Newport Beach (mooring ball)

I've been a bit lazy getting these blog posts up mainly since I haven't been very far since my last entry. I needed to get home for a few days, and put the boat on a mooring ball at Newport harbor, it's just a few hundred feet from the boardwalk and near the shops. I had met a local boater called Mike the previous week at the anchorage here when he was having a 6 boat raftup and party with friends from the Balboa Yacht Club. He was very helpful in getting me to shore (and a ride to the airport!) so I didn't have to leave the dinghy unattended for 5 days while I flew home. Thanks again to Mike, his family and friends for giving me a great time that weekend and taking the time to show me around the area.

it was a nice change to get home for a few days and catch up on lost time with the family and friends. It was weird at first wearing something else than shorts and t-shirts! A few things needed fixing round the house and I needed to pick up a few spares for the boat I had ordered online so it was a very productive trip.

I got back to the boat yesterday to find everything ok except it was covered in pelican poop. Not small dots like regular birds but like a pack of dogs with wings had flown by and dumped 100 balls of melting vanilla ice-cream over the boat. Aagh, it's so nice to be back. Cleaning that up kept me busy for at least a few hours.

I've been working on a single handers MOB (Man Over Board) solution for a few years now and think I have my best solution so far. I just picked up the last bits on the trip home. If your sailing on your own and go over the side more than a couple of miles from shore it normally means the end, you have about a hour or so depending on the temp of the water and then hyperthermia sets in. Just enough time to watch the boat sail off into the sunset and remind yourself what an idiot you were to let something like that happen. It's bad enough if you crew onboard as they have to know someone has gone over the side to help you, but on your own it's nearly impossible to survive without help.

I've put together a decent size package of items that fits in a REI bum bag that fits around your waist. In it I have my personal EPIRB (calls emergency services via satellite), a waterproof VHF radio with GPS and DSC. A knife, strobe light, whistle, horn and a powerful laser pointer with a 20 mile range. With that gear I at least have a fighting chance to get rescued which is a huge improvement over no chance. I have no intention of ever using it, but I now feel a little safer on those night passages. I just have to be very diligent and remember to put it on! But I should be also wearing my harness which prevents me going over the side in the first place, so that means I have to screw up to use my MOB bag. Oh well....

I'm planning on tidying up and then heading to Dana Point tomorrow. After that I have just a few more stops until it's time to cross the border and head for the tropics!