The Delta Has NOT Been Kind to Us

We cruised up to Stockton Fri. and up the Calaveras river, 1/2 the width of the Multnomah channel by Coon Island and about 6' deep in spots. I just can't get used to the shallow water in the delta.
We tied up at Stockton Yacht Club, very nice grounds and clubhouse, met a couple of members, walked about 1 1/2 miles to Safeway and back, the club was mostly deserted over the weekend, figured most people were home getting ready for the big holiday next weekend.
LaVon's exbrother inlaw came up from Clovis with his wife and two daughters to see us on Sun, had a nice visit and they took us out to lunch,before they left.
Sat. was a record for temp in Stockton 108, we had 113 Fri and 115 Sat at the boat. I had to mount a fan behind the refrigerator to keep the temp down to 40 in the fridge.
I was going to dive on the boat but the caretaker said that he wouldn't dive in the Calaveras if you have an open cut so I'll wait until we get back to Pittsburg.
We left Mon. and headed down river looking for an anchorage the wind picked up so we pulled behind an Island in a narrow channel (these islands are sandbars 1 to 2 feet underwater with tule weeds growing out of them) not much protection when the boat is 20' high, as we dropped our stern anchor and tried to turn into the wind to drop our bow anchor the wind picked up to 20 to 25 kts and kept blowing us towards the leevie (ROCKS). Now we are pulling sideways on our anchors and we have blown near the leevie and we can not hand pull on the stern anchor and the chain on the bow anchor wants to roll off of the front roller if we try to pull it in so I try to manuver the boat back and forth so LaVon can pull the anchors in and the wind blowes us so hard that the stern chock (the guide for the rope) rips out of the toe rail, bolts and all, it flies out to never never land never to be seen again and rips the rear canvas at the opening for the rope as well as stripping the braided cover off of about two feet of the anchor line right smack dab in the middle of a 150' line. Now it's a panic to get the anchors up and get out of there.
When we left we had 25 to 28kt winds so we decided to head back down to Pittsburg and a dock. As we neared Antioch we had steady 28 to 35kt winds and up to 39kt gusts, we were heeled over 10 to 15 degrees like a sailbote.
We pulled into Pittsburg with 15 to 20kt wind and it dies down in the boat basin so we can dock OK. Mon we relaxed and assesed the damage, not too bad. Tues. I glued and screwed the toe rail bought a dowel and glued it in the old screw holes, Wed. I'll sand and refinish the varnish, then when we get to Alameda We'll but a new chock, I dove on the boat and found a bunch of tule weeds wrapped around the shaft at the prop so I pulled them off, starboard side was OK.
We will be staying at Pittsburg thru the 4th then we will head back to the S.F. Bay area.
We are at the same Lat and Lon as before when we were at Pittsburg, you won't see us on google earth unless the sattilite goes over when we are here but you can see the location.
Thanks to all that leave comments.
Irv & LaVon

$?%# HAPPENS

Well we left Pittsburg YC and went to a recommended anchorage at Potato Slough, all flat lands and the wind blows, we anchored and the second day the wind let up and it was very nice Tues and Wed until noon, the wind came up with a vengeance, we were going to leave but we decided to stay put with the wind, WWeeelll God has other plans, with 20+ knot winds our anchor drug and our stern wound up in the toolie weeds, couldn't hook the anchor trying to pull it in so I had to start the engines and try to move away from the weeds the wind kept pushing us to shallow water as I tried to turn and back out to the channel we stirred a LOT of mud and when we got away we had a bad vibration on the port side. After getting out of the slough and back into the main river channel the vibration was not as bad so I hope it is weeds wrapped on the shaft and/or prop and not a damaged prop.
I guess I'll get to try out my hookah diving gear when we get to Stockton!
We went up river about 1/2 way to Stockton and found a partially protected anchorage so we will stay until Fri.
We are at 38.00.230N 121.26.671W

Still in Pittsburg

For those of you that use google or google earth we are at 38.02.266'N and 121.53.012'W in the boat basin at Pittsburg.
We were going to head out on Wed. and members of the Yacht Club wanted us to stay for their Wed. nite pot luck dinner. What can I say about the hospitality we have recieved here, it's great!
Ralph Tocci of Tocci Yachts loaned us his car to run to the store now they want us to stay for the Thurs. nite cruise in downtown and dancing at the Liberty Hotel, oh yes and there is the Clubs Fri. nite dinner and Sat. farmers market in town. So plans have changed and we might leave here Sun. If we don't leave pretty soon I figure they will have to bill me for monthly dues!
There is not a lot to do in old downtown Pittsburg but they do have a great museum about the history of this area a nice park and some interesting old buildings.
We'll check in next week when we move on.
Irv & LaVon

