The official hurricane season is coming to an end and we are gearing up (literally and figuratively) to head back to Pisces. We are having another round of The Big Buy, looking at our lists of spares and projects and spending a lot of time online pricing boat parts and other miscellany.

Our list always makes me giggle, it's a hodge-podge of marine spare parts and "life on the boat" items. Here's an excerpt:

Spare Y-Valve for head
Slippers
Star Book
Halyard Shackle
#4 Grommets
More shorts
Trader Joes multi-spice seasoning
120' T900 line
2 rebuild kits for galley pumps

You get the idea. Luckily it's on a computer, so therefore easily sortable and understandable. But it still makes me giggle just a little.

Yesterday we waved a very sad goodbye to the human crew of Tao who spent a few days with us here in the Bay, talking non-stop about all things life, love and sailing. They are heading back to Mexico, but on a slightly different schedule and agenda than we are, so we may see each other less. However, after popping my head out of the cockpit in Los Frailes last season to see them sailing past our stern was so exciting that I can't wait for our next reunion in some remote anchorage when we all least expect it!

In the meantime, the next weeks will be filled with The Big Buy, seeing our family and friends and gathering up everything to head back down to Pisces.

Today I started a Jason 35 google group. This group is intended for people who are either current owners, past owners, or interested in Jason 35 sailboats. The Jason 35 was designed by Ted Brewer and built by Miller Marine up in Bainbridge, Washington. When we started looking at our Jason 35, we couldn't find a lot of information on the internet about them, so hope that this forum will be a space for people to meet other Jason 35 owners, ask questions, get information about gear, and find solutions.


This is the first time I've started a group so I'm not sure if this will work out, and please let me know if you have any suggestions.

http://groups.google.com/group/jason-35-sailboats

Thanks!
-Julia

We are currently up in the Pacific NW, visiting friends in Seattle and Portland. This weekend we are getting all geeky about boats at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival.

Julia is enjoying the opportunity to point out crusty old guys who have crazy beards: 'Look at that guy's beard, he's making you look like a total rookie!'

Great news, Pisces looks to be safe & sound! Our friend Adam from Estrella trekked through the mud at Marina Seca to check inside of Pisces and pump out any water there might be. When he arrived he found that Pisces had already been opened up by the Marina staff, and the interior was dry. A huge relief.

We have been extremely impressed by the professionalism of the Marina Seca staff during all this. They sent out a great email to all boat-owners detailing the damage done to the yard, and reassuring everyone that all owners of damaged boats had already been notified. They had six crews working hard to contain the damage, including going boat to boat, opening them, and pumping out any water. Word is they have even ordered 300 padlocks to replace those locks which they are cutting off, and in the meantime the yard is continuing to maintain the good security they are known for. A huge thank you to Marina Seca!

Even though we were a bit preoccupied with worry about Pisces, we spent this past weekend racing onboard Fancy in the Jazz Cup 2009, a 27 mile race from Treasure Island to Benicia. We had a great time, took 5th in our division, drank a bit too much tequila (after the race), and spent the next day bashing our way home in various states of disarray.

We've been getting emails and photos from friends who are down there and friends of friends.

Adam from SV Estrella sent these pics today, thankfully Pisces is still standing:
http://spunt.aigc.net/gallery/Jimenedrystoragefriendsboats

We also got these photos from another friend who documented the damage in general:
SV BlueMoon Pics

Hurricane Jimena wreaked havoc on San Carlos & Guaymas, right where Pisces is. Information is hard to come by, as San Carlos has apparently lost most of its infrastructure. Initial reports say 22+ inches of rain, causing massive flooding.

Marina Seca sits right next to an arroyo, which apparently flooded into most of the yard and offices. A friend who is down there reports that initially things look generally positive for boats on hurricane posts but that the work yard and trailer yard are a disaster.

We will update as we hear more, or we recommend checking in with our friends on Estrella who will undoubtedly be reporting more first-hand information: http://www.sailblogs.com/member/estrella/.