Tag Archives: sailing

Eric's Posts, Experiential, Prepping Kandu

Soft Hands

“Your hands are sooo soft,” Leslie coos in my ear, her thumb stroking the inside of my outstretched palm as we dance across the Valentine’s Day dance floor.  Her knowing tone supports her awareness that soon, soft hands will no longer be the case.  These hands that now gently guide her across the dance floor to the beat of a Neil Diamond impersonator are the unblemished hands of a motion picture executive and a father of two young boys.  For the past 20 years from a climate-controlled corner office in Southern California, these hands drove cars, tapped computer keyboards, and held phones; growing more pink and tender with each passing year. Leslie shared the ups and downs of my professional growth, from laborer to executive, the struggles and triumphs.  Well aware of the effort and sacrifice it took to get us where we are today, her eyes clearly indicate a relish for our current circumstance, inhaling the memory, and appreciating the effort it took to make my hands so smooth.

It’s our twenty-fourth Valentine’s Day celebration together, and I adore her as if it were the first, well okay, . . . the second.  We spent our first Valentine’s Day as a couple apart.  I was five hundred miles out to sea from Los Angeles, captaining a 32-foot sailboat bound for the Marquesas Islands.  She was finishing her French Literature studies at UCLA.  After graduating, she would meet up with my crew and me in Hilo; and sail through the Hawaiian Islands and from Kauai to San Francisco with us.  Sailors call this long distance, casual type of sailing, “cruising.”  Leslie knows what open ocean sailing and anchoring do to a sailor’s hands. Pulling sailing sheets, lifting galvanized anchor chain, and tools would soon be the objects these hands hold.  Additionally, the elements of sand, sun, and sea play their role, transforming princely baby-bottom palms into salt-encrusted instruments of adventure.  What does Leslie know that should make her wax so?  She knows that soon, we will be out to sea again—this time together, with our two young sons; for an undetermined duration; possibly 5 years . . . or more.

Righthand 2014

Eric's Posts, Experiential, Prepping Kandu

Habits Strangely Missed

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My first day as a non-working member of Sony Pictures was odd.  I awoke as normal, 5:30 a.m., but didn’t shower.  I took some time to blog.  Leslie made breakfast as normal. But then I didn’t have to rush off.  I handled the business of transitioning my cell phone plan.  It was stress-less because I didn’t have to be some place else.  I even joked with the associate on the other line, learning a lot about Mali, his home country.  Trent and I left the boat and drove off to consolidate items in a couple storage locations around Ventura. We cleaned the minivan and lunched at a place we hadn’t been before.  It was good.  I find myself considering cost unlike before, noting the prices on the menu, wanting to be economical.  When I worked at the studio, lunch was my little reward to myself for going to work.  That’s not necessary now.  The best part about yesterday was that I was able to work well with Trent.  He said he liked working.  I was patient and helpful with him.  He found it fun to work on tasks that are simple.  It felt good just to hang with him.  Being April 1st, we played a trick on his brother.  Bryce took it in good humor, catching me soon after on one of his own April Fool’s pranks.  It was a good father and sons day.

In order to save some money on my phone plan, I had to drive back into Culver City.  I called one of my former managers along the way, just as I had always done before leaving Sony.  In a strange way, I liked the whole habit.  Driving over a hundred twenty miles, checking traffic conditions, streaming “This American Life” over the car’s sound system, felt normal; especially driving up PCH at sunset.  But this time, I wasn’t mentally exhausted when I got back to the boat.  We watched “Life of Pi” together.  It was more comfortable this time.  I didn’t carry the struggles of work.

My first day away from Sony did not bring a feeling of empowerment and invigoration as I had expected.  Instead, I feel like I’m starting my own business, a family business. I’m excited by the challenge.  Best of all, I am enjoying the simple tasks.

 

Eric's Posts, Experiential, Mindset, Prepping Kandu

You Can’t Always Get What You Want . . .

We had planned to depart on our adventure last year, joining the Baja Haha Rally.  That didn’t happen.  We were disappointed.  Ironically, a month after it was decided we would not depart as planned, a local newspaper came out with a wonderful story describing our proposed adventure.  And we went to the Baja Haha party in San Diego anyway.  After all, we’d paid for it.  It didn’t bother me to be seen as the family that wasn’t going on the trip.  I was learning important life lessons: patience and gratitude topping the list.  I looked for the good.  We now had more time to transition from our three bedroom house and into our 42-foot boat.  We had more time and resources to improve our future home afloat, equipping her with better tools and technology.  We had more time to learn new skills of safety and first-aid procedures, of marine weather forecasting, of how we can share our experience with school kids and use our voyage to hopefully make a positive difference in the world, and of how to make this experience a more positive one for our family.  And best of all, we’ve been able to establish new life-long friendships, and continue to do so.  In retrospect, as the song exclaims, . . . “we get what we need.”

Eric's Posts, Experiential, Prepping Kandu

On The Hard in Ventura

Kandu’s outsides are getting cleaned up: her 42-foot white and forrest green hull waxed, two coats of red copper bottom paint applied to her 6-foot draft, her reconditioned 3-blade Classic Max Prop installed and painted with zinc, 4 sacrificial zincs replaced, 17 seacocks lubed (replaced as needed), a new speed/depth/temp meter installed, and her 54-foot mast overhauled: 5 new halyards, 8 new sheaves, a new spinnaker crane at the masthead, 2 new jumper stays, corrosion and chafing abatement, a new 4G broadband radar, a new hailing speaker, a new antenna, a new wind speed and direction meter, a new LED tri-color masthead light, 2 new powerful LED spreader lights, a new LED steaming light, a lightning dissipater, and more.  Next week, Kandu goes back in the water.  The electronics installation will hopefully be completed soon and batteries added so we can close up all the interior walls and cubby spaces lifted open and exposed to run the cabling.  The family can start moving on board.

Our stay at the Ventura Marina and Yacht Yard has been pleasant.  Prior to owning the yard, the owner, Sam, studied whales for several decades, getting his Ph.D in the study.  He now owns and operates the boat yard, the adjacent restaurant/piano bar, and fuel dock.  With one of his two colorful Macaw parrot on his shoulder and a cigar between his fingers, it’s not uncommon to hear him offer maintenance solutions for the boat on his way to dealing with a fuel dock issue.  Then spot him seating guests in his elegant seaside dining room/piano bar.

On the Hard 1 On the Hard 3 On the Hard 2 Mast on the Hard

Eric's Posts, Prepping Kandu

Ship’s Flag

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Kandu Flag v3

Kandu:  The Genesis of Her Flag

Background:  A ship’s flag seemed a great way to celebrate our future home afloat, an emblem by which to identify her and possibly her crew.  The flag would therefore have to depict meaningful symbolism, telling her story and our journey with her.

Shape:  Traditionally boat flags come in one of two shapes: triangular or swallow tail.  Triangular is more common, especially among yacht clubs, so we chose to go with it.

“K”:  The letter “K” seemed an obvious point from which to begin, representing the boat’s name, Kandu.

Color:  Maritime tradition offers a series of signal flags that represent, among other information, the alphabet.  Letter “K” is a square comprised of two equally sized, vertically positioned rectangles: yellow to the left, blue to the right.  Incorporating the two-color split, we replaced yellow and blue with Kandu’s hull colors: white with forest green trim.

Circle:  The circle represents the globe and our intention to sail around it, during which our sailing vessel, Kandu, will be the center of our world.

Stars:  The stars depict the driving force of our journey—Kandu’s crew, the family: Trent, Bryce, Leslie, and Eric.  The fifth star represents Uncle Bill, and is in outline because, although he will not be aboard the entire trip, after years of preparing Kandu for our voyage, enhancing nearly every inch of her, his influence and spirit will always be felt.

Educational, Eric's Posts, Prepping Kandu

Cruising World Hall of Famers

For more than a score of years I’ve been reading articles and, more recently, books from some of the best known and prolific writers on the subject of blue water cruising.  Two weeks ago, Leslie and I attended four days of seminars at the Pacific Strictly Sailing event in Oakland, California.  Many of the seminars were conducted by several of these English language icons: Jimmy Cornell, John and Amanda Neal, Liza Copland, and Kathy Parsons to name a few.  I was such a groupie, such in awe of these people.  When I told Jimmy Cornell that were this a rock n roll convention, he’d be Paul McCartney (his daughter, Doina Cornell, an author in her own rite, seemed unamused by the comparison).  Leslie and I spent a whole day with John and Amanda Neal as they discussed in precise detail the many facets surrounding successful voyaging in their “Offshore Cruising” seminar, certificate and all.  The following day we listened the whole day intently listening as Jimmy Cornell instructed us on he in’s and out’s of “Long Distance Cruising.”  We met many wonderful people, gathers some great information, and bought a few pieces of hardware including a 65# Mantus Anchor.  I even had the chance to stand beside the America’s Cup Trophy.  The four-day experience was uplifting and invigorating.  We’re so excited about our adventure. Check out the photos:

Jimmy Cornell   John and Amanda Neil  Liza CopelandDoina Cornell  Americas Cup