SUNSHINE

Sorry I havent written sooner, thanks to everyone that have posted comments it's great to hear from you.
Well we left Bodega Bay and cruised down to Drakes Bay behind Reyes Point, much better protected than Bodega Bay, stayed 2 days then picked the tide and current to cross the potato patch and into the San Francisco Bay, LaVon says the "Golden Arches maybe Gold but the Golden Gate Bridge is RED!!"
Went into Sausalito, stopped to see the broker that we used when we bought this boat, not much in Sausalito, marina was $1 a foot so we called SF Yacht Club to use our recipriocal---$1 a ft with a recipriocal, no thanks so we cruised up to Vallejo YC, really nice people. Vallejo is "recipriocal," you pay what your club charges.
We signed up to stay 2 days got lots of information about cruising the Delta, walked downtown and did the foo foo shops, when we returned the boat smelled, checked it out and I had a battery overcharging because of a dead cell, had lots of offers to haul us around to get a battery, found one but it would be Mon. before we could get it, another member ran us up to the local chandlery to pick up a chart of the Delta up to Sacramento, we stayed Sat. for their dinner and met some visiting members from Loch Lomond YC and got an invitation to stop at their club on the way back. Went over to the city marina to get fuel, cheapest in the area, $2.499 with a Boat US discount, 400gal for 99.8 HRS of running = 4 gal per HR
I can't say enough about the hospitality at Vallejo YC!
We had our battery delivered Mon. AM and headed up river, should have waited another hour or two, they have real currents here in the river, we had a 3knt current against us for the next 5 HRS. We did pull into Suisun Bay and cruise around the Pacific Mothballed Fleet, then on up to Pittsburg YC, wind waves and small swells all of the way. I was hoping we would get out of some of the 10kt to 15kt winds, no such luck, my first clue was the miles and miles of wind powered generators along the north shore and inland---but we did find sunshine!
I'll try to write more often.
Irv & LaVon

Exciting Times

6/5/09 last night in Eureka, one liveaboard took us to Costco on 6/4/09 and when we got back to the boat we walked downtown went to the local musuem cruised the local bookstores, neat Victorian town.
Fri. evening the couple that took us to Costco stopped by to say goodbye then later another couple stopped by, while they were on our boat an altercation between two other livaboards happened on the boat behind us and the police had to be called, Exciting Times!!!!
6/6/09 left 6AM for Shelter Cove uneventful trip except for the Coast Guard pulling along side off of Punta Gorda and asking us to slow down, they wanted to know where we came from and what our destination is, if we had life jackets on board then they zoomed off, 3' swells 5 to 10kt winds. low clouds 55 degrees 8HRs later dropped anchor about 2PM, went to call the kids and LaVon's friend to let them know we arrived so they won't call the Coast Guard to send out a search party, guess what---no cell service!!! What now?
I called the Coast Guard and Noyo River answered, I ask if they could make a call to our family so that they would not report us missing and cause an unnessary search, I was told that the Coast Guard does not respond to personal request's. As I was thinking over my options Humbolt Bay Coast Guard station responded and said they will make the call, whew at least somebody has some smarts.
Left Shelter Cove at 3AM as in 0-dark thirty, headed out on another 15HR run (not many places to stop in Southren Oregon and Northren Calif.) had a good trip saw light houses and whales, same weather 3' swells and 5to 10kt winds low clouds 55 degrees untill south of Cape Arena, winds picked up and swells ran 4 to 5' untill just North of Bodega Bay then it settled back down.
Pulled into Bodega Bay and anchored about 6PM, going to rest and stay two days, Tues looks good to go 25 miles to Point Reyes and Wed. looks best for weather and current to go in SF Bay to Sausalito.
Will write more when something exciting happens, like maybe sunshine!
Irv & LaVon

We met several people that were going north, called a friend of LaVon's and they stopped by, took us to lunch and shopping. When we returned to the marina a 75' Nordhaven hull #1 pulled in for fuel, looks like a huge sportfisher instead of a trawler, oh well I guess you build what the market buys.
Well we left Newport Sun. about 7AM and ran south to Coos Bay dodging crab pots all of the way, about 11 1/2 HRS. uneventful crossing of the bar and ran upriver to the City docks, farther than I remembered, about 7 to 8 miles.
Called my cousin and he and his wife stopped by Sun. evening and came back and took us to lunch Mon. another free meal, this is great! Just kidding, I thank both couples for lunch it was very gracious of them.
We left Coos Bay 6AM to make the long run to Cresent City CA. not too many crab pots, several net dragers out on the ocean, lots of crab pots and prawn pots coming into Cresent City and it was at sunset 15 1/2 HRS. What a hole, 1/3 of their docks are missing, 20 amp electrical, whats there is not in good shape, they told us that they lost everything in the '64 tidal wave and then lost the new docks 3 YRS ago in a storm.
We left the next morning at 10AM and headed to Eureka in 1/4 Mi. visibility(been in fog, low clouds and 55 degree weather since we left) no crab pots going south but we did see whales.
Pulled into our slip up river at Eureka at 6PM, had help tieing up and 3 couples came by to greet us, got offers for cocktails for Thur. eve and offers for running us around town if we need any thing. Very friendly people and helpful marina staff, the marina has a man walk the docks every AM with a brush and scrubs off seagull droppings, free showers, I would recomend this stop to anyone. We will spend 2 to 3 days here after our two long days running (12 and 15 HR days).
Had a little rain last night and it's forcast to have scattered showers today and mid to hi 50's the rest of the week, no sun,---HA-HA everyone back home is suffering with 80 to 90 degrees, don't be too enveious of our 55 degrees and FOG!!!!!!!
Sat. we should leave for Shelter Cove and anchor for the night and then another long run of about 15 HRS Sun. to Bodega Bay. We'll wright more when we get there.
Irv & LaVon