Schedule Chaos

While luckily no surprises getting the bottom painted, I’ve been attempting to finalize temporary berthing in SF prior to departure. Alas, the place I thought I was going said: “Sorry, no room.” With my draft at 12.5 feet, options up there are limited. I will call around some more, but things look bleak for now.

Lack of a berth leaves me with two realistic options: leave from SoCal, or head up to SF, dip the bridge and go. Not crazy about either one. The SoCal departure would likely mean just starting and finishing at the Pt. Fermin buoy, where the Transpac starts. Geographically, this would actually add 200 miles or so to the course, half of which is typically in very light air. The “bridge dip” option is awkward as conditions favorable to getting up there are unfavorable to getting away from the Coast after departure. Perhaps I can linger at a fuel dock or anchor for a while. The departure date would be fluid and weather dependent.

Considering this as I type, I will opt for the GG Bridge Dip so now I don’t quite know when I will leave – but there is a huge weather window this Thursday for heading North, meaning I would get up there Saturday and leave this Saturday or Sunday, 2 weeks early.

Other than that, almost everything is loaded now. Just a few odds and ends left. Always more to do, risks to think through. I may have to service the winches enroute. Will keep me busy in the doldrums.

For those curious, in coming days and weeks I will be posting details about what spares and tools I’m carrying, navigation and weather tools and methods. If you have anything you would like me to cover in detail, please let me know in the comments.