Sailing Is Overcoming Challenges

We left Crescent City, California around 4:30pm and headed for Eureka, California which is about 65 nautical miles away.  The reason we left in the afternoon, was because we prefer to leave and arrive into harbors during the daylight and if we left early in the morning, there was no guarantee we would arrive in time to get tied up to a dock before nightfall.  So we chose to sail through the night, which would also mean lighter winds typically.

Leaving Crescent City and heading for Eureka, California

I did feel a bit anxious trying to get everything situated before departure and I suppose that did not help with the passage for me.  There were a lot of rolley waves with the wind  and waves coming from the northwest or from behind us.  I became rather nauseas and felt very sea sick.  Mal de mer! Mareado!   Estar mareada!  Either way, it really hit me badly and eventually I was not good for much.  Throughout the evening, I upchucked at least 3 times - fortunately over the side rails.  It was not pleasant and I will spare you the details.  I really felt bad and I was hardly able to sleep.  I was beginning to wonder if this cruising lifestyle was going to settle well with me or not.  

Dan was a true captain and had to cover for me by doing longer watches.  I could only relieve him a few times so he could get some needed rest.  Fortunately, Dan is an excellent napper/sleeper and has mastered the art of falling asleep quickly. 

There were beautiful stars, a nice moon and a relatively calm ocean.  I had trouble appreciating the beauty as I felt so terrible.  As we got closer to Eureka, the fog settled in pretty thickly.  Dan had to use radar and the navigation equipment to get us into the harbor.  The marina - Woodley Island Marina is located about 3 miles in this bay.

Needless to say, all I wanted to do was sleep the day we arrived in Eureka as I was still very much out of sorts.  After a good nap, a shower and a laundry room visit I started to feel somewhat better.

I had not really investigated seasickness alternatives prior to sailing, as I had done very well on the 6 day sail north from Alameda, California to Newport, Oregon.  Foolish that was.  Apparently many people take something when they first start sailing - many use a patch called scopolamine. Other meds are used and they seem to depend on the individual and what type of side effect they are willing to endure.  My first priority is to get some medication.

My primary care doctor in Oregon would not call in a prescription for me unless I went to see him for an appointment.  This did not make me happy.  Next alternative was a walk-in-clinic about 3.5 miles away.  With Dan's help, we assembled my folding bike and off I went.  Eureka is not a really friendly biking town like Eugene, Oregon.  I found it best to keep to the side walks whenever possible.  It was a busy office, but the staff were very friendly and helpful.  I noticed a CVS pharmacy was on route, so that is where I had the prescription sent and they too were out of their way helpful.  Thanks to all who helped.  I now have some prescription medication and more over the counter travel medication.

I've sense learned from my daughter, Kara who is an ICU nurse in Salt Lake City, Utah  that they use this medicine to help patents with nausea after having surgeries.  I am hoping it works for me and does not cause too many side effects.



Another mishap occurred on the short sail down from Crescent City to Eureka.  We broke a total of 4 out of the 5 batten sail slides that hold the sail to the mast!  We had already broken two, had a spare on the boat but waited in Crescent City for extra spares.  Now they were breaking.  Poor design for sure.  Dan has been problem solving this as extensively as he can from the boat.  He thought the next step would be to have slides made out of bronze  by a machine shop or he would try milling it himself with a Dremel tool.  Either way, the current style of batten sail slide was not going to work for us.

So once again Dan takes off the removable piece of sail track to get further measurements of what might really fit inside the current track.


While in the laundry room, I was chatting with a couple who lived at the marina.  They suggested we visit the Boat Shop and sail maker out back.  We did not know there was one at the marina.  The next morning when he was open, we went to visit Tom.  It was a very interesting visit and he was quite a remarkable fellow.

He listened to Dan, looked at the parts, hummed, didn't say a lot, pulled open a foldable table in this tight space he used, and started pulling out a series of red tool boxes.  He pulled out a couple of sail slides that were considerably more rugged.  They would need to be shaved down, but certainly a possibility.

Check out Tom's old but reliable sewing machine!

Then Tom pulled out a catalogue with some batten slide ideas.  Something caught Dan's eye right away and I will spare you and me the details, but Dan decided to order one to try the fit.  It certainly seemed like a stronger design.  So we will wait for the delivery on Monday or Tuesday and decide if it will work or not.

Meanwhile, here are some views of our marina.  It is pleasant here.  

We have enjoyed several nights of fresh tuna from the boat below.

This boat looks like a fun boat to row; simple and sweet.

Dan and I decided to take the bikes on a short ride around the historical section of Eureka.  It was very nice and showed a more positive side of Eureka.  While once a thriving lumber/fish area, Eureka has now lost many jobs and the homeless population is very high.

This victorian style mansion, was built in 1884 for the Lumber Baron, William Carson.  It is now a private club.  As I looked into the history of this, I found this interesting piece of information from "View Home" Published Sept 18, 2009.

"If there is only one photo of an American Victorian building in an architecture history book, it will usually be of this house. Carson owned a sawmill on brow of a hill next to the ocean bay in Eureka, California. There was a recession, so lumber sales were very low. To keep paying his millworkers, he had them build a new home 1884-1885. It kept his workers paid for until the economy returned to purchasing lumber. In the 1800s they did not use the terms "Recession" or "Depression". Back then a term for similar conditions was called a "Panic".

We visited the  Clarke Historical Museum and found it amazing.  There was a quilt display going on which showed old locally made quilts including this "Banner Quilt" made by The Ladies' Social Circle of Eureka and first displayed on April 5, 1865 as part of its fundraising effort on behalf of the United States Sanitary Commission (to support Union Solders who where sick and wounded).




But what really caught my eye in this museum was the incredible collection of baskets made by several of the local Indian tribes. Yurok was one of the tribes, but there were several more.  I used to love making baskets, a much simpler type of  coarse.  These were absolutely incredible!





When I bike into town, I need to cross a bridge.  This is the view to the North and following is the view to the South where you can also see the Woodley Island Marina.




Here is a map of where we are now.  The blue dot is the marina.  The red pointer is where I took the following pictures of the Pacific Ocean off Samoa Beach.  It was such a nice biking day, that I continued  to the end of the end where the jetty is.  It was fun to see it without the fog, like on the day we sailed into the bay.

Samoa Beach - Pacific Ocean

A few operating lumber operations where on the peninsula.

Dead trees in the marsh.

This is the end of Samoa Point and it is also the entrance to the Humboldt Bay, with jetties on each side.  It is told to be the second most dangerous bar to enter on the West Coast and we made it!  (the conditions were right, so we lived).

This is also the end of this post. Our challenges of seasickness and broken sail slides are being tackled.  We will persevere!  All is good!
Beverly