Posts in California
When are we leaving?

Dominic and I are stoked to be at the point where we are planning for our actual departure. We began seriously boat shopping and preparing for this trip in 2012, so we eagerly anticipate the moment when we stow the dock lines, head out the Golden Gate, and turn left.

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Yamaha 9.9

It's a special day in any girl's life when she buys her first outboard motor. I had my opportunity a few weeks ago while Dominic was making his final trip to China. Dominic had an idea of the style we needed (manual ignition, four stroke, short shaft, powerful enough to get over surf, light enough to get on and off the boat) and sent a few vendors my way. I did the comparison shopping and made a few attempts at negotiation. Then, during one of the first major down pours this winter, I drove up to San Rafael to pick up the newest motor in the growing Dolci flotilla.

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Cruising Code Zero

Let's talk about sails. When moving upwind, sails act like airplane wings generating lift to propel the boat forward. Downwind they act more like kites pulling the boat through the sea. Sails are pieces of fabric stitched together since the beginning of recorded history so humans could explore, trade, conquer and birth civilizations. Sails are highly complex, continuously changing, and a really personal choice every sailor has to make to fit the needs of their journey. Sails are a lot to talk about!

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Business cards are done!

We ended up getting really lucky with the picture for our business cards: while out sailing last Sunday, a good samaritan took this picture from a ferry as Helios cruised west of Angel Island heading south. He then got ahold of Dominic through Cruiser's Forum and sent the picture along. Many thanks to our new friend, Steven Zawalick!

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Fleet Week Fun!

Fleet Week always feels a bit like the Fourth of July, like summer has come back to make the middle of October shine. It has the same red, white and blue patriotic fervor, the same stickiness of sun block and picnic lunches, there are are enough boats for a parade, and all is followed by front row seats to a pretty incredible air show.

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Aboard Taniwha

Last weekend, Dominic and I enjoyed one of the fringe benefits of marina life—friends with boats! We spent a killer day on the Bay with Greg and Sujata, our neighbors aboard Taniwha. Taniwha is a sleek, fast, easy to handle Saga 43 and she sailed swiftly from Alameda out past the Golden Gate and back in about three and half hours. We had winds up to 22 knots and hit speeds up to 6.8 knots!

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CaliforniaCorinne DolciComment
Crew Pics!

I've been putting together the 'Crew' page of the website this week. Writing a profile for Dominic was a breeze; writing my own was much more awkward (is it possible to not feel crazy when writing about yourself in the third person?!). But going through old pics was fun!

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Our Mast is Back!

As I'm sure many assumed after our cruise to Raccoon Straits, we have successfully reinstalled the mast and regained our status as a sailing vessel. Yahoo! It was no fun being the least efficient motor vessel on the dock…

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Dodger and Bimini!

I'm super excited to show off our recent upgrade, the dodger and bimini! The dodger is the windshield-like structure at the front of the cockpit, the bimini covers the helm, and there is a removable panel that connects the two.

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Happy Fourth of July!

The Fourth is always a highlight of my summer. How are you celebrating? Dominic and I are headed to Weaverville to visit his family and have some small town fun. Pizza partying, patio boating, and parading are all on the agenda, and I couldn't be happier. 

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