Both yesterday and the day before I lunched ashore with friends.
Southern California is experiencing a Santa Ana with winds blowing east from the desert causing record temperatures. Yesterday and today mild San Diego hit all times highs for these dates and for the highest temperatures ever recorded in May. Yesterday’s high of 93°F/34°C broke the previous record by 6°F.
I left the forward hatch cracked when I went ashore for the lunches. When I came back on Tuesday the cabin was 102°F/39°C. Yesterday a mere 101°. At present 96°F.
I have a small battery operated fan pointed at my head which helps. But it is too hot to put away the laundry I did this morning or do anything more strenuous than listen to music, read, or type.
The worst of the heat will pass in a couple of hours, and tomorrow should see a return to something resembling normalcy.
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I had a rental car for two days and completed my shopping.
From WEST Marine came two new dock lines to replace two chewed by dock cleats and a new line to tie down the tiller. The old one was sun faded and I wanted a prettier one. I found something in a nice grey and white tweed.
From a liquor store I bought various items, including two bottles of indispensable Laphroaig, though it is far too warm for Scotch.
At two supermarkets I bought oatmeal, trail mix, canned tuna, salmon, chicken, crackers, boxes of orange juice, instant coffee, nuts, chocolate, paper towels, Kleenex, powered milk, toothpaste, and a box of Cheese-Its—one of my weaknesses.
I already had ample supplies of many other items on board.
I already had ample supplies of many other items on board.
This all filled the cockpit again, but I managed to stow it away in the cool of last evening.
I also drove to a laundromat and did my laundry. The machines at the marina are being serviced.
I still have some repacking and rearranging; but other than a final close to departure trip to a supermarket for fresh fruit and baked goods, and filling the four five gallon jerry cans with water, GANNET is ready to go.
This, despite the heat, is exactly as I planned.
Those of you who have been reading this journal for a while know that I like to be ready a few days in advance and sit and look around the boat and consider her, my preparations, and the upcoming voyage. And sometimes the national debt.
So I have been aiming at departure next Monday or Tuesday.
However, while the Santa Ana is due to end, atypical winds are not.
The overwhelmingly predominant wind along the Southern California coast is from the northwest, perfect for me wanting to sail southwest. The current forecast is for winds from the south and southwest until Thursday of next week.
I don’t have much confidence in more than forty-eight hour forecasts, and it may be possible to break through the southwest aberration to better wind father offshore.
We will see as time nears. And if the forecast does not change, if prudence prevails over impatience.
I’m going to see if it is cooler on deck
