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Octopus Soup

My Life and Other Surprises
A book by Ronald M. Cole

New Chapter in 2009 Edition
Mexican Sushi!

Prelude to a Shipwreck

When I was a kid I had a sailor suit that I wore out while I dreamed of taking a yachting cruise down the Pacific coast. Over the years it had grown into fantasies of sipping a good wine and eating fish and crab just pulled straight from the sea. Therefore, when Jim asked if I would be willing to help him take his "new" 1988 pre-owned Grand Banks 32 from Marina del Rey (Los Angeles) to Puerto Vallarta (Mexico), I said "Let me think about it", took another sip of my wine, and said "There, I have thought about it … sure … when?".

DAY 01 - DAY 06

I drove from Salt Lake City to Lake Tahoe where Britta lived. Britta and Jim were divorced 20+ years ago but have remained close friends. 30 years ago they had lived in Sausalito on a Grand Banks 32 called La Pintura and I think it was one of the best times of their lives. They had several times taken the trip down the Pacific coast to the tip of Baja California and back, so both knew about the environment along the way. Britta had volunteered to take the trip also. We were all looking forward to the trip each with our own respective fantasies. After dispelling most of her reservations, Britta decided to go and have a good time.

We drove to Santa Barbara and spent the night, and the following day arrived at the marina at Marina del Rey where Jim was awaiting our arrival.

DAY 07 - DAY 17

Two weeks earlier the Santa Anna winds had deposited a nice even layer of soot on every surface of the boat. My first job was to get rid of it from the decks and the hull. I started with taking the hose and spraying the deck. Inside Britta yelled loudly. It turns out I had made a sprinkler system for below and water was coming in everywhere. For the next 3 days I caulked the deck. It worked.

Jim had had a complete survey done before we arrived and everything had tested out. He had also done a couple of sea trials with the previous owners, an airline pilot and an electrical engineer. The boat had a radar device which tested fine during the survey, then stopped working. I thought I would check it out and as I unplugged it sparks flew. It had been soldered and a couple of the strands were dangling. I re-soldered but it still didn't work. The first two repairmen said they could do nothing with it except send it to the Smithsonian. The third repairman said he would try to fix it. We left it with him.

We took the propane tank to have it filled and learned that it was now illegal to fill this old tank without the approved safety valve. Jim purchased a new tank and had it filled. I spent a day making a new bracket and bolting it in.

Jim purchased a lifeboat which took a great deal of effort to inflate, and determined where it could be fastened to be easily launched when needed.

Finally all the papers cleared and we had repaired as much as we felt was necessary, and we could go. On the last day we mounted the new anchor and slept very well.

Next: Catalina Island - The Island of Romance, without the Romance
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