After frantically packing most of the day Tuesday, Dad drove us down to Discovery Bay on Wednesday where Mandolin has been waiting for 9 months. Discovery Bay this time of year is hot. We were sweating bullets while loading all our gear back on the boat, cleaning several months worth of dust (and bird droppings) off the decks, and accidentally spraying each other with the hose. Sal and Julie invited us up for dinner. These are the wonderful people who kept an eye on Mandolin while she was moored at their private dock. We even learned a few new words of Spanish from Rosa, their nanny. The evening didn't cool down much, but there was a breeze so we rigged up the windscoop. This scoop-shaped piece of spinnaker cloth funnels the breeze down the hatch above our bunk and is probably the only reason we got any sleep that night.
Our first mishap of the trip occurred as I (Todd) was steering. I heard a crunch and the tiller became very loose. It was still attached to the rudder, but had split lengthwise where the bolts attach. After reducing power we tied a line around the tiller to give it enough strength to make it the rest of the way to Benicia. While we don't like having things break aboard we were glad it happened on flat water in the middle of a sunny day with both of us awake. It could have been much worse out on the ocean while under sail. Looks like we have tomorrow's project all lined up.
We were amazed at the poor air quality. When came to the Delta last December, we could see the snow on the Sierras some 200 miles away. Today we could just barely make out Mount Diablo that was a mere 10 miles away. Could explain the scratchy throat I had all evening. Benicia was still pretty warm, so we all decided to go out for dinner. Kate and Mark steered us toward a small Mexican restaurant with good food. Afterwards, we headed down to the farmers market where little Elliot got to go on a pony ride. I kept myself amused at the petting zoo. I was especially fascinated with the Emu. This is an odd looking bird from the South Pacific that grows to five feet tall. This one only stood about two feet tall, but you could tell it had some growing to do if it was going to fit into those large feet.
After some ice cream at Mark and Kate's house, we headed back down to the boat for a good night's sleep.
The rest of today is taken up with shopping, laundry, and a stop at the bank. This was all made much easier since Mark and Kate let us borrow their car and washing machine while they're out of town for the weekend. Thanks you two!
We should be headed down towards the San Francisco Bay tomorrow about 1500 (3pm) for a favorable current. Ellen and I have commented on how great it is to be back aboard Mandolin after being land based for a while -- even if the boat is a mess while we organize our Prized Possessions (aka Worldly Goods aka "that sure looks like a lot of Junk" -- Max) which ought to fit on board somehow! We'll see. We're having a great time remembering how we do things aboard our sailing home.
Todd and Ellen Mandeville
S/V "Mandolin"
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