Bon Voyage

Jonathan & Danielle set sail on their grand journey this morning at 6am.

       May the sun shine on their faces and the wind be at their backs!

Fuctional Email and Weather via Radio

This message was sent by email over radio wave. Trippy! If you can read this, then we were finally able to work out the last few kinks. We've also been messing around with weather (in the form of grib files) overlaid on our laptop chart plotter. It's pretty intimidating at first, but I think we will get the hang of it...we will have quite a bit of time to kill with practice.
Ten more days, then blue water, here we come! So far, the weather for our departure looks pretty accommodating. Fingers crossed!

Santa Cruz and Goleta Test Run

Last weekend we sailed to Pelican's Bay on the front side of Santa Cruz island. We tested all of our equipment, and it seems all is well except for the SSB radio. The radio is able to receive, yet not able to transmit messages, which is why this post was not uploaded while we were anchored out there. Just a few more bugs to work out!

We were especially happy with the efficiency of the solar panels. Not only could they keep up with the autopilot and our water pump, but it could even keep the batteries relatively full while the compressor for the icebox was running. Definitely a worthy investment for peace of mind when it comes to self-sufficiency on the water.

Sunday morning we sailed from the island over to Goleta for Jon's grandmother's memorial. We spread Erma's ashes in front of Goleta pier while sailing by, as we did with her husband a year earlier. A perfect day of sunny skies and turquoise water. This moment was especially touching for me, as Jon's grandparents introduced Jon to boats and sailing in the first place, when he was quite young. They were always so supportive of dreams of adventuring off to paradise. They will be missed dearly. 

As for us, we are getting our last minute projects finished. With only 19 days left until we push off, it's time to get really picky about the details. If you guys have any suggestions on what we should pack/stock up on, feel free to throw an idea out there! No more canned goods though...I think our boat is about 7 inches lower in the water from the sheer weight of four month's worth. 

Welcome to the Beginning

Ahoy! You've found the blog of Jon and Dani on the sailing vessel Shenanigans. This was created so that friends, family, or anyone with an interest in sailing may follow Jon and I across the Pacific Ocean, during our first (definitely not last) major blue water passage. We plan to sail off to Hawaii on May 1^st, explore the islands, then depart for home July 1^st. We will return to California in early August, if conditions cooperate. This will give us some idea if we can handle more lengthy trips in the future. Plus, I can think of nothing more fun than leisurely cruising your house to some tropical islands on a random whim.

Our "Planned Hawaii Itinerary" map to the left shows our anticipated journey. To keep track of our actual progress, however, you can see our most recent position on the Google Map labeled "Current Position & Blog Map" on the left, as well as the entry made for that particular location. Also, we will be periodically adding geotagged pictures to our Picasa photostream near the bottom of this site. Maybe a video or two will be thrown in, once we find a stable internet connection. Currently we have highlights in our photo gallery of our numerous past trips to Santa Cruz island. As we update, please feel free to leave comments of encouragement, well-wishing, and even mockery if you so wish…just please don't be offended if we don't get back to you soon, as we are limited to just emails while on the water, no actual internet browsing.

The past two years have involved weighing possibilities, reasonable expectations, feasible plans for the future. A sort of hobby has been made poring over every cruising website, magazine or book we could get our hands on. We attentively listened to every salty sailor who would bother to tell us more than a few passing words of advice. One unifying theme persisted throughout all these sources, and it was "Go! Go now! You may not feel prepared, but you never will. Go now and enjoy while you are young and able-bodied. Don't wait until later, there may not be 'a later.' Go!"

So, what the hell? Let's go.

Besides the new equipment modifications made to the boat over the past year, we've had the advantage of taking our time stocking up on provisions. It's quite convenient to be able to keep an eye out for sales on particular things that would keep well, and won't cost an arm and a leg when buying in bulk. For fresh foods, like meat and produce, we are hoping to have enough to span at least the first couple of weeks out on the water. From then on, we are aiming at about 4 months worth of non-perishables like pasta, canned veggies, flour, etc to rely on. Of course, if we happen to catch a fat tuna or mahi-mahi on the crossing, that would be a welcome way to mix things up a bit!

So on April 10^th we plan to test out our equipment and self-sufficiency on a weekend trip to Goleta. Hopefully, we can work out whatever last minute tweaks we discover before the weekend of our departure. I am definitely excited, nervous, and still in awe that all of this is coming together. The passage will be quite the experience…good days and not-so-good days are ahead of us. Yet, when we are snorkeling in turquoise water (without the need of a wetsuit—imagine that!) with sea turtles just a few feet from a peacefully anchored Shenanigans, armed with the knowledge that we arrived all on our own, I know it will be worth the anxiety.