December 25, 2003: Rain comes to southern CA. I found a couple of places I did not get all of the leaks plugged from removing hardware. Nothing serious but mostly annoying. I have managed to get all of the outer rings removed from the Lexan Pilot house windows with Tom's help (Thanks Tom!) In fact we managed to pull all of them without bending any frames. Now I am carefully breaking the lens loose from the inside frame. Hopefully I can leave the inner frame in place and not have to risk repainting the inner frames or the inside of the coach house. I have three out of the ten lenses removed and have a technique which seems to result in a lens coming free every 30 - 45 minutes. The next three days are forecast to be dry which will let me get them all out and then something covering the large holes this leaves in the deck. It is rough not having a digital camera around (it is in the shop) and so I can't take pictures of the process. The wind is blowing very hard, making the process of keeping a tarp over the boat difficult. Hopefully I can have Botany Bay sealed back up before the next big rainstorm hits early next week.

December 14, 2003: The project work is coming along nicely. All of the hardware on the coach roof and main deck have been pulled and the holes filled with polysulfide to keep the rain out. I found a source of 1/2" MR-10 Lexan to replace the main cabin port lights. Thus far the only significant concern is the condition of the Bomar cast aluminum hatches. The coatings have failed pretty badly and many of the fasteners for hatch dogs and openers are frozen to the hatch. 

October 18-??, 2003: Time for repairs and maintenance, starting to strip the decks of all hardware for rebedding and painting. Take a look at the list of projects for the winter of 2003! In the meantime take a look at www.dancegypsies.com which I put together for my folk dancing friends.

October 11-12, 2003: I am single handing Botany Bay over to Catalina while buddy boating with Tom and Alicia of Algeria. The winds are perfect for a close reach with the asymmetric spinnaker and I decide to try flying it alone for the first time! The purple monster is out of the bag for the first time in over two years and it is a glorious sail to Isthmus! Even better I get to fly the purple monster again for half of the sail home! Too bad Algeria was too far away to get pictures.

September 12-14, 2003: Kayaks to port and starboard! 

September 11, 2003: As I prepare Botany Bay for sea, escorting 10 kayaks to Catalina, I reflect on the events of two years ago as I was preparing Botany Bay for the passage from Kwajalein to Los Angeles via Midway Island. The memorial at Midway was where I came to terms with the events of two weeks before. 

August 29, 2003: Labor Day weekend with the Corsair Yacht Club at Emerald Bay, Catalina Island. As has been the case most of this summer, all of the moorings at Catalina are full. However, it is an excuse to practice single handed bow and stern anchoring. I have just about got the system down.

August 2003: Botany Bay gets a new rub rail extrusion. It has taken me years to find an extrusion which looks good and covers the hull to deck joint on a Cruising CAL 35, it protrudes outward about a half inch from the hull and deck.

July 28, 2003: Pushed the images of Kwajalein Departure, Likiep Atoll, and the Midway to Los Angeles Passages onto the web site.

July 25-27,  2003: West Coast Yacht Club cruise to Newport with a raft up. I got my first "sawhorse" due to a frayed line on a fender which floated away. I did not get the sawhorse for the fender floating away but rather for the truly ratty line which was on it. I pleaded my rebuttal based upon sentimental  value of that piece of line which I applied to that fender shortly after purchasing Botany Bay. The club felt that the line had "parted ways" with me and that I still deserved the sawhorse.

July 4, 2003: I spent five glorious days anchored behind the big rock at Emerald Bay. The Fireworks were wonderful, the comradely of the Corsair Yacht Club was spectacular!

July 1, 2003: Finally, a potential new rub rail for Botany Bay. There is a part from Morse Industries which looks like it may fit perfectly, look good, and be easy to install. Samples should be here in a few days.