All entries under Bio-diesel

I woke up Sunday morning and Ini and Brent had already departed from the Hyde St. Pier in San Francisco . I walked on deck right as we were cruising under the Golden Gate Bridge and the sun was rising. It was breathtaking….but so were the rolling waves that were gradually getting bigger. Good thing I took my motion sickness medicine the night before because the nausea was setting in quick. I haven’t been sailing in 7 months so getting my sea legs will take a while and Sunday was quite the introduction. We set the sails and turned off the veggie oil engine and the sailing began. 30-40 knot winds and 20 foot swells…what a way to get your sea legs back. The nausea wasn’t going anywhere and neither was I. I found a nice spot on the deck that blew salty sea air in my face yet still protected me from the cold crisp bite of the wind. I was pretty good until I ate a cracker. That didn’t stay down long so I just watched Brent and Ini man the deck. Maura and I were pretty worthless as deckhands at the moment. 4 o’clock rolled around and I hadn’t eaten or drank a thing so I tried another cracker…and another…and they both stayed down! Success! I wasn’t feeling much better but neither was anyone else. We decided to escape the weather and pull into Half Moon Bay harbor. After a couple rounds of setting the anchor we finally were in for the night. It was amazing how fast we all felt better once we got to calm waters. I made a dinner of sun-dried tomato and kidney bean couscous with mixed vegetables and sausage for the meat eaters on board! I put it down considering all I had eaten prior to that was two crackers.

Now it’s early Monday morning, I slept like a log last night, and I am up for another day of sailing. I think the weather is calling for 10-15 knots of wind today. Yay!

The boat arrived in San Francisco last week and the whirlwind began. It’s a good thing that I thrive on spontaneity because I got a phone call Sunday evening telling me that I was flying to Phoenix Monday morning to pick up a van (which we will run on bio-diesel). We needed the van so that we could clean out the boat and start stocking it for this incredible journey. I was all for it, I like to pick up and go but on Saturday I had woken up with a hacking cough so it wasn’t going to be a pleasure ride. On Monday I got on the plane with achy bones, a phlegmy cough, and a congested head… The good thing was that I was going to be driving back so I didn’t have to use my voice much for the next day and a half. I don’t know the side effects of overdosing on vitamin C and antioxidants but I was filling up on them every chance I got! I arrived in Phoenix, met the man with the van, checked out the Dodge Sprinter to make sure it was road worthy, and we exchanged check for title. I was sent to Phoenix because I was available… not for my mechanical prowess so I was just crossing my fingers that its cleanliness and smooth sound meant reliability! I can change the oil and a tire but that only gets me so far. No need to worry though, I made it back to San Francisco safe and sound but with a touch of the plague (I may be over-exaggerating). I dropped the van off at 1:30, went home to sleep, woke up for dinner at 6 then went back to bed until the following morning. My roommates reaction to me when I got home told me I looked about as bad as I felt. I thought I had walking pneumonia for a minute and unless it takes a sudden turn for the worse I think I am on the road to recovery. Good thing because the next three weeks are about to get crazy!