We are zooming backwards in time again with this post. We are going to make a concerted effort to get the blog stories caught up to real time before we leave for our road trip on April 24th. So we have a lot of writing to do in a short time! Check back often as there will be updates over the next month.

Sunday, October 5th Kosmos is docked in San Diego Bay. Yesterday, we decided to take her over to Mariner’s Cove anchorage in Mission Bay, the next bay north, and spend the night. It is about a 15 nautical mile trip. Before we left for our around the world journey, we went to this anchorage several times on our practice runs. It is one of our favorite spots in the local area because it is very sheltered, and thus calm and flat. It is off one of the more popular beaches in the area, so it is by no means an isolated paradise. But, you can also go to shore where there are a plethora of shops, restaurants, bars and even a roller coaster all within walking distance.

Since we haven’t taken her out in several weeks, it took quite a while to get Kosmos ready to go. Christi was in a great mood as she got the boat ready to go to sea. Eric was not in as good a mood, carrying work stress home with him, but Christi knew that once we dropped the anchor he would relax and forget about work. We both love anchoring out and have been sad that we haven’t had a chance to do so until now.

We pulled out of the marina at about 1300. The ride over was pleasant. We were pleased to see that the active fin stabilizers were working great, although it was calm enough that we really didn’t need them.

Our first task was to give the tanks a good wash out once we got the full three miles from shore. We have had an unpleasant smell coming from the vent loop for the black water tank that we couldn’t seem to get rid of. We decided to try a new solution. We emptied the tank, then flushed 8 times, with a healthy dose of vinegar in each flush. We let it rock around for a while, then emptied the tank, knowing the vinegary water would help the smell in the vent loops. Then we again flushed 8 times, this time putting a healthy dose of a product we use called Kills Odors into the water with each flush. Kills Odors actually has bacteria in it that breaks down solids, thus eliminating the smell. Again we let it rock around in the tank for a while and then emptied it, hoping that some KO is left in the vent loop to permanently eliminate whatever was causing the odor.

We entered the channel into to Mission Bay at around 1530. Eric commented to Christi about how the breakwater at the entrance was in disrepair, and that big waves would often build up at the entrance, causing it to sometimes be dangerous when entering. At least one vessel a year is destroyed here. At the moment it was calm and pleasant, so it was hard for her to believe it could get so bad.

We pulled into the anchorage at 1600. We slipped back into our old at anchor routine instantaneously. The transition from dock life to being on the hook was so smooth that you would never believe it has been six months since we were last on the hook. Christi made dinner and we watched a movie, enjoying the total peace and serenity. Ahhhh”¦..it really was wonderful. We hadn’t realized just how much we missed this life.

This morning, we slept late, had a big breakfast, and ran the generator for a long time, giving it a good work out. We noticed the wind had picked up substantially. We weren’t too concerned about it until we pulled up anchor and headed back towards the channel. Our eyes bugged out of our heads when we saw enormous 6 8 foot waves crashing down in the channel. Now Christi fully understood why boats get destroyed here. It is easy to lose control of steering in such violent seas, and with such a narrow channel, it is easy to smash up against the rocks lining the entrance. Scary.

Had we been heading into the bay, we may have taken a look at the waves and decided not to come in, since it is easier to lose control of the vessel in following seas. But since we were heading into the waves, we felt it was safe. We have a reliable auto-pilot, and we have been through much worse. As we plowed through the big waves, we laughed about how spoiled we’ve become. Once upon a time, we were in big seas like this for days on end, particularly on that hideous Java Sea passage. The fifteen minutes of rough water certainly brought back some memories!

While we were in the channel, we passed a couple boats coming in.  One of the boats had caught onto one of those huge waves and was surfing it in, which looked kind of crazy. The other was a coast guard boat, and as we neared it, we realized it was towing a dismasted sailboat. Ouch.

On the way back, the seas were significantly rougher than they had been yesterday. We were actually glad. It is good for all the tanks to get a good shaking around now and then. It stirs up any sediment. We even turned off the stabilizers for a few minutes to help ensure the tanks got a good healthy shake-up. But despite the fact that we turned the stabilizers off for a little bit, we were very glad they are working again. It would have been uncomfortable without them.

We returned to our slip in the early afternoon, gone for little more than 24 hours. We wish we could have gone for several days instead of just one night. Work is really getting in the way of our cruising!

Our black water flush out seems to have worked. No more smell!

And on to a blog question:

Q: Did you ever have any problems getting fuel?

A: No. Thanks to careful planning and the ability to carry a large quantity of fuel, we were always able to find fuel in strategic locations.