Mid summer with no notice and I have found one more crew member. Rich had contacted me years ago to deliver his newly purchased Navy 44 up the coast. He wanted to join to learn but when I saw the survey I turned it down. Im glad I did because after he had the boat hauled up from Cali where he bought it after sitting in the yard for a little while he noticed that there was diesel coming out of the hull deck seam, This was because the fuel tank ruptured and leaked into the bilge and them leaked through the keelbolts.

You don’t always see the bullets you miss so when you do it reaffirms your instincts to have ducked when you did. I had never sailed with Rich who had expressed a desire to have me go out with him and his wife on this boat but the keel work prevented that. I try to avoid heading offshore with people I havent sailed with before preferring to do shake down sails first. This too proved to be smart as Rich was sick for the majority of the trip and when he got better he wasn’t much help..which wouldn’t have been so irksome if he hadn't expected compensation for the trip.

Cross the bar heading out at 10 am before ebb starts at 10:30. 4 to 5 wind waves with no pots visible and double reef main.

At 21:00 fixed alternator bracket which was quite a challenge in the rolling seas.

Onwards