On 28 February 2004, after having spent around two months getting our new-to-us boat ready for offshore sailing, we left Redondo Beach and sailed to Catalina Island, some 20 nautical miles away. Here's my (Bernie's) first log entry (I recognize the handwriting):
"Took us while to get control of
things. Tried to raise our main with a reef in it but got something (??) hung.
Sheeted the jib sheets wrong. Wrestled with the main sheet because the way it’s
set up really sucks. The dodger also gets in the way of the jib winch. Dragged
a dockline through the water all the way to Catalina. The prop freewheeled the
whole way even though it supposedly feathers.
We made good time -- 7 to 8
knots. The thin 'safety' lines holding the blocks to the Sailomat [windvane
self-steering gear] chafed through right away.
White Cove we found plugged with
mooring balls. Tried anchoring in 40’ of water. First time we did not set. The
bow roller -- the axle came apart while pulling the chain back up. The second
time the anchor did not set. Bow roller malfunctioned again. And we pulled up a
huge piece of sheet metal -- remnant of some Japanese submarine no doubt. So we
picked up a mooring. To keep us from bouncing on the mooring ball we tried to
set a stern anchor. Pointless. We need a stern roller. Our present arrangement
sucks. But things are good. Things are beautiful."
