Days 1 and 2: Rude Reminder

We were able to cover 133 miles yesterday, which is pretty good for an old boat and two people new to blue water cruising. That came at a price, however, as yesterday was far from comfortable or how we anticipated the weather to be.
First, a stiff 25 knot breeze pushed us out of the harbor toward Anacapa. That wasn't so bad because it was behind us, but 6 foot swells were coming at us from the opposite direction. Then the wind shifted, and made for some entertainment as we tried to reef (decrease the surface area of our sails so that we can maintain control) while getting slapped in the face with swells rolling straight into the cockpit!
We almost crossed into a Navy live fire range, yet we were hailed on the radio by the vessel "Swiss Ladder," requesting that we alter course to pretty much retrace our progress for the last 7 nautical miles. Ugh.
The icing on the cake was the combination of gales (30-35 knots of wind) outside of the test range, and the fact that Jon and I were having difficulty keeping any food down or even staying awake. So, as you can see our first day was a bit of a bummer, but we are keeping positive and looking forward to the warmer days that lay ahead of us, along with the more organized swells and comfortable direction of the trade winds. We've already seen a few beginning signs of this today, so at least we are on the right heading!