7/01/2002 - 7/14/2002
Whisper (foreground) in the Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club Marina. Channel Islands Harbor, Oxnard.
Although we spent two weeks in Oxnard marinas, this log will be a quick synopsis of our time there. This marina time was our maintenance catch-up period. Although we spent most of our days performing much needed maintenance, we still found time to relax and enjoy the 4th of July fireworks, make new friends, buy some boat stuff, purchase a scuba tank, and sample a few local restaurants.
We stayed in Anacapa Isle Marina for the first week and enjoyed the great amenities. The pool and spa located right next to the laundry and hazmat disposal allowed us to combine pleasure and chores. Duncan changed both the engine and genset oil and replaced the filters.
Our neighbors at Anacapa Isle gave us great tips on exploring Catalina Island, and provided local knowledge on nearby restaurants and shopping. We explored the neighborhoods by foot and by dinghy and marveled at the number of electric boats scurrying about the harbor.
Channel Islands Harbor is a deep "Y" shaped harbor surrounded by several large marinas. At the top of each end of the "Y", a bridge spans and separates the harbor from a enormous complex of homes, condos and apartments -- each with their own docks, slips, and access waterways (for boats less than 30 feet tall or with lowerable masts). We spent several hours in the dinghy exploring these back bays and canals.
Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club and Marina -- one of several marinas and yacht clubs in Channel Islands Harbor.
The second week we stayed at the Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club, a stone throw from the Anacapa Isle Marina. This is where we completed the major boat maintenance tasks.
Robin thoroughly cleaned and lubricated the mainsheet winches and the starboard side jibsheet winch (we completed portside last year). Duncan proceeded to change the coolant on the engine and replace all of the engine fuel filters. Small varnishing tasks, replacing water filter, and thoroughly cleaning the boat rounded out a fairly busy second week.
We also found time to enjoy local restaurants, rent four movies (of which "The Others" was the only one worth watching), and swim (ok, mostly soak in the spa) at PCYC.
Denny and Debbie on Foxfire.
While in PCYC marina, we admired a large (56ft) sleek looking (Bob Perry designed) sloop and had the good fortune of getting to know the owners. Denny and Debbie on Foxfire offered lots of tips for our first visit to Catalina. They even shared their "secret" favorite locations with us. They are heading to Catalina for six weeks and we hope to run into them along the way.
An amazing number of electric boats cruise Channel Islands Harbor. Almost every harbor/back bay front home owned one. The Electra-Craft and Duffy dealers in this area must be very happy.
The water taxi made it easy to get around the sprawling harbor. On one trip, he picked us up at the Coast Chandlery, waited while we picked up our mail at Anacapa Isle, then transported us (and our stuff) directly to our boat at PCYC. All for two bucks (we gave him five) -- what a great service!
Leisure Time
Robin with toes in the sand -- ready for our first major beach walk since leaving to go cruising.
We did take some time out from chores to explore the Oxnard area. One great surprise was the enormous beach and dune area just north/west of the harbor entrance. Locals called this "Hollywood Beach" and it is a gorgeous beach. The beachfront architecture is typical of many California beach towns. We enjoyed the beach and the two mile+ walk with our feet splashing in the 70 degree water.
At the end of our walk, we poked around one of the nicest Embassy Suites either of us had ever seen. It must be their showcase waterfront resort and conference center.
Near the end of our stay, our good friends Rose and Bill drove down from Santa Barbara. We had dinner at the yacht club, thanked them for the great hospitality while in Santa Barbara, and said goodbye for now.
Systems Update
The genset over-voltage problem has been resolved! A new Voltage Control System (box filled with circuit boards) was hand delivered to us in Oxnard by Dave Thompson, the Southern California Fischer-Panda dealer. Since the replacement, we have logged over 50 hours of genset run-time on the new box without any voltage control issues. With Dave's help, we also started our spares inventory for the genset. Thanks Dave, for the personalized service!
On the SailMail (email to/from the boat) front, we FedEx'd our Pactor II SSB/HF modem back to Don Melcher at HF Radio On Board in Alameda. He upgraded/replaced the chip in the modem the next day and FedEx'd it right back. With great anticipation, we tested the "upgraded" modem, but still to no avail. Same problem -- connect and then get immediately disconnected. We can hear the receiving station trying to communicate with our modem through the audio on the radio, but we have already been zapped off with an automatic re-initialization of the modem. We have simplified the ground plane, added ferrite chokes, kept the wires/unit away from any possible onboard RF interference, and varied (lowered) our transmit power -- all without result. We are now stumped. We will try a few more things before we call in expert help. We have the name of someone in San Diego that should be able to help us better diagnose and track down the problem.