to that area until the permit arrives.  I told them to email it to us since we don't have a convenient mailing address.  If we have to stay on board, that's no problem either.  It will be nice to just stop for a while and recoup.  I still need to change the oil before we set out.

Another problem has resurfaced.  The "new" transmission has started leaking fluid again as it did a few weeks ago.  This is the "new" transmission that Sea Marine re-installed after ripping it out and sending it back to the factory to have it rebuild back in March.  Remember the propeller shaft would never stop turning episode in our journey?.  The pads I put under it are now pink with the transmission fluid.  I haven't figured out exactly where it is coming from but the hoses don't appear to be leaking.  The only thing we can guess is that the forward seal where it goes into the engine has a leak and is throwing fluid into the bell housing(where the transmission goes into the engine) and it is leaking out around the joints onto the floor of the engine compartment.  I started calling Great Lakes Power who build the unit on Monday and finally got a call back today.  They gave me a name of a company out side of Los Angeles that can come to Zephyr and report back to them as to exactly what the problem is.  Tomorrow, I will be putting new pads under the transmission and looking in as the engine runs to see if I can see any fluid spraying out of any of the fittings.  So far, I have not.  With luck, they will stand behind their product and we won't be out more thousands of dollars getting it fixed again.  I'll be back in touch with them next week to let them know our schedule as to where and when we will be there.  I assured them that I check the fluid before I ever start the engine and top it off as necessary.  I don't want it burning out on us.

So far, the weather has been great since we rounded Point Conception with temps in the low 80's for a change.  We are finally in southern California.  We're less than 150 miles from San Diego!

I checked with the company that insures Zephyr and they won't cover us once we get down into Mexico so I will be looking for another company.  If anyone has any suggestions, we'd love to hear them.

We had a question posted on the "comments" section a day or two ago.  As to exercise while we are out.   While out sailing, we are moving around quite a bit and get exercise pulling on lines and adjusting hardware and fittings.  We get more exercise when we are on shore walking, walking, walking to see the sights.  No we don't have a regular exercise program though we do have those rubbery exercise resistance bands to use if we wanted to.  As to our age--both Tracy and I are middle aged.  That is to say we are in our late 50's.  Age is after all a state of mind.   If you have any other questions you would like answers to, just post them in the "comments" section and I'll get back with you. 

If we get all our projects done, we may be off for the islands tomorrow though Sunday seems more likely.  Remember, if you click on the pictures, they get bigger and easier to see.

More to come!