After three weeks of varnish and preparation ben and I where finally ready to bring Dorade up to San Pedro for the fourth training session, and last before the start of the Transpac, which is just over a month away. Most of the crew was able to make it this weekend, but unfortunately both Matt Brooks and Hannah had scheduling issues, they were missed but the crew is confident that it will not pose any issues.
Ben and I left from Driscolls boat yard early on Saturday morning, having been put back into the water the day before after the bottom had been repainted. Ben was careful to go around check that there were not any rags stuck in any of the intake, or exhaust pipes. Even with his efforts we found ourselves with an overheating engine just minutes in to our trip. Yet this did not pose too large of a problem as Ben was able to clear the water intake pipe which had a small piece of rag in it still. It was a near miss though, as I had tried to throw away a piece of wood that Ben had been keeping in the tool bag, when I asked him though he told me not to, saying, “I have a feeling we will need it” the stick was used to poke the remaining rag out of the through hull fitting and within 15 minutes we were on the way to San Pedro again, and it proved to be the fastest delivery up yet. With a helpful wind angle and the engine pushing us along we arrived in San Pedro by 10PM and happily getting a full nights rest. The next day our training session began with a very happy crew.
Sunday morning was a busy one, laden with logistics and the organization of our new sails. Yet everything ran very smoothly, with the crew giving praise to the preparedness of the boat. After a bit of shuffling we were able to leave the dock for a bit of sail testing. Yet again we had a happy crew, with Matt Wachowitz saying loudly, “these sails are awesome”, and one estimate that the new sails could take up to a day of our time during the Transpac. The next three days followed much the same, with mornings filled with organizational tasks and the afternoons being set aside for tests and practice, which I am happy to say all went without a hitch, and giving the crew confidence for a successful and speedy Transpac.
Not only was the trip successful, but also enjoyable. The session in San Pedro gave Ben and I a breather from the work at Driscolls, which had become slightly monotonous. On top of that we had nice weather for sailing, during which I learned a lot from the seasoned veterans on board. I was also able to steal away on Sunday night to spend the night with my godparents in Long Beach, who I had not seen for a long time. Overall the trip was great, and Ben and I both feel refreshed for the next few weeks of final preparations.
Max Lewis