Ship, house & sailboat meet in the Delta

Ship, house & sailboat meet
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

STOCKTON, Calif. - Sabbatical's voyage to the California Delta (about 75 miles from our slip in Alameda) last week was eventful for several reasons.

1. We had record runs in both directions, sailing faster than I thought Sabbatical was capable of.

2. We thought we had an engine room fire that had the crew running around with fire extinguishers and wondering exactly how cold the water might be if we had to swim to shore.

3. After the fire turned out to be only smoke from a locked brake on the engine, I discovered that the aft cabin sole had water - a lot of water - which turned out to be coming from an exhaust house that had slipped a clamp.

Many glasses of wine were imbibed that evening.

But in addition to our ship's adventures, we also sat at anchor near Mandeville Island for a few days, watching big ship traffic along with other sailboats and jet skis out in the channel. Also, there was a large raftup of houseboats on the shore with some very interesting sunbathing activity on the rooftops. (Interesting sunbathing? Hmmmm...)

The photo at the beginning of today's entry is of an arguably close call, in which a sailboat got caught between the house on the shore and the grain freighter in the 100-foot wide channel. Not much of a contest if the sailboat couldn't get out of the way.

On the way north, we made an overnight stop at the Vallejo Yacht Club, where my friend of 36 years, Jim McCarthy greeted us. The entrance is narrow (see photo below) but we snuck in fine without even hitting bottom. The next morning, we snuck out fine, but about 15 minutes early and helped the Yacht Club with its dredging project by churning up a 20-foot swath of mud.


Vallejo Yacht Club entrance

On our sail up from Vallejo to Mandeville Island (west of Stockton, Calif.) the wind came up - really came up to over 30 knots in gusts - and at lunch time we rolled up our headsail and sailed with just a mainsail. We still made record time getting to the anchor and were glad that we only had one sail to deal with when we hit the twisting narrow channels late in the day.

Unfortunately, that wind was also pretty cold until almost the point where we anchored.


Sylvia and Lorraine on the bow - in jackets because of the cold

The trip home was equally fun - sort of - with blustry winds in our face the first day, which encouraged us to put in to the marina at Pittsburg, a new facility that is on its way to be a first-class operation. With our crew and amigos, Dan and Lorraine Olsen we found a Mexican restaurant that is almost worth driving to from Sacramento. Almost - it would be more than an hours drive.

In touring downtown, we found a movie theatre that is undergoing some kind of renovation. Dan couldn't wait and wanted a tour and ticket right then. We convinced him it would be awhile before the girl behind the counter served him.


Dan Olsen tries (unsuccessfully) to buy a ticket

The next day we motored the rest of the way back to Alameda - 48 miles - and instead of the turmoil and high winds when we left, we crossed what looked like a mountain lake, with hardly a ripple of wind.


'Lake' San Francisco

Getting the Bud boat ready for the 4th of July

Michael paints the Bud boat
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

VALOIS, New York - It's called the Bud boat because the Schamel family who gave it to us - yes, gave it to us - let their teenagers use it for years and somewhere in all that they put decals of the Budweiser frogs on the engine, and, presumably, imbibed a little Budweiser beer in the boat also. The decals are still on the engine, more than a little faded. But no beer cans were in evidence when we picked up the boat two summers back.

This week as we rolled it out and cleaned it, we decided to give it a patriotic paint job, a red hull, blue trim and stars on the bow.

Thank God for Rustoleum paints. They cover up a multitude of dinks, scrapes, dents and even a few spiders who didn't get washed off.

The boat leaks some, though I used an all purpose sealer on the worst spots that might stanch the flow more this year. The 18-hp Evinrude is ready to go, too. The boat zips along quite nicely with that engine. It's overpowered, for sure, but I spent many years driving such rigs on Lake Chautaqua (and only flipped once), so I'm ready for another Bud boat season.

In two weeks, Admiral Fox and I will take a sojourn over to Jamestown for the 40th reunion of the Class of 1966 of Southwestern High School. We will not go by Bud boat. Instead, we will take my late mother-in-law's 1992 Buick Century, a white four-door hoover with enough squeaks and groans that it sounds about the same as I do when I roll out of bed in the morning.

The Bud boat is ready, the Buick is ready. It's summer vacation.

Dennis Hopper is writing a 'tell-all' book - Oh God!

Dennis Hopper
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - Moviestar madman Dennis Hopper is in the process of writing a book about his life, which he says will include all kinds of details about tons of stars (living and dead).

I first took note of Hooper when I saw the film Easy Rider with he and Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson. I watched the movie a few weeks before setting out across the country in my blue VW bus with my wife Kay, a three-month-old infant son Jason, and a black cat named Mr. Kitter.

I also had long hair, sported a beard and wore John Lennon-style eyeglasses.

The movie, frankly, scared the crap out of me, especially because living in upstate New York, I was well aware that there were people who did not kindly to people who sported long hair and beards. I had gotten into several scuffles in Jamestown and Lakewood taverns over my hair. It was part of the reason I was leaving redneck New York for other parts.

The trip from Jamestown let eventually to Napa, Calif. (which took eight weeks of sidetrips and detours, all looking for the perfect place to live) and only had one semi-serious incident - in Wyoming.

We stopped for gas in a small town and huddled under and overpass, hiding out, where a half-dozen 'hippies' who said the local cowboys had threatened to kill them. We couldn't take them with us, but said we would flag down other 'hippie vans' to evacuate them.

Later that afternoon, I stopped to take a picture of a sign on tree at a fancy resort that said "No Hippies or Longhairs Allowed."

One of the proprietors came out and chased me, screaming that he would smash my camera. I was still pretty fast on my feet and got away. But I'm glad he didn't get in his car - my VW van could only do about 50 mph.

Here's a link to the story about Hopper's new book:

Dennis Hopper

Hernando's Hideaway - not the one from the song

Hernando's Hideaway
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The dance lessons are, well, dancing along and although I still confuse the rumba with the waltz and the foxtrot with whatever else we are learning, the one little movement I seem to like the best is the tango.

Yup. Think Antonio Banderas. Now think about Antonio Banderaas with his shoelaces tied firmly together, trying to look sort of smoldering as he glides across the floor.

Now make him 57-years-old with a very gray ponytail and you have the image.

But the song that I always hear in my head when doing the tango is Hernando's Hideaway - no matter what tango the dance instructor has chosen. I've even learned how to strum it on the guitar - it's basically two chords so there's little rocket science involved with playing it.

I know a dark secluded place
A place where no one knows your face
A glass of wine a fast embrace
It's called...Hernando's Hideaway...OLÉ

All you see are silhouettes
And all you hear are castanets
And no one cares how late it gets
Not at Hernando's Hideaway...OLÉ

At the Golden Fingerbowl or any place you go
You can meet your Uncle Max and everyone you know
But if you go to the spot that I am thinking of
You will be free...to gaze at me
And talk of love

Just knock three times and whisper low
That you and I were sent by Joe
Then strike a match and you will know
That you're in Hernando's Hideaway...OLÉ

I went online to look and see if there was actually a place called Hernando's Hideway. I found several - thought it's doubtful that the joint in this picture inspired the song that was part of the Broadway show, The Pajama Game.

Still, in the dark, with the music playing, perhaps they do the tango here, too.

Ole